That's a lot of needles in your face: The rise of ‘notox' beauty treatments
In the age of #notox, can cosmetic acupuncture be the new Botox?
Amy Abrams, who owns and operates New York City's Manhattan Vintage Show, has been getting regular cosmetic acupuncture facials for five years.
'I've been going every four to six weeks,' she said, a routine she sees as part
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NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- NZ Herald
What's it like living with sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis usually affects the lungs, although it can affect every system in the body. Photo / Getty Images Online only What's It Like To Be is a regular column where New Zealanders from all walks of life share first-hand experiences of living with and overcoming health challenges. Here, Donna Thomas, 58, tells Paulette Crowley about living with sarcoidosis, a rare inflammatory and autoimmune condition. I was planting some trees in my garden one day and put some compost down. I didn't put a mask on while I was doing this, which was really silly. I remember leaning over the compost bag and noticing the tiniest puff of dust going up my nostril. That was in December 2021. After that, I had some trouble breathing – shortness of breath – and didn't feel well. I went to the doctor's a few times, maybe. Then in April, I had some chest pain. My daughter drove me down to the hospital, where I ended up having a CT scan. That's when they saw a granuloma – kind of a lump of infection – on my lung. They had to remove the upper right lobe of my lung to biopsy it. That procedure didn't go smoothly, as my ribs dislocated during the surgery. It's called a subluxation and the surgeon was kind of blown away because it's unusual. But when I look back from where I've landed now, I must have been in a highly inflamed state. I was finally diagnosed with sarcoidosis, an autoinflammatory disease, in March 2022 by a respiratory physician. I learnt that well over 90% of sarcoidosis cases start in the lungs, but can go on to affect different parts of the body. About 5% of people will end up with it affecting their neurology – it's called neurosarcoidosis. That's what I have ended up with. Donna Thomas (left) before she was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. She now has regular medical appointments, and struggles with a range of health issues. Photo / Supplied Sarcoidosis is definitely one of the rarest rare disorders. The specialist who diagnosed me said most GPs would never see a case in their medical lifetimes. They call it a snowflake disease because everyone who has sarcoidosis presents so differently, meaning that much like snowflakes, no two cases are alike. This is a really big challenge for medical people, and for me as well. I had a consult with a new neurologist recently. When I asked him if he knew about sarcoidosis, he just didn't say anything. We look to medical professionals to treat us and if they don't know what's going on, it's really scary. Some of the ways that sarcoidosis affects me is that my legs, hands and feet ache. This can wake me at night. I also get cramping and burning in my muscles and I've got numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes. My cognition is also affected – I find it hard to remember things – and I get very fatigued. Sarcoidosis accelerates many conditions. I've had significant surgery around my mouth to get basal cells removed and I have cataracts that are coming on hard and fast. I've also just found out I need a hip replacement. I now live a different life to what I used to. I was a trauma specialist and managed a team of 70 people before I was medically retired. I was working 60 hours a week, like lots of people do. Back then, I could spin a lot of plates, you know, just throw anything at me and I'd just shuffle it around. And it always makes me want to cry because I miss my career, but I can't do that anymore. Now, it's not about trying to be who I was but trying to function in a way that I'm not lying in bed all day. Obviously, I can't work, but I might get in two productive hours a day, doing housework and tidying up. I have to take things slowly. If I've got medical appointments, the next day has to be a rest day because my brain and body are just tired. There's a massive spectrum with sarcoidosis – depending on the type of disease, some people can be fine, and lots will go into remission. I don't know if I'd say my disease is at the top of the chain, because I have refractory sarcoidosis, which is chronic and progressive. Frontline treatments haven't worked to put me into remission. Now, we're at the next level of treatment and the last thing we've got to try, at the moment, is a medication called infliximab. The hope is that it will bottom out my immunity and my inflammation levels will drop. I am so, so far away from the person I used to be and have a lot of grief still around that. But you know, you've just got to kind of get on with things. I can either lay down and die or stand up and live the best life I can with this. Grief just takes away time from family and it's made me realise that work's not the most important thing in the world. I've got five kids and my ninth grandchild on the way, so now, it's more family time for me. And more and more I just want to do the things I enjoy, not the things I have to do. Sarcoidosis usually affects people's lungs, although it can affect every system in the body. It mainly occurs in people, especially women, between 25 and 45 years of age. Some studies have suggested there might be a link between sarcoidosis and environmental factors, including potting mix. Some people will have no symptoms from sarcoidosis or have mild, treatable symptoms that clear within a few years. For others, symptoms can become widespread, chronic and hard to treat. To donate to Donna's givealittle, go to
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
That's a lot of needles in your face: The rise of ‘notox' beauty treatments
Cosmetic acupuncture is said to increase circulation, boost collagen production and improve skin tone. Photo / Getty Images In the age of #notox, can cosmetic acupuncture be the new Botox? Amy Abrams, who owns and operates New York City's Manhattan Vintage Show, has been getting regular cosmetic acupuncture facials for five years. 'I've been going every four to six weeks,' she said, a routine she sees as part
NZ Herald
07-08-2025
- NZ Herald
‘Cosmetic cowboys' to be banned from carrying out Brazilian butt lifts in Britain
People aged under-18 will be banned from high-risk procedures, such as injectables, amid concerns that children needed to be protected from 'dangerous beauty trends on social media'. Health officials said the steps aimed to protect the public from 'rogue operators' with no medical training, who often provided 'invasive' procedures in homes, hotels, and pop-up clinics. The move would also reduce the cost imposed upon the national health service to fix botched procedures, the Department of Health and Social Care said. Karin Smyth, the Health Minister, said: 'The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a wild west of dodgy practitioners and procedures. There are countless horror stories of 'cosmetic cowboys' causing serious, catastrophic damage. 'This Government is taking action to protect those seeking treatments, support honest and competent practitioners, and root out the cowboys as part of our plan for change. 'This isn't about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it's about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe. We're giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the [health service] of fixing botched procedures.' Those who break the rules on high-risk procedures could face sanctions from the watchdog and financial penalties. The department said it would launch a consultation next year, seeking views on the range of procedures that should be covered by the new restrictions. Last month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that fat injections, Brazilian butt lifts, Botox and fillers are being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets. There have also been concerns about rising numbers of people poisoned by fake Botox, leaving consumers struggling with breathing and swallowing problems, and slurred speech, after suffering from botulism. Millie Kendall, the chief executive of the British Beauty Council, said: 'Any measures that increase protection for the general public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence, as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector'. Ashton Collins, the director of Save Face, a register of accredited practitioners, said: 'I am delighted that the Government has recognised the significant and potentially fatal risks posed by highly dangerous procedures like liquid Brazilian butt lifts and has made it a priority to implement restrictions to protect public safety'. 'I have seen first-hand the devastating impact these procedures can have on the lives of victims and their families, none more so than the family of Alice Webb.' Webb died last year, aged 33, after suffering complications from having a non-surgical Brazilian butt lift, which involved cosmetic fluid being injected into her buttocks. The mother-of-five worked in the beauty industry and lived in Gloucestershire.
