Connective tissues and proteins like collagen are essential in maintaining the firmness and health of the skin. Over the years, as the body ages, the elasticity of the skin is lost, which is also attributed to the decrease in the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) in the skin. This low level of HA prevents skin from keeping moisture, so it is dry and can be more prone to wrinkles and lines.

Hyaluronic acid is administered by means of an injection, which is placed beneath the skin. HA then acts on the cells, helping them retain more moisture. HA provides a rejuvenating effect, and the results are younger looking skin. In 2007, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reported more than 1.05 million cases of hyaluronic acid treatments.

Known officially as Botulinum toxin, Botox is a protein synthesized by a species of bacterium, named Clostridium botulinum. First used in the medical field as a treatment for facial tics, strabismus, and uncontrollable eye blinking, Botox injections are now a real hot procedure that helps get rid of wrinkles. The drug acts on the nerves of facial muscles beneath the skin, causing the area to be relaxed and become soft, so lines are smoothed out.

In the year 2007, more than 4.6 million Americans had Botox injections. The average cost of each shot of Botox is about $300 to $500, and treatments need to be redone every three months. Some side effects of this may be mild numbness in the area, and some redness, which are only temporary.

In man’s never ending quest to look beautiful, so many new products and procedures are developed in the market. Along with this, the ever growing industry of cosmetic surgery does not seem to show any signs of waning. Cosmetic surgery and the procedures included under it answer more of the “wants” of modern society, instead of the “needs” such as in reconstructive surgery.

Because not all people have a high threshold for pain, non-invasive cosmetic methods are being used. These provide the promise of healthier skin and an overall improvement in appearance. Discussed here are three of the most popular treatments in 2007.

The skin is made up of several layers, where the older and dead cells are found on the outside, and the younger cells are on the layers beneath it. As one goes through her everyday routines, her skin is exposed to UV radiation, dirt, and bacteria. The skin becomes less firm and less healthy. With microdermabrasion, a specialized wand with a vacuum is rubbed across the skin. This wand carefully peels off the outer dead skin cells, so that the younger and smoother layer is revealed.

This method is said to be effective in reducing fine lines and wrinkles as well as repairing facial discoloration. Also, it is a more welcome alternative for those people who want to look younger, without the pain and down time associated with face lifts or chemical peels. The cost of a typical microdermabrasion treatment is $200 to $300 per visit, where 3 to 6 visits may be needed for best results. There were nearly 900,000 people who had this in 2007.

When one talks about cosmetic surgery, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it a cold operating room with tons of sharp medical tools on standby? Are images of doctors in surgical masks, latex gloves, and green robes flashing in your head? Do you often picture a knife cutting through your skin, or a needle stitching across sections of your face? As common as the notion may be, cosmetic surgery does not need to involve all these elements associated with “going under the knife.”

Weird as the term may sound, there are actually non-surgical methods that fall under the general practice of cosmetic surgery. These procedures are termed as such because they are minimally invasive to the body. No cuts or incisions are created, and no sutures are made. Also, the costs of these non-surgical forms of treatment are relatively lower than their counterparts, because one disregards the anesthesiologist fees, which are a must for surgical methods. Described here are two popular non-surgical treatments in cosmetic surgery, Botox injections and Microdermabrasion. Find out about their costs, and how many people went through them in the past year. These pieces of info were from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2007.