Fillers and Firmers: New Non-Surgical Face-Lifts

It used to be the case that anyone wanting to turn back the clock on their physical appearance, particularly where their face was concerned, had to subject themselves to the surgeon’s knife — but not any longer. Now there are new additions to the anti-aging weaponry that can slow down the effects of aging and achieve results that before now were only possible with a full face-lift.

Fillers

The beauty of fillers is that they can plump the face out in a way that a face-lift can’t. A face-lift can only pull the facial muscles up, together with the fat and skin covering them, whereas fillers replace the skin’s stocks of hyaluronic acid, the distribution and function of which change as we age leaving us with lines and wrinkles. The most widely-used fillers are Restylane, Hydrafill, and Perlane. Restylane also has two other treatments: Restylane Lipp, which plumps up age-deflated lips; and Restylane Vital, which counters the effects of sun damage and the natural aging process.

The fillers are safe, effective, and relatively long-lasting. And if you don’t like the results, they are easy to get rid of with an injection of the enzyme hyaluronidase.

Restylane, Hydrafill, and Perlane procedures cost from about $700 per treatment.

Firmers

If it’s not so much filling out but firming up that’s needed, then there are a few new treatments that can do just that. Thermage and Polaris work by applying controlled heat to existing collagen causing the skin to tighten and promoting the production of new collagen to plump it up. Thermage is carried out in one intensive treatment session, and some patients do experience a degree of pain, but only one treatment is needed and the effects can last for up to two years.

Named the best anti-aging treatment by New York Magazine in 2004, Polaris is regarded as a much gentler option, as not only does it require multiple sessions in order to achieve results, but is also reported by patients as being pain-free. Best for treating fine wrinkles, at least three sessions are recommended, although each session lasts no longer than 15 minutes.

Titan, the latest in the line of face firmers, can tighten and lift the skin on the face and neck, as well as on the abdomen, thighs, and underarms. Three treatments four weeks apart are recommended for maximum effect, with results lasting from one to three years.

Thermage costs between $1000 and $3000 to treat one area and between $2000 and $5000 to treat the whole face. Polaris costs about $700 per session. Titan costs between $1,000 and $2,000 per session.

Blueberries: The Anti-Alzheimer’s Berry

Blueberries are the ultra-trendy super food of the moment. The media loves a good blueberries-will-cure-all-your-ills story, so by now most of us know that eating blueberries is a smart thing to do. Researchers seem to announce new health benefits on a daily basis. But did you know that eating blueberries regularly can protect you from brain aging and Alzheimer´s disease?

Blueberries, particularly wild blueberries, are extremely rich in anti-oxidants.

Anti-oxidants fight damage to the immune system caused by elements called free radicals. Free radicals are rogue oxygen molecules that run amok on a cellular level, aging us and causing disease. Anti-oxidants rid the body of these unwanted free radicals, and stop the immune system from “rusting”.

Anthocyanin is the main anti-oxidant found in blueberries. Anthocyanin makes blueberries blue and it gets most of the credit for protecting the brain from oxidative stress.

A stressed brain ages faster and is more susceptible to diseases like Alzheimer´s and cancer. Anti-oxidants, in removing the source of oxidative stress (the free radicals), allow brain cells to function optimally and maintain good health. Alzheimer’s disease is associated with a build-up of protein plaque cells in the brain. Scientists believe that these plaque cells result from oxidative stress. No oxidative stress, no plaque, no Alzheimer’s disease. That’s an over-simplification, but you get the picture. Eat your blueberries!

While regular consumption of blueberries can prevent you from getting Alzheimer´s in the first place, what benefit do they provide if you´ve got the disease already? Well, it turns out that blueberries can help in that instance as well. Studies have shown that eating blueberries regularly slows down the progress of Alzheimer´s disease and senile dementia. No wonder they´ve been called the “brain berry”.

Eating blueberries as part of a balanced diet can also reverse brain aging and improve short-term memory. Elderly lab rats fed a blueberry-rich diet showed improvements in memory, co-ordination and balance. They out-performed their blueberry-deprived counterparts and became, biologically speaking, much younger rats. Like the rejuvenated lab animals, humans need not lose their mental and physical faculties just because they’re older.

Unfortunately, blueberries alone are not a cure-all. It’s tempting to view the handful of berries you sprinkle on your cereal in the morning as a sure-fire inoculation against disease. Perhaps your cunning plan is to have some blueberries at breakfast and then continue to eat junk food throughout the rest of the day. Nice try! Mother Nature tends to frown on those who cheat. She may not punish you, exactly, but you won’t achieve optimum health on a diet of burgers and blueberries.

