Dr. Rose's Blog

Beware of "free" trials on the internet

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:27:23 PST

The Daily Mail is reporting that women signing up for a free trial of "Hollywood's secret to looking young" are finding themselves with hundreds of pounds in credit card charges.

Apparently, when you sign up for the free trial, you have to give a credit card number and then you find yourself receiving monthly shipments of product that you have to pay for. It is reported that it is then very difficult to cancel the payments.

And on top of all of that, the claims of efficacy for the actual product are misleading. "42% decrease in lines and wrinkles" "36% increase in skin moisturization" "28% collagen production increase" It's easy for advertisers to make claims like these on the internet but where is the evidence to back them up?

British watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints against the company about both the reliability of its claims and the difficulty in cancelling payments.

Don't get caught in this sort of internet scam. If you want skincare that really works (and there truly are amazing products out there!), buy from a reputable source.

Thinning hair: New pain-free laser treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:58:03 PDT

Hair loss is an issue near and dear to my heart. My hair has been thinning since my early 30s and it got much worse a couple of years ago.

I keep looking for solutions... and now I have something really revolutionary.

Introducing the Illumiwave 180 -- Laser Biostimulation for Hair Rejuvenation!

Let me explain:
The Illumiwave uses low-level laser to stimulate metabolism in the scalp, setting off a chain reaction of cellular events, increasing protein synthesis, cell division, tissue regeneration and micro-circulation to the scalp.

What does this mean for you?

In US studies, 100% of men and women experienced stabilization of hair loss.
A lot of people who are losing their hair say that if only they could stop losing any more, they would be happy.

Hair regrowth occurred in 75 - 96% of individuals studied, depending on gender and the location of hair loss.

The degree of hair regrowth was around 25 - 40%.
If your hair is thinning, how happy would you be to have 40% more hairs growing out of your scalp?

The growing hairs are also thicker, stronger and healthier.
If your hair is breaking easily or has regressed to peach fuzz, wouldn't you like to see it returned to strong, healthy strands?

Advantages of Illumiwave 180 Laser Biostimulation

This is not painful, expensive surgery. The laser treatment is completely pain-free. And some hair transplantation clinics are using laser biostimulation in conjunction with surgery to improve results.

There are no pills to take and no messy lotions to apply to your scalp.

There are no chemical or hormonal imbalances associated with laser treatment. In fact, low-level laser is useful for healing wounds and treating certain medical conditions.

Note: Laser biostimulation does not work if you are completely bald or have certain medical conditions. If you are losing your hair but not bald yet, it is best to start this treatment sooner rather than later.

10 Years Younger in Burlington

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:16:32 PDT

What would a transformation mean to you?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:21:57 PDT

When we first consider a 10 years younger type of transformation, a lot of us imagine that it is purely a vanity thing. And a lot of us imagine it would be embarrassing or shameful to exhibit our vanity so blatantly on our faces.

What I have discovered after years of transforming people's faces is that vanity is the smallest fraction of what the 10 years younger transformation is all about. I'd like to share with you in a series of blog posts the comments from our previous 10 Years Younger in Burlington transformees on how the process affected their lives.

Here are the words of Celeste, who was 47 last year when she entered our program:

Words are limiting to describe emotionally what has transpired this past year. Being introduced to Advanced Rejuvenation spa was a spring board BACK to 'living life on purpose' for me. I can say that there isn't an area of my life that hasn't been affected in a positive way!

The procedures I had done, and the knowledge of knowing other ones were available to me - brought 'hope' back to me. The procedures were symbolic to me - showing me that I didn't have to accept the status quo. There were options to 'all or nothing' (meaning surgery or nothing).

The skin procedures rejuvenated my skin - the rejuvenated skin then rejuvenated my spirit. Dr. Jeans and her staff also lifted my spirits every time I walked through their doors. They create a warm, safe and professional environment at the spa, easy to relax and trust. The procedures gave me a glimpse of what I used to be. I didn't have to accept or submit - I could take control - there were options - I had a choice. IT WASN'T TOO LATE. With the additional help of the system (Dr. Jeans' Nutrition and Weight Control System -- ed.) I lost 30 lbs., reclaimed a career for myself and am now living a fulfilled life - everyday! I have not looked back!

This was a new beginning for me. On an emotional and personal level the procedures have given me back who I was and who I thought I had lost. Pretty cool!!!

Come and join us for a great evening

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:28:55 PDT

Thursday September 23 7pm: Come and join us when we reveal Gini, Lorraine and Rose after their 10 Years Younger in Burlington transformations.

