Skin boosters that rejuvenate
Most women want facial products that do what they promise: minimize pores; reduce wrinkles and lines; tighten and lift; even out discoloration. “Cosmetics cop” Paula Begoun has been critiquing product efficacy for 23 years in her Bible-sized tome, “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me” (in its seventh edition at cosmeticscop.com). Here are a few new products that sport antioxidants and “cell-communicating” ingredients that Begoun says are packaged to ensure potency and may have the potential to improve the health, appearance and environmental resiliency of skin. — Lisa Skolnik
From left to right: Cosmedicine MegaDose Skin Fortifying Serum ($80 at cosmedicine.com), PS Perscriptives Super Line Preventor Xtreme ($48); md skincare Hydra-Pure Vitamin C Serum ($90) and Clinique repairwear ($55).
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Q&A
P0WER TO THE PEOPLE
Melissa Orth-Fray trains the buffest beautiful people–Bears, Cubs, pro golfers and media stars. The Power Plate is her latest weapon.
This new machine jiggles you into shape. Is it for real?
Yes, and it has serious science behind it. The technique, Whole Body Vibration (WBV), was developed in Russia in the 1960s to strengthen muscles, increase circulation and build bone mass in cosmonauts. Power Plate is one of the brands making the machine, which causes your muscles to contract anywhere from 900 to 1,200 times in 30 seconds.
You get on it and stand there?
Not quite. You can use it only for 30 seconds to a minute, then you have to rest. It takes time to build up to half-hour sessions. There are three modes–stretching, strengthening and massage–but everything you do on it burns calories, builds bone and muscle mass and gives you energy.
Just jiggling does all that?
Typically, we use 30 to 40 percent of our muscle fibers. With this, you use 95 to 97 percent. Research shows it also increases your human growth hormone level, which can make your skin more supple and decrease stress hormones and belly fat.
Can anyone do this?
I’ve used it with my 4-year-old daughter and a 92-year-old to increase bone mass, muscular strength and range-of-motion. It also has alleviated pain and swelling for two of my clients in their 80s.
How often should we do it?
Even 10 minutes a week works. In my opinion, it’s better than a typical hour-long workout. Twice a week for half an hour is ideal.
For Power Plate facilities: us.powerplate.com
–L.S.
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OH, MY ACHING FEET!
Ped problem: You wore backless pumps, walked long distances in shoes with no support–your heels hurt. Rx: You may have plantar fasciitis, inflammation of the tissue running from the heel to the ball of the foot. Treatment includes heel stretches, custom orthotics, physical therapy or cortisone shots. Newer shockwave treatment may allow a return to activities much more quickly than open surgery.
Ped problem: Pointy boots can aggravate neuromas (pinched and/or inflamed nerves under the bones of the ball of the feet). Rx: Switch to flats or orthotics or injections to shrink the nerve tissue. A procedure called the Koby Guard allows the tissue surrounding the nerves to be released, taking pressure off the neuroma. –Leslie Goldman
Podiatry source: Dr. Marlene Reid, Westmont, Ill.
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EYELID SURGERY? ASK FIRST
EYELID SURGERY RANKED AMONG THE TOP FIVE MOST COMMON FEMALE SURGICAL COSMETIC PROCEDURES IN 2006. HERE ARE THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK, SAYS DR. ROBERT KOTLER, CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR , HEAD AND NECK SURGERY AT UCLA MEDICAL CENTER AND AUTHOR OF “SECRETS OF A BEVERLY HILLS COSMETIC SURGEON.”
Q: WILL THE EYEBROWS ALSO BE LIFTED WITH THE UPPER EYELIDS?
A: EYEBROW ELEVATION IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY DONE, BUT EVALUATION OF THE BROW POSITION AND ITS INFLUENCE ON UPPER EYELID EXCESS IS ESSENTIAL. FOR FEMALES, THE IDEAL BROW POSITION IS AT BONE LEVEL OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE. CHECK AT YOUR CONSULTATION.
Q: MY UPPER LIDS FEEL VERY HEAVY AND IT SEEMS MY VISION MAY BE AFFECTED. WILL INSURANCE HELP PAY?
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A: IN THE EXTREME, HEAVY UPPER LIDS CAN OBSCURE VISION AND, WHEN CONFIRMED BY AN EYE SPECIALIST, IS CONSIDERED A MEDICAL CONDITION AND USUALLY COVERED BY INSURANCE.
Q. I ALSO HAVE BAGGY LOWER LIDS. WHAT IS DONE FOR THOSE?
A: THIS IS CAUSED BY FAT PADS PUSHING FORWARD AND CAN BE CORRECTED BY HAVING THEM REMOVED, REPOSITIONED OR BOTH.
Q. IS THAT SURPRISED, STARTLED LOOK–THE TELL-TALE SIGN OF POOR EYELID COSMETIC SURGERY–AUTOMATIC?
A: THAT “DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS” LOOK IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF OVERZEALOUS, AMATEURISH SURGERY. TOO MUCH WAS DONE. EITHER THE BROWS WERE LIFTED TOO HIGH OR TOO MUCH OVERHANGING EYELID SKIN AND FAT WAS REMOVED. ASK TO SEE THE DOCTOR’S BEFORE/AFTER PHOTOS, PLUS SOME FORMER PATIENTS. AND SELECT A SPECIALIZED PHYSICIAN, SUCH AS AN OPHTHALMIC PLASTIC SURGEON. THINK SUPERSPECIALIST. –L.G.
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Undectable by mammogram
— Health-conscious women know to examine their breasts for lumps every month and, when they reach age 40, to have yearly mammograms. But there is a type of breast cancer that probably won’t be caught by either of these screens. Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but aggressive type of cancer that grows in sheets, not lumps, into the lymphatic tissue of the skin. This may cause the affected breast to become warm, reddish or bruised-looking and swollen. The texture of the skin may become like the ridged, dimpled peel of an orange, and the nipple may invert. In appearance, it resembles a breast infection, so misdiagnoses can occur. Breast-infection patients who complete a week’s course of antibiotics with no improvement should see their doctor or a specialist immediately, since this cancer grows and metastasizes rapidly. For more information, visit these Web sites: American Cancer Society (cancer.org), Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.com); National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov). –Bonnie L. Kath
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DEPUFF YOUR MUFFIN
In June, the phrase “muffin top” was added to the Collins English Dictionary. For those residing beneath a rock, a muffin top is the excess pudge that bulges over too-tight waistbands and low-rise jeans. Bliss Spa has a treatment for mushrooming bellies: The Love Handler. A gel targets stubborn cores with extended-release caffeine, an ingredient in anti-cellulite creams, and cooling mint oil to stimulate circulation. Creams alone don’t do it; combine them with exercise and a healthy diet. Also, body shapers like Higher Power by Spanx and those by Platino help pull it in. –L.G.