Eat a nutritious, balanced diet. Fuel yourself with fruits, vegetables, healthy grains, lean meats, and plenty of blueberries. Then you’ll reap the anti-oxidant brain benefits of blueberries for many years to come.

Don’t Let Anger Age You; Learn To Deal With It In A Healthy Way

Anger is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences. But, how you deal with anger can have a profound effect on your health and particularly on the aging process. Suppressing your anger may be making you old before your time. Failing to deal with anger has been linked to numerous physical and mental ailments. One study showed that women who suppressed their anger during arguments, particularly arguments with spouses, were more likely to die prematurely from various diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease than women who expressed their anger. Finding healthy ways to express your anger will help to maintain your health and possibly even slow down the aging process.

Women will often express their angry feelings to members of their families, especially their spouses, even if these people are not really the source of the problem. Feeling secure enough in their relationships to express their feelings is a positive step in dealing with anger, but some constraints are needed. Yelling, cursing and placing blame can alienate the other person and nothing is accomplished by such behavior. Children in particular can be confused when they are being yelled at when you are really mad at someone else. Uncontrolled expressions of anger can cause family problems.

Several physiological changes occur when you experience anger. The “fight-or-flight” response is activated. Adrenaline gets pumped up, the heart beats more rapidly, respiration becomes rapid and shallow and digestion stops. Experiencing frequent bursts of anger takes its toll on the body. It is a contributing factor to higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and other illnesses. If you have a Type-A personality, the effects can be even more harmful. Anger also affects your mental capabilities. It can slow down your problem-solving abilities and make it difficult to make decisions. Anger slows the thinking process and your ability to rationalize. It also adversely affects your energy and creativity.

Learning to deal with anger will provide both mental and physical benefits, and will also help to preserve and enhance the interpersonal relationships in your life. Hiding the rage and frustration that you feel does more harm than good. Keeping these feelings inside can chip away at your health and well-being. The solution is to get angry but do not stay angry. Take the time to cool off and identify the source of the problem. Getting angry is not as harmful as staying angry. If you deal with your anger in a quick and effective way, the damage to your health is minimal.

Women tend to stew over their anger for up to an hour before calming down. This is the time when the physical damage is done. To avoid focusing on your anger at times like this, engage in a physical activity such as going for a walk, riding a bicycle or swimming. Even house cleaning may take your mind off of your anger. Exercise helps burn off the adrenaline created by the “fight-or-flight” response, giving you the opportunity to think more clearly about how to deal with your angry feelings. Another solution is to take a break. Find a quiet spot to sit and practice relaxation techniques. Breathe deeply and think calming thoughts or picture yourself in a peaceful, soothing place.

Be aware of situations that you know may cause an angry reaction and try to avoid putting yourself in those situations. When something happens that provokes anger, try to put things in perspective and look at the positive side of the situation. Express your feelings without placing blame or telling others how they have failed in what they should have done. It is best to use “I” when attempting to tell someone how a certain situation made you feel. Using “you” can put others on the defensive. It can sound accusatory and may accelerate the argument rather than resolving it.

Try to associate with people who have happy dispositions rather than those who are often angry. Being around rational people who are able to find solutions to problems will improve your ability to do the same. Join groups and get involved in your community since anger can result from loneliness.

If you have trouble expressing your anger, learn to be assertive. It is often helpful to put your feelings in writing, especially if you are uncomfortable with face to face encounters. This also gives you the chance to consider carefully and rationally what you wish to express. You will feel more in control if you are not pushed into a sudden confrontation.

Expressing anger in a calm, rational way is an important aspect of your mental and physical health. Letting anger fester inside you will affect your life in many negative ways. On the other hand, letting rage take over and expressing it irrationally and without regard for the feelings of others will be harmful to you and your relationships. Learn to handle your feelings of anger constructively and calmly to keep your body, mind and relationships healthy.

10 Easy Steps You Can Take to Fight Aging Now

It seems like a thousand different factors affect how we age. Diet, habits, products, lifestyle. It can be overwhelming. So even if you spend hundreds on fancy supplements and stock up on tons of skin care products, you’re probably missing out on some of the most important products and most effective practices for anti-aging.

Are you doing everything you can to look and feel younger? Read on to find out.

Healthy Eating

Of everything you can do to stay young and live longer, eating well has the most dramatic anti-aging effect. If you don’t eat well, it’s impossible to stay healthy. Make some of the following changes to your diet to look better, feel sexier, and live longer.

