BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Healthcast on Monday afternoon reports on the latest updates on preventing wrinkles, menopause relief, and sugar substitutes.
PREVENTING WRINKLES
Dr. Jeffrey Fromowitz, a dermatologist in Palm Beach County, said he is seeing more and more patients who are in their early 20s coming to him for injections with products that use botulinum neurotoxin, better known as Botox.
While these products, known as neuromodulators, were intended to soften wrinkles by freezing facial muscles, Fromowitz, who has a practice in Boca Raton, said the younger patients are hoping to prevent wrinkles.
“We will slow aging but we don’t prevent it so what we do is we age more gracefully, so you’re going to slow the impact of time but again there are other variables: How much sun or environmental carcinogens, are you a smoker,” Fromowitz said.
No matter what the age of the patient, the products typically “wear off” within a few months and the average cost of the injections is around $500.
“So there are certainly other variables that contribute to photo aging as well as wrinkle or line development, but if you start in your 20s and you routinely treat throughout your 50s, you will certainly have postponed the development of many of these lines of expression,” Fromowitz said.
Related story: Daxxify fights wrinkles
HOT FLASHES DURING MENOPAUSE
Women who are experiencing menopause could soon get some relief. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new type of medication to treat hot flashes.
It does not include hormones, which makes it a good alternative for women with underlying health conditions. Instead, it uses a different approach to target brain cells that regulate the body’s temperature.
Trial data shows the medication helped women with symptoms such as sweating, flushing, and chills.
SUGAR SUBSTITUTES
If you are trying to lose weight, don’t rely on sugar substitutes, experts with the World Health Organization warned.
This includes natural extracts such as Stevia and synthetic varieties.
After reviewing hundreds of studies, the WHO experts determined that non-sugar sweeteners will not help with weight control in the long term.
The review also showed an increased risk of type two diabetes and cardiovascular diseases from the long-term use of sugar substitutes.
Related story: Experts raise concerns over compounded weight loss drugs