IPL– Safe and Beautiful Results

Question:  I have heard so  many horror stories about IPL, but you had great results.  Can you tell me what machine was used and at what settings?

Answer:  I had IPL with Dr Ellen Marmur of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, so I  asked  her to answer this question.  Dr Marmur used the Luminis IPL with two handpieces– the 560nm and the 590nm.   “Both  of them focus on red spots, blood vessels and brown freckles”  she explained.  “The treatment settings vary from patient to patient based on skin color and the amount of the target to be removed.  For example, I use  lower settings for freckles to avoid over-heating the skin.’    Dr Marmur also warned against getting IPL when tanned “   You need to avoid the sun for at least wo weeks prior to IPL treament ” she warned.

IPL Road Rules

IPL or Intense Pulsed Light is a form of light that is related to laser technology, but  far less invasive.  It operates in the top layers of the skin and can remove unwanted hair, small red lines and spots as well as freckles,brown spots,  and dark patches.    It is practically painless, and leaves the skin a bit red rather than burned and oozy like true lasers.

But there are reports of problems with IPL.  Because the light focuses on pigments in melanin,  women  with darker complexions are most at risk of developing irregular pigmentation.  Even  dark olive complexions  should  proceed cautiously with IPL. 

Choosing  the right setting, device and timing of applications is a learned skill.  I met Dr Marmur though a smart, well-connected  friend  and I have found this type of one to one reccomendation is a great  way to getting  someone  you can trust.  I would also check out  a doctors credentials  to be certain that they have the training they need  to  give you healthy,  beautiful results. For more info on IPL you can also check out an earlier post IPL- Five Top Questions.

Invisalign — the first week

Two months after my first appointment with Dr Jackie, my Invisalign  devices were ready.  There are twenty- one in the set and I am to wear each one for two weeks.  This means that in 42 weeks, I will be done.

  There were rules.  Not that  many and not that bad, but still rules:

*  I cannot eat or drink hot  or colored liquids.  The  heat can distort them and the colors can stain them

*  I need to wear them 22 hours a day.  This means I need to wear them all the time except when I eat– and I need to eat quickly.  After eating I need to brush  my teeth before reinserting the aligners.

* To  clean them, I swish the aligners in Efferdent, the denture cleaner. 

Then came the moment to put  in my first aligner.  I was worried that I had started something I couldn’t finish.  What if they hurt? What if   they looked so strange I  didn’t want to wear them in public?  I clicked the first one into place and relaxed.  I was aware that it was  in my mouth, but no pain.  I could talk normally and no one seemed to notice them.  I couldn’t stop smiling.

They are easy to wear and I often forget I have them on.  The biggest  problem is that I can’t sip coffe or tea  as I go about my day.  The aligners also discourage snacking, which is not such a bad thing.  In the first week of wearing Invisalign, I dropped a pound.  I didn’t realize how much I was nibbling throughout the day, but since  each  bit means I have to take them out, eat,  brush and reinsert,  I just skip the snack. Weight control is a nice value added benefit  to Invisalign.

In my first week, I also noticed that  my teeth looked whiter, probably due to  fewer cups of tea and coffee.  Although its been  a very short time, I actually think that I can see a difference on my bottom teeth.  I really didn’t care that much that they were not straight on the bottom, but I’m loving the new  more even line.   Apparently tiny Invisalign changes can have a huge difference on dental contours.

Its Fashion Flash Monday!

This week the host of Fashion Flash is Jackie of Aging Backwards.  This big site covers  a wide range of alternative health  issues including  nutrition, beauty, and medical problems.  You will love her spirit and energy  and  learn, as I have, to value her advice.  

Jackie is passionate about exercise and is constantly urging me to join  her gym.  I’m not quite there yet, but I’ve started exploring exercise videos to firm up my arms.  I found a  Marie Winsor Plilates video at a chruch tag sale.  I had seen Winsor Pilates infomercials on TV and at 50 cents for the VHS tape, it  looked  like a deal too good to pass up.  I also liked the fact  the Marie Winsor was over 40 and hoped she  would offer a workout with age in mind. 

