Following up on my botox story, I found an interesting report from China, saying that the officials have seized fake botox, placenta gel and gold cosmetic treatments from a very popular cosmetic salon:

The salon, called "Communicative Association of Cosmetology and Modelling," is situated in the downtown area of Nanjing. It has been shut down for further investigation, and three staff have been arrested.

Products confiscated generally had fake information, or none at all, about producers and ingredients.

The FDA highlighted one example, which they called "spun gold," as being a particularly dangerous product and highly illegal. Lines of solid gold are implanted under the skin, which is claimed to remove wrinkles for up to five years. The salon reportedly charged 960,000 yuan (US$120,000) for this treatment.

Huang said that these days women are willing to pay big money for a better look. A lack of industry regulations and a spate of fake products and misleading advertisements have led to complaints and disputes.

The Chinese FDA has launched a hotline for possible victims of treatments in that salon, with doctors and beauty experts warning that affects of the fake cosmetic products might take some time to develop. They also urged people to have a doctor checkup as soon as possible, because fake cosmetic products can cause harsh skin problems, nerve damage, muscle paralysis and perhaps even brain malfunctions.

Although we hear stories like these quite often, women still choose to have very risky procedures in order to keep themselves youthful looking. Breast implants, lips enhanced with collagen, liposuction, nip-and-tuck are all rather dangerous medical treatments with many known side affects and are not to be taken lightly.

My best advice to anyone headstrong about taking a surgery to make their bodies more 'beautiful' is to do it in well respected clinics with all the appropriate government issued licenses.

Also, cosmetic surgery is not something to be taken lightly. Think about why you want the procedure done, is it to satisfy your own vanity, are you doing it just to attract attention? Maybe we should all learn to love our bodies better, and have respect for the aging process. My grandma says she loves her wrinkles because they mean she has laughed a lot, gone through some ordeals and still managed to have a beautiful life. Gotta love the old lady, don't you?

So, if you want to take best possible care of your body and skin, please read through my article Make yourself over - surgery free. Lots of tips and tricks on achieving that stunning look!