Board of Laser Safety Announces New Forum

The Board of Laser Safety (BLS) is excited to announce a new forum for laser safety. Recognizing the need for a place to share information, concerns and new ideas relating to laser safety, the BLS, an affiliate of Laser Institute of America (LIA) has created a new online forum. The Laser Safety Forum provides an online resource for improvement in the practice of laser safety.

To use this new tool go online to this URL: www.lasersafety.org/forum. Registration is a simple process and takes only a few moments to complete. Users can tailor their experience by setting preferences for time zone, privacy, and formatting. There is even an option for email updates on postings. As a global channel for sharing information, the Laser Safety Forum should prove to be an excellent new instrument for promoting and improving laser safety. For more information please contact BLS by emailing: bls@lasersafety.org.

The BLS is affiliated with the LIA, a professional society dedicated to fostering lasers, laser applications and laser safety worldwide. The mission of the BLS is to provide a means for improvement in the practice of laser safety by providing opportunities for the education, assessment, and recognition of laser safety professionals.

Board of Laser Safety - BLS
13501 Ingenuity Dr.
Suite 128
Orlando, FL 32826
800.345.2737

Website: www.LaserSafety.org

MILK AND HONEY DELIVER A SOOTHING ANTIDOTE FOR SUMMER-STRESSED SKIN

As the long, sunny days of summer start to fade, so do those golden tans earned from a season spent outdoors. What’s often left behind is dull and dehydrated skin that looks as supple as the family room’s old leather sofa. Not a pretty picture. Rescue summer-stressed skin with soothing and emollient-rich Spa Blends Milk and Honey Collection of body care products.

The soy milk extract used in Spa Blends formulations is a rich source of phytoestrogen, a plant substance that mimics the effects of human estrogen and is valued for its ability to preserve the firmness and elasticity found in younger skin. Honey, considered to be one of nature’s super foods, is also a super healer. For more than 2,000 years honey has been used by cultures around the world as a protective salve for cuts, bites and burns. Modern day research has revealed that honey’s chemical makeup gives it the power to attract moisture, promote cell regeneration and fend off skin weakening infections with natural anti-bacterial properties.

Spa Blends incorporates these skin-friendly ingredients along with generous amounts of hydrating shea butter and nourishing vitamin E into the complete Milk and Honey Collection that includes Butter Bar cleansing moisture bar, Shower Geleé, Butter Scrubä, Bathing Salts, Body Butter, Body Souffléä, Moisturizing Body Oil, Lip Whip Butter and Aroma Spritzer.

About Spa Blends
Spa Blends is the culmination of a 24-year dream by spa owners Bill and Kelly Rose to create a superior line of professional spa treatments and home care products for their clients. Their collaboration with a world-renowned chemist and 35 top spa technicians produced a collection of body products, candles and teas that are now available in 850 of the leading spas in the United States and Canada.

Spa Blends
800.532.9270
www.spablends.com

Source: RKT Communications ~ www.rktcommunications.com

COSMOPROF SHANGHAI

Shanghai, 15 – 17 January, 2008

The Beauty Excellence boosts at Cosmoprof Shanghai: a new hall to be opened in 2008!

As international requests for participation continue to flood in, Cosmoprof Shanghai organisers decided to extend the show floor into an extra hall, increasing the exhibition area by over 30%.

After its successful debut in January 2007, Cosmoprof Shanghai will return from 15 – 17 January 2008 strengthening its position as the unique Excellence event in the Chinese beauty show scenario.

The inaugural Cosmoprof Shanghai started with two halls in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, featuring the international key players among the manufacturers of finished products and suppliers of the cosmetic industry. At its 2nd edition in 2008, Cosmoprof Shanghai will open a third hall to accommodate the increasing demand on space from national groups and individual brands eager to enlarge their participation at the show or to join the event for the first time.

The support of the country pavilions keeps driving the growth of the show: Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Korea, Spain and US are already organising their participation in Cosmoprof Shanghai 2008 with a larger presence compared to 2007, confirming the positive results achieved in the first edition of the event.

Cosmoprof Shanghai: the rendezvous for the Chinese top decision-makers in the beauty industry.

Together with the prestigious exhibitors, the excellent attendance at Cosmoprof Shanghai also contributed to the top-quality nature of the trade show, which, in 2007, hosted 13,628 selected high-profile visitors, 82% of which from all over China.

