Reflections on Beauty

Fractional thermolysis, which made its debut in 2004, has been taking the cosmetic skincare field by storm during the last several years. Laser treatments target the gamut from wrinkle and fine line reduction — the original FDA indications for the devices — to elimination of all kinds of scars such as burn, surgery and/or acne scars, stretch marks and even melasma.

Ablative vs. Non-Ablative: What’s the Difference?

Fractional skin resurfacing with the new-generation ablative devices is the hottest development, although the non-ablative ones are a mainstay. The non-ablative devices are great for mild to moderate wrinkling and photoaging, and fairly close to eliminating most acne scarring over a series of 4-6 treatments that are only a bit uncomfortable followed by roughly 3 days of redness. It’s that reduced downtime, compared with more invasive treatments that require a week to 10 days from work & social obligations, that makes the non-ablative lasers so appealing in our patients’ busy lives.

The biggest difference between ablative and non-ablative lasers

Ablative laser treatments are more severe and can cause epidermal burning. Recovery time is longer and can extend up to 4-6 weeks. However, ice pick and boxcar acne scars respond well to ablative treatments, as do deeper wrinkles. For patients with older skin or those with a great deal of sun damage, the ablative laser may be best, even with the more significant downtime. We utilize excellent topical anesthetic creams and our ablative lasers have built-in cooling capacity to make the procedure more comfortable.

How does a non-ablative laser compare?

A non-ablative laser is less invasive and conducts heat deeper into the dermis, essentially bypassing the top layer of skin to treat the skin tissue beneath. This deep-placed heat causes the collagen to rebuild, making the non-ablative laser a good choice for under-eye lines and wrinkles, other more superficial facial wrinkles, as well as shallow scars.

Essentially, the less aggressive the laser, the more treatments are required to get the best final result. If you need to quickly get back to work and/or social activities, having more treatments with a non-ablative laser would be best.

Here at Reflections Center for Skin & Body in New Jersey, we have the Gold Standard in ablative and non-ablative treatments—the Fraxel Repair and Fraxel Re:Store Dual. In this way, we can offer the Best of the Best, whether you need an ablative or non-ablative treatment.

Doesn’t a six pack ab look amazing??  That great look isn’t the only reason for having one, however. Did you know that there are several health benefits of having a six pack? It’s true. Here are six of the most important ones:

1. A six pack helps you maintain good posture through stronger abdominal muscles;
2. A six pack strengthens your core and enables you to lift heavier weights, not just in the gym but at home with kids, grocery bags, heavy snow;
3. A six pack lessens your chances of getting injured in sports and other physical activities;
4. A six pack helps you avoid an abdominal hernia, as the muscles are strong and tight;
5. A six pack helps protect your most important organs;
6. A six pack means you have less belly fat, which is a leading cause for heart disease

Of course having a six pack means exercising regularly and eating right, two things we recommend to all of our patients, even those interested in laser liposuction!

You undoubtedly have heard all kinds of things about silicone injections. Priscilla Presley’s beautiful face was literally ruined by lowgrade silicone injections that her doctor assured her were “better than Botox”. The photos at left show the damage.

Even though silicone injections are illegal here in the states, lots of women receive them, either knowingly or not, in their lips, buttocks, breasts and face. If you took a straw poll of your friends, we’re betting that most of them would not know that silicone was not approved for cosmetic uses. The FDA has not approved liquid silicone for any cosmetic purpose, which means that silicone cannot be legally advertised or sold in the US for injections into the body, such as for plumping lips, cheeks, breasts or otherwise.

Back in the ‘50’s, silicone was injected into the breasts, for augmentation purposes. Because this practice resulted in infection, deformities, lumps and bumps, it was eventually banned.

There are a multitude of substitutions for silicone injections, all of which work much better and, because they are not permanent, will “age with” your face. Permanent fillers, such as silicone, will not do this, resulting in a strange appearance as one ages. We here at the Reflections Center are always on top of not just the latest, but the safest and most effective, dermal fillers for our New Jersey and New York patients.

If you’d like to see how you might look with Botox or dermal fillers, check out our Botox Treatment Visualizer and/or our Juvederm Treatment Visualizer. It’s a private and fun way to see if Botox and fillers might be right for you!

Patients often come to us with concerns about the appearance of their inner thighs. Generally fit, they are mystified that their inner thighs are beginning to sag. What can be done?

Inner thigh sagging can be the result of weight loss, muscle loss and/or aging. As we age, our muscle tone does tend to decrease unless we work very hard to maintain it. Skin on the legs, including the thighs, also will begin to lose tone with age. Further, if you have lost weight, the skin on the inner thighs may not “bounce back” as it did when you were younger.

