The court agreed with Allergan’s contention that Merz had induced those employees who had previously worked for Allergan to share Allergan trade secrets, including physician-customer names and contact information, sales targets and generated sales and product volume details.

According to the injunction, Merz cannot market Xeomin for aesthetic purposes in the United States until January of 2013, or until the injunction is lifted, whichever comes first. Although Xeomin can still be used for blepharospasm and other, non-aesthetic, dermatological conditions, even the sale of Xeomin for these purposes is restricted to specific US territories unless the customers themselves ask for the product by name.

Here at our Shreveport, LA-based plastic surgery practice, the Doctors Wall wish to provide the best wrinkle-relaxant to our patients. As a Platinum-level Shreveport BOTOX® Cosmetic provider, our Jade MedSpa skin care professionals are highly experienced in this treatment. Also, our Platinum status qualifies our BOTOX® Cosmetic patients for a “frequent treatment discount card,” which can save each patient $25 on maintenance BOTOX® treatments. If you’re interested in BOTOX® Cosmetic to erase wrinkles around your eyes and between your brows, call us for a complimentary  consultation today.

To your health & beauty,

The Doctors Wall: Dr. Simeon Wall, Sr.; Dr. Holly Wall; and Dr. Simeon Wall, Jr.

Dear Dr. Wall, I just caught the tail end of a news story on TV discussing a ban on silicone breast implants in France. Out of curiosity, what is the reason for this? Is there a ban on the silicone implants I currently have right now? Thanks.

There is no ban on your FDA-approved gel-filled breast implants placed here in our Shreveport cosmetic surgery practice. It’s a different story, however, for about 40,000 British women and another 30,000 French women who underwent breast augmentation with gel-filled implants made by Poly Implant Prothèse, a French implant manufacturer. Over 1,000 French women, and untold numbers of British women, have suffered implant rupture of Poly Implant Prothèse’s implants. With American-made implants, this wouldn’t be a problem—the problem in Europe is that the Poly Implant Prothèse implants were filled with industrial-grade silicone. Both France and British health officials are advising women with implants from Poly Implant Prothèse to have them removed as soon as possible. One woman has already died and untold thousands may become ill if their implants are not removed.

Again, these implants are not available in the USA, so women who had breast augmentation in the states would not have these implants. However, American women who flew to Europe in hopes of saving money on an augmentation may find their health compromised if they have PIP implants.

To your Health & Beauty,

The Doctors Wall: Simeon, Jr; Simeon, Sr; Holly Wall

Dear Dr. Wall, I just caught the tail end of a news story on TV discussing a ban on silicone breast implants in France. Out of curiosity, what is the reason for this? Is there a ban on the silicone implants I currently have right now? Thanks.

There is no ban on your FDA-approved gel-filled breast implants placed here in our Shreveport cosmetic surgery practice. It’s a different story, however, for about 40,000 British women and another 30,000 French women who underwent breast augmentation with gel-filled implants made by Poly Implant Prothèse, a French implant manufacturer. Over 1,000 French women, and untold numbers of British women, have suffered implant rupture of Poly Implant Prothèse’s implants. With American-made implants, this wouldn’t be a problem—the problem in Europe is that the Poly Implant Prothèse implants were filled with industrial-grade silicone. Both France and British health officials are advising women with implants from Poly Implant Prothèse to have them removed as soon as possible. One woman has already died and untold thousands may become ill if their implants are not removed.

Again, these implants are not available in the USA, so women who had breast augmentation in the states would not have these implants. However, American women who flew to Europe in hopes of saving money on an augmentation may find their health compromised if they have PIP implants.

To your Health & Beauty,

The Doctors Wall: Simeon, Jr; Simeon, Sr; Holly Wall

In all the years we’ve been plastic surgeons in Shreveport, I can tell you that many people have enjoyed the services we provide here; however, I cannot honestly recall anybody asking for a gift certificate for a breast augmentation or a nose job!

So you tell me–are Louisiana residents just more practical about cosmetic surgery or has this trend just not come far enough East from LA?

To your health and beauty,

Drs. Wall: Dr. Simeon Wall, Sr.; Dr. Holly Casey Wall and Dr. Simeon Wall, Jr.

This isn’t to say that people aren’t trying to get healthy. Roughly twenty-five percent of men and forty-three percent of women go on a diet each year. However, only five to twenty percent accomplish losing weight and keep it off. Even then, some may require procedures such as liposuction, SAFELipo^TM, or a tummy tuck to gain their ideal shape. Yet, your weight already needs to be in order before any of these procedures.

So why is dieting so difficult?

