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Maybe you remember the Solta Medical illumiNATION tour that came through Bellevue last fall, or perhaps you even saw their heavily branded silver Airstream Trailer driving down the road, fully equipped with Fraxel and Thermage treatment stations inside.

According to a recent press release, the company was awarded the Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America in the category of “Best Special Events and Observances.”

Why Solta Was Given the Award – via PR Newsire

The illumiNATION tour introduced the two latest advancements in the aesthetic industry – the Thermage CPT and Fraxel re:store Dual – to physicians and consumers in over 45 cities in the U.S. and Europe in Fall 2009. The tour was comprised of an on-line and on-the-road communications program. It produced unprecedented results, including more than 200 million media impressions, thousands of visitors and increased sales for the Thermage and Fraxel systems throughout the effort. Due to the success of the program, a Canadian tour followed in the spring and stopped in 8 cities across Canada, generating the same great results Solta experienced in the first tour.

Botulinum toxin injections (Botox, Dysport) were the top plastic surgery procedure in the world last year, according to statistics recently released by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

Billed as the first reliable international plastic surgery data ever surveyed, the data showed that botulinum toxin injections were performed 2,860,238 times last year, 32.7% of all non-surgical procedures.

It was followed by hyaluronic acid injections as the number two non-surgical procedure, which made up 20.1% of all non-surgical procedures. The rest of the top 5 non-surgical procedures were laser hair removal (13.1%); autologous fat injections (5.9%); and IPL laser treatment (4.4%).

Chemical peel, microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, sclerotherapy, and laser treatment of leg veins rounded out the top 10.

The number of non-surgical procedures topped the number of surgical procedures, “reflecting both advances in cosmetic surgery innovation and the desirability of less expensive treatments,” according to ISAPS.

Liposuction was the top plastic surgery procedure, representing almost 19 percent of all surgical procedures. It was followed by breast augmentation (17%); eyelid lift (13.5%); rhinoplasty (9.4%); and tummy tuck (7.3%).

The top procedures do vary among countries. “It is not always liposuction and breast augmentation that are No. 1,” says Foad Nahai, MD, ISAPS President and a plastic surgeon in Atlanta. For instance, injectables are not yet as popular in other countries as they are in the U.S., he says.

The United States had more than 3 million plastic surgery procedures (surgical and non-surgical) performed in 2009, making it the country with the most procedures.

The top 5 countries, by total number of procedures, were:

1. United States (17.5% of total procedures)
2. Brazil (14.3%)
3. China (12.7%)
4. India (5.2%)
5. Mexico (4.8%)

“It is no surprise to me that the United States has the largest number of aesthetic procedures, and same with Brazil,” says Dr. Nahai. “But countries like China and India with emerging economies are generating a lot wealth and as that wealth is passed around, people are choosing to their spend discretionary income on aesthetic procedures.”

For more information on the statistics, visit the ISAPS website.

A disturbing trend at cosmetic and dermatology centers is being reported at msnbc.com: “cosmetic” criminals who get non-surgical cosmetic treatments and then leave without paying or write a bad check.

The Latest “Beauty Bandit”

The latest case was a woman who received over $3,000 worth of Botox and dermal fillers in a Fort Lauderdale dermatology center and then disappeared after telling staff she had to run to an ATM.

Dubbed the “Beauty Bandit,” the suspect was arrested recently, but others have been reported, including cases in Newport Beach, Calif.; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Brisbane, Australia and Kenton, England.

“From talking to our doctors, this is a problem that’s occurring from coast to coast,” says Jeff Karzen, spokesman for the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

The Upswing in Cosmetic Crimes

According to msnbc.com, doctors are pointing to the bad economy as one factor in the increase in these crimes, nicknamed “pricks-and-runs.” Another reason some cite is the perceived “necessity” of cosmetic procedures.

Botox is no longer considered a luxury says Dr. Jon Grazer, a Newport Beach plastic surgeon who was hit by a Botox bandit last year. “It’s something people have to have, and if they can’t afford it because of the economy, I think it’s going to push them to get it by whatever means they can.”

“We’ve had it happen three times,” says Las Vegas cosmetic surgeon Dr. Samir Pancholi. “The first time, it was a woman in her 50s who came in and got treatment, then said, ‘My purse is in the car, I’ll go grab it and be right back.’ Then she was gone.”

Avoiding “Pricks-and-Runs”

To avoid falling victim to these “beauty bandits” again, many offices affected by these crimes are changing their payment rules, such as  requiring all new patients to pay prior to receiving treatment.

XEOMIN is the latest botulinum toxin type A product to be approved by the FDA, after Botox and  Dysport. A product of Merz Pharmaceuticals, XEOMIN has been approved for therapeutic treatment of adults with cervical dystonia or blepharospasm.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines dystonias as movement disorders in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Focal dystonia, which includes cervical dystonia (twisting of the neck and sometimes the shoulders) and blepharospasm (excessive eyelid spasm), affects about 295 people out of one million in the U.S., according to a study conducted in Rochester, Minnesota.

The approval of XEOMIN comes after two U.S. clinical trials. The Journal of Neurological Sciences cited a study on the efficacy and safety of XEOMIN, in which XEOMIN showed “non-inferiority” to Botox when used to treat cervical dystonia. XEOMIN “is a safe and effective treatment for CD [cervical dystonia]” it concluded.

Xeomin, according to Merz, is the only botulinum toxin that doesn’t require refrigeration prior to reconstitution. Merz believes this may simplify product distribution and storage and help ensure product integrity at the time of injection.

Merz had announced earlier this year that it was acquiring BioForm Medical, a leader in the U.S. and European dermal filler markets with its Radiesse dermal filler. Merz will be renamed “Merz Aesthetics” after the acquisiton is complete.