Allergan Inc., the manufacturer of Botox, and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., the seller of Restylane, are exchanging marketing blows that make the "Smokin' Joe" Frazier and Muhammad Ali boxing rivalry seem mild in comparison. What's fueling the fight? Money, of course, and lots of it.

According to the article "Firms Face Off Over Wrinkles," in the January 13 -14, 2007, weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal, "the market for drugs, dermal fillers and other devices used in cosmetic medicine totals about $15 billion dollars." Little surprise, just as Medicis is racing to place a neurotoxin/Botox-like product on the market by 2008, Allergan's hoping Juvéderm, their own FDA approved dermal filler, will wipe Restylane off the cosmeceutical map.

The fight to win-over those willing to pay big, out-of-pocket bucks for wrinkle free skin, is not unlike the war between air travel or credit card companies. Both Medicis and Allergan have set up reward programs promising incentives to those who pledge allegiance to their product. Although I would love to provide more information on what types of gifts/discount incentives offered, both companies require potential card carrying members to fill out a novel's worth of information on their websites, including an e-mail address and phone number. I passed. Medicis has even gone so far as to fund the reality show "Hottest Mom in America," to keep both their name and product in the spotlight. Allergan, in contrast, flexed their advertising ingenuity with an electronic Jumotron sign in New York's Times Square.

The WSJ reports that the rival between Medicis and Allergan began in 2004, after talks of a marketing joint venture went up in smoke. Medicis essentially left talks without explanation, then later revealed their plans to merge with the drug maker, Inamed, which held licensing rights for the dermal filler Juvéderm. Allergan made a competing bid, and their deal was eventually accepted. Although, in my opinion, it's too early to place bets on who will win the heavyweight cosmetic injectables championship, and get their hands on the larger purse, my far from wrinkle-free face looks forward to a future with less expensive Botox alternatives.