Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Bunny Lines = Botox | New Yorkers aren't exactly shy about their fondness for Botox. But if a woman isn't prepared to spill her beauty secrets—or you suspect she's lying to you—there are some clues to indicate whether she's an addict. More

My Plastic Surgeon Is Also My Neurologist | You now have a fabulous new excuse to offer up the next time one of your annoying friends gives you a hard time about all the money you've been spending on Botox injections and facelifts. It isn't because you're vain or anything. It's because you're looking for a cure for your migraines and you just want to God-awful pain to stop. Who could argue with that? [NYT]

Botox Loses Its Precious Monopoly | Botox won't be the only option on the menu the next time you head off to see your cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist. A drug called Dysport just won approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Just like Botox, Dysport uses pure poison (botulinum toxin) to relax your muscles and smooth out the wrinkles you'd really rather not have for your upcoming class reunion. But it's more expensive than Botox—and research suggests it's less effective and riskier compared to the competition—so feel free to ignore everything you just read and stick to the lethal poison you already know and love. [Bloomberg]

If Botox-maker Allergan gets its way, one day the injectable poison, currently best known for its ability to turn foreheads into ironing-boards, will be the treatment of choice for every ailment under the sun, from migraines to enlarged prostates to speech impediments. Nothing else, marvels an Allergan scientist, "has so many demonstrated uses." And even if those uses haven't actually been discovered or verified yet, the company isn't taking any chances that a toxin-peddling competitor will cash in: It currently has more than 90 patents in place or pending for different applications of the drug: More

Since among Hollywood actors, getting treated for depression is far less stigmatizing than paralyzing your facial muscles with a load of botulinum toxin, perhaps they'll all stop lying about being "scared of needles" now that Botox is officially a mood enhancer. According to a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, people who have Botox, and therefore lose the ability to frown, report lower levels of depression, anxiety and irritability—the theory being that the actions of facial muscles directly influence brain activity. So presumably Janice Dickinson's rages and histrionics are just for the TV cameras, and she's a picture of serenity and composure in real life.

Presidents' Week Special [A Fine Blog]

Eyebrows Raised by Botox Danger Story | Casting even more doubt on whether Nicole Kidman actually incubated her baby for nine months, doctors in Australia are warning that Botox can cause birth defects after it emerged that the mother of a child born deaf and blind had used Dysport, a Botox competitor also made of botulinum toxin, in her first month of pregnancy. Okay, so choosing between a smooth forehead and the joy of bringing new life into the world is a tough decision, but no one ever said being a woman was easy. Now, who's going to break the news to Mary Rambin? [SMH]

• Whitney Port explains why she named her new clothing line "Whitney Eve" (it's complicated), and explains why it is that the world really needs another celebrity clothing line. [Nylon]
• The year's best and worst windows, fashion PR stunts, pop-up shops and more. [Racked]
• More on the messy meltdown at Kira Plastinina. [Shophound]
• The recession may be putting a damper on plastic surgery, but injectables like Botox remain as popular as ever. [WSJ]
• It's well worth braving the cold weather and crowds: Panicked retailers "are practically giving the goods away with last-minute sales in a desperate bid to save the so-far-disastrous season from catastrophe." [NYP]More

• Tim Gunn says he and Heidi Klum are "despondent" over the "horrible, nasty" fight over Project Runway. "We worry that season six will never be seen by anyone," he says. Us, too! [WB]
• Tory Burch's new meatpacking store opened last night with very little fanfare. [WSJ]
• Dolce & Gabbana is launching a makeup line early next year. And rumor has it Scarlett Johansson will be the face of the ad campaign. [WWD, SF]
• Matthew Williamson is in expansion mode. He's planning to launch a menswear line. [Vogue UK]
• Depressed? Single? Go get some Botox! Says Tom Ford: "A little bit of it between the brows can make you look less stern and more approachable. Who needs to frown, anyway?" [Details]

Some journalistic exercises just never get old, no matter how many times they're carried out, like the one in which a young woman asks for anti-aging procedures and then becomes mildly outraged when doctors recommend what they're in business to sell. (Slim woman seeking out liposuction works, too.) In today's Daily News, a "baby-faced" 26-year-old reporter named Leah Chernikoff goes undercover at Botox-peddlers and, what a surprise, the doctors are more than happy to inject her.

More

Unless you have young sons, you might not be aware that circumcision is on a downward trend, and that the anti-circumcision lobby is gaining ground. Not your problem? Well, it turns out that this issue is suddenly of relevance to everyone: Foreskins are the latest tool in the fight against aging, and we're going to need a constant fresh supply! More

Guys: Were you under the impression that sticking needles into your face in an attempt to stave off the inexorable march of time was just for the ladies? Still buying into the myth that for men, aging confers a distinguished authority? Well, the manufacturers of Botox and their willing footsoldiers, cosmetic doctors, would like to remind you that staying on top professionally in this economic climate is a young man's game, and don't you want to be competitive? A certain "45-year-old publisher of a New York-based magazine" does: He confesses to the Times (on condition of anonymity!) that he's been getting Botox for years.More

It's going to take more than a major economic crisis to keep women from their Botox appointments, say dermatologists who have seen absolutely no slowdown in business. The same goes for high-end skincare products, which have witnessed an increase in sales compared to the same time period last year. How could this be possible, you ask? "Women have a basic belief that they save on the things they have to buy in order to spend on the things they want to buy," opines an ad exec who works on beauty accounts. "It's like men and booze." And even easier to conceal: Whereas it's obvious what a man's been spending his money on when he arrives home slurring and smelling like a bar, a woman might have thousands of dollars worth of injections but no one has to know. "Most husbands," says plastic surgeon Robert Guida, "don't pay attention to what their wives look like."

Speed Botox | Have you heard about the salon in Midtown that offers Botox in 30 minutes or less? SmoothMed has been open for more than a year now, but if you're interested in seeing how some New Yorkers spend their lunch breaks, the video is after the jump. Now you know why your boss occasionally comes back to the office in the afternoon with a puffy face and she's also unable to express any emotion.More

Celebrity dermatologist Nicholas Perricone—who has become as well-known for his scandalously acrimonious divorce as for his shtick that eating salmon keeps wrinkles at bay—is concerned about the popularity of Botox and fillers. No, it's not that their effectiveness makes his potential customers much less likely to pay outrageous sums for his skincare products, perish the thought. It's just that cosmetic procedures "all cause inflammation and trauma and I'm not sure this is the best strategy for maintaining a youthful face. The problem with science is that there's a flavor of the month and people get excited, and a lot of it is driven by economics." Whereas he is driven solely by an altruistic desire to help people look pretty, and if that means building a multimillion dollar cosmeceuticals empire and writing bestsellers, well, so be it.