Not quite.  From the start this approach did not seem right  for me.  The warm-up was brutal and seemed to go on forever. It began with a straight back and legs at a 90 degree angle and needed a large ball.  Right away I felt stress in my back and the back of my legs.– not uncommon for a baby boomer.  After a few  children and decades carrying them and the  dead weigh oft bags of grocercies,  most of us  have had some  type of back problem and this type  of exercise  only  makes it worse.

I wan’t quite  sure where the warm-up started and the exercises began, but I noticed that the instructions became more complicated and now included breathing patterns.  And while  the tape was called Upper Body Sculpting, they seemed to be directed at  my abs, not arms.   The exercises kept increasing in difficulty and required strong core muscles.  I almost felt that if I could actually do these combos, I really didn’t need this tape.

Finally the work-up was done and so was I.  I actually  had to rest on my couch for a bit before I could follow her exercises for tricpes and bicpes.    However the tape recommended only one  set of 10 reps with 1-2 lb weights.  I know I’m a newbie in exercise programs  but this didn’t seem like enoogh effort to  get the results I am hoping to see.  Next!

Flaxseed Oil or Flaxseed Meal– Which is Better?

Question:  Last week you wrote  about flaxseed meal.  What about flaxseed oil?  Its easier to use it in a salad dressing or take a few capsules then  figure ways to add it to food, but do I get the same health benefits?

Answer:  Awesome question!  Both Flaxseed meal and Flaxseed oil  are rich in linoleic acid and omega- 3– both linked to younger looking skin.   The studies on the general health benefits of flaxseed oil are impressive.  In the body, omega-3 is converted to omega -6, the oil that seems to fight aging, heart disease and cancer.  If you’re a vegetarian, vegan or  just don’t like fish, flaxseed oil is a  great source of this valuable nutrient.  Research  supports claims that flaxseed oil can  protect  bone health and reduce inflammation– important  since inflammation is such a big part of asthma, migraines and arthritis.  But wait, there’s more.  Flaxseed  oil is associated  with reduced risk of blood clots, heart attacks and colon cancer.  It can lower both  blood pressure and  cholesterol, reducing  need for statins and  blood pressure medication. 

  But there are definate drawbacks to  flaxseed oil.  First problem is the calorie count.   One tablespoon of  flaxseed oil has 100 calories, compared to less than 40 calories in flaxseed meal.  Processing the flaxseed meal into  the oil  also processes out  alot of valuable nutrients.  A scant tablespoon of flaxseed has about 2 grams of  of the  most desireable fiber, but the oil is fiber-free.  Processing  also removes the lignans, compounds that  have been shown to reduce risk of breast cancer and is believed one of the reasons that vegetarian women  have lower rates of cancer.  Flaxseed oil also strips  the seeds of  their  vitamin B1, protein and calcium payload.

And finally  flaxseed  oil has a very short shelf life.  Once you open a bottle of oil it becomes rancid very quickly.  It starts to smell like paint thinner, has a bitter taste and may actually cause a burning sensation on the tongue.  Refrigeration slows down  the process a bit, but you don’t want to add extra oil ( and calories)  to use it up before  it goes bad.  Flaxseed capsules, kept in the frig  may  avoid some of this problem, but I love the idea of  getting the health benefits of flaxseeds naturally in my food.

Flabby Upper Arms– Starting Point

So here are my  baseline photos.  I’ve done a lot of before photos, but these are definately the worst.  In the top photo I’m wearring  my favorite red dress and with my arms flat on my sides, I look  pretty good.  No bulges or sags.  However  I tend to move my arms to pick up a glass, wave a cab or tie on a scarf and then you can see  where  attention needs to be paid.   In the second picture you can see the wrinkly bits under the arms and the  skin hangs lose where the triceps are invisable.  In the third photo  I am actually trying  to flex my biceps on top and you can see there are no biceps.  The best I can say is that there is much room for improvement.

