Latisse!!!

One of our favorite clients with her new Latisse lashes! Buy One Get One Free now at East Memphis Aesthetics. No one is ever diappointed with this product, and to be honest I CAN”T LIVE WITHOUT IT!!! It not only makes my lashes longer and thicker, I don’t have to wear mascara anymore because they are SOOOO much darker. Although mine are not as long as……. uhm, this girl(one of my best friends in the whole wide world) They are miles and miles from where I started. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Blinc mascara, I just don’t stress when I can’t find my tube anymore(It’s probably in my 12 year olds makeup bag)
$100 for a 3 month supply…. So worth it, DUH!

Wear Your Sunscreen!!!!

Its no secret SPF is essential during the summer months. But did you know it’s equally important during the wintertime? Oh, what’s that? You work inside all day so you don’t need sunscreen? Not so fast…it’s important for you too!!!!

UV rays are just as harmful during the winter as they are in the summertime—even if you spend your days working indoors, hidden from the sunshine. UVA rays penetrate window glass, which means you are exposed during your commute and if your office is filled with natural light. UV rays are especially harmful in snowy conditions since rays are strengthened due to the reflective nature of snow. The same goes for cloudy days. So lather up ladies!

All of these forms of exposure contribute to something called “photoaging.” Photoaging is a process of aging caused by UVA and UVB exposure. Major symptoms of photoaging include spider veins on the face or neck, loss of color and fullness in lips and wrinkle formations on the face, neck, ears, hands or chest. No thank you! (Note: You may want to think twice about those hands on the sunny steering wheel too because hands and necks show the symptoms of photoaging the most.) Since even the slightest bits of exposure add up quickly, it’s important to protect any uncovered skin with a broad spectrum UVA and UVB lotion with a minimum SPF of 15.

I use SPF 50 every morning (I use Obagi Medical, Nu-Derm Sunshield). I apply it to my face, neck and hands. If you’re looking for a quality SPF, I suggest buying something with one or more of the following ingredients:

• Zinc Oxide…the BEST thing you can find in a quality sunscreen!!!
• Octinoxate
• Vitamin C: This antioxidant helps reduce the appearance of sun damage and increases skin’s moisture

You would be very surprised at the amount of people that never wear sunscreen at all…and sitting behind this desk all day, I can spot them a mile away.  The ladies who look the best and have the healthiest, youngest looking skin, wear sunscreen everyday.  They not only wear it,they carry it around in their purses and apply it every couple of hours.  It didn’t take me very long of working here to get on their bandwagon.  WON”T GO WITHOUT IT!  EVER! 

Erica

 

Best App Ever!!!!

Best App Ever!!!!

A few years ago I discovered one of the most important apps of my life – one that counts my calories and tracks my weight:

My Fitness Pal (www.myfitnesspal.com)

This app is designed to accept your current weight and design a customized program to meet your weightloss goals in a designated time frame. Yes, it sounds complicated, but it’s much easier than picking up your phone and dialing 1-800-Jenny!

All you have to do is log onto your iPhone MyFitnessPal app, or the MyFitnessPal website, every day and enter what you”ve eaten and any exercise you’ve done that day.  The app does the rest for you – it tells you how many calories you’ve consumed for the day and where your weight will be in a set time frame if you continue eating that way.  It will also tell you your nutritional intake for the day, i.e. total fat grams, carbs, protein, etc.

What amazed me is that almost every food, ranging from grocery store to fast food, is available on the site.  To search for foods you’ve consumed, you can either type them in the search box or there’s a scanner available in the app.  Yes, you can actually scan the barcode on the packaging and it will give you the nutritional value of that food item!!!!!

So, all that is good, but the absolutely best part of all…….

This app is FREE….yipppeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Mollie’s Blogging now!!!

This year I have not been doing enough reviews – I admit…But my goal for 2012 and beyond is to provide you with the latest and greatest beauty secrets out there.  Having worked professionally in the beauty industry over 13 years, I have tried and discovered some outstanding products and procedures that I consider to be the very best available.  Being that we still have a little time left before 2012 knocks on our door, I owe it to you (and myself) to get started a little early.  So…..

 

Exfoliation! Exfoliation! Exfoliation!

LOVE IT!!!!!  LOVE IT!!!!!  LOVE IT!!!!!

Did I mention I love it?

 

Exfoliation involves the removal of the oldest dead skin cells (yuck!) on the skin’s outermost surface.  The end result is smooth, glowing skin.  Exfoliation can be achieved through two methods:  mechanical and chemical

 

Examples of mechanical exfoliation include microdermabrasion (microderm), dermaplaning, facial scrubs, use of a Clarisonic Brush, sponges, loofahs, and use of microfiber cloths. 

 

Examples of chemical exfoliation include scrubs and solutions containing salicylic and glycolic acids, fruit enzymes, malic acid, or citric acid, which may be applied in high concentrations by a medical professional, or in lower concentrations in over-the-counter products.  Chemical exfoliation may involve the use of products that contain alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), or enzymes that act to loosen the glue-like substance that holds skin cells together, allowing them to fall off (exfoliate) the surface of the skin.

