Ah, the joys of modern technology. Plastic surgery benefits from our advances in technology just like any other industry or medical field. This brings us to the subject of laser skin enhancements.
Laser Skin Enhancements
If you think you might be in need of a procedure to rejuvenate your face and restore your youthful appearance, you might be considering facial plastic surgery. However, for some individuals, surgical intervention is not the proper choice due to medical conditions or the particulars of your situation. In such cases, laser skin enhancements offers corrective solutions not previously available.
A laser skin enhancement is performed by plastic surgeons using advanced laser technology. The laser is strong enough to burn the first layer of dead tissue and a few living cells on the surface of the skin, but does not affect the other layers of skin tissue. The laser also reaches down to the underlying collagen. Instead of removing the collagen, the heat results in a reduction of the collagen. This reduction results in the tightening up of the collagen and skin giving the patient a less wrinkled look. In practical terms, laser skin enhancements give you a bit of a lift and peel at the same time.
A laser enhancement is not the best procedure for all facial concerns. It does not work well on areas such as deep creases in the neck and cheek, creases around the lips and the upper eyelids. For smaller, fine lines and light wrinkles, however, it can be a less invasive choice than surgery. There are many advantages to choosing the laser procedure. There is less recovery time, general anesthesia is generally not necessary, and there is very little blood loss. There are also normally no scars following the procedure.
There are some potential side effects to having laser enhancements as there are with any cosmetic surgery. The recovery takes about ten days during which you can have very sensitive skin with some weeping. During this period, you will see a progression of skin color from red to pink to normal. There can also be a permanent lightening of the area treated, which can be a problem for some dark skin individuals. It is also not recommended for people looking to remove large quantities of skin or who have severe facial damage due to sun or age. If you are such a patient, laser enhancements can help but will not be a total solution.
Laser skin enhancements are a popular alternative to traditional facial surgeries. Make sure to speak with your doctor to find out your options and whether this surgery is appropriate for you.
Ricardo de Silva is with PlasticSurgeonPractices.com - a directory of plastic surgeons. Visit us to read more plastic surgery articles.
Five Ways to Flow in the Groove of Change
As working mothers, nothing ever remains static. No matter how many children you have or their ages, you can never truly know how life will unfold on a day-to-day basis. The ebb and flow of working motherhood requires that you have a strong inner ability to withstand the many unexpected curveballs you will face.
In this article, I offer five ways you can learn to flow in the groove of change, no matter what it is or when it strikes.
1. Know yourself
Knowing yourself is more than being able to tell someone your name, where you're from, what kind of work you do and how many kids you have. I'm talking about deeply knowing yourself in a very real and spiritual way, so that when you are challenged by the changes in your life, you aren't broken. You're clear about who you are and where your heart is.
This doesn't mean you're rigid and closed to ideas outside of your own, which leads me to the next idea.
2. Be willing
In my book, 'The Integrated Mother,' I discuss the difference between willing and wanting. You may not want to have things change in your life, yet you must at least be willing. The example I use in the book is pregnancy (something we can all relate to!). You probably didn't want to experience the pains of childbirth, but you were certainly willing, right? In change you must be willing to try on new ideas, new experiences and new ways of working. Otherwise, you'll end up constantly pushing against the grain of your life. Life changes! You're either willing to go with it, or you're stuck fighting a hopeless battle.
3. Try an "unemotional"planning approach
I'm a bit of a type-A personality, so I tend to find security in planning. With motherhood, I've learned to loosen the grip on this because I began to realize that life isn't linear. It doesn't progress in a straight line that allows you to follow a predictable path from point A to point B. In reality, life is pretty darn messy!
If you're a fanatic about planning (like me), then you can still map things out and even plan for contingencies. However, it's important to have a healthy interest in the future, just don't get emotionally wrapped up in the final outcome. Chances are you're not a skilled clairvoyant so there's no use getting caught up in a future that can change.
4. Increase your awareness
If you've ever hung around me you might have heard me complain that people tend to "live their life with blinders on." Basically, I'm lamenting about how most people, especially working moms, get so caught up in the busyness of their life they fall asleep on a subconscious level. So when the proverbial "writing is on the wall" they ignore all the signs. It reminds me of a scene from 'Bruce Almighty' when Jim Carrey's character ignores all the bright, blinking signs God was giving him to prevent him from running his car off the road.
Instead of viewing your life with the "everything is peachy" point of view, take time to see the truth because it just may be the difference between a disastrous change or a really positive one.
5. Change!
There comes a point where you've got to just make the leap and have faith that you'll be okay. I'm not going to pretend – change is scary because you can't really be certain if things will turn out the way you expect. Just remember, you can't always control the result, but you can always control your response to it.
Regardless of the final outcome of the change, look at it as a learning and growth experience. With every change you strengthened. As a result, future challenges in life are easier to manage.
Change is a good thing. Flow with it and start groovin'!
©2006 The Integrated Mother and Michele R. Dortch. All rights reserved. You are free to reprint this article as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Also, please let us know by email to info@integratedmother.com where the article will appear. The attribution should read:
"By Michele Dortch of The Integrated Mother, a nationwide coaching and professional development company providing work/life solutions for working mothers, and their employers. Visit www.integratedmother.com to sign up for a FREE Work/Life Makeover Kit."
Skin Care - The Perfect Way To Care For Your Skin
Everywhere I go people are asking me what is the consummate skin care plan to follow? Is there even such a thing? Sorry to disappoint you, but if there indeed exists such a thing, I don't know what it is.
Let me be the first to say, that there is no perfect anything in this world let alone skincare routines. It varies greatly between individuals. There are so many factors that come into play such as the person's skin type, whether they have acne, blemishes, or any other skin marks or conditions, etc.
Another thing that may affect a person's choice in skin care products is whether they have undergone a surgical procedure of sorts recently. If you are taking other skin care products at the moment, sometimes the preparations will clash with other products.
If you are a adult female and you are in the premenstrual stages, it may also bear on your skin to varying degrees. Another thing to consider is the seasonal changes and the differences in requirements that these changes bring with it.
For instance, skincare in the winter time is majorly different from the summer's. During the winter times your skin will probably be more dry or normal and you will most likely need to use moisturizers to keep your skin soft.
And during the summer months you will need to worry about things such as tanning lotion and using cleansers and exfoliators to wash off sweat and debris that gathers up when you are in movement.
Some people opt for vitamin C formulations to improve the health and youthfulness of their skin while others may use glycolic acid if there are signs of blackheads appearing. Salicylic acid is an option individuals use during the four levels of a menstrual cycle. Generally speaking, try using exfoliation to remove dead skin cells and to make room for new skins to grow out.
As you can likely tell by now, there are a huge range of skin care products on the market catering to every imaginable need. The most important thing is to sit down and ask yourself what you need now, and also in terms of prevention of things like wrinkles or blemishes in the future.
It is advisable to speak with your dermatologist before following any skin care routine. Also you should confer with with a professional if you plan on changing your routine very often or seasonally. This way you can save time, money, and also prevent any number of mistakes and mischances that could negatively affect your skin- rendering all your efforts obsolete.
Discover the goodness of natural skin care product items at our skin care tips site.