There are literally hundreds of trainers, books, and videos  that  PROMISE to help you lose weight and  shape-up.  Reputable experts  admit that spot exercises that aim to mold specific areas do not  reduce weight but  build muscle  for a better line.  When I  carried an extra ten pounds I didn’t even try to include weight bearing exercies, since I felt the extra fat would make  spot exercises pretty useless.  Currently I’m a trim size eight so its a perfect time  to test out body shaping. 

In the past my exercise plans started with a shopping trip to buy the right clothes, sneakers and equipment.  Some of the  experts recommend  using a big ball while others  swear  by rubber bands with handles.  Rather than go out for more toys,  this time I’ve decided to  start simply with  the set of three pound weights I already own and   concentrate on my triceps and biceps.  And rather than buying another book or video, I went online and downloaded some free exercises.  Trying to read the exercises, follow the instructions and watching my form in the mirror I managed to clonk myself  on  my forehead or  neck   with almost every  move.  Each move called for 2-3 sets of 10 reps and I kept getting clobbered.  Clearly I needed more  help.  Next I’m going to try  a video so I can follow along.

Its Fashion Flash Monday!

This week  is the one year anniversary of Fashion Flash and its only fitting that the host this week are Fashion Flash founders  Jojami Tyler and Deborah Boland, the Glam Gals of Fabulous After 40. I was  a huge fan of their site when I first started blogging and meeting them at the More Reinvention Convention was for me  like meeting Oprah. They were as smart, charming and beautiful as they seemed  in their blog.  When we started to talk about ways we could work together, I was thrilled to be included in the development of Fashion Flash.  Its been an incredible year and now Fashion Flash  has nine members and gets a total of 7000,000 views a month. 

Personally, I have laughed and learned so much reading these amazing blogs each week.  With Glam Gal fashion advice, I  spend less and look better.  I don’t make those ”what was I thinking’ fashion mistakes” and feel confident  wherever I find myself.  The Glam Gals   used baby steps to prod  me  of my all- black- all- the- time syndrome and now I get so many compliments on my teal green glasses and purple cashmere cardie– two things I would never  have brought  home without them.  FYI they  love to get specific questions from readers and answer everyone.

I LOVE the delicious and healthy recipes from Menopause Makeover and now keep portion size  tubs of  that  amazing chili in my freezer.  Kari of Fab Over 40 , IMO, has the best online  make-up advice, sorting out the best choices from a sea of products.  And I have to admit that I am addicted to starting my day to see what’s new on Fab Over 50.  She  has new posts everyday and  knows the best health and beauty experts across the country.  If you want a nutritionist in the mid-west or a dermatologist in Florida,  Fab Over 50 can get  you  to the right person.

But best  of all is the chance to meet online so  many wonderful women.  Its been wonderful to get your comments and your questions always   make me drill deeper into a topic.  I’ve learned so much  from all of  you and look forward to another amazing 52 weeks of  Fashion Flash.

Flaxseed– A beauty ingredient?

When I  was growing up  the popular health “bullet”  was wheat germ and my mom would sprinkle it over everything ruining perfectly good lamb chops and salad.  In recent years, soy surged to the front as the all powerful ingredient.   Today its flaxseed and  I see it in recipes,  packaged bread and crackers and  recommendations to sprinkle it over everything.

What is flaxseed?

Flaxseed comes from a plant  that is used for both its stem and seeds.  Different parts of this widely available plant  have been used  to make soap, furniture polish and cloth . It also has  pretty blue flowers  and is grown for decoration. But what has made flaxseed a rock  star today is its world class nutritional payload.  Flaxseeds are super  high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and linoleic acid, all  three of which have been linked to fewer wrinkles.   It also delivers protein, minerals, a huge amount of vitamin B1 and a respectable amount of calcium. Nice.

