Secrets of the World Wide Sisterhood

LED Devices for Skin Rejuvenation

For several years I have been getting chemical peels on a regular basis.  I do not get them during the summer months because I am in the sun and chemical peels make the skin very sensitive to sun.  I love chemical peels.  I don't particularly like the down time that comes along with them, though.  I'm going to continue with the peels because the results are fantastic, however, I'm ready to explore additional territory.  I've been reading a lot about Light-Emitting Diodes (LED's).  This is technically not a laser, but is usually classified as a non-ablative laser.  It produces visible light when an electrical current passes through it.  Skin Rejuvenation is the result of using a hand-held LED device, or having the procedure performed in a dermatologist or plastic  surgeon's office.  LED light stimulates your skin's natural collagen production.  Which, in turn, gives your skin improved texture, color, and tone.  It may also diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  The use of an LED device is supposed to restore your skin to a youthful radiant state.  You may schedule a treatment at your skin care facility and the average cost is about $200-$500 per session.  You usually will require several sessions to achieve the desired results. It usually takes several minutes to several hours, depending on the size of the treated area.  The risks include redness, swelling, and skin sensitivity.  However, there is no downtime.  There are also hand-held LED devices available.  Here are a few that I have found and I'm trying to decide which one to purchase.  If you have used any of these devices, please leave a comment or send me an email and let me know what type of experience you have had.

Tanda Regenerate Anti-Aging Starter Kit- It is available at amazon.com for  ($395)   It combines light therapy and a light optimized topical solution.  

Perricone MD Cosmeceuticals Light Renewal Kit-  ($335) Can also be purchased online. Also an at-home anti-aging treatment. Earlier in a post, I mentioned the book, The Wrinkle Cure by Nicholas Perricone, MD. I put a lot of faith in his research, so I believe this would be a good product.   

Omnilux New U-Also a hand-held medical LED light therapy device.  It claims to reduce wrinkles around the eye area using a combination of alternating treatment of infrared and red light.  It, like the two mention above, stimulates collagen production. I found this at spalook.com.  If you get New Beauty magazine, there is usually a $25 gift card in there.  

NUFACE Anti-Aging Anti Wrinkle Device 5-piece kit has been highly rated in various articles.  This product was designed to firm and tone the skin while increasing elastin and collagen, and improving circulation.  It is on amazon.com for $379.

None of the above will work as well as an in-office procedure I am sure.  But, in reading all about them, and seeing the product reviews, they have been proven to be beneficial.  If a slight improvement is seen, I feel that the device is definitely worth the money.  It seems expensive to buy a product such as this, however, it is the the same price as about 2 professional procedures.  (depending on where you go).  Again, I would love some feedback on this. Because I would like to add one of these products to my Christmas wish list!!!  I'm just not sure which one I will choose.        

Skin Firming Apparel

Wow! I've got to share this with you.  In earlier posts, I discussed cellulite.  At 43, most people have some.  I am not over weight, I run every other day, lift weights, eat healthy, drink a lot of water, and I still have some cellulite. (Probably not as much as I would have if I didn't do any of this).   I also use Nivea Body Good-Bye Cellulite Cream and I think it helps, too.  But, I decided to break down and try the Solideva Silver Wave Micromassaging Capri Leggings from Bliss.(See ad on this page for Bliss).  They were pretty expensive. ($99.95) They are supposed to diminish the appearance of cellulite.  They are also supposed to boost blood circulation, shape, slim and energize the lower body, tone and detoxify the skin , and blast bacteria buildup.  I don't know if all of that is true, but they actually do help the appearance of cellulite.  I don't know how they would work alone. Maybe they work so well in conjunction with everything else I do.  But, I really don't want to stop everything I'm doing and just wear these and see what happens.  Since I bought these, I've been wearing them with dress pants and my cellulite is almost gone.  Not totally, but itlooks much better.  Bliss also has Farmacell Milk Shorts for $69.  I've never tried these.  But, they are supposed to moisturize, smoothe, stimulate circulate and detoxify the skin.  They are also supposed to minimize the appearance of cellulite.  I've read that compression hosiery is recommended by doctors to prevent and treat varicose veins.  I wonder if these products work along the same concept??  There was also a pair of pants advertized in New Beauty called Adea SeaCell Long Drawstring Pants ($144, www.myadea.com) that are supposed to nourish the skin of the lower body with patented SeaCell technology.  According to the company, the wearer should see increased firmness and smoother skin texture after three to five wearings.  They are supposed to remain effective for a least 60 washings. If anyone else has tried any of these products, please let me know what you thought about them. I would be very interested in knowing if they work well without exercising, dieting, or using cellulite creams.

