My Blog

Microcurrent Facial Rejuvenation - New Technology Or Is It?

09/29/2012 15:48:00

So the latest buzz around the beauty industry is microcurrent. Microcurrent is a mild electric current that is the closest type of current to the life force that flows through living bodies. It is called "micro" because the currents are measured in millions of an ampere, called "microamperes." It is a safe, noninvasive treatment for the body and face.

BUT is it new? The answer is NO. Microcurrent has been around since the 1950's. Why are you just learning about it now? Because in days past, microcurrent delivery systems consisted of large, expensive machines that were located only in doctor's offices and extremely upscale salons (think Park Avenue).

Thanks to the amazing developments in micro electronics and computerization of everything, the machines have become small and affordable. Whereas they used to cost thousands of dollars, now professional machines are available for a few hunderd. Battery power has also revamped and replaced many machines that formerly needed to be plugged in so there is upswing in microcurrent home-use, retail machines.

Does it hurt to have microcurrent applied to your face or body? NO, because the microcurrenrt modality is subsensory and should not be felt while it is being delivered. There is barely enough current to stimulate the sensory receptors. Microcurrent is from 10-100 times less powerful than its cousin, the TENS unit, and should never cause muscle contraction or be uncomfortable during cosmetic applications. What you should feel during and following a microcurrent treatment is refreshed and stimulated skin.

Microcurrent is used in the esthetic arena to firm and tone muscles. It works at the cellular level to aid in the production of the adenosene triphospate (ATP) that provides energy to cellular mitachondria. This rejuvenates bodily cellular functions that have begun to slow down due to the natural aging process.

Your esthetician can apply this mild, rejuvenating current and, for best results, it is recommended that microcurrent treatments be given at least once a week for a minium of six weeks with monthy follow ups after that. Additionally, microcurrent helps with the penetration of the professional skin care products that your esthetician will have selected to meet the needs of your skin.

Short-term results are visible at the first treatment. Long-term results progress and remain evident over time. Remember when you were a kid and made a face and your mother always told you that if you hold your face that way long enough it would stick? Well, turns out that mom was right. Consistently and routinely applied microcurrent has long-term results as well as short term. Need to look great for a special occasion? Microcurrent applied in the days prior to the event will give your skin that lift and glow you want. Want to hold back the hands of time? Microcurrent can be beneficial in keeping fine lines at bay and keeping your facial mucles firm and lifted.

Call today for your microcurrent treatment options at Katherine Maxwell Skin Care. 559-273-4613.

The Future of Injectibles?

09/01/2012 02:00:00

Here's what's being developed with injectable skin fillers. This article is from the "SF Gate" at this link: http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Injectable-Aline-aims-to-smooth-wrinkles-3779870.php#ixzz25CaUeM41. I am not currently a big fan of the concept of injectibles but when I saw this article I did sit up and take notice. This is an interesting development and looks like a definite improvement over the current techniques. Here is an except:

"Medical discipline and science are at work in a new effort by Dr. Geoffrey Gurtner of Stanford University to bring to market an alternative to the current injectable fillers that use soft collagen or hyaluronic acid, a type of inert sugar, to plump up the creases in our faces.

Gurtner's product, called Aline, is instead based on solid threads of hyaluronic acid as thin as a piece of fishing line. When inserted into a wrinkle, the thread absorbs moisture from the skin and plumps like a soft strand of cooked spaghetti.

Gurtner, who performs cosmetic and cancer reconstructive surgery, believes the threads will be easier and more precise for surgeons and dermatologists to insert than microdroplets of Restylane, Juvaderm and other soft fillers that require a doctor to squeeze and massage the lumps that are left under the skin when the needle is drawn out. . . .

Soft-tissue fillers accounted for 1.8 million of the 12.2 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures conducted in 2011, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Hyaluronic acid was the most popular filler, with 1.3 million treatments conducted . . . .

Aline, in development since 2008, is to begin a clinical trial this month in Canada under the direction of Toronto dermatologist Nowell Solish and Montreal plastic surgeon Arthur Swift. Gurtner is eyeing Canadian government approval next year, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2014."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Injectable-Aline-aims-to-smooth-wrinkles-3779870.php#ixzz25CrnAf88

How To Get The Most Out of Your Next Wax Service

04/30/2012 23:43:00

With warm weather fast upon us, we are all getting ready to bare more skin and that means we get ready by waxing. It’s also a natural fact that when the weather warms up, our hair grows faster and thicker. Sounds counterintuitive, right? You would expect your hair would grow thicker in the winter when your body needs more hair to keep warm and not in the summer when you need far less hair. But when the weather is warm your blood flows easier, bringing nutrients to the hair follicles, which helps hair grow.

Here are some tips to make sure your wax service goes smoothly – literally – and efficiently:

BEFORE YOUR WAX SERVICE:

1. Exfoliate the day before your wax appointment. This can be done with a shower brush, a loofah, or an exfoliation product, like a salt or sugar scrub. Our skin always has a dead layer of skin that our hairs poke through to get to the surface. By removing the dead layer, your hair will not have to be pulled through the dead skin. The hair will be easier to remove and will pull less on your skin.

