Daily Cosmetic Research Analysis

BACKGROUND: The increasing popularity of minimally invasive soft tissue filler injections has been accompanied by a significant rise in filler reversal procedures, highlighting the concerns regarding adverse effects, including the facial overfilled syndrome (FOS). This trend suggests a growing need to understand individual facial regions contributing to FOS and their influence on patient perception. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of exaggerated volumization of facial regions on the perceptions of attractiveness and gender traits using eye-tracking and survey methods to better understand FOS. METHODS: A total of 50 volunteers (30 women and 20 men) rated frontal images of different modified facial regions (i.e., eyes, cheeks, and lips) and the combination thereof on 5-point Likert scales for attractiveness, unattractiveness, masculinity, and femininity. Their gaze patterns and eye movements were analyzed using eye-tracking technology. RESULTS: Elevating the lateral canthal angle sharply reduces the attractiveness in male and female faces. Accentuating the zygomatic arch generally decreases attractiveness and masculinity, particularly in men, while slightly increasing femininity. Lip volumization in women marginally increases attractiveness without significantly altering femininity. In combined modifications, the decrease in attractiveness is predominantly driven by the eye modification aspect, leading to the most substantial decline in the perceived attractiveness and gender-specific traits. CONCLUSION: Certain facial modifications such as lip enhancement may increase attractiveness, while cheek enhancements may increase femininity. However, most alterations, particularly those involving the eyes or combinations of treatments, generally decrease attractiveness and impact the perceptions of femininity and masculinity. This underscores the need for balanced aesthetic treatments to prevent overcorrection.

PURPOSE: Two randomized controlled trials of external beam accelerated partial breast irradiation (EB-APBI) using 38.5 Gy/10 fractions twice daily demonstrated excellent cancer control outcomes in appropriately selected patients, but with conflicting results regarding cosmesis. A recent randomized controlled trial reported high rates of acceptable cosmesis using 30 Gy/5 fractions every other day, calling into question the most appropriate schedule for EB-APBI. Our accelerated partial breast irradiation approach uses strict contouring, dosimetric, and planning guidelines. We report our experience with twice-daily and every-other-day EB-APBI, hypothesizing that our treatment planning approach would result in acceptable acute toxicity and cosmesis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We identified patients who received EB-APBI from April 2017 to December 2021. Clinical, pathologic, acute toxicity, cosmesis, and dosimetric data for the lumpectomy gross tumor volume, clinical target volume, and planning target volume were collected. Cosmesis was physician-reported using the 4-point Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) global cosmetic score: excellent, good, fair (F), and poor (P). We report descriptive statistics to summarize our results. RESULTS: A total of 245 patients were included with a median follow-up of 19 months (IQR, 9-30 months); the median age was 66 years (IQR, 59-71 years), 82% had invasive breast cancer, 100% had invasive tumors that were hormone-receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative, and 96% had nodal surgery for invasive disease. Fractionation was twice daily in 55% of patients, and every other day in 45%. Three-dimensional conformal radiation was used in 88%, with a median of 6 fields, and 96% were treated prone. Most patients had no acute toxicity (55% grade 0 dermatitis; 57% grade 0 fatigue; 97% grade 0 pruritis). The rate of excellent/good cosmesis was 97.1% (n = 238), and F/P was 2.9% (n = 7). The ipsilateral breast V100 was marginally associated with increased odds of F/P cosmesis (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.99-1.42; P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: With multiple-field 3-dimensional conformal radiation in the prone position, EB-APBI can be delivered with extremely low toxicity and great cosmetic results with twice-daily or every-other-day fractionation. Given the low rate of F/P cosmesis, longer follow-up is needed to confirm the stability of these results and to help identify optimal planning dose-volume parameters to help minimize the rate of F/P cosmesis.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear, unbranched polysaccharide composed of repeating disaccharide units of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid. It plays a crucial role in promoting soft tissue growth, elasticity, and scar reduction. The growing demand for HA in pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications has provoked extensive research into diverse production strategies. Current efforts focus on bacterial and yeast fermentation. However, the extraction process presents a significant challenge due to the complex nature of source materials like fermentation broth, which contains numerous components and solutes. Achieving high extraction yields and purity requires careful consideration of extraction techniques. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the primary methodologies employed for HA production, elaborating on the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Additionally, it highlights recent advancements in HA extraction and purification, with a particular emphasis on bacterial sources and the applications of HA. This review critically evaluates current HA production strategies, identifies key challenges hindering scalability and efficiency, and discusses innovative solutions under development to overcome these limitations.