Invincible

I just watched the movie Invincible.  It was produced in 2006, but I had never heard of this movie.  It was suggested by Netflix as a movie I would like.  When it came in, it seemed to be a movie my husband would like, instead of a movie I would like.  It is based upon a true story.  The setting is Philadelphia in 1976, and it is a football movie about Vince Papale, a former Philadelphia Eagles player. I liked it because I was in 6th grade during this time period and I remember a lot of the songs from the movie. I loved this era as far as music goes and watching it brought back a lot of childhood memories.  I thought the cars looked a little old, but I guess some people still drove cars from the 60's during the mid-seventies. It was really funny seeing the way we used to dress!  You could pretty much guess what the outcome of the movie would be, but it was still a very good movie.  One of the great things about Netflix, is that they suggest movies for you, many of which you would probably never have seen if you had to choose them on your own.  I suggest this movie for the whole family.        

Bob Evans Stuffed Mushrooms

I love to eat at Bob Evans.  I picked this card up when I was there and made these stuffed mushrooms for a party.  Everyone loved them.   They were very good. 

1 pkg. (24 oz) Bob Evans Refrigerated Garlic Mashed Potatoes  (I've seen these at Kroger.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened cream cheese

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 cup Asiago cheese, shredded

1 cup crushed crackers 24 small or 12 large mushroom caps, stem removed

First clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.   Do not submerge mushrooms in water.  In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients.  Spoon potato mixture into mushroom caps.  Sprinkle with cracker crumbs on top.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes for small mushrooms and 20 minutes for large mushrooms.