A new culprit is suspected in our desire to continuously eat. Although the stomach is usually blamed, it is believed that the brain has something to do with over-consumption. Despite all your determination to eat smaller amounts, or avoid certain foods altogether, your brain has other ideas. Say you push your plate away, that still contains a good amount of food, because you are full. Even though you may feel as if you’re about to burst, your brain may con you into finishing your meal. What’s more, say you’ve stopped eating fast food. Maybe you’ve gone a whole month without even a craving for it. However, seeing anyone eating said fast food, or simply catching a commercial, could cause your brain to throw out all your determination and cave. You could be eating a deliciously healthy meal, but your brain has the strength to win over everything else.

Where does this leave dieters?

Scientists hope to uncover a hormonal trigger or spot in the brain that drives our urge to eat. If they can, there is a chance that the trigger could be turned off. Unfortunately for now it is up to the dieter to keep at it. A great tip is to put only what you can eat on your plate. If there aren’t leftovers on your plate calling out to you, you are less likely to over eat. Try to avoid being around people while they are eating fast food, or a food you don’t want to eat. And above all, treat yourself from time to time.

To your health and beauty,

The Drs. Wall

Melanoma, otherwise known as skin cancer, is diagnosed 120,000 times each year. Why is this cancer such a problem? Part of the reason is due to the fact that not everyone takes precautions to protect their skin while they are out in the sun. But another huge contributor to melanoma is the highly popular trend, fake baking. From tanning salons to gyms, tanning beds are a quick and easy way to gain beautifully darkened skin. Unfortunately, it is also a quick and easy way to acquire skin cancer. In fact, people under the age of thirty who tan in a bed only ten times a year, are eight times more likely to end up with malignant melanoma.

With all these statistics citing the dangers of tanning beds, it may be a surprise that the popularity of fake baking has only increased. Why would such a harmful behavior continue to gain momentum? Scientists may have figured it out.

It turns out that a person using a tanning bed experiences a similar feeling that a person addicted to alcohol or drugs feels. To put it simply, using a tanning bed is actually addicting. Despite all the known health risks, tanning bed users experience a reward-and-reinforcement trigger in their brain. Their brown skin is the reward, and because they want to keep it up and retain that rewarding feeling they must soon return to the tanning bed. And so a cycle that may ultimately lead them to losing portions of their skin begins.

Like any addiction, it is hard to break the cycle. The best advice is to never start fake baking in the first place. There are plenty of safer options. Spray tanning is steadily gaining popularity. Lotions that promise to darken your skin are also available. And, when all else fails, you can always spend a little time in the real sunlight. The vitamin D you receive from the sun’s rays is incredibly healthy for you. Just remember to slather on the sunblock and you’re good to go.

To your health and beauty,

The Drs. Wall

But did you know that recent studies suggest that aging is not just a slow wearing out of cells?

New studies have actually found that as we get older our bodies actually begin to produce a toxic protein known as progerin. This same toxic protein is found in very large quantities in children with Progeria, which causes them to age at seven times the normal rate. Though healthy human beings have much lower quantities, this suggests that the toxic protein could actually be the real reason why human beings age. Therefore, aging is not simply a passive wearing out of cells as previously thought, but an active biological mechanism that is programmed into our cells.

Perhaps there is no real way of combatting aging. It is, in fact, a completely natural occurrence. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to feel beautiful as you get older. Anything from Botox, dermal fillers, laser skin resurfacing, or even a face lift can help you turn back the clock physically. Every single person deserves to feel beautiful no matter what their age.

To your health and beauty,

The Drs. Wall

First, it is important to clarify exactly what is bothering each individual patient and where they “see” the aging.  Then, the discussion centers around which intervention will work the best for each person’s condition and desires.  Many times, we can utilize Botox and wrinkle fillers with beautiful results, alleviating most or all of the signs of aging without needing to perform surgery.  Other times, when facial aging is more advanced, we consider different surgeries for around the frame of the eyes, which usually consist of some form of a brow shaping or lifting procedure, and blepharoplasty, which is upper and/or eyelid surgery.

Which one does what?

A brow lift is exactly what it sounds like, with the added benefit of brow shaping, utilizing more recent and advanced techniques, either endoscopic (utilizing tiny access sites) or open (usually with incisions shorter than 2 inches on each side).  Blepharoplasty is essentially an eyelid procedure where excess folds of upper eyelid skin are removed from the upper lids, many times with contouring of the entire length of the upper lid.  Lower lid blepharoplasty can include skin tightening, but mainly streamlines and minimizes hollows and bulges from the lower lids and orbital rim.  This is accomplished through hidden incisions, by tightening and repositioning the eyelid muscle and providing a smoother platform beneath the eyelid skin.