 

That being said, my favorite methods of exfoliation for home and as treatments offered in a medi-spa are as follows:

 

Mechanical:  At home – Clarisonic Brush

                  Medi-spa treatment – Microderm

 

Chemical:  At home – RetinA (for nighttime)

                             Obagi Exfoderm (for daytime)

               Medi-spa treatment – Glycolic Peels, Salicylic Peels, and Jessner’s Peels

 

Stay tuned, I’ll be giving more product/treatment reviews in the near future!

Mollie

EMA Introduces Laser Treatment of Nail Fungus

Medical devices maker Cutera Inc has obtained the 510 (k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for its GenesisPlus laser for treating onychomycosis (nail fungus).

Onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the toenails or fingernails, afflicts roughly 35 million Americans. The condition represents clinical symptoms such as discoloration/ thickening of the nail and separation of the nail plate from the nail bed. It is more likely to develop in people with conditions such as diabetes, psoriasis, and peripheral arterial disease (“PAD”). The worldwide market for onychomycosis therapies is estimated to be more than $2 billion.

Roughly 20% of the people affected with onychomycosis seek treatment annually in the U.S. Despite its wide prevalence, there are limited approved treatments for this condition. Currently, widely used prescription therapies are topical and oral drugs.

However, these treatments have limited clinical success rates due to prolonged and inconvenient treatment regimens and side-effects including potential liver toxicity. Moreover, topical drugs generally have poor efficacy. An innovative non-invasive approach for treating onychomycosis is the application of laser energy to the nail plate with an “Nd:YAG” laser such as the GenesisPlus.

The GenesisPlus laser represents a major advancement in the treatment of onychomycosis. It leverages Cutera’s proprietary microsecond technology and delivery system to improve patient experience. The device has a larger laser spot (compared with fiber lasers) which enables fast treatment and uniform coverage. With the approval of GenesisPlus, patients now have a fast and effective therapy option for onychomycosis without the risks of adverse side-effects

Botox

Denervating Agent: BOTOX
It’s important to know the difference between Botox and fillers (Botox stops the muscle contractions; fillers plump up the furrows), but it’s even more important to emphasize that in trained hands, Botox does not paralyze muscles. Rather, it is used in an artistic fashion to restore a more youthful appearance to the face.

A relatively painless procedure, Botox injections are virtually downtime free. Muscle actions play a big role in aging around the eyes, as contractions lead to initial dynamic wrinkles followed by more permanent lines; Botox is great for stopping crow’s-feet and the vertical frown lines between the brows, and it prevents the muscle movement that leads to fine lines and furrows. The treatment can also be used as an “injectable browlift,” to slightly elevate the brow and eliminate horizontal lines across the forehead to help the upper face look younger and more relaxed. Many plastic surgeons consider Botox to be an integral part of a surgical browlift, since its use before surgery can help relax the muscles and facilitate healing.

Just like injectable fillers, a topical anesthetic may be applied to make treatment more comfortable. Then, over a short period of time (roughly 10 minutes, depending on how many areas are being treated), your doctor will strategically place several injections. You may be red or bruised at the injection sites for up to a few days, and in rare instances, patients will report mild flu-like symptoms after treatment. Results become visible in three to seven days, and last for three to four months. Botox is not a permanent solution—you’ll need repeat treatments every three to four months. Your doctor may choose to use the treatment in conjunction with a filler to provide the best results.

Beautiful Skin Depends on Careful Protection with Sunscren

Over time, skin ages and loses its youthful appearance. Wrinkles appear around the eyes, fine lines bloom around the lips, and age spots surface on the hands. While some of these factors are natural and unavoidable, many of the visible signs of aging are caused by the sun, and can be avoided.

Skin is composed of three layers: the epidermis, or outermost layer; the dermis, or middle layer; and the subcutis, or basement layer. The dermis contains collagen, elastin, and other fibers that support the skin’s structure. It is these elements that give skin its smooth and youthful appearance – and that are damaged by UV radiation (UVR).

The UVR that affects the skin is composed of two different types of waves, UVA and UVB. When UVR hits the skin, cells in the dermis scramble to produce melanin to the epidermis. This is the process that gives you a tan, which is really just your skin attempting to block the radiation from penetrating your skin.

UVB rays are shorter than UVA rays, and are the main culprit behind sunburn. But it is the UVA rays, with their longer wavelength, that are responsible for much of the damage we associate with photoaging. UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, where they damage the collagen fibers. This damage causes increased production of abnormal elastin. The unusual amounts of elastin result in the production of enzymes called metalloproteinases. These enzymes, which rebuild damaged collagen, often malfunction and degrade the collagen, resulting in incorrectly rebuilt skin. As this process is repeated with daily UVA exposure, the incorrectly rebuilt skin forms wrinkles, and the depleted collagen results in leathery skin.

Repeated sun exposure can also cause what are commonly called age spots, or liver spots. They don’t have anything to do with your liver, but have everything to do with sun. An ‘age spot’ is actually a solar lentigo – a small bit of pigmentation caused by sun exposure. Age spots are usually found on the hands, arms, and face, and on the back in men.

The best way to combat photoaging is through prevention. Daily application of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to areas vulnerable to photoaging will not only help prevent photoaging, but can reverse some of the signs you might already have. And reducing your exposure to UV radiation will lower your risk of developing skin cancer or precancer.

For skin that has severe damage, there are many different types of treatments available to reduce signs of aging.

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