Archive for the ‘Body Care’ Category:
We’ve been entranced with the newer, seemingly miraculous treatment that zaps fat cells in localized areas and then either sucks them out or allows the body to safely transport them out called Smartlipo.
Smartlipo, much like the newly FDA approved laser fat removal treatment Zerona, is very similar in that it uses a laser to destroy fat cells so that they may be removed from the body via the body’s natural waste removal process (urination, defacation).
The Zerona laser is similar, except is actually zaps the fat out of the fat cell, thereby collapsing it so that it may be flushed out of the body via the natural waste elimination process. There is no suction involved, while there may be suction involved in Smartlipo (in fact, if I ever got Smartlipo, that’s the method I would choose, that way you are guaranteed that destroyed fat is gone instead of reabsorbed some how into your body).
The Zerona laser looks promising, but doctors do warn that it may not have the same effects on everyone. As with everything else in the world of cosmetic surgery and enhancement, results vary per patient. Some patients notice dramatic inch loss from their waist, hips and butts, while some may not be as happy with their results – it truly does depend on the person and I’m sure a number of other influencing factors as to what type of results you may get.
The Zerona treatment appears to not have any bodily invasion at all, whereas with Smartlipo, although it is minimally invasive, you do still receive small cuts in the skin and there is something that is actually inserted into your body. The Zerona sounds like it is all done on the outside of the body, via lasers that help flatten the fat cells externally.
The treatment needs to be done for about 40 minutes, and it must be done for at least 6 times, every other day or else the fat cells will apparently have the chance to re-form. So this sounds like it’s a sort of ongoing treatment, not in and out in one visit.
But the upside of course is no invasive procedure, and no scarring, bruising or other possibility for pain or discomfort. I’m waiting for more info to come out about this laser procedure and will share it with you, because there’s not a whole lot out there yet on this one.
I’ve been really trying to use all natural products, when I can that is, and they actually do what they’re supposed to – whenever I can. I’ve found that there are many that really do the job, and do it quite well, except they are minus the nasty chemicals and potentially toxic ingredients that are in the commercial brands like parabens and other preservatives, sodium laureth sulfate, aluminum and a host of other toxins.
One of the products that I now ALWAYS buy natural with no additives and chemicals is my body moisturizer. I’ve always been a head to toe moisturizer every night after my shower, and because of that, when I started to realize what types of toxins I was covering my body with every night by using your typical commercial moisturizers, I stopped instantly and turned to various natural brands that were paraben free and otherwise contained only naturally derived ingredients.
Contrary to popular belief, you can buy organic and all natural body care products like moisturizers for about the same price as you would pay for others, maybe just a fraction more, bu there are also of course brands of natural beauty products that are ridiculously priced.
You just have to know where to shop, and I’ve found that shopping online and also shopping at places like Trader Joe’s or other reasonably priced natural foods stores is the way to go. In grocery stores and other department stores, they just tend to jack up the price too much.
I’m also fortunate enough to have family that lives in the heart of the natural products industry, California. So I just got back from Berkeley and loaded up on natural moisturizer booty.
I went into Pharmaca, which is a great natural and herbal product store that has great prices and a great store brand that is all natural and totally non toxic which also happens to be awesomely priced. I loaded up on a few Pharmaca brand moisturizers that are infused with essential oils for their scent rather than chemicals, and are paraben and chemical free – and they smell great and actually work too.
They had other reasonably priced brands as well, but I was going for value, so I went with store brand since it had the largest bottle for the most reasonable price. I can’t tell you how good it feels to use natural products and know that you’re not adding to your body’s toxic load and making it clear out even more toxic material on a daily basis. And you don’t even have to pay more to do it…..
There are two types of liposuction available today. One is traditional, suck the fat out with a cannula and vacuum like device, and the other is less invasive and with less recovery time and pain and swelling and bruising, but does not allow the removal of as much fat as traditional lipo, and that is laser lipolysis.
Laser lipolysis goes under several different names now. The most well known perhaps is Smart Lipo, which uses the principle of lasering and melting the fat cells, and then either vacuuming them out gently or allowing them to be expelled from the body through the body’s natural elimination process. That last part is what makes a lot of patients nervous.
