It's been a tough month for Botox. First came reports of possible health risks from toxins in America's favorite anti-wrinkle injections, and now potential competitors are banging at producer Allergan's door. But for those seeking to keep needles out of their beauty regime, now there's a product claiming it can keep aging customers both wrinkle- and toxin-free. Called the Flex-Away System, it consists of a plastic mouthpiece-like device with a rubber band that fits between the teeth. A regular "workout" consists of sticking the thing in your mouth and, well, flexing, for a recommended 40 to 70 reps per session. The device, claim its founders, effectively lifts and tightens muscles and skin tissues, and the results, according to the product's Web site, bring users from this:
to this:
"Facial yoga," or the use of exercises to tone facial muscles and increase blood flow, has been exploding in popularity as an alternative to cosmetic surgery, and it's a good bet that as the baby boomers continue their inevitable climb towards their septuagenarian years, more products like this will hit the market. And if they all turn out to be bogus, well, there's always injecting fat in our cheeks.