Some highlights from the on-site visitors’ survey carried out during the show days include:

· over 60% of the visitors registered were top decision-makers in their activity sector (owners, general managers or cosmetics buyers within their company)

· more than 40% of the visitors were interested in doing business with foreign companies, both to create strategic alliances and for distribution purposes

· more than 30% of the visitors were looking for suppliers of raw materials, OEM & ODM products and packaging

· buyers from the professional hair and beauty salon distribution channel participated in the show to discover new brands not yet distributed in mainland China and new trends not yet introduced in any other international event

· buyers from the retail distribution channel reported that Cosmoprof Shanghai represents the best opportunity for meeting international manufacturers to preview their forthcoming product launches

2008 preview: a handful of prime business occasions for exhibitors.
Thanks to its strong partnership with some of the major Chinese associations, Cosmoprof Shanghai will once again put at the disposal of the exhibitors several opportunities to meet buyers, importers and distributors, as well as relevant updates on the Chinese beauty market.

Among these, the “Match Making Programme” deserves particular mention: the one-to-one meetings will be organised on the show floor of Cosmoprof Shanghai 2008 to allow international companies from all over the world to explore business opportunities with a targeted group of delegates from major provinces and cities of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhejiang.

Other opportunities to explore the expanding potential of the Chinese market will be offered by the seminar “Importing Cosmetics Products in China”, held in cooperation with Chinese legislation experts, as well as conferences on the retailing system in China, organised with the support of the China Commerce Association for General Merchandise.

Devoted to the suppliers to the cosmetic industry, a prestigious packaging lounge will be the exclusive meeting point designed to congregate the main actors of the packaging world: a varied and rich programme of initiatives will be hosted in the lounge, confirming Cosmoprof Shanghai as one of the main Asian gathering for industry leaders.

Focus event 2008: flavour & fragrances from France
Following the success of the “Beauty Excellence” show 2007, which was devoted to the Italian hair and make-up artistry, Cosmoprof Shanghai 2008 will feature as focus event of the year a special initiative in co-operation with the International Perfume Museum of Grasse (France).

Inaugurated in 1989 at Grasse, “the cradle of traditional perfumery”, the museum features today the largest collection of fragrance and cosmetic products from all over the world of the last two centuries, retracing the history of perfumes, soap, make-up and cosmetics over 4,000 years.

After long renovations, in early 2008 the enlarged 3,000 sqm museum will re-open its doors to the public, housing the world’s most diverse public perfume collection, spanning a period from ancient times to today and covering the five continents. The curator of the Museum, Marie Christine Grasse, will be the special guest at Cosmoprof Shanghai 2008 to unveil all the stages of perfume creation.

Facts and figures 2007
Cosmoprof Shanghai, born as the regional extension of the Hong Kong event Cosmoprof Asia, has been acknowledged as the exclusive B-to-B international trade show for manufacturers to meet with Chinese key importers, distributors and buyers.

In 2007 Cosmoprof Shanghai debuted in grand style with an exhibition area of over 20,125 sqm , featuring 341 exhibitors from 23 countries and regions as well as 9 national & group pavilions from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Korea, Spain and USA.

At the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, from 15 to 17 January 2008, the second edition of Cosmoprof Shanghai will showcase a complete range of products in fragrances, cosmetics and toiletries beauty salon and well being; natural health; professional hair, nail and tool; packaging; contract manufacturing; POP and merchandising; machinery; raw materials and private label.

Celebrating its 12th edition on 14 - 16 November 2007 in Hong Kong, Cosmoprof Asia continues to consolidate its absolute international position and continues to play the role of powerhouse for the beauty industry in Asia.

Your next appointments with beauty – save the dates!

SoGeCos - Marketing China
Alberta Galli – alberta.galli@cosmoprof.it
Tel: (39) 02 796 420 - Fax: (39) 02 45 47 08 284

www.cosmoprofshanghai.com

RELIANT TECHNOLOGIES RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE FOR
FRAXEL RE:PAIR™ LASER SYSTEM

Breakthrough treatment gives patients a new option for correcting severe photodamage without prolonged downtime

Reliant Technologies, Inc., the pioneer of fractional resurfacing and market leader of aesthetic laser skin treatments, today announced its Fraxel re:pair laser system has received FDA clearance for ablation, coagulation and skin resurfacing, based on ongoing results from two rounds of clinical trials. The Fraxel re:pair system provides the industry’s first and only Fractional Deep Dermal Ablation (FDDATM) treatment, which leads to tissue contraction, tightening and collagen remodeling. The Fraxel re:pair laser removes and eliminates aged and damaged skin without the prolonged downtime and adverse reactions associated with conventional ablative resurfacing lasers (also known as CO2 or erbium YAG lasers) and surgical procedures.