Hip adduction machines and pulley machines at your gym or fitness club can be used specifically to increase the muscle mass on the inner thighs. Fitness trainers advise that you perform more reps with lower weights rather than applying a great deal of weight with fewer repetitions. Just be sure that you don’t struggle too much with three repetitions in a row; if so, lower the weight, but not so low that you have absolutely no fatigue by the third set of 10 repetitions. Pilates is also known to strengthen the inner thighs.

For many of our patients from New Jersey, laser liposuction is an excellent solution, either as an alternative to the above workout or in addition to it. Laser liposuction can remove the areas of inner-thigh fat while helping tighten the skin in that area. Performed under local anesthesia, laser lipo comes with a very short downtime, making it easy to fit into your busy lifestyle.

Patients who have liposuction understand that it’s a body sculpting method to remove discrete areas of unwanted fat, not a weight-loss method. They are generally at goal weight or within 10 lbs of it. However, since we’re in the midst of the holiday period, you might want to know what could happen if you did gain weight after liposuction.

During liposuction, fat cells are permanently removed. They won’t grow back or be replaced. That means, for example, if you gain weight after liposuction of the thighs, an increase in weight won’t be reflected in the thigh area(s) where liposuction was performed. However, fat cells in other parts of the body will enlarge instead. If you’ve never had weight-gain in your tummy, for example, it could occur after liposuction of your thighs because it, essentially, cannot occur in the thighs.

Remember, holidays are for fun, family, traditions and outings. Enjoy yourself, but be careful to avoid gaining weight that will last long after the holidays!

Here are some tips to maintain your weight during the holidays whether or not you’ve had lipo!

• Drink more water! Keeps you full, hydrated and makes your skin very happy!
• Beware of calories in mixed drinks. A Cosmopolitan has 150-200 calories, compared with an 8 oz white wine spritzer, which has only 40.
• Take advantage of shopping for exercise! Park far from the doors, walk up the escalators and wear your jogging shoes when you do holiday shopping.
• Don’t neglect your sleep—studies prove that your body will react to sleep deprivation by increasing your appetite!

Last year, over 300,000 American men and women chose liposuction to remove localized areas of fat. Best for patients who are at or near their target weight, liposuction can resculpt one’s figure by removing superficial fat cells forever.

Genetics play a huge role in where our body stores fat. For some of us, excess fat appears around the thighs; for others, it can plague us on the upper arms and, for others, the belly is the favored spot. As we age, the location where we store fat can change. Men store fat primarily in the belly, while women tend to store fat in the lower half of the body. However, after menopause, hormone shifts move women’s weight gain to the midriff area, similar to men.

There are two types of fat that appear in the belly area. One of them, called superficial fat, can be removed with liposuction. The other type of belly fat, called visceral fat, lies beneath the muscle layer and cannot be removed with liposuction.  Visceral fat is dangerous and releases proteins into the blood stream that increase our risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Studies suggest that waist circumference is a good indicator of these health risks. The World Health Organization says that a high-risk waist measurement is anything more than 34.6” in women and 40.1” in men.

How can you tell the difference between visceral and subcutaneous fat?

In lieu of imaging equipment, it’s a general rule that weight gained in the waistline tends to be visceral fat. In one study, visceral fat in overweight men and women accounted for 83% of their increased abdominal girth.

Visceral fat cannot be removed with laser lipo because it lies beneath the muscle, which we do not penetrate with the laser. Because visceral fat can’t be treated with liposuction, it’s good to know what can remove it: diet and exercise. In fact, diet and exercise tend to remove visceral fat before superficial fat. Since it’s the visceral fat that contributes to health risks, that’s great news! According to Robert Ross, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University and one of the world’s most preeminent researchers in the health risks associated with increased waist circumference, if someone is losing weight, a greater proportion of that weight will be from visceral fat than from superficial fat.”

Patients who carry lots of visceral fat will typically not be satisfied with the results from laser liposuction, because while we can make a noticeable difference in their overall size, we cannot affect the visceral fat. Therefore, we always encourage patients who have a barrel-shaped midsection to pursue diet and exercise to reduce visceral fat before we use laser lipo to remove the subcutaneous fat.

With the winter holidays upon us, with its feasting and partying, it’s a tough time to think about weight loss. However, losing weight won’t just make you look better, it’ll help you live a longer and healthier life!

Courtesy PixDaus.com

Imagine rubbing an apple on your belly to decrease hunger pangs between meals. We all know that wouldn’t work, don’t we? In a similar vein, however, Chinese women are drinking fish collagen in hopes of softening their skin. While we find this an interesting notion, we aren’t convinced it will create younger-looking skin.

Plastic surgery is big business among the Chinese, spending $1.47 billion in 2007. Skincare is also booming—reports are that the Chinese spent $5.3 billion on skincare products in 2007, the most recent year that statistics are available. Doubtless, many firms are eager to jump on the profit bandwagon with unique products to feed Chinese appetites for youthful skin.

