My Beauty Space : Product Reviews, Tips and Experiences

While the situation with this economy is probably the most dire most of us will see in our lifetimes, we will come back from this, but it is going to take a lot of time.  While we will come back from it, this economy leaves many people seeking reasonable alternatives to expensive cosmetic procedures. 

This economy does mean for many of us that we need to make cutbacks on things that are not a necessity or things that could be put off without too much hassle of inconvenience.  One of the items that falls in the “not a necessity” category is, you guessed it, one of the burgeoning markets over the past ten years, plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. 

According to most plastic surgeons, the past month or two have brought dramatic decreases in their business, especially when it comes to the more expensive procedures that range in the thousands of dollars category, such as breast augmentations and liposuction, both of which are costly because of the anesthesia and actual complicated surgery that is involved. 

Conversely, other specialists that mostly do less expensive procedures such as facial fillers, Botox, and other more temporary, but less invasive procedures that do not involve surgery and thousands of dollars, may have actually seen a slight boost in their sales.  In other words, lots of patients who may have otherwise been planning to get a facelift, mini facelift, or some other anti wrinkle facial procedure requiring surgery may have opted instead for the less expensive, less invasive procedure to save money for the time being.

The quest for other alternatives that may be less expensive to these common and very popular surgeries has led many women to look for alternatives to breast implants, face lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction and the like.  However, even those areas of opportunity or women and men have seen dips with the faltering economy. 

They’re finding that there are some great nonsurgical ways to look and feel fantastic and to improve their bodies as well as their self esteem, which is a great thing since surgery isn’t for everybody and doesn’t necessarily always accomplish what they patient wants.

Facelifts may be the way to go for some, but often times they do not have the desired outcome and look unnatural.  I’ve seen a few women in the public eye who have gotten them and looked good, like Madonna and maybe Janice Dickinson would fit in that category, but for the most part facelifts just make the person look like they got a facelift. 

There’s no need for that any more with the abundance of cosmetic dermal fillers like juvederm and restylane, not to mention a bevy of at home products that can be used to blast away wrinkles and the fine lines and spots that go with aging. Such products for anti aging and wrinkles I’m referring to are the at home soft light lasers, microdermabrasion systems, chemical peels that are available in the same strength as a dermatologist office (just use caution), and other home treatments that provide a world of difference when it comes to looking younger. 

There are also ways to enhance the breasts without surgery, such as natural breast enhancement products, vacuum devices that stimulate growth, and a variety of creams and lotions, heck, even hypnosis for breast enhancement, that have worked for women seeking to enhance this part of their body. 

When it comes to cellulite, areas where spot reduction is needed, and body contouring, there are a ton of body wraps that can be used at home, cellulite treatments that work with massage to contour fatty areas, and even special shorts one can wear that reduce specific areas of the body through compression.

So you see, if you are one of the people who has put off that plastic surgery or that “dream procedure” you’ve been hoping for all these years, take heart that you can improve your appearance without surgery, and for a lot less money.  

If you’re less endowed than you need or would like to be for a certain dress, many women turn to the infamous “falsies”, those squishy, extremely lifelike false inserts that you put into your bra to give yourself some instant vavavoom and sex appeal.  Heck, even women who do have a larger cup size use falsies so that they can push up what they’ve got and create even more cleavage, especially when used in conjunction with a push up bra. 

Lots of companies make falsies, and a good pair of the crescent shaped bra inserts doesn’t run cheap, believe me.  I purchased a pair back in 2001 when one of my best friends got married.  I had to hold up a strapless dress, so I was panicking that it would fall down all night if I didn’t have adequate support.  I went out and found a pair of falsie inserts at a high end department store by where I lived at the time for about $45. 

They are flesh toned, and they actually are made of silicone, encapsulated by a thin membranous plastic that doesn’t feel very strong, but apparently is, since mine are still alive and kicking after having the same pair for more than six years.  Here’s how to rock a pair of falsies for optimum natural breast enhancement : Get an underwire bra. 

Take your boob and pull it up, with the bra on, and nestle the falsie in, crescent curve down, against the breast very firmly.  Now, you can put your boob back in the bra (I know, this sounds classy, but bear with me!), and you should have instant cleavage and an instant increase that looks like about 2 cups worth.  How do you think all these Hollywood actresses get that great cleavage in their strapless gowns?  They’re not all naturally endowed, trust me! You won’t even be able to tell the difference……

The return of the legality of silicone breast implants caused a stir in the news at first, but I haven’t really heard too much about the actual availability of the newly re-approved breast implant as of late, have you? 

Supposedly the implant was to become almost immediately available again after the FDA allowed it to become available to any woman wanting breast implants, whereas before, a woman had to have specific conditions which required reconstructive surgery to be able to get silicone legally implanted into their chest here in the US. 

Silicone was banned several years ago when women with this type of implant began to complain routinely about several health issues, mostly related to the autoimmune system, and as a precaution the FDA banned their use in the US, although I do believe they were still offered overseas to women wanting implants. 

Opponents of the return of silicone say that there was a flawed reason for their return, and that there are actually conflicts of interest between the approving agency and the primary manufacturer of the silicone implant, which raised suspicions as to whether the findings that the newly improved implant with silicone was really safe, or not.

Many women claim they think silicone is superior for cosmetic reasons, because it feels more like a real breast and moves like a real breast and looks more natural, but some of the saline ones look pretty darn real nowadays too, I guess we’ll be seeing more silicone out there now though.  I hope it’s really safe… 

It seems that you may want to look to a natural method of breast enlargement , if you’re dreaming of that fuller bosom that’s easily achieved through breast implants, according to a new study released by Canadian scientists. 

It seems the results are now conclusive that breast implants do not increase your risk of breast cancer, but your chances of committing suicide are actually higher if you have breast implants. 

Does this mean that the mere fact you have had implants inserted into your chest cavity has caused chemical changes in your brain to make you have suicidal tendencies?  No, not necessarily. 

Doctors are saying that the psychological profiles that are pre-existing in women who choose to have artificial breast implants are more likely to be prone to suicide, depression, and lower self esteem issues than women who do not have breast implants. 

The study was mostly done to figure out if there was any statistical or significant correlation between higher risk of breast cancer in women with breast implants, but the findings actually had the surprising conclusion about suicidal links.  Looks like maybe this is an even better reason to look for breast implant alternatives possibly?   

I can’t believe that more than 90% of women, it is estimated, are not satsified with the shape, size or contour of their breasts - their natural, God given breasts, that is.  We all know that more and more women are choosing to get plastic surgery to meet with the beauty ideal today, which focuses on leggy, busty women. 

We definitely view women with nice breasts differently in this society, don’t we?  And that’s exactly why these natural breast enhancement products are a booming market today.  Devices such as the BRAVA natural breast vacuum, which gradually enlarges breasts over time from a suction type of action which is constantly administered through a worn bra-like device day and night. 

Not only that, but natural breast enhancement products and herbal supplements for breast enlargement are also gaining more attention and notoriety, as women seem to be sharing their successes and failures with  these products increasinly in online communities and other public forums. 

The answer is, you really have to figure it out for yourself.  You may try the same product your friend did with drastically different results.  It’s a crap shoot, but if you hit the target, you might be a satisfied customer. 

Sorry to sound so wishy washy on this one, but it’s a tough subject to give advice on, since these types of products are notorious for working very differently on different body types and metabolisms.