Studies have shown that flaxseeds can lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar in diabetics and may benefit  people with breast and prostate cancers.  This is one impressive seed– but the big question is how does it  taste?  I was so happy to find that flaxseed meal  has a  very faint  flavor and its not gritty, not at all like the crunchy strong  flavors of wheat germ.   Then the question becomes  how  do I add it to my diet?

Popular  use suggestions include adding it to  yogurt, smoothies,  sprinkling it on salads or berries or adding it to peanut butter.  Personally I don’t like adding  cruch to these foods, but I’m now adding  flaxseeds to oatmeal, pancakes, waffles and with  crumb toppings for chicken and  sugar  free pies.   There are now a bounty of recipes using flaxseed meal and this one is my new favorite way of making chicken.  I adapted it from  Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Steinfeld.  Thiscook book  offers child-friendly recipes that sneak vegetables into popular foods like mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs and brownies.  Its also a good way to get more vegetables into me.

Mommy Mc Nuggets

Ingredients: 1/2 cup bread or panko crumbs, 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, 1/2 tablespoon Parmasan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 jar of baby sweet potato puree, 1 small egg, 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into two inch pieces, 1 tablespoon olice oil  

Directions:  Combine breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmasan cheese, paprika, and onion powder in a bowl.  In another smaller  bowl mix sweet potatoes and   egg with a fork until smooth. Dip chicken in egg mixtures and then roll in seasoned crumbs. Heat olive oil in a 10-12 inch non-stick pan. When it is hot but not smoking, add the chicken nuggets, keeping them in a single layer. Cook until they are crisp and golden, about 3 minutes on each side.

One final note- Whole flaxseeds go right through you taking all their nutrition with them.  To get the health benefits you need to break them down and  use them in the form of flaxseed meal.  This can spoil easily so  keep in the frig after opening the package and try to use within six months.

Dry Skin– its not just tight and flaking

For the past  month, I noticed that my thumb would get little red spots  that itched so much it woke  me up at night.  As a  health writer I began to wonder if this was the start of a bigger problem like psoriasis, eczema or ( horrors)   even bedbugs.  When I showed  my spotty thumb to Dr Marmur, she smiled and nodded her head.  Her diagnosis?  My skin was so dry it was ready to crack open.   It was a reminder that  what we see as beauty  problems are actually  physical and chemical changes in the body that are causing unwanted consequences.  And the solutions  have to be based on  science, not the latest fad ingrdient or celebrity interview.

What Causes Dry Skin?

For  many years  experts  felt that dry skin was due to lack of  oil and recommended rich creams and lotions to relieve the problem.  Later doctors recognized that it was the loss of water that  produced rough flaking skin– and that the creams acted like a shield  to prevent evaporation of water from the skin.  More  recent  research  has drilled deeper into the issues and determined that chemicals in the skin play different roles  in keeping skin hydrated.  For example hyaluronic acid  is a naturally occuring molecule that  can hold 100x its weight in water.  Ceramides are equally important as they act like glue to keep the cells together and  not flaking off.   It will probably come as no big surprise to learn that as we get older  the levels of hyaluronic acid and ceramides drop sharply.  That’s the bad news.  The good news?  Skin care products  now can resupply these ingredients in their formulations.

 Circumstances outside the skin can also  be a bad actor in dry skin  problems.  Windy, cold, dry weather  rob  skin of  its natural moisture.  My long hot  showers actually  made my skin drier.  My Mom  has also been in and out of the hospital and I have been using up bottles of alcohol based hand sanitizer.  The skin on my face and  neck had been exposed to the same external issues, but I had been using  mild cleansers and well formulated moisturizers as party of  my regular  skin care routinue.  My thumb was on its own.

I had been putting a mild steroid cream on  my thumb  spots and covering it with a bandaid.  I was so wrong on so many levels.   The innocent looking bandaid was actually creating a soggy environment that  was  making  matters worse.  Dr Marmur prescribed both a stronger steroid and    super emollient  creams and soaps as well as  a ban on hot showers.  It turns  out that once your skin gets this dry its  hard to treat and will take a  month  to get back  to its own normal.

