• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Tuesday, September 12, 2006 12:15 PM

How do you market a regimen of twice-yearly injections to treat wrinkles on the lower part of the face that can cost more than $2,000 to maintain? The centerpiece of Medicis Pharmaceutical's new campaign for Restylane will be a contest called "Hottest Mom in America." Conducted in six cities--Dallas, Miami, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto--Medicis hopes to sell the show to a TV network. Two episodes will be shot in each city, followed by a grand finale. The winner will receive a college scholarship for her child, and will become an official Restylane spokeswoman. The filming will be supported by an intense viral-marketing campaign. Contestants will be women with fulfilling family and professional lives who merely want "a little bit of help" to look good, according to a plastic surgeon who is a consultant for Medicis. Restylane has enjoyed a virtual monopoly for dermal fillers, which are used to plump up deep facial lines, especially between the nose and chin. Allergan, which markets botox for use around the eyes and forehead, is expected to start selling Juvederm, a rival filler approved by the Food and Drug Administration in February.

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