Would You Get Rid of Wrinkles With Tiny Plastic Beads and Bovine Collagen?

The FDA has approved a new competitor for BOTOX that appears on the surface to be just as health-harming. California-based Artes Medical received the formal go-ahead last week for ArteFill, a mixture of tiny plastic beads suspended in bovine collagen, that "erases" wrinkles when injected into the skin.

If that doesn't disturb you, here's the real kicker: The FDA is investigating Artes Medical based on accusations ArteFill was used and promoted illegally before its approval. And, apparently it was, based on a lawsuit filed last year by a client who claims injections of the wrinkle-removing drug administered in 2002 disfigured her.

Even worse, one of the co-founders openly promoted ArteFill in 2003 and 2004 and provided lists of San Diego area doctors who could administer injections to interested clients, according to other FDA complaints.

Folks, you can't "buy" a sample from the fountain of youth in an injection or a bottle, but there are many things within in your control you can do:

• Eat a healthier diet based on your body's unique nutritional type.
• Restrict, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your diet.
• Incorporate more vegetables into your diet by juicing them.

You'll also want to check out an article I wrote about the six additional things you can do to have younger-looking skin.