botox

Botox. Is it Aging You?

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As an Esthetician I am often asked about Botox and Dermal Fillers (Restylane, Juvederm) and whether or not people should get them. I always say that I think women should do whatever makes them feel better about themselves as long as it isn’t harmful and done with caution. I personally have not done either and don’t have plans to in the future. That certainly doesn’t mean I won’t though. Never say never!

Since so many were asking me about these injections, I thought I should read about them and really find out the good and the bad. Nothing is for free, folks. There are definitely some negative side effects to all of these injections but if you are careful and smart about how you get them, you may avoid the pitfalls.

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BOTOX

We all know it freezes the muscle and takes away those pesky fine lines and wrinkles. This is fantastic for shaving a few years off!

The Negatives-

  • You don’t know how you will react the first time so you could get a lot of bruising, sensitivity and puffiness.
  • If not done correctly or too much injected, the face could change shape or the eyes could look lop-sided (I call it wonky-eye).
  • When you are over 40 and have zero wrinkles, it just doesn’t look natural. The rest of you is still aging (your neck, your hands…).
  • If you start with Botox at an early age (before wrinkles, maybe after fine lines), you are going to weaken the muscle and that will make you look older! When the muscle is paralyzed it causes the skin to lose its fullness. And remember, youthful skin is also plump. 

Now, you could get fillers to offset the Botox. Just be careful. Less is more.

The Negatives to Fillers-

  • These can alter your appearance. You have seen this in celebrities…Courtney Cox, Lindsay Lohan, etc.
  • Just like Botox, your skin can react poorly. The actual filler is safe though. Hyaluronic Acid is made naturally in our bodies.

 

www.PureSkinandBodyLounge.com

Review of Meaningful Beauty (Cindy Crawford) 2013

Pure Skin OC3 Comments

I used this skin care line many years ago and it was fine. Expensive but fine. It didn’t irritate my sensitive skin and it felt hydrated. I stopped using it because of the cost. I was also in my early twenties so I wasn’t worried about wrinkles and fine lines at the time so I can’t tell you if it did anything for those.

Now, many years later, these infomercials are still going strong so I decided to do some research and see what other people think and see if I could find out if Cindy Crawford really uses this line. Before digging up any dirt, I assumed she either uses the “good” stuff (meaning the products with the key ingredients heavily increased) or she doesn’t use it all. I found a lot but I will keep my review short.

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1. Most reviews of this line were negative. Highly negative. People wrote some nasty, unpleasant things. I have found that most will not take the time to do that unless they are mad. These women sounded mad! They talked about rashes, irritated skin, no results, problems with canceling membership, how expensive the products were and that they didn’t believe Cindy Crawford used the products.

2. On the infomercials (and website) they talk about this French “melon” that is the key ingredient to the line. Well, this ingredient is pretty far down on the list, which means it can’t be very effective. And, trying to find more information about this wonder melon was not easy. Makes me think that they just picked a fruit and decided that was what they would tell people was special.

3. These are considered over-the-counter (OTC) products and that means they will not have the effective ingredients as the active ingredients. Marketing and packaging is where the money is spent so you get less of the important stuff needed to treat and fix the skin. You will never convince me that you have to spend a fortune to have good skin. Using the right products for YOUR skin with the right ingredients is all you need.

4. Cindy may not use these products. Or, if she does, it isn’t all she does. She said, “Im not going to lie to myself. Past a certain age, creams work on the texture of your skin but, in order to restore elasticity, all I can really count on is vitamin injections, Botox and collagen… I have a very simple, healthy life, which works miracles. I drink a lot of water, watch what I eat and exercise. But I owe the quality of my skin to my cosmetic surgeon.” Disappointing Cindy.

I think it’s important to know the truth.

www.PSBLounge.com