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Introduction: Pigments of tattoo inks may over time migrate to other parts of the body. Inks kinetics are still poorly understood and little studied. The aim of this first study was to investigate the kinetics of tattoo inks pigment in tattooed porcine skin, which is closer to human skin than mouse skin studied in the past. Methods: Three animals were tattooed on the inner thigh and one animal served as untreated control. Skin biopsies were taken on days 7, 14, and 28 after tattooing. Animals were sacrificed on day 28 and homogenate samples of the liver, spleen, kidney, and brain, as well the local lymph nodes were prepared. All samples were analyzed for ink components using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The ink itself was characterized by dynamic light scattering and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass analysis. Results: Titanium (212 g/kg), copper (6 mg/kg), aluminum (1 mg/kg), zirconium (1 mg/kg), and chromium (3 mg/kg) were found in the ink. Significant deposits of ink elements were detected in the tattooed skin when compared to non-tattooed skin from the same animal (mean ± standard deviation: titanium 240 ± 81 mg/kg, copper 95 ± 39 mg/kg, aluminum 115 ± 63 mg/kg, zirconium 23 ± 12 mg/kg, and chromium 1.0 ± 0.2 mg/kg; p < 0.05). Lymph node concentrations of titanium, copper, aluminum, zirconium, and chromium were 42 ± 2 mg/kg, 69 ± 25 mg/kg, 49 ± 18 mg/kg, 0.3 ± 0.2 mg/kg, 0.5 ± 0.2 mg/kg, respectively. Conclusion: Deposits in skin were unchanged from days 7–28 indicating no redistribution or elimination. No significant deposits of ink elements were found in the liver, spleen, kidney, and brain. In conclusion, our findings confirmed distribution of elements from tattoos to regional lymph nodes, but neither to excretory organs, e.g., liver and kidney, nor to spleen and brain. Thus systemic internal organ exposure was not found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Three botulinum neurotoxin type A preparations (incobotulinumtoxinA, onabotulinumtoxinA, and abobotulinumtoxinA) are widely approved in Europe and in the US for the treatment of glabellar frown lines. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the time to onset and duration of treatment effect of incobotulinumtoxinA, onabotulinumtoxinA, and abobotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of glabellar frown lines. Subjects and methods: Subjects aged 20-60 years with moderate to severe glabellar frown lines received one treatment of either 21 units (U) incobotulinumtoxinA, 21 U onabotulinumtoxinA, or 63 U abobotulinumtoxinA. Assessments were made over a period of 180 days. Onset of treatment effect was defined as the day that the observer noted a decrease in glabellar muscle activity compared with baseline photographs and videos. Duration of treatment effect was defined as the time until glabellar muscle action returned to the baseline level. Analyses were performed using a Weibull log(T) regression model. Results: The study enrolled 180 subjects; 60 per group. For all three products, onset of treatment effect occurred earlier in female subjects compared to male subjects. For both sexes, a significantly earlier time to onset of treatment effect was seen for incobotulinumtoxinA compared to onabotulinumtoxinA and abobotulinumtoxinA; in female subjects these times were 3.02 days, 5.29 days, and 5.32 days, respectively. The duration of treatment effect was longer for incobotulinumtoxinA compared to onabotulinumtoxinA and abobotulinumtoxinA; for all products, treatment effect duration was longer in females than in males. Time to onset was not a predictor of treatment duration. Conclusion: IncobotulinumtoxinA demonstrated a more rapid onset and a longer duration of treatment effect than onabotulinumtoxinA (1:1 dose ratio) and abobotulinumtoxinA (1:3 dose ratio). Onset of effect was faster and duration of effect was longer in female subjects compared to male subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Incobotulinumtoxin A and onabotulinumtoxin A are effective treatments for glabellar frown lines, and a dose of 20 U is recommended for both preparations. However, debate continues over using the same dosages of these products, although a 1:1 dose ratio has been proven in several head-to-head clinical trials in neurological and esthetic indications. Objectives To investigate whether a 50% higher dose of onabotulinumtoxin A was nonsuperior to incobotulinumtoxin A in the treatment of glabellar frown lines in the short and long term. Methods and materials Subjects aged 18-65 years with symmetrical moderate-to-severe glabellar frown lines (score: ≥2 on a validated Merz 5-point scale) at maximum frown were enrolled. Corrugator muscles on both sides were treated with two injections of either 4 U incobotulinumtoxinA or 6 U onabotulinumtoxin A (equivalent to 20 and 30 U, respectively, if corrugator muscles on both sides and the procerus are treated) allowing intra-individual comparison. Glabellar frown line severity was assessed from standardized photographs every 4 weeks for 4 months and, in a subset of subjects, for up to 6 months posttreatment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of subjects with an improvement of ≥1 point on the 5-point scale at week 4. Nonsuperiority was assessed by comparing the response rates of each product. Results Nonsuperiority of a 50% higher dose of onabotulinumtoxinA to that of incobotulinumtoxin A was confirmed at 4 weeks, 4 months, and 6 months posttreatment. Conclusion There is generally no reason to increase the dose of either incobotulinumtoxin A or onabotulinumtoxin A above the 20 U recommended for glabellar frown lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]