Its Fashion Flash Monday!

This week the host of Fashion Flash is Geri of Fab Over Fifty. I think that  maybe the best way to describe this great site is to think of it as the Huff Po for women.  It covers  so  much ground – fashion,  finances, health, beauty, family issues and relationships  in  dynamic and always  changing  features.  One of my favorites is the feature “Hot or Not”? It features a photo of a FOF (their term for  Fabulous Over Fifty women) ) in a dramatic outfit.  Then she has  3-4 stylists comment  on the look.  This week the look  is red framed eye glasses ( always good), a huge red plastic necklace, a droopy grey knit dress and a down vest. The comments are constructive rather than cruel and always informative and entertaining. 

Once you’ve finished checking through all the great Fashion Flash sites,  click over to Amazon to look at How to Look Better Naked  by the editor in chief of Woman’s Health magazine.  A catchy title is  always a plus in publishing and this one certainly  rings that bell.  It is a combination of a six week diet with complete menus  and an ambitious  exercise program.  I really liked the diet section since it  showed  me new ways  to get more fruits and vegetables into my body.  The meals are super simple to prepare and the foods are affordable and easily available.  I am obviously tone deaf when it comes to vegetables and these  menus show  me how its done.  For example  their roasted red pepper, zucchini and low fat mozzerella open sandwich has become my favorite  at home lunch. 

The exercise program uses very simple home equipment– hand weights, exercise ball and a pair of sneakers.  Each exercise is clearly illustrated with its own photo, but I am finding the text  a little confusing.  They don’t tell you what body part you are working on, much less which muscle group is getting a work-out. I had trouble doing the exercise moves while reading the text.  I think the book is worth reading for  its simple healthy  meal plans, but I’m going to look at exercise videos, rather than books to help me firm up my arms.

Retin A vs Cell Growth Factors- Which is Better?

This week’s question  shows how far  skin care products  have come in the last ten years.  Both cell growth factors and Retin A  are significant anti-aging tools.  Cell growth factors wake up old tired fibroblasts in the skin and get them to provide  more collagen.  Retin A also  increases healthy young collagen in the skin but we don’t exactly know  why.  In addition the retinoids stimulat circulation   producing a youthful healthy glow to the skin.  Finally retionoids  exfoliate the skin  that has three, count ‘em three great benefits–  it removes dull dry tired skin, it stimulates the growth of  new fresh  skin and it slowly lightens discolorations and flat age spots. Nice.

But both retinoid and cell growth factors products are a few  issues.  Retinoids  can be very irritating and  some women  just can’t use them.  For women of color, retin A  may actually cause increased  pigmentation because of the irritation.  Cell growth factors are far more gentle and do not increased sensitivity to the sun like Retin A and alpha hydroxy acids. In cold wintery weather it can be very hard to use Retin A everyday and cell growth factors will   help the skin withstand cold windy weather.  However  they are unregulated. Unlike retinoids which have to list their concentration, there is little way of knowing how much  growth factor is actually  in a  that pricy tube or jar.  It could be a full effective dose or  just a drop  so that  it can be included on the list of ingredients on the label.

To bottomline it,  I don’t think its an either/or situation.  I think there is a role for both retinoids and cell growth factors  in a  successful  anti-aging plan.  There is good science behind  Rejuve MD with cell growth factors  and I use it rotation with Retin A Micro and a vitamin C serum  from Skinceuticals.   I tend to reach for my cell growth factors when  I don’t want to wait for 30 minutes to apply a night treatment before going to  bed.  Both  Retin A and vitamin C can sting  if applied to freshly washed skin and treatment products with cell growth factors are soothing rather than irritating.    One final thought. Some experts recommend using both at at the same time.  I’m not a big fan of layering because I’m concerned about absorption .  I use them on different nights and love the results.