You will be treated to a Fall Fashion Preview, featuring Mia's Boutique, Livingston Furs, Mirella's, Savvy Couture, The Oyster and What a Heel.

Every attendee will receive a gift bag of goodies and will be entered to win valuable door prizes.

And if all of that weren't enough, by attending this event you are supporting a really worthwhile cause: Danielle's Place, a charitable organization, established in 2004, which provides eating disorder support services to anyone whose life has been affected by an eating disorder.

Please come and share the fun and excitement of 3 women undergoing an amazing transformation. Call 905-340-0401 for tickets.

10 Years Younger in Burlington is back!

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:28:31 PDT

Our 2010 10 Years Younger in Burlington program is well underway!

We are transforming 3 amazing women -- Gini, Lorraine and Rose. I can tell you that they are already looking beautiful and that is before seeing the full package with hair, makeup and clothing.

Here they are:

First is Gini -- short for Georgina. Her nickname is the only short thing about her (so says the 5'2" vertically challenged one).

Gini, 56, has always been a high achiever with success as a nurse, a model and a fitness instructor under her belt.

However her sense of herself was shattered by a bitter divorce. As the single mother of 4 children, she is looking to rebuild her self-esteem and improve her chances in the job market.

Lorraine at 48 is the youngest of the group. She feels youthful on the inside but finds that the image staring back at her in the mirror is "overweight, tired and sluggish."

"I notice that I have the "11" indentations between my brow and my eyes are heavy with dark circles and my jowels are starting to sag. So, although I am not in dire despair now I think it is vitally important at my age and stage of aging that I manage aging and all that comes with it NOW."

And Lorraine is really motivated to get her outer appearance matching her internal exuberance.

Rose, 63, also feels younger inside than she feels that she looks on the outside. Rose has the energy of a much younger woman.

As a life-long tanner, Rose has sun damage, wrinkling and tissue sagging adding years to her face.

She wishes the years had been kinder to her appearance and wants to start feeling better about herself. We are very pleased to give her the opportunity to erase years of damage.

These three ladies have already started their transformation journey and already we are seeing the increased confidence that goes along with it.

We have a wonderful evening planned when we will reveal Gini, Lorraine and Rose looking at least 10 years younger and I think they will knock your socks off!

Please come and join us on September 23rd for delicious food, a fall fashion preview, goodie bags stuffed with treats and of course Gini, Lorraine and Rose. Call 905-340-0401 for tickets.

Risky anti-aging treatment: Would you do it?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:16:52 PDT

The other day, Coral* came to see me. A health professional who works in the aesthetic industry, Coral has a youthful, volumized face in keeping with a woman who has access to all of the best anti-aging treatments.

On this visit, I can see that she is healing from a fractionated laser treatment (see our Pixel -- one of my favorite treatments). Coral tells me that she had a very aggressive laser treatment and followed it up with a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment about 24 hours later.

"I loved the hyperbaric treatment. It made me feel energized and my face healed really quickly."

OK, that sounds interesting to me.

I should share with you here that in my former life working at the hospital, I was a consultant for the HBO service at the Hamilton General Hospital so I have treated a lot of patients with HBO and reviewed a lot of scientific papers on the use of HBO for a variety of conditions.

HBO is the treatment that divers go through when they have the bends. You are placed in a chamber that can be sealed so that the contents (meaning you and the air in the chamber) can be pressurized to 1.5 to 3 times the normal atmospheric pressure. It is like diving down 33 feet (double normal pressure) or more. You will definitely feel the pressure in your ears, and possibly other places.

Then Coral said "I loved the hyperbaric so much that I am planning to have a treatment every month. I think it is a great anti-aging treatment."

Whoa! This healthy, youthful-looking 40 year old is going to have HBO treatments every month?

I asked her if they had fully explained the risks and benefits of the treatment.

"Oh yeah, I filled in a consent form. It mentioned air embolism (a bubble of air in the circulation which can block blood flow) and pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the circulation of the lung)."

I explained to Coral that there are 2 main groups of side effects from HBO treatments -- barotrauma which means damage caused by the increased pressure of the treatment, and oxygen toxicity which is an effect of the high oxygen concentration in the blood achieved by the HBO treatment.

Some of the side effects of the treatment are self-limited: for instance, you may develop seizures from oxygen toxicity and the seizures stop when you return to a normal oxygen level. Others can cause permanent damage such as scarring of the lungs, called pulmonary fibrosis, from exposure to high oxygen levels.

This case really illustrates the importance of informed consent and the principle of risk vs. benefit.

RISK
Every treatment has some risk associated with it. In thinking of risk, we consider how likely it is that the side effect will occur, how serious the side effects are and how difficult it is to treat the side effects.

