Which Generation Gets Most Plastic Surgery?

While it seems like everyone and their brother is getting some sort of nip or tuck, especially amongst circles that can afford it (this circle is getting tighter and tighter with this poor economy), there are select groups of people who are opting to go under the knife in order to improve their appearance.

It’s actually MY generation that is getting the most plastic surgery, believe it or not.  My generation, generation X, is the age range from 31 to 45. It is the “me” generation” or at least the tail end of it according to some folks.

It makes sense if you think about it, since this is the age range where we start to make good money and also where we still care enough about our appearance and may still be looking for a mate.  My generation has some disposable income to work with as opposed to the younger generation, and they are still at that age where they think a little nip and tuck might help them age a bit more gracefully.

The generation that is older typically is a little more secure in their appearance or settled in with a partner, and the younger generation is actually just as concerned as generation X, but they don’t have as much disposable income to work with.

Generation X has spent billions in cosmetic surgery. Some of the favorites are Botox and other anti aging treatments, breast augmentation, nose jobs, liposuction and other body sculpting or cellulite reducing treatments or surgeries. Generation X actually accounted for more than 40% of all cosmetics surgeries in 2010, and are expected to be just about as much of the chunk of the pie this year.

Many Generation X’ers tend to think that these surgeries or procedures are just part of their maintenance program for getting older. Noninvasive procedures or minimal downtime procedures are increasingly popular, even if they are not a permanent fix and need to be re-done every so often – many of my generation considers these to be the most natural option for keeping their youthful good looks well into their older years.

Baby Boomers Spent a Ton on Health and Beauty?

I just read some very interesting statistics on the baby boomer generation. The baby boomer generation is one where the oldest of the generation are now turning about 65 years old.

This generation was responsible for things ranging from a booming economy thanks to tons of baby suddenly in the US after the war, to a boom in vehicle sales as the first baby boomers were just getting old enough to leave the nest and get jobs.

They have, in short, been responsible for keeping America afloat and keeping the economy going for several years now, on and off. Well, one of the things that baby boomers have reportedly been spending a lot of their disposable income on has been health and beauty products.

Everything from natural beauty products, to wrinkle creams, to plastic surgery to look younger, to other products that can enhance their health such as supplements and other things designed to help enhance beauty and health.  They propped up the health and beauty industry to a large degree over the several years where they were hitting ages where they wanted to start improving these things in their life.

A lot of younger people, particularly twenty, thirty and forty something women, also are increasingly turning to health and beauty improvement products, so this industry has enjoyed quite the boom for a long time now with the combination of young and old investing in it.

Botox, one of the most popular cosmetic improvement services requested, has surged in popularity to an almost ridiculous amount as of late for example. It seems everyone and their sister is getting this done.  There are also a surge of new anti aging and wrinkle products, and do it yourself types of things coming on the market that are servicing the skin-aware market segment.

Case in point – you can now do your own microdermabrasion at home. You can do a chemical peel at home too. You just have to use caution and common sense when doing these things on your own skin.

Shoot, I just bought a little roller device that is supposed to put tiny microscoping punctures in my skin so as to deliver my serums, lotions and creams more effectively down deeper into the skin!  These are exactly the types of products that are fueling a huge industry for baby boomers now too.  And many baby boomers are becoming more savvy on the web, where much of this stuff resides, which helps sales as well.

This has opened up a whole market for the industry of aging and health and beauty to comfortable market to people who were previously thought to be uncomfortable purchasing from the internet.

Micro Needles : Do They Work?

Well, I’ve been suckered in to buying another skin beauty device that I’m hoping pays off in nicer, younger looking skin.  It’s the micro needle skin roller. I had never even heard of it before I happened across it online on Amazon, one of my favorite sites for beauty and everything else.

Have you ever heard of something that you never even thought of buying before because of the “other suggestions” that come up on Amazon? Well, it happens to have suckered me in several times on other things as well, including books, items for the house and cooking, and all kinds of other good stuff.

The micro needle roller that I bought has .5 mm tiny needles. You can go up to 1.5 mm but I figured I’d better start off short since I heard it can be kind of painful.  What is it you ask? You’re probably dying of curiosity by now as I was when I saw the name of the product.

It’s not a torture device if you thought that.  It’s a little roller that has teeny tiny needles on it that are so fine you are not supposed to feel them too much.  However, a lot of reviewers of the micro needle system say that they feel pain or discomfort.

For this reason, they offer a numbing cream that you can use with it. Well, it may not be offered by the same company, but it’s offered in conjunction with it.  The numbing cream helps you to use the micro needle system without as much discomfort.

Why needles? Well, they are supposed to put tiny piercings into the skin, allowing for your skincare creams, lotions and serums to penetrate much more deeply and get to work on the deeper layers of the skin.

So, if you are using wrinkle and fine lines cream, then you should get better results because the product is able to work on the deeper layers of the skin.  Or, if you are using sunspot fading creams, you should notice a significant difference in them because the piercings in the skin help the product to get down deeper and address the problems.

I ordered it yesterday so I should be getting it in the mail soon. I will be providing a review on the micro needle skin roller soon. Mine was just over twenty bucks.

Leave in Conditioning Sprays to Refresh Hair

I’m one of those people that absolutely despises washing my hair. As a result of my hate/hate relationship with hair washing, I often go two to three days between washes.

I know this is unheard of for some people, especially those who either have a naturally more oily scalp and need the hair washing every day, or people who have been brainwashed into believing you are somehow “dirty” or gross if you don’t wash your hair every single day.