Lasik Surgery

Last April I had Lasik surgery.  I had worn glasses since first grade and got contacts in seventh grade.  My prescription for my contacts was pretty strong.  It was  -9.00.  I was pretty blind!  I was also getting to the point where I could not see up close with my contacts.  I could not see numbers in the phone book, and my night vision had also gotten worse.  I was tired of having to worry about taking contacts everywhere I went and worrying about losing one, or ripping one, and truthfully my eyes had gotten so bad, that I could not see clearly with them even with a change in prescription.  My sister also had bad eyesight and had Lasik surgery about 10 yrs. ago and her eyesight is still 20/20.  My brother had it about 3 years ago, and his eyes are also 20/20. I came to the conclusion last spring, I was going to do it and so did my husband.  I was terrified.  There are risks involved.  And with my luck, I would probably go blind.  I did a lot of research on the internet and decided to go to a TLC in Johnson City, Tennessee.  The surgeons there had outstanding credentials and had done thousands.  I was put through a series of tests to determine if I was a candidate.  When I got the results, and was told I could go through with the surgery, I had to wear my glasses--no contacts-- for two weeks.  That was the worse part for me.  I had not worn glasses in public since seventh grade.  That was the longest two weeks of my life.  The morning of the surgery I had to be driven to the center for the surgery because you cannot drive afterward.  Once I got there, the whole procedure was actually pretty quick.  Most of the time was spent waiting to go in and then going through a few more tests.  The last few minutes before the surgery, drops were put into my eyes to numb them and I was given a mild sedative.  When I went in, I lied in a reclining-type chair and one eye was covered.  The first eye was pretty scary.  I could feel pressure and it was a little uncomfortable. But not painful. The worse part for me was the clamp that was used to hold my eye open.  It felt like it was going to rip my eye.  I have a small face and eyes and I was told that this usually doesn't bother most people. Then the other eye was done.  It was all so quick probably less than 10 minutes per eye. When I was finished I sat up and I could actually see the clock and was able to see it clearly enough to tell time.  My vision was still very blurry and my eyes were watering terribly.  I was given dark glasses to wear home and was sent back to another room for a vision test.  I could see 20/50 when I left their office. I was given an antibiotic eye drop prescription and a steroid eye drop to use for about a week.  I slept most of the rest of the day.  That night I had to sleep in goggles and continued to do so for the next week.  When I woke up the next morning, it was unbelievable.  I could see pretty clearly.  I had to go to my eye doctor for an exam that day and was able to drive myself.  I was seeing between 20/30 and 20/40 that day.  My only problem was the light sensitivity.  The light sensitivity did not improve.  In fact, I was wearing sunglasses in the house.  The light sensitivity lasted about 2 months and during this process, I figured out that the light sensitivity was due to dry eye.  It was really annoying. I couldn't even look into the light to put on makeup.  I thought I had made a major mistake.  But, after about 2 months my dry eye improved.  I was using a gel lubricant at night and a wetting solution every few minutes all day long.  It did improve and I am so thrilled with my new vision. I am seeing 20/20.  It was not supposed to fix my reading vision, but it did.  I am seeing so much better up close than I did. I love it!!!  My husband on the other hand, did not have great results.  He had his surgery in May.  He did not have dry eye or light sensitivity.  But, his vision is not 20/20.  It has been 3 months and one eye is 20/30 and the other is 20/50.  He went to the same place I did.  He is glad he had the surgery because his eyes were so bad, but he is a little disappointed because he is going to have to go back for enhancements.  So, you never know how it will turn out.  Most people I've talked to have had excellent results.  But, there is always a chance something could go wrong.  And you can never go by how another person's results were, because everyone is different. I love it and am glad I did it.  I would suggest to anyone who is thinking of having it done, make sure you do your homework.  Check out the surgeon's credentials.  I do recommend TLC Laser Centers.  They go above and beyond what the FDA requires and are highly qualified.  And beware of surgeons who are doing Lasik for less than $500 per eye.                  

Bring An Ingredient Soup

Here's another great soup recipe.

4 cups of thinly sliced onions

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons of butter or margarine

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 cans (14 1/2 oz. cans) of beef broth

2 cups tomato puree

1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, tarragon, ground cumin, salt, and pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

VEGETABLES: choose two or three

1 1/2 cups each diced green pepper, tomato, or carrots

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

MEATS:  choose two

3 cups cooked mini meatballs

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

3 cups diced fully cooked ham

1 package smoked kielbasa, sliced and browned

GARNISHES:  choose three or four

Shredded cheddar cheese, garbanzo beans, sour cream, chopped fresh parsley, croutons or popcorn

     In a large Dutch oven, saute' onions and garlic in butter until tender.  Stir in flour and blend well.  Add broth, puree, vinegar and seasonings; mix well.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.  Add two or three vegetables; simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Add two meats;  heat through.  Garnish as desired.  Yield 16-18 servings (4 1/2 quarts).

This is great to take to pot luck parties!!! 

Tortellini Soup

This recipe was given to me by a friend.  She run off several different soup recipes, made a nice cover, and gave these to everyone at work.  This one was my favorite.  This soup is delicious on a cold fall evening (a real comfort food.)  This recipe is also very quick and easy. 