What if you get this done and your body fails to rid itself of these destroyed fat cells? Well, that’s why some patients prefer to go to the docs that will also vacuum this fat out with this method. LAL as it is called (Laser Assisted Lipo) is a great option though for those that are of a pretty normal weight that have stubborn problem areas like saddlebags or a double chin, or maybe love handles or centralized belly fat, or perhaps too much upper arm fat that all the tricep extensions in the world and dieting won’t help.
The additional benefit of laser lipolysis, or SmartLipo is that it may help some patient’s skin tighten and tone in the areas where it was performed. This may mean less cellulite appearance, which is obviously a huge benefit, especially in the hips, buttocks and thighs area, where we all tend to have cellulite issues. Essentially, it acts as somewhat of a cellulite treatment as well.
This fact, combined with the faster recovery period, has made LAL a popular choice for those that have localized fat they want removed. Now, if you’re looking for much more dramatic results, and need to have a lot of fat removed, then you may want to look into traditional liposuction. I’m sure it’s come a long way, however, this used to be one of the most painful recoveries for cosmetic surgery out there.
Doctors can typically remove up to five qts. of fat with traditional liposuction. You’d think that might result in actual weight loss, but usually it doesn’t amount to much at all, because fat in and of itself does not weigh all that much.
Patients definitely want to keep the fat off their bodies by maintaining a healthy diet after they get either one of these procedures done, because they still can gain weight, it will just be in different areas than the lipo was performed. They may notice other areas expanding, and of course that is not desirable.
I was curious what the difference between two very similar sounding cellulite treatments, Velashape, and Velasmooth were, so I looked it up online and then of course I got sucked in. Awed by many of the impressive before and after photos for Velashape, I though the treatment really did a good job not only at getting rid of cellulite, but also with contouring the body and minimizing body part circumference – basically “downsizing” your problem areas in other words.
I instantly thought of the body parts I’d love to downsize like my upper arms and my thighs, but of course if you tried to fix everything on your body that you thought was imperfect, you’d go broke!
Velashape and Velasmooth are actually cellulite treatments that are made by the same company, it’s just that Velasmooth is the latest and greatest version of the treatment, and it combines a couple different technologies that really work together to break down cellulite and minimize fat cells.
Velashape combines manual stimulation, via roller-like contraptions, much like the other popular cellulite treatment endermologie. But it also adds infrared heat as well as radio waves that penetrate deep down into the skin’s layers and reach the fat cells, supposedly helping to sort of “compress” or shrink them.
It does not break them down in any way and flush them out like Smartlipo does, just so you’re clear, but it is more of an upkeep sort of treatment that works for a while, then needs maintenance to keep the results up and keep the shape and tone you got out of the initial sessions.
Most places that perform this treatment say that it takes 4-6 treatments to obtain optimal results, and these are spaced about one week apart. The average cost I found, at least in my geographic area was about $200 per treatment.
So you’re probably looking at a cost of about $1200 for your initial treatments, then an additional $200 a pop for the maintenance treatments, which are supposed to occur every 3 months approximately, to ensure you keep your results. Of course, weight gain is not recommended after this powerful and often reportedly effective cellulite treatment, and may negate or reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.
Ok all you tan bed-aholics, July marks the beginning of a 10% tax on your tanning bed services, from your beloved federal government. This means that every salon that offers tanning services will be charged a 10% additional tax over what they already pay for proceeds received from this often controversial, health questionable service. Who is ultimately the winner here? Why, the federal government and their ballooning deficit of course!
Honestly, I don’t care that they are taxing indoor tanning myself, I think that the price may be more on the people who own these salons, and may put even more pressure on a lot of female small business owners, since most of these types of services are owned by female small business owners. That, and the fact that the consumer will end up paying the tab in the end most likely.
Of course, one could argue that tanning is a nonessential luxury, but so are many of the things that make up the free market and ultimately make the American economy as strong as it is – or was, before this disaster situation happened.
The federal government, in an effort to help pay for the numerous stimulus programs and the massive bailout package that happened to prevent global economic catastrophe, has been looking for ways to save money. One of the proposals also included a tax on plastic surgery and Botox. I believe that both of those proposals were not picked up, but the tanning tax was.
I guess this means more and more people may be reaching for the self tanners, which could be a good thing, but it’s also still important to at least get some natural sunlight on your skin and get that vitamin D in.
Hopefully the government won’t ax any other “non essential” beauty needs, but I do think the tanning tax is fairly minimal and if it an help keep our deficit down while also not damaging businesses too badly (hopefully they can pass this on fairly easily to the consumer and that will be that), I’m ok with it.