1. Eat Antioxidants: Eating five servings of antioxidants a day can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, protect the heart, and keep skin young-looking for longer. Add some berries, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and garlic to your diet to up your antioxidant intake.

2. Drink Antioxidants: In Japan, they up their life expectancy with tons of green and white tea. In long-lived France in Spain, they guzzle antioxidant rich red wine. Drink 4 cups of green or white tea and one glass of red wine a day.

3. Add Fiber: Eat 25 grams of fiber a day from fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains to help prevent colon cancer and keep impurities from building up.

4. Add Healthy Fats: Good fat is good for you. Add plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids (found in walnuts, flax seeds, salmon, hemp, and spirolina algae) into you diet, along with 1 to 2 daily tablespoons of heart-healthy olive oil. Just be careful not to overheat olive oil, as you’ll erase some of its health benefits.

5. Take Vitamins: Most of us do not get enough vitamins in our diet. Keep your body healthier longer by eating or taking the recommended dosages of the following vitamins, minerals, and supplements:

• Calcium (600 mg twice daily)
• Magnesium (200 mg twice daily)
• Vitamin D (1,000 units daily)
• Multivitamin (half a tablet morning and night)
• DHA Omega 3 (600mg daily)
• Baby aspirin (162 mg daily)

Women who are pre-menopausal also need iron and 5,000 daily units of Vitamin A. Post-menopausal women (and men) need half that amount.

Healthy Body

In order to be healthy and stay young longer, exercise is key. To keep old age at bay (and look great, too), use this anti-aging exercise checklist.

6. Strengthen your Heart: Getting your heart rate up keeps your heart healthy. Find your target heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 and multiplying that number by 0.80. Get to that rate at least three times a week.

7. Strengthen your Muscles: Do at least 30 minutes of strength training each week to prevent muscle loss and keep bones strong.

Healthy Mind

Your mind and emotions truly do have an effect on you how you feel– and how you age. To keep your mind and body young, try:

8. Meditation: Set aside just five minutes a day for yoga, prayer, or general meditation. It sets the mind at ease and relaxes blood vessels by releasing nitric oxide.

9. Sleep: Get those seven to eight hours a day, even if you don’t think you have time.

10. Monogamous Sex: Get intimate with your partner 2 to 3 times a week to stay close, stay happy, and stay young.

A Close Look at the Top Two Anti-Wrinkle Creams on the Market Today

With so many new anti wrinkle creams and products now available, deciding which one to use can be a somewhat difficult task at times. Even so, not all of the new generation of skincare and treatment products work the same, so what works for one person may in fact, not work as well for another persons particular skin condition.

This is why virtually all of the major skin care product manufacturers have a wide range of anti wrinkle creams available to accommodate all of the various skin types and conditions that afflict them. Also, the active ingredients that are in their products such as retinol come in various concentrations as well.

Kinerase Anti-Wrinkle Creams

Kinerase made its debut with a revolutionary line of anti wrinkle creams and skin care products in 1999. Since that time their product line has been growing, along with the level of acceptance that they have been receiving from the public. What separates Kinerase products and anti wrinkle creams from similar products on the market, is that Kinerase products contain Kinetin which is a natural active ingredient.

Kinerase Pro+Therapy C6 Peptide with Kinetin & Zeatin

Kinetin is produced and extracted from plant life and it is what plants use to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun as well as the harsh environment that they live in. Also, Kinetin has excellent repairative properties as well. Kinerase anti wrinkle creams with Kinetin have been shown in numerous clinical studies to be highly effective in increasing the production of collagen and elestine in age and sun damaged skin.

The Top Anti-Wrinkle Cream from Obagi

Obagi is another relatively new name in the skin care market place. It is their Elastiderm Eye Cream that is making the latest buzz in the anti-wrinkle cream market, because are people claiming to be getting remarkable results from it. Its a bi-mineral complex called Copper Zinc Malonate that is the main active ingredient in this product and recent clinical trials have verified what its users have been saying and that is that it works.


Obagi ELASTIderm Night Eye Cream

The thin skin around the eyes and lips tends to be very vulnerable to to damage from the sun. Its the thinning of a layer that lies below the surface called the dermal-epidermal-junction that is responsible for the formation of crows feet wrinkles around these areas. However; this same thin skin seems to be the most responsive to effective anti-wrinkle creams. You must make sure that you only use an anti wrinkle cream that is formulated for use around your eyes or they can become irritated. Find more information about Obagi products here.

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