For something like cosmetic botox, the risk is that the botox will affect a muscle we don't want -- usually the eyelid so that the eyelid droops. This is annoying but not life-threatening or vision-threatening and will wear off naturally in time. There are eye drops that can help minimize the eyelid droop.

Overall, the likelihood of a botox-induced lid droop is very low (but it varies depending on the provider), the severity of a droop is low and it will wear off naturally. Overall, this sort of risk is very acceptable for an elective, cosmetic procedure, right?

In contrast, HBO has some very serious potential side effects, including ruptured ear drums, heart failure, seizures, shortness of breath and changes in vision. I agree that these side effects are less likely in healthy people but they still can occur in them. The treatments range from stopping the HBO treatment (seizures) to prolonged healing times and needing medications, all the way to needing life support.

BENEFIT
HBO therapy increases the oxygen levels in your blood and tissues. For instance, HBO is used to treat conditions associated with oxygen deprivation to the tissues such as carbon monoxide poisoning, cyanide poisoning, compartment syndrome (where traumatized tissues become so swollen that the blood flow to an area is compromised) and radiation necrosis (where radiation treatments for cancer has caused scarring and shrinkage of blood vessels).

In certain conditions where tissues are compromised from insufficient oxygen levels, HBO can make the difference between tissue survival and tissue death. I am not aware of any studies showing that HBO has anti-aging benefits in healthy people. I think that someone has made the leap from HBO's effect in compromised tissue to thinking it will benefit healthy tissue.

I definitely think that HBO is a worthwhile treatment for a serious medical problem like the ones I mentioned above but as an anti-aging treatment, it is another story. We don't know what sort of benefit you can expect from HBO as an anti-aging treatment. Unless you are a Hollywood star whose fortune depends on remaining youthful-looking, I would think that the risks of HBO are unacceptable for an elective anti-aging treatment.

INFORMED CONSENT
Coral had not been informed of all of the risks of HBO therapy. If she had known all of the possible side effects, she would not be considering having a treatment every month.

The moral of the story is to make sure you read the consent form when you are having cosmetic medical treatments (or any other medical treatment, for that matter). If you are having a treatment that is considered new or for a new or unusual indication, do your own research online to find out what the risks are. It helps to ask a doctor to put the risks into perspective for you.

You are the best judge of how much risk you are willing to take for the expected benefit of the treatment. Make sure that you are getting a good sense of the expected benefit of the treatment based on evidence.

And always ask whether there is another safer way to get the same benefits.

*Name changed to preserve anonymity.

Botox is going to destroy society as we know it

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 07:57:13 PDT

How To Lose Friends: Botox

Botox Can Leave You With Broken Relationships

Botox can make you less empathetic

Botox injection 'leads to rejection'

Wow! Who knew that a little botox to relax your frown muscles was going to leave you alone, friendless and a social outcast?

Let's backtrack: where are they getting the idea for these articles?

It all goes back to some research that was presented on January 29th of this year. PhD candidate David Havas wanted to determine whether a botox treatment to the frown muscles would have any effect on how quickly an individual could read angry, sad and happy statements.

"To test how blocking a frown might affect comprehension of language related to emotions, Havas asked the patients to read written statements, before and then two weeks after the Botox treatment...Havas gauged the ability to understand these sentences according to how quickly the subject pressed a button to indicate they had finished reading it...The results showed no change in the time needed to understand the happy sentences. But after Botox treatment, the subjects took more time to read the angry and sad sentences. Although the time difference was small, it was significant, he adds."

The interpretation that the above articles are putting on this research is this: your friends will notice if you are a fraction of a second slow to respond when they are angry or sad. They will immediately interpret this very slight hesitation to mean that you are not as empathetic to them and they will shun you.

Think about this for a second -- your best girlfriend is telling you about the death of her grandmother. You are getting all kinds of cues from her -- what she is saying, her body position, tears, tone of voice and so on -- and you are reacting on so many levels, including remembering what has comforted your friend in the past, hugging her, grabbing the box of tissues. Do you really think that there will be any perceptible hesitation in your response to her? Of course not.

I can tell you from personal experience with botox in myself and in many people around me that we have not been turned into antisocial, unsympathetic loners.

What is even more interesting is a scientific article about this research suggests that botox will make you happier. And that will probably make you more socially successful.

"There is a long-standing idea in psychology, called the facial feedback hypothesis," says Havas. "Essentially, it says, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. It's an old song, but it's right. Actually, this study suggests the opposite: When you're not frowning, the world seems less angry and less sad." [Emphasis mine.]

Hmmm. Botox has been around for 20 years and hasn