If the part of the brow closest to the temple region is drooping, with persistent wrinkles and hooding by the outside of the eyes, a patient usually is a candidate for a brow lift.  Older methods of brow lifts could effectively lift the entire brow, but usually required longer incisions and inexact brow shaping.  In our practice, we have found a temporal brow lift is very effective in repositioning the outside of the brow and skin beneath it, and has the added benefit of shorter incisions and exact brow shaping.  Brows that have a sagging of the outside part of the brow tend to make a person look sad or mad; therefore, lifting the portion of the brow to its appropriate height can immediately improve appearance and dramatically improve the sad or tired appearance.  Another advantage of temporal brow lifts is the ability to shape the brow and not cause over-elevation of the inner part of the brow, which can result in a “surprised” look.

If a patient merely has excess skin on the upper lids, then we would more than likely suggest a blepharoplasty. You don’t have to live with a tired, sagging eyelid appearance. Through a relatively straight-forward, tried and true plastic surgery procedure, our surgeons can tighten and revitalize both upper and lower lids. With the excess skin removed and the fatty deposits that cause puffiness smoothed and contoured, a patient’s eyes will appear greatly rejuvenated.

A blepharoplasty can also go hand in hand with a brow lift; however, it doesn’t have to. Whichever a patient chooses, The Wall Center is happy to give them the results they are seeking.

Have you ever had one of these procedures? If you haven’t, which one would you most likely opt for?

To your health and beauty,

The Doctors Wall

The Phillippines FDA has issued an advisory that warns of the potentially serious risks of using the popular intravenous skin whitener glutathione. Glutathione is a liver-generated compound that plays a role in antioxidant defense, metabolism and regulation. When injected into a vein, glutathione inactivates the enzyme tyrosinase, which helps melanin production. With the melanin production stunted, the pigment lightens to pheomelanin.

It has been found that in very high doses, glutathione is unsafe and may cause serious health risks of the users. A patient receiving twice-weekly glutathione injections may see:

• Stevens-Johnson syndrome
• Toxic epidermal necrolysis
• Thyroid function derangement
• Possible kidney dysfunction, potentially resulting in kidney failure
• Severe abdominal pain
• Possible overload of renal circulation

If you feel the need to lighten your skin, there are other ways to do so. Many treatments use a combination of topical lotions or gels containing melanin-inhibiting ingredients along with a sunscreen, and a prescription retinoid or RetinA derivative. These are your safer options!

To your health and beauty,

The Doctors Wall

Why is a Labiaplasty performed?

The most common reason a labiaplasty is performed is to reduce the length of the labia minora – the smaller skin fold surrounding the vagina.  When standing, the labia minora is typically the same length or smaller than the larger labia majora.  This is typically due to good old genetics, but childbirth can damage the labium (plural of labia), which explains why, here at our Shreveport, LA, plastic surgery office, a Mommy Makeover procedure sometimes includes a labiaplasty.

Aging and weight gain/loss cycles can also make the labium lack an attractive fullness, resulting in sagging. However, most labiaplasty procedures are performed for women who have overly long labium, labium that are misshapen, or labia that are mismatched, i.e., one is longer than the other. Things that you and I take for granted, such as wearing tight jeans or stretchy workout clothing, riding a bike, horseback riding and similar activities are embarrassing and/or painful for women with very long labium. These women are often self-conscious during intimate relationships and find it difficult to enjoy sex because they think they look abnormal and because intercourse can be painful for them. Naturally, their discomfort makes it more difficult for their partner to enjoy the experience, as well.

How is a Labiaplasty performed?

Labiaplasty is an outpatient procedure. It can be performed under local anesthesia, IV sedation or general anesthesia. When it’s done along with other cosmetic procedures, it’s performed under general anesthesia. The decision about anesthesia is discussed during a woman’s private consultation in our plastic surgery office in Shreveport. Some women are comfortable with local anesthesia while others wouldn’t consider anything less than general anesthesia. My goal is to make the procedure as comfortable as possible for each particular woman.

What’s the Recovery Time from a Labiaplasty?

Most of my labiaplasty patients feel comfortable going back to work or school in three days. The area will look immediately better, but swelling may take a full 6 weeks to go away.  You cannot have intercourse, exercise, or swim for 6 weeks as this tissue is very fragile.

I’ve Heard that Labiaplasty can be performed with Lasers. Do you use a laser?

Laser vaginal rejuvenation is an entirely different procedure and is banned in many countries.  Using a laser on fragile vaginal tissue in the hopes of making the vagina tighter, causes a burn, and can cause serious injury and pain with intercourse. Laser vaginal rejuvenation is not condoned by the ACOG (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists).

If you have concerns about the “look” of your labium, are having discomfort wearing slacks or participating in certain activities, schedule an appointment with me for a private consultation. It may be quite easy to take care of, but without an exam, you won’t know.

To your health & wellness,

Dr. Holly Casey Wall