Fish Oil = Softer Skin?

A Chinese firm named DHC claims that drinking a $4.58 bottle of their fish collagen daily will give consumers “skin as soft as a baby’s.” While drinking fish collagen may have other nutritional benefits, Chinese nutrition experts aren’t convinced it will deliver on its promise of better skin. Sun Yat-Sen University Hospital’s Vice Director of Nutrition Studies states that the amount of collagen that can be absorbed through the digestive system is insignificant. While we have no “official” opinion about the value of fish collagen drinks, we agree with Yat-Sen’s advice to eat more vegetables and fruits, for their high antioxidant properties.

If building collagen is your goal, re-read last week’s blog post about the three best ways to greater collagen production: laser skin resurfacing (our favorite being Fraxel CO2) Retin-A and similar skincare products, and hyaluronic acid fillers, such as Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra and Perlane, all of which contribute to collagen growth.

For now, we think you can pass on the fish soda (eww!).

We all know that with the upcoming holidays comes the desire to look your best for parties, family gatherings and possibly a trip somewhere warm (it’s 37 in the tristate today!). Studies have shown that laser liposuction is the fastest and best way to remove fat if you’re interested in a rapid recovery and little chance of risk.

Many of us have pockets of fat that we carry around. It’s different for each person, based on genetics. Some of us develop fat around the middle, while others tend to develop fat in the rear and thighs. Laser Liposuction is a treatment option specifically designed for such areas and you can have your procedure and fully recover well in time for the upcoming holidays.

Laser liposuction, as practiced here at Reflections Center, involves removing fat cells that will never return. It’s a permanent way to improve the contour of your body with targeted laser energy. It’s safe and predictable!

How does Laser Liposuction work?

Local anesthesia is used in laser liposuction, not general anesthesia. Using local anesthesia makes the procedure quite comfortable and also restricts blood flow, which means less bruising. After fat is anesthetized, a special laser is used to melt the fat. Tiny cannulas then extract the liquid fat. That’s it! Candidates are men and women who have tried diet and exercise but can’t quite get the final areas of fat to go away.

What are the benefits of laser liposuction?

• Local anesthesia
• Minimal to no downtime
• Skin tightening! This cannot be achieved with traditional lipo.

What areas of my body can be treated with laser liposuction?

• The face and neck, including the jowls and jawline
• Men’s breasts
• The thighs and around the knees where fat tends to deposit
• The buttocks and hips
• The waist—especially good for love handles

At the Reflections Center, we have several liposuction methods and we’ll choose the exact method that’s right for you. Call today to schedule your consultation to see how laser liposuction can improve your figure and your self-confidence!

Courtesy Alltuts.com

In our culture, women are brought up to be authentic and true to themselves. Meanwhile, the tabloids bombard us with images of picture-perfect celebs who seem to never age. The signals are certainly mixed and, on the surface, it has created a paradox – should you be true to your natural self or fight tooth and nail to hold on to your youth?

But if you look a little closer it actually makes sense.  We find that many of our patients really don’t care about how great Angelina looks in the celebrity weeklies – they simply want to look as good as they feel.

Most of our patients are healthy and vital women.  They exercise regularly and they eat well.  On the inside, they feel as good or better than they did when they were in their 20’s.  But over the years, sun exposure, gravity and Father Time have taken a toll on their exterior.  Aesthetics is simply a way to get the outside to look as youthful and energized as they feel inside. It’s not so much about what other people see, it’s about how satisfied the patient is with what they see in the mirror.  It’s about taking care of yourself and feeling good, both inside and out.

This is why we strive for natural looking results that make our patients look refreshed and vital, but also like the same woman who walked in the door before being treated.

After all, they aren’t trying to look like someone else or to meet anyone else’s standards – they are doing it for themselves.

Who doesn’t love ice cream and hate wrinkles? Probably no one. So imagine if there was a delicious ice cream on the market that had anti-aging properties? According to StyleList.com, an ingenious collaboration could make that concept a reality as early as 2015!

On September 16, global food and personal care giant Unilever signed an exclusive contract with Ampere Life Science, a biotechnology group, to focus on a new line of anti-aging products. The five-year contract will, according to Unilever, “build differentiated antioxidant-containing products spanning multiple product categories.”

Unilever is currently owns powerhouse food and personal care brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Barilla and Dove. With extensive studies uncovering the numerous anti-aging and cancer-fighting benefits of antioxidants, there has been a boost in the popularity of antioxidant rich foods recently.

Just think of the fabulous anti-aging foods one could indulge in! Here at the Reflection Center for Skin & Body in New Jersey, we’re excited to see this project succeed.