The Fraxel re:pair laser combines benefits of conventional CO2 resurfacing with the safety of fractional photothermolysis. As with Reliant’s other product offerings, the Fraxel re:store™ and Fraxel re:fine™ lasers, the Fraxel re:pair system treats a portion of the skin’s surface and leaves the surrounding areas intact to allow for rapid healing. With FDDA treatment, the skin is ablated and coagulated in deep (up to 1.6 mm) columns called Microscopic Treatment Zones (MTZ). The Fraxel re:pair laser’s high speed optics allow these MTZ to be spaced across the skin’s surface to provide even, thorough tissue tightening for effective resurfacing.

FDDA treatment is safe to treat even delicate areas such as the neck and chest due to its tissue sparing design. In contrast, conventional bulk ablative laser skin resurfacing ablates 100 percent of the epidermis and therefore is too aggressive to treat the neck and chest, which often leaves patients with an undesirable line of demarcation and can lead to hypopigmentation.

“Fraxel re:pair treatment provides dramatic results that patients and clinicians want without the considerable risks and recovery time that come with traditional CO2 lasers and surgical procedures,” said Zakia Rahman, M.D., clinical instructor of dermatology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, and medical director of the Fraxel® Laser Clinic. “For patients who have spent years in the sun or smoking and wish to have tighter, smoother, and more even skin tone, the Fraxel re:pair laser provides a safe and effective resurfacing solution.”

The recent FDA clearance was based on a comprehensive, multi-site clinical trial of FDDA treatment. The study is underway at 10 sites throughout the U.S. and is comprised of 3 phases for a total enrollment of more than 200 enrolled subjects. The first round of trials demonstrated that more than 75 percent of patients experienced improved appearance of rhytids,* vascular dyschromia* and pigmentation,* as well as skin laxity*, as reported by Dr. Rahman at the annual meeting of the American Society of Lasers in Surgery & Medicine in April. Rounds two and three of the trial are evaluating the effectiveness of the Fraxel re:pair laser in treating atrophic scars, including acne scars*; traumatic and surgical scars, and striae (stretch marks).

“In my 20 years of using lasers, I have not seen an ablative technology safely capable of targeting striae, laxity, severe photodamage and surgical scars off the face, which may all be possible with the new Fraxel re:pair system,” said Suzanne Kilmer, M.D., director of the Skin Surgery Center of Northern California in Sacremento, CA. “The Fraxel re:pair laser fills a major niche in my treatment armentarium to safely resurface all regions of the body. I look forward to publishing the results of my study in the near future.”

“The Fraxel family of lasers is the most advanced system on the market today for safe, precise and effective skin restoration and repair,” said Len DeBenedictis, chief technology officer of Reliant Technologies. “The Fraxel product line gives physicians the tools they need to treat the full range of aesthetic patients, from those seeking deep tightening and thorough resurfacing to those looking for a gentle, topical treatment to maintain their skin’s healthy tone and texture.”

About the Fraxel Systems
The Fraxel® family of products, which includes the Fraxel re:store™ laser system (formerly called the Fraxel SR 1500 laser), the Fraxel re:pair™ laser system and the Fraxel re:fine™ laser system, has quickly become the industry standard for fractional aesthetic skin treatment. Unlike traditional laser devices, Fraxel brand fractional laser systems treat only a fraction of skin at a time, leaving the surrounding area intact for fast healing. Fraxel lasers have received multiple FDA clearances and have been found safe and effective in treating all areas of the face and body. The versatility of the product line ensures that patients can choose the best treatment for various stages in their lives as their skin care needs evolve.

The prototype Fraxel re:pair laser has been proven in clinical studies to improve severe photodamage*, including rhytids*, skin laxity* and vascular lesions*. The product, employing Fractional Deep Dermal Ablation (FDDATM treatment), was introduced to plastic and dermatologic surgeons in April, 2007.

The Fraxel re:store laser, delivering Non-ablative Fractional Resurfacing (NFRTM) treatment, was introduced in 2004 and has been adopted by more than 1,200 dermatologists, plastic surgeons and aesthetic physicians worldwide. It is the accepted gold standard for treating acne scars and periorbital wrinkles, and for skin resurfacing procedures on the face, neck, chest and hands.

The Fraxel re:fine laser, offering superficial non-invasive skin rejuvenation, combines the unique method of fractional delivery with a lighter treatment. Performed in 20-25 minutes, Fraxel re:fine treatment is excellent for medical spas and family physicians seeking a safe and gentle option.

About Reliant Technologies
Reliant Technologies develops clinical solutions to repair and rejuvenate aging and environmentally damaged skin. Reliant is dedicated to providing the most advanced research, engineering and products to the global aesthetic marketplace. The company pioneered the development of fractional laser resurfacing that relies on novel high-speed scanning systems and the Intelligent Optical Tracking® system to produce safe and effective results with minimal recovery time. Reliant is based in Mountain View, Calif.

Reliant Technologies, Inc.
650.605.2294
www.fraxel.com