Archives July 2016

SPF (Sun Protection Factor)- wear it on not?

As an Esthetician I can assure you that you will regret in 20 years from now for not having worn sunscreen when you look at your skin compared to friends and family who have worn daily sunscreen.

Top five reasons you should wear sunscreen:

1. The ozone layer is depleting and our body needs shielding from harmful rays.
2. Skin cancer rates are on the rise and sunscreen has been proven to decrease the development of skin cancer.
3. It helps to prevent skin discolorations.
4. It helps to reduce the appearance of facial red veins and blotchiness.
5. It slows down the premature skin aging and wrinkles.

What about the need for obtaining vitamin D via the sun?

Most people can meet vitamin D requirements of 600 IU per day with daily 30 minutes outdoor activities, twice per week. Same result they can achieve by eating vitamin D rich diet of fish, milk, dairy, liver, eggs or taking vitamin D supplement. So prolonged sun exposure gives no extra benefits of Vitamin D production.

Medications, that increase risks of sun burns and damage.

There are many medications which may make the skin extra susceptible to sun. These include: anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular and acne medications.:

• Doxycycline and Minocycline used in the treatment of acne
• Accutane
• Topical acne products, such as vitamin A (Yes! your Retin A from Doctor office!)
• Benzoyl Peroxide.

Are there any natural sunscreen?

Yes. The newest sunscreens are formulated with either tinted mineralized zinc oxide or titanium dioxide that can bronze the skin or matched to skin color.

Are there any natural spray-on sunscreens?

Yes, Spray-on sunscreen are great for people who don’t like the feel of lotion on their hands or face. Great spray sunscreen to try is a Cosmedix Reflect.

Do I need to reapply SPF every 2 hours?

Yes. Most of the SPF stop working after 2 hours. If you plan to spend ore time outside then you need to reapply it after 2 hours.

For more info about skin care treatments visit our website at www.laestetica.co or call us at 415 787 2772

While diet and exercise can be important, people sometimes need to take special steps in order to get the results they want. If you want to burn stomach fat, you’re going to have to make sure you’re doing all you can to help with that.

One of the simplest ways to burn fat in any area is to do cardio exercises. If you do 30 minutes of cardio a day three times a week, you’ll be able to burn a great deal of fat.

However, if your main intention is to slim down your stomach, you’ll want to combine that cardio with some exercises that will work the stomach. If you burn fat and strengthen your stomach muscles, you’ll see some real results.

It’s also a smart idea for people to change their diet. A lot of foods can cause bloating. If people give up these foods, they should be able to see their stomach shrink.

Cutting down on the intake of carbohydrates, like bread and pasta, is especially important. People don’t need to give them up completely; they only need to eat less of them. When people do consume carbs, they should try to make sure they’re eating whole grains.

It’s also important for people to make sure they’re getting fluids from the right places. Sugary drinks (soda, artificial juices etc.) can cause people to form more fat in their stomach. Water and other healthy drinks, however, can help people to keep their stomach slim.

You may want to try drinking some kind of herbal tea in the morning. Green tea has been linked to a loss in stomach fat. You could also try starting your day out with lemon water.

If you follow these simple tips, you should be able to burn stomach fat and get your body into shape.

What concerns many is how persistent eye festoon bags are and if they can be treated. For those who are not willing to undergo surgery to improve the appearance, there are some conservative options including the following:

• Acupuncture
• Herbal remedies and Vitamin K
• Neotensil (Spandex for the eye)
• Dermal Fillers
• Lipodissolve

In Chinese medicine, dysfunction of internal organs present themselves on the face. Problems around the eyes are believed to be connected to some underlying imbalance, usually involving the kidneys, adrenal glands, and the liver. Well-trained acupuncturists will take a full health history to pinpoint the culprit and then treat the acupuncture points associated with the imbalance. Doing it will improve the appearance of bags and dark circles. Holistic acupuncturists may also prescribe herbal medicine or micronutrients, such as Licorice, Angelica, Milk Thistle, or Vitamin K. They will improve the functioning of those organs, bring nutrients to the affected area, and result in improved facial representation of organ function.

Neotensil™ is a new product. It involves the application of two layers of product that works to reshape the skin and acts much like Spandex. Step 1 involves the placement of a reshaping base layer. Step 2 application of an activating layer that cross links with the base layer; resulting in shaping the skin under the eye. The improvement seen can last up to 16 hours.

Dermal Fillers can improve the appearance by “filling in” the space below the fat pad thereby blending the fat pad to the cheek curve. Results can last up to one year.

Lipodissolve is injection of a solution into the fat pad that essentially dissolves the fat pad. This should be done with extreme caution and can be associated with significant erythema (redness) and edema (swelling) for up to 10 days and may need to be repeated.

Organic food is more popular than ever, and people are even taking the initiative to plant organic farms in their backyards. People are tired of hearing about the consequences of processed foods and artificial ingredients. You have surely heard about the many benefits of eating organically, but what do you not know about organic food items.

If you have yet to jump in and participate with the organic food movement, realize that almost 80 percent of the entire nation is already participating. Now, that doesn’t mean they buy everything organic, but they do buy organic from time to time. And then of course some of them choose to grow an organic garden as mentioned, too. One statistic in 2011 said that approximately 4.2 percent of the food sold was organic food. Now that doesn’t seem like a lot until you put a cash value to it, and that would be over 29 billion dollars. Furthermore, this was a number representative of over four years ago, and the growth of the organic food market continues to skyrocket.

You might think that organic food is always going to be grown somewhere in your own country, but it can come from other countries as well. Did you know that? You can inquire about food items to see if you can get organic food that is local, and you can always check with the local Farmer’s Markets if there is one near you.

Realize that rinsing your vegetables doesn’t take the pesticides away, so buying organic would be the right solution. It’s up to you as to how you want to handle buying your groceries, and certainly organic food can seem to cost more. That is why people are growing organic gardens or buying at farmers markets.