Remember to protect your skin from the sun, but also try not to totally avoid the sun all together. More and more evidence is showing that responsible sun exposure is a good way to get vitamin D, which helps keep your immune system healthy and also may provide a host of cancer prevention benefits as well.
While I was vacationing in South Carolina and then Virginia for a few days, I was in a lot of drug stores, snooping around, seeing if they had anything different in the way of beauty products that I don’t typically see here in Ohio. I found one that is in Ohio, but that I thought was an interesting concept in self tanning and hair removal or at least in minimizing shaving your legs that I bought. The product is by Nivea and it’s called Sun-Kissed Beautiful Legs Shave Minimizing gradual self tanning moisturizer. Quite a mouth full!
But that describes the product in a nutshell. It is supposed to help cut back on hair growth on your legs, and also gradually self tan them with a subtle self tanner. The bottle is ten bucks, and it is almost 7 ounces. If you use it on just your legs (I used it on my whole body the first time), it will last you quite a few tans. It’s a white cream, which I like because even though I do like the instant tan of a tinted self tanner and the instantly dewy look it gives your skin, I don’t like those types of self tanners when I’m planning on putting it on right before bed time.
It will stain your sheets, especially if they are lighter. Here’s the kicker about this product thought. I do think it helped my leg hair, maybe it made it softer, but I don’t think it actually inhibited it’s growth. I think their selling point may be that since your legs are tanner, the hair is less noticeable, because they don’t specifically claim that there are any hair growth inhibiting ingredients in it on the back label.
It says that with daily use, your hair will look less noticeable and you’ll have a beautiful tan. But I did notice there was some sort of starch in the ingredients list, and I did notice that it had a different feel to the cream itself when I put it on my legs, so I wonder if that was somehow supposed to soften the hair that was there. I’m too impatient to put it on several days in a row, so I would skip a day or two in between, which may have defeated the purpose of the shave minimizing part.
It does give a nice, subtle tan though in a few uses, and it doesn’t get splotchy at all, so I’d recommend it for your legs. As far as the shave minimizing part, you may need to use it every day to enjoy those benefits a bit more.
The sale on the natural breast enhancement product Bountiful Breast is going to end in a few short days, on June 1st. For any women who are looking to naturally enlarge their breasts over time using this powerful supplement, you will want to make sure you get the chance to get it at a drastically reduced price for the nine month package. I’ve never seen it priced this low before, so if you are in the market, now is the chance to get it at a never before seen price.
Natural breast enhancement products have become more of a trend lately because women simply either don’t want to go under the knife and anesthesia for getting augmentation surgery, or they really don’t want to have implants in their chest. Some complain that they often feel hard and lifeless, and most women, if given the option, would rather have soft, natural, pliable breast tissue.
Bountiful Breast is a product that works with your body’s natural glands and hormones and increases your breast size over time. The longer you use it, the better the results and the larger the cup size you can achieve. It is probably the highest success rate natural breast pill out there, at least that I’ve seen, and I’ve followed this industry for quite some time, so I know what I’m talking about.
Sometimes they recommend that you take it in conjunction with a supplement called L-Tyrosine, which is an amino acid which helps to regulate the body temperature. This in turn helps the product to work it’s magic more effectively. You won’t believe a lot of the before and after pictures that people have sent in that have had wonderful success enlarging their breasts using this product. For before and afters see Bountiful Breast Before and After pictures and sale ending 6/1.
Around 90% of post adolescent women (and in very rare cases men) worldwide are encountering or will encounter cellulite at some point in their lives. Such encounter is very unpleasant especially during the summer.
What is a cellulite?
Cellulite is the dimpled skin that appears on the lower abdomen, buttocks and thighs as a result of the pockets of fat placed under the dermis and the epidermis. It shouldn’t be related only to fat, chubby or obese women as it can appear on thin women as well. The cellulite gives the skin a lumpy appearance due to the budges and hollows. It shouldn’t be considered just as an aesthetic problem because it affects body tissues, blood circulation and the lymphatic system.
Women affected by cellulite find the symptoms subtle at first, tingling feeling, red capillaries, varicose veins, cold feet and while in the latter stages these women feel pain when pinched. Cellulite affects the person on a psychological level too, as it can result in insecurity and anxiety.