3 cans of chicken broth

18 ounces refrigerated cheese filled tortellini

1 can diced tomatoes

4 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil

Garnish with Parmesan cheese

     Bring broth to boil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.  Garnish with cheese if desired.  Yield: 12 cups  

    

Pamper Your Skin

As we age, we spend so much time worrying about our faces and doing everything we can to maintain our youthful complexion.  But, we sometimes forget about the rest of our skin......our whole body!!  We battle cellulite, fat, spider veins, and sun spots.  But what about the overall appearance of our skin?  Does your skin still have the healthful glow it used to have? Is it soft or does it look dry and in some places such as above your knees does it look sort of crepey and wrinkled?  You've got to spend as much time on your body as you do on your face. Or, you will end up with a young -looking face and a body that looks ten years older than your face. Pay special attention to your neck and chest.  I use Nivea COQ10 Body Lotion everyday. But every few days I pamper my skin with more expensive products.  I've mentioned Glytone products in previous posts. My dermatologist got me turned on to these and they really are great! You can buy them from some dermatologists or you can buy them online. Amazon.com carried Glytone.  I use the Glytone Exfoliating Body Wash.  It retexturizes skin by exfoliating dry, rough, skin in the shower and has 8.8% glycolic acid. ($24 at amazon.com) I use it with lufah gloves.  I also use Glytone Body Lotion with 17.5% glycolic acid.  It helps visibly reduce rough uneven skin for renewed smoothness.  ($34 at amazon.com)  I also like the Glytone Body Lotion with SPF15.  It also contains 6.2% glycolic acid.  It is an all day moisturizer with the added benefit of an SPF.  For a definition of glycolic acid go to http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycolic_acid.   Always moisturize when you get out of the shower or tub and if you really want to see results, moisturize before going to bed, also.  The key to younger looking skin is moisture. So don't forget to drink your water!!  

Hairspray

My Netflix movie this week was Hairspray.  I wanted to see this movie to see what all the buzz was about.  I wasn't sure what it was about when I ordered it.  I just knew it was a musical and John Travolta was in it, playing the part of a woman. Truthfully, I think that is why I wanted to see this movie.  I couldn't imagine John Travolta playing a woman, or WHY he would be playing a woman.  After watching this movie, I still wonder WHY is was cast in this movie as a woman.  I thought  maybe they needed someone who could dance really well. But actually, Travolta didn't dance a lot.   He, or should I say, She, was really freaky.  He was the mother of Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) the star of the movie. He was just weird. His voice, his teeth, his eyes, everything.  However, parts of the movie were really funny. And I loved the dancing. I thought the movie was o.k. Definitely not one of the best I've seen.    

Eating for Your Skin

In an earlier post, I talked about the book The Wrinkle Cure by Nicholas Perricone, MD.  There are a lot of helpful tips in this book for improving your skin, but one of the most interesting sections discussed foods that affect your skin.  Dr. Perricone explains how eating too many carbs can affect the level of insulin and sugar in our bodies.  When you eat carbs, your blood sugar rises and insulin is secreted by your pancreas to keep that sugar under control.  However, the release of insulin pushes you cellular metabolism into a mode in which it produces inflammatory chemicals which kick-start the aging process and encourages your body to store fats. He advises you to eat foods that are low on the glycemic index.  You should limit or slowly remove foods such as potatoes, corn, peas,carrots, and pasta from your diet and eat more foods such as broccoli, grapefruit, beans, blueberries, spinach,summer squash, and most nonstarchy vegetables.  You should also keep foods with packaged and refined sugar to a minimum. Foods containing these sugars react with collagen in the body and creates glycosylation, also called the Browning Reaction.  This makes skin inflexible and prone to skin discolorations such as age spots.  It is also important to eat protein, especially fish.  It contains omega-3 essential fatty acids.  Salmon is one of the best sources of EFA's.You should read this book.  It gives you several menus to help you choose foods to improve your skin.  Other research and reading I've done over time on "food for your skin" agree with Dr. Perricone.  All agree that strawberries, citrus fruits, and broccoli create a smooth complexion.  Fortified cereal, lean meat, poultry, and pork, help you achieve a youthful glow. Whole wheat and grains can create a clearer complexion.  And all the research I've ever read, praises an abundance of water consumption!!  Since I read The Wrinkle Cure, I try to eat a handful of blueberries every morning and have made myself eat salmon about once a week.  I'm not crazy about fish.  That is why I take Fish Oil as a supplement. Try eating these foods for a week and I'm sure you will see an improvement.