Will a Chemical Peel Help?

Are you considering a chemical peel?  Not sure if you're a candidate for one?  What does a chemical peel treat?

Chemical peels are done on the face, neck, upper chest or hands.  They can help to:

• reduce fine lines
• improve wrinkles caused by sun damage, aging and hereditary factors
• improve the appearance of mild scars
• treat some types of acne
• reduce age spots, freckles and dark patches due to prenancy or taking birth control pills
• improve the look and feel of skin that has a dull texture and/or color

Areas of sun damage can include scaly spots that may be pre-cancerous lesions.  These areas can be improved with certain chemical peels.  After a chemical  peel, new pre-cancers are less likely to appear.

Sagging, drooping skin with more severe wrinkles will not respond well to peels.  The color and texture (smoothness) of the skin may be improved, but, the sagging and deep wrinkles could require sugery (facelift, brow lift, eyelid surgery) or injectable fillers such as Cosmoplast, Juvederm or Restylane.  A board certified plastic surgeon can help you determine what procedures are appropriate for you.

Your Skin (Part 1 of ?)

Did you know that your skin is an organ?  Yep - just like your heart, lungs or kidneys are organs.  The skin is actually the largest organ of the body and the only one that you can actually see and touch...and feel!  Your skin is the only organ that has to deal with the stresses of the outside world directly.  

Your skin has two main layers - the dermis on the inside and the epidermis on the outside.  All your nerves and blood vessels and sweat glands can be found in the dermis.  The epidermis is actually made of two layers itself .  The inner layer of the epidermis contains living cells and the outer layer of the epidermis, the layer we can see, is made of dead skin cells that are constantly flaking off and being replaced.  The bottom most layer of the epidermis - the layer that is in direct contact with the dermis - is called the basal layer.  If you have ever had a BCC or basal cell skin cancer, this is where it starts.  The outer most layer of the epidermis is called the stratum corneum.  This is the layer that we actually see as "our skin".   There are two other layers between they basal layer and the stratum corneum - the spinous layer and the granular layer.

Ok, I'll give you some time to digest that info and we'll carry on another day!  

Week 2

Well, we're just finishing up week 2 of the office renovation and I'm happy to report that nobody has quit or gone off the deep end yet! We're all learning to be flexible and love the sound of drills and hammers...ok, maybe we don't LOVE the noise, but, we know it will be worth it in the end!

Be Beautiful on the Inside

I guess this is going to fall under the "whatnot" catagory...

I've been thinking about how I work in a business where everyone I see is concerned about their outside appearance. Facials to improve the skin, injectable fillers to make the lips fuller, botox for the wrinkles, surgery to enhance your breasts, make you thinner, make your butt bigger, etc. "If you look good, you feel good." You can find this quote on many plastic surgery web-sites and I do, in my heart, think that the way you feel about your outside appearance does play a part in the way your feel about yourself as a whole.

But what about the inside? I'm not talking about taking your vitamins, or having a healthy diet (these thing are important, don't get me wrong, it's just not where I'm going). I'm talking about feeling good about yourself...being the best person you can be.  Still don't get it?  Have you ever met someone who you think is really, I mean, really good looking?  Then, you get the opportunity to spend a little time with this person and they turn out to be rude or scarcastic....suddenly, they are so hot anymore.  The type of person you are on the inside will find its way to the outside.

You know that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you do something nice for someone - just because?  Find a way to experience that feeling more often.  It doesn't mean that you have donate half you paycheck, or quit your job and work with Greenpeace (or maybe it does).  There are tons a organizations just begging for volunteers!  Maybe it's helping Habitat for Humanity build a house (this is a lot a work, but a fantastic experience - and you can skip the gym because you get more than a workout), a few hours a month at the local animal shelter (my favorite) or helping to feed the homeless, or simply helping your neighbor find their lost cat (yes, I said neighbor - that's the person who lives next door to you - go say hello).

Be beautiful on the inside and it will show on the outside.  :)