1909 was by many standards a remarkable year. In that year Louis Bleriot became the first man to fly across the English Channel, Robert Peary became the first man to reach the North Pole and the little known French chemist Eugène Schueller founded the French Harmless Hair Colouring Company. The turn of the century was indeed a time of wondrous inventions. It started with the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, which was attended by many people, including the little known Japanese scientist, Arinobu Fukuhara. Arinobu was in joyous mood as he had just invented a skin lotion called Eudermine. Within a few years, the world witnessed the introduction of the Kodak Brownie, the flight of the Zeppelin and the sound of the first gramophone discs. It continued with the world's first aeroplane fight and the introduction of the Ford Model T.
It was a time of great change in Chemistry, Marie Curie discovered radioactive Radium, Eugène Schueller discovered p-phenylenediamine and Hamburg chemist Paul Beiersdorf developed the first chemical that could bind oil and water. Arinobu Fukuhara sent his son to study pharmacy in America and the chief of the Apache Indians, Geronimo died at Fort Silk, Oklahoma. Wonderful memories, however where's it all leading? If I said that analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that the industry spawned by these three chemists is now worth $75 billion annually you would become more interested. That's right, Eugène Schueller created the first safe commercial hair colouring and his company, the French Harmless Hair Dye Co., later became L'Oreal.
Paul Beiersdorf's cream to bind oil and water now sells in 150 countries and his company became known to the world as Nivea. Arinobu Fukuhara's new Eudermine cream became the basis of the cosmoceutical company, Shiseido. In fact, the world market is dominated by only six or seven multinationals, which accounts for four fifths of the total market. But now there's a new kid on the beauty block, one that challenges the position of these older chemical companies and one that aims to eat into this colossal market by providing clients with the newer sciences of physics and biology and results that are more reproducible. It's cosmetic medicine!
The difference was that while the older firms were hopping on the older science of chemistry to make money in cosmetic enhancement, the newer ones were turning to physics and biology. Lasers had been first used in the1980s to remove the top layers of skin in an effort to reach the fresher layers below but this led to many weeks of recovery, potential scarring, inability to tan and Asian patients often ended up with areas of dark staining. They were also limited in their inability to remove blonde hair as the older lasers were colour blind. In 1998, ESC Sharplan announced the introduction of a new technology called Intense Pulsed Light IPL (R) for hair removal and photorejuvenation to a waiting world. As the cosmetic market again turned to physics for help, other lasers such as Israel's Syneron Aurora (R) entered the market˜using newer laser technologies to remove blonde hair and reduce wrinkles by stimulating the underlying skin to produce collagen. Within a short period, these lasers could also be adapted to treat acne and deal with unsightly veins. A decade ago, when Nelson Mandela was inaugurated the first black leader of South Africa and Princess Diana opened her heart to the BBC television programme Panorama, the world had hardly heard about the field of cosmetic medicine.
Most cosmetic procedures were expensive and largely in the hands of cosmetic surgeons. The introduction of biology to the new science of cosmetic medicine gave ways to some of the biggest advances the world had yet seen. In 1992, an article on the cosmetic effects of the biological toxin from a bacterium Clostridium botulinum, written by Dr. Jean Carruthers appeared in the Journal of Dermatological Surgery. It was the same year that Bill Clinton became President of the United States. In 1996, a Swedish company called Q-Med used genetically engineered bacteria to synthesise the world's first non animal, non allergic, non toxic collagen substitute called Restylane (R).
It was the same year that British beef farmers were facing ruin because of fears that "mad cow disease" or BSE could cause Creuzfeld Jacob Disease or CJD. Within a few years a German company had perfected another genetically engineered form of Hyaluronic Acid called Matridur (R).
During this period, another American company, Isolagen (R) used the biological sciences to patent a novel technique where a patient could receive a transplant of their own repair cells or fibroblasts in an effort to restore their youthful appearance. In 2002, FDA approval to be given to an American company Allergan to produce Botox (R) for cosmetic use and the new field of cosmetic medicine was born.
That year saw the introduction of radiofrequency devices such as the Israeli Polaris (R) and the American Thermage to the Irish market, in an effort to launch the world's first "scalpel-free facelift". Both devices were similar as they used radiofrequency to heat up the skin's collagen and consequently tighten the face.
