Thermage vs VelaShape Scientific Reason

Thermage is the best treatment for the loose skin and laxity under the belly button. Here is the scientific reason.

First thermage is FDA approved for skin tightening, if you look at the FDA clearance on Velashape  is indicated for dermal heating, not skin tightening. Thermage is also a stronger machine, working at the highest Mg Hz on the market for a RF device. Thermage is monopolar, so it is able to work deeper into the skin to effect change, thereby penetrating at least 4.2 mm into the skin, while velashape at its max is 1.5mm. Since the Dermis, which is the main collagen structure of your skin is deeper than 1.5 mm it makes more sense to utilize the machine that treats the dermis.

Thermage Price You get what you pay for

I just went to a popular website and every single person who paid $500 or $1000 or even $1500 said it wasnt worth it. And every single person who paid $3500 $4000 or more said it was worth it. Duh… $500 really ???  I only checked the first 10 and decided to write this post. First of all you have to know that the tips cost the doctor anywhere from $300 to $600 and some of the larger body tips are actually $900. I am assuming that you are getting your procedure in an office not on a street corner. Do the math. If someone is charging that little, either they are trying to make a buck on volume and using only half of  a tip for you and the other half for the next patient or they are using dangerous recycled tips, or maybe they even have an inexperienced minimum wage person doing your procedure. As I said in another post at least go to the Thermage corporate website and go to a Black Diamond or Pinnacle provider. Ask the doctor  or the technician how many years they have been doing the procedure. Dont settle for less than 4 years minimum. I wouldnt be surprised if some of the unhappy people went to a place that had just started using the equipment and has little to no experience. Experience is everything when it comes to a procedure like this. It has to be treated with the same respect as any other surgery, even though its not surgery. I am sure you can find a general surgeon to do a surgical eye lift for $1500 vs the $5000 an opthalmic plastic surgeon would charge. Would you do that ?  Its the same thing. Thermage is a very powerful radio frequency device. In the right hands it can lift, tighten, or melt fat depending on the skill of the operator. They need years of experience to tighten with the proper technique and procedure in certain areas and melt where there is excess fat. The reverse would result in the disasters that many complain about on the blogs. Do your homework. Go to someone who has a good reputation and a lot of experience. Many technicians have more experience than even some doctors. Use the internet its pretty easy to figure it all out with a little bit of research.

Melatonin: Sleep Aid – Antioxidant – Immune Booster

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How many of us are finding it more and more difficult to fall asleep at night, and stay asleep? When this happens most of us blame it on some sort of stress, or find some other excuse to blame it on. Yes, in fact we all get stressed out over money problems, work, traffic, relationships, kids, and for many other reasons. But stress isn’t the only cause of not being able to fall asleep at night.

For many years, we have been aware of the positive role that the hormone Melatonin plays in our lives, especially when it comes to the subject of what Melatonin contributes to us being able to get a good nights sleep. In addition to it being used to ease insomnia, it has been used to protect our cells from free-radical damage, combat jet lag, to boost our immune system, prevent cancer and to extend life. Melatonin has shown the most promise in short-term regulation of sleep patterns, including jet lag. Early animal studies in the mid-1960s revealed its ability to affect sexual function, skin color, and other mammalian functions. Melatonin is one of the hormones produced by the pineal gland in all vertebrates. In addition to being produced in vertebrates, melatonin is also found in plants, bacteria, unicellular eukaryote, and invertebrates. Normal melatonin secretion is suppressed by light and stimulated by periods of darkness. Nocturnal secretion of Melatonin is at its highest during childhood, and then decreases as we get older.  Research has shown that Melatonin also functions as an important antioxidant, and is involved in the body’s immune response.

The synthetic versions have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or purity, and all potential risks and/or advantages may not be fully known or understood. There are no regulations or manufacturing standards presently in place for the synthetic versions of the compound. The use of melatonin derived from animal pineal tissue may carry the risk of contamination or the means of transmitting viral material. The synthetic form of this medication does not carry the risk however. There is little or no evidence of any major toxicities with melatonin, even at high doses.

