Summer beauty always begins with prevention. It is important to protect our skin from the sun year round but especially during the summer when we spend more extended periods outdoors. Each day you should apply a liberal amount of sun block, preferably SPF 50 or greater, wear protective clothing, and a wide brimmed hat when out in the sun. Excessive exposure to the sun will result in premature aging with color damage, wrinkles, and loose skin. In addition, it is important to stay well hydrated and nothing accomplishes this better than water. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken and occasional lean beef is important while staying away from packaged goods, alcohol, fried foods, and carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. Daily exercise is important as well to maintain a healthy body weight. I am a strong advocate of the 10,000 step program each day while working in two to three days of resistance training each week. With good sun protection, a healthy diet and fitness program, you won't only look your best but you will feel your best with more energy and enthusiasm for life.
Now despite all of our efforts to look and feel our best through healthy lifestyle choices, we need some help. Cellulite is one of those problems that affects the majority of women to one degree or another. While there is no cure for cellulite, you can achieve an impressive improvement while seeing some tightening of the skin. At The Lifestyle Center, we offer VelaShape and Venus Freeze for the treatment of cellulite. In addition, BodyFX is an excellent treatment for cellulite accompanied by permanent fat destruction in those cellulite areas. Most women will see approximately a 60% improvement in their cellulite with a range of 40-80%. To maintain these improvements we recommend a maintenance treatment once every three to four months but this can vary from individual to individual depending on the severity of their cellulite and response to treatment. While cellulite can be made worse with weight gain, even highly athletic women of normal body weight will have cellulite to some degree.
We also have many clients who present with problem areas of fat accumulation that simply are not responsive to diet and exercise. Often, these areas have troubled them all their life or have come about following the birth of a child or the onset of menopause. Fortunately, it is not always necessary to undergo an invasive procedure for the removal of the fat. We now have the ability to destroy significant deposits of fat permanently and non-invasively without downtime or interruption of your activities. At The Lifestyle Center we offer BodyFX which destroys an average of 30% of the fat cells in the treated tissue. It has the added benefits of tightening skin and improving cellulite. This is the ideal treatment for the person who does not want to undergo an invasive procedure or cannot interrupt their daily routine for a few weeks. BodyFX is best performed on people at or near their ideal body weight. For more problematic areas, we may recommend the TickleLipo procedure. This will remove a larger proportion of the fat with minimal downtime, usually 2-3 days off work and 2-3 weeks off core body training.
While, the summertime is not the ideal time of year to begin laser hair removal, if you do not tan or have high sun exposure, or for areas that are not exposed to the sun, then you are a good candidate for laser hair removal at this time. The "gold standard" in laser hair removal is the 810 diode laser. Historically, this has been an uncomfortable procedure but with new cooling technology we are able to minimize the discomfort while obtaining excellent results. Laser hair removal does take a series of treatments to achieve the desired results. Poorly pigmented follicles and fine hair do not respond well to laser hair removal procedures and may be better treated with derma planing or electrolysis. It is always best to avoid buying large expensive packages for laser hair removal as their is a small percentage of non-responders and more often than we think, operators go out of business leaving their clients with no services and no refunds. At The Lifestyle Center, we will not treat skin with significant sun exposure as the results will be less effective since the laser settings must be turned down to avoid compliations.
Treatments for skin laxity can be performed safely during the summer months. Color correction for sun spots, Rosacea, and small vessels should be deferred if you are getting significant sun exposure. Of course, we recommend limiting sun exposure but not everyone is able to be as compliant during the summer months. Venus Freeze and Forma are two excellent skin tightening devices without discomfort or downtime. They can be safely used year round with the exception of a recent sun burn. For correction of color problems, we offer Lummeca, an IPL device that more precisely targets pigment damage and vessels. With Lummeca, we are able to achieve results in 1-3 treatments that historically have taken 3-5 treatments with older technologies. This is a procedure that we will not perform on individuals who have had recent sun exposure or anticipate significant sun exposure in the coming weeks.
Summer is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy yourself with family and friends. I encourage you to make healthy lifestyle choices to make this time more fulfilling. At The Lifestyle Center, we offer a free consultation to address any of your beauty concerns. Feel free to give us a call today!