2. Take a shower or bath. In the time just prior to your wax, take a bath or shower. Okay, part of the reason to be clean is obvious BUT it will also make the hair removal easier because the water that is absorbed into your skin will plump your skin cells, make them more pliable and make the hair easier to remove.

AFTER WAXING

3. Stay out of the sun, out of hot tubs and pools,and do not take a very hot shower or bath.

4. Keep your skin moisturized with a good lotion. This will keep you skin soft and supple andwill prevent ingrown hairs from forming.

Happy waxing! See you soon. My spring into summer wax special: get one bikini wax aat the regular low price of $35 and get an underarm wax for half price (regular price $20).

OMG! ESTEE LAUDER, AVON & MARY KAY ANIMAL TESTING AGAIN!

03/11/2012 01:58:00

I couldn't believe it either, but check out these sites:

http://colinsbeautypages.co.uk/avon-and-animal-testing/#more-2654

http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Regulation-Safety/Avon-in-hot-water-again-as-law-firm-files-suit-over-misleading-China-animal-testing-claims

http://www.dailyglow.com/animal-testing-resumes-for-avon-mary-kay-and-estee-lauder-0221.html?xid=G&id=facebook_og

What's New in Skin Care: Fruit Stem Cells

03/11/2012 00:48:00

Okay, I promised that you wouldn't need to resort to Botox. Here's why:

The scientists are working wonders with stem cell research. And not the dead baby kind! The good kind using fruit.

The Swiss have been successful with apple stem cells. Seems they took a plug of human skin, which contained stem cells along with other cells, and put it in the petrie dish with apple stem cells.

NO, it didn't mutate into a human apple! What happened was that the apple stem cells jump started the human skin cells into reproducing quickly and healthily!

Since the problems with aging come from a slowing down of skin turnover, this research will revolutionize our thinking about skin care products.

Stay tuned for more developments and exactly which products will be available using this amazing new research.

So now we can start saying, "An apple stem cell a day will keep the plastic surgeon away."

And you may want to chomp on a few apples and other fruits along the way!

Botox for 20 & 30-somethings? NO WAY!

03/11/2012 00:37:00

YOU DON'T NEED BOTOX!

The latest trend in the beauty industry for medical professionals is to convince women in the 20's and 30's that they should start Botox now as a preventative measure against aging.

That is hooey (IMHO). Botox is a desparate, last-ditch method for women who are already into the aging process, for whom fillers and face lifts are the only recourse for serious improvement. This includes women who never cared for their skin when they were younger either from lack of caring or lack of knowledge or both.

Younger women had the advantage just by being young. You young gals not only have advantages that your moms never had as far as access to great products and services, but let's face it: YOU ARE YOUNG! No need to stress about aging now as long as you are not abusing your skin and using the right skin care products.

Here's why:

1. You are better educated about health and skin care. (Ever lay out in the sun for hours wearing nothing but baby oil mixed with iodone? Hey, your mom and her friends did. That's why she looks like she does. Sorry, mom, but you know it's true.)

2. Hopefully the 50 years of anti-smoking campaigns waged by the American Cancer Society and the Surgeon General are being heeded by you all and you are not smoking. This will keep your skin healthy and vibrant by not cutting off its oxygen supply. (Your mom and her friends puffed away -- yes, even when they were pregnant! And the smoking shows not only on their faces but in their overall health.)

3. You drink lots of water. Hydration from the inside keeps your skin fluffy on the outside. You know to stay hydrated. (Sadly, your mom relied on colas as a thirst quencher.)

4. Time is on your side as far as advances in skin care and healthy aging research. Amazing strides are being taken each year. Hopefully, you 20-somethings will never age the way previous generations did.

That's the good news. To get more information and specific assistance with selecting proper skin care products for the different phases of your life, come see me for a facial and consultation. My prices are extremely affordable and my hours are convenient for working women. Oh, and hey, send your mom in to see me, too. All is not lost; the great strides being made in the beauty industry can help her yet! Katherine Maxwell, 559-273-4613

Groupon, Living Social THE GOOD NEWS!

01/02/2012 23:35:00

Happy New Year! Here is a special message for all Groupon, Living Social, DealSaver or Valley Daily Deal customers:

Ever let a coupon expire unused? Feel like you don't want to buy anymore because, like everyone else, you hate wasting money?

HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS: Your prepaid coupons NEVER really expire. Because you have paid money for them they are always worth what you paid for them. Okay, so maybe the deal expires, like of you paid $50 for $100 in services or products. BUT you are always legally entitled to services or products in the amount you paid.

I hear the bad news that some uninformed merchants and their personnel are not aware of the law regarding prepaid coupons and will actually refuse to honor the coupon. Word to the wise if this happens: simply contact the company from which you purchased the coupon. They will refund your money.

HERE IS THE EVEN BETTER NEWS: At Katherine Maxwell Skin Care your prepaid coupon deal is always honored. No expiration date! Yay.

I look forward to being of service to you and yours in 2012!

Katherine