I’ve always had oily skin, and struggled with acne when I was younger, but my scalp is a different story. It has always been pretty dry, and prone to dandruff. Although sometimes going three days without washing (I usually do two) can make the dandruff worse, I believe that going every two actually helps my scalp to preserve its moisture a bit better.

However, I’ll admit, when I go on that second day, especially if it’s a humid time period (like this summer, it’s been beastly here in Ohio), I notice that my hair loses its sheen and bounciness on the second day. The third day this is especially true. It needs “refreshing” so to speak, and I often will turn to a leave in conditioner or shine enhancing spray.

The one I just got done using was fantastic. It’s by Alterna, which is a high end hair care product maker. It’s their anti aging line, and it’s an anti aging conditioning hair spray that comes out in a very fine mist.

The only problem I had with the product was the smell, which was too heavily perfumed and talc-y smelling for my personal taste, and the fact that the spray atomizer on the bottle clogged too often for such a high end product. There were many times I would try to get the spray out several times and it wouldn’t work until the tenth or eleventh spray.

Not sure if it was the viscosity of the product or the fact that it had a really cheap spraying mechanism, but it was an annoying problem I didn’t expect to deal with on a more expensive hair product.

Now, I’ve purchased the Aveeno wheat protein line of refreshing conditioning spray. At five bucks a bottle, the price is more than agreeable, and I’m anxious to see whether it imparts the same glossy shine with out the heavy feeling, like the Alterna product  did so well.

I will report back to you on how the Aveeno leave in conditioning spray works shortly!

Dysport Superior to Botox for Crows Feet?

Dysport is the long lost cousin of Botox, the more well known facial muscle relaxer that is used to the tune of millions and millions of dollars in revenue every year by men and women alike who are looking to cheat father time by freezing or relaxing facial muscles.

This relaxation of the muscles actually helps to reduce facial wrinkles because first off, it doens’t allow someone to make certain expressions (at least fully) that would make wrinkles appear worse in the moment.

Second, it helps reduce the formation of further wrinkles since it doesn’t allow these facial expressions to be very pronounced, which results in wrinkles over time from constant facial postures.

The anti wrinkle and anti aging skin care industry is a huge one, as both women and men become more savvy as to what can help them stall the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, and all the other stuff that comes along with getting older and being exposed to all the elements (and stress) for so long.

Dysport is the competitor of Botox, and they both basically do the same thing. Both Dysport and Botox can help to relax facial muscles and other muscles in the body for a certain temporary period of time, which can be useful for anti aging, but can also have other medical implications in other areas as well.  Dysport vs. Botox may need a round two when it comes to one area though.

Recently, a study, that admittedly was not wide reaching or large in scope, showed that Dysport may have an advantage over Botox in smoothing a specific type of wrinkle that is a real concern for many of us – the dreaded “crows feet”.

That’s the area around the side of your eyes that crinkles up when you laugh, squint or smile really wide.  It’s one of my biggest problem areas, but I’ve so far refused to get Botox or any other sort of dermatological intervention. I want to still try my luck with anti aging and wrinkle creams and topical products.

The concerns and side effects of Dysport pretty much mirror those of Botox. The medication may migrate away from the site of injection and can cause paralysis of the throat, drooping eyes, and other fairly serious side effects, up to and including death if breathing is affected.

Dysport treatments last about the same amount of time as Botox treatments do, so know that you do have to go back for repeat treatments to keep the results up. The only other thing I don’t like about Dysport or Botox for that matter, is the fact that there are really no LONG term studies on these medications effects on the human body.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Beauty Tips

When it comes to beauty and anti aging, there are plenty of cheap tricks you can use, and even things you can do in your downtime while you’re sitting at the computer (as I often am), that can help you lift your face, whiten your smile, and tighten those thighs and reduce cellulite.

My first tip, and one of my person favorites, is one that helps you maintain a tight, toned jawline as gravity starts to take its toll when you start getting on in years. Take a pen, or pencil, and clench it between the right side, then the left side, of your mouth, between your “side teeth”.

You will notice that you feel your lower chin area contract. You are actually toning the area under your chin, helping to prevent that dreaded “waddle” which is the loose skin or excess fat that sort of hangs there below your chin – or the “double chin” that none of us wants.  You can reposition the pen as you like, and you will actually feel the contraction switching focus from one area to another.

Taking, that same pen, you can also do another anti aging facial exercise.  Take the pen between your two fingers, and put it right under your chin, so it acts as a sort of chin rest. Then push down on it as hard as you can with your chin. This is another great chin firming exercise.

One of the things you can do while you’re sitting around, or even sleeping, which can help reduce cellulite, is to wear a pair of these new slimming cellulite contour pants.

Most of these are made with neoprene, which is a flexible, but constricting material that encourages circulation and therefore helps smooth out cellulite by constricting the fatty tissue and sort of “forming it” into a smaller space so that the cellulite is reduced over time.

This one isn’t really a time saver, but it’s a good old stand by that I like to remind people about, because it’s dirt cheap and ALL NATURAL, and it also has many other benefits for breath freshening and bacteria killing as well.

I’m talking about using baking soda as a totally natural teeth whitener. Baking soda only costs anywhere from fifty cents to a dollar for a box.  It doubles as a fridge deodorizer too, how cool is that!?

To get the maximum whitening benefits from baking soda, dip your wet toothbrush directly into it ,and before you brush, scrub your teeth with the wet baking soda brush. Then, you can brush with the regular toothpaste if you wish to get that minty feeling. Not only will your teeth whiten a shade after a few times, but you will also experience fresher breath.