Possible adverse reactions might include depression, dizziness, enuresis, excessive daytime somnolence, headache, and nausea, and of course drowsiness if you drive after taking Melatonin. When given to animals, Melatonin caused some changes in blood pressure and affected fertility levels. Such effects in humans would be a medical risk for people with heart-related problems, hypertension and stroke, kidney disease and sleep apnea as well as for women of child-bearing age, so it is always wise to consult your physician prior to starting a routine intake of any herbal/health supplement such as synthetic Melatonin. Overall, research indicates improved sleep when Melatonin is taken at the appropriate time for jet lag and shift work, or to help speed up falling asleep. Appropriate dosage and any safety risks will become clearer with further research.

SilkPeel Vitamin Dermal Infusion

SilkPeel is one of the newest advanced skin care treatments.  The easiest way to get an understanding of anything new is to compare it to something you already may know.  So for starters we could compare it to microdermabrasion.  However it is so far superior to that it is almost an insult to make that comparison. Microdermabrasion leaves you messy, SilkPeel is called the Black tie treatment because you can go straight out because it “vacuums” vs “sandblasting”  SilkPeel also infuses vitamins or acne treatments while it cleans, all in one pass. Microdermabrasion often leaves uneven red marks, SilkPeel uses diamond brushes for a smooth clean finish. Check out before and afters for SilkPeel for acne. ( you have t scroll down a bit) It really is one of the most popular, effective treatments that has become a real “crowd pleaser”. Everyone loves it.

Thermage or Exilis ?

Exilis is also a radio frequency device, for body shaping.  The difference to you between Exilis and Thermage is that Thermage is a one time treatment and Exilis treatments consist of 4-6 sessions.  So the good news is Exilis is a lot cheaper per treatment approximately $500 vs $4000 for a body area. However after a 5 or 6 treatments, the price differential is not as great. Another advantage with Exilis is that you get to see how your body responds to a radio frequency treatment without risking many thousands of dollars. Perhaps your particular nature of loose skin, wrinkles or excess skin or extra inches of fat is a “good responder” or maybe not.  Some people actually use both devices on different parts of their bodies, plus due to the slightly different shape of the hand pieces of the different devices, one might be more suitable then the other.  Finally Exilis is often used for “spot” reduction. My best advice is find a provider that has both.  New York has at least one Precision Aesthetics.  Precision Aesthetics also has the advantage of being the only New York Thermage Pinnacle and Black Diamond provider, and has the distinction of that award for 4 years running, as well as the first site to offer Exilis.  So if you are in that neck of the woods it makes the decision of finding the best provider pretty easy. Obviously the best isnt the cheapest, but as I said in a previous post, if you were getting surgery would you go to the cheapest surgeon ? Any technician with 4 years experience on Thermage and over a year with Exilis ( thats about as long as its been around) will be your opportunity to get the best results that your body is capable of achieving. Lastly if you are considering one of these treatments for your face, misapplied it could be a disaster. These are powerful devices, certain areas are treated lightly to lift and tighten, other areas are gone over with multiple passes to reduce fat, like a double chin. If not done properly you could literally land up losing critical fat and collagen in areas where you most need it.  It is an art and it takes a lot of experience. Its your face you are better off not doing it at all then risking a bad treatment.

Vitamins for Skin

Skin Care Vitamins are  everywhere, but many are what we in the industry call “fairy dust” meaning they have only a sprinkling of ingredients and not enough of the important ones involved in the production of collagen and other important building blocks for the skin. One of the most highly researched building blocks of collagen comes from Belgium in the form of ch-orthosilicic acid (ch-OSA). There are numerous strong studies supporting it’s effectiveness and we have seen real results from it. It is contained in Precision Aesthetics exclusive Vitamin Line Genetiskin

Vampire Face Lift ???

Here is one you probably never heard of. Using your own blood,  you inject the growth factors instead of the typical fillers like Restylane for face wrinkles, under eye pouches. Its starting in NY of course.  Very exclusive very effective. Especially for those under eye depressions. The delicate under eye area is nearly impossible to do excellently with traditional fillers. This also has the added benefit of actually repairing the structure which causes the wrinkles under your eyes.. Brilliant stuff Check it out here