Cellulite creams are designed to help break this up and penetrate into the skin to help reduce the puffy, pitted look with various ingredients, and of course combined with vigorous massage into the skin. The best cellulite creams come in a thick formula that allows the user to massage it and get a good grip on the skin for maximum breaking up of the fatty deposits manually.
How to conquer cellulite in time for summer?
There are various ways to conquer cellulite, some being more effective than others:
Diet
One of the effective methods in preventing and, in some hand conquering cellulite is the consumption of the sufficient amount of water. Experts usually recommend that a healthy person should drink at least 2 liters of water per day, and even more in summer!
This will flush toxins, improve nutrition and reduce the size of the pockets of fat for a longer period of time. One shouldn’t expect spectacular results just from drinking water but its good to know that it is beneficial for the skin. In this type of diet, the consumption of fruits, vegetables and products that contain Lecithin (soy products, eggs etc.) is also very important.
Some of the Best Cellulite Creams Out There
There are various creams for skin care on the market that can reduce or completely remove cellulite. The good thing is that these creams not only have there initial result in approximately 2 to 4 weeks but they prevent new cellulite forming.
Exercise
Everyday exercise is also very beneficial in conquering cellulite, especially jogging, climbing, fitness, aerobics etc. Besides these, there are a few medical and cosmetic procedures that are believed to conquer or lessen ‘the orange peel’ skin such as massage, dermal fillers, skin brushing and spa body treatments. By far more extreme methods than the previous but also effective are the following: liposuction, lasers, lymphatic drainage, peels, iontophoresis and mesotheraphy.
The last one is actually a microinjection of conventional, homeopathic medicine of vitamins directly into the skin (middle of the dermis).
In what promises to raise a lot of teenaged eyebrows if it goes through, the FDA is currently mulling a decision on whether or not they will introduce a new ban on teenage tanning salon visits.
They had previously spoken about banning them except where parents gave signatures, but I believe this one will actually ban their use until the teens become of an age where they can make “better” decisions for themselves. I’m not sure this is really consitutional, but maybe they are looking at it like they look at putting an age on buying cigarettes and alcohol.
Tanning beds are dangerous, and I think the concern is that teenagers just don’t have the life experience to be able to know that this is really bad for their health. They also don’t understand that repeatedly visiting these beds is really what the problem is, it’s not just the fact that they go in itself.
It’s sure to raise some serious questions if it is ultimately decided on, that’s for sure. I think even some teen parents might be a little dismayed. But hey, that’s better for the self tanning industry, right? Then everyone will have to go to the bottle to get a good tan!
It’s almost that time. You know, that time when you find yourself standing in a dressing room mirror, trying on a new bathing suit, in that terrible florescent lighting that would probably even make a supermodel look indelibly flawed? Yeah, we all know how trying on revealing clothes can make us feel, let alone a bathing suit. Bathing suits expose every little flaw your body may have, love it or hate it, and one of the biggest problems women report with their derrieres, even if they are skinny everywhere, is cellulite.
That’s right. Cellulite is the bain of every woman’s existence, from thin to overweight, and sadly cellulite only tends to get worse with age. Why do women get cellulite more and worse than men?
Well, it all has to do with estrogen, and the abundance of it that we have flowing freely in our system. Our hormones and the fact that we are the sex that gives birth to children actually contribute to the fact that women tend to have more body fat than men. Men are naturally more lean than women are, and because of this, they have less of that “air pocketish” fat that deposits around key areas like the thights, buttocks, and even sometimes the upper arms and belly.
It is true that if you lose a portion of your body fat, the your cellulite tends to look much better. This is because your fat cells are not as large and “well fed” and they therefore do not bulge out against the collagen bands that are there to sort of hold it all in. This is what causes the appearance of celluilte – that dreaded, spongy, pitted look that women get around their outter thighs, butt and other areas.
Now that summer time is approaching, it’s time to kick your cellulite treatment regimen into high gear. Get yourself a good cellulite massager. Just one of those pronged, manual ones that you can buy online (I like the Seqhora and Philosophy brands). Also get yourself a good cellulite treatment cream and use that in conjunction with the massager on your problem areas. Try to do it every night after a hot shower, when your skin is most pliable and susceptible to manipulation.
If you want even better results in smoothing out the lumps, then try doing it twice a day, moving back to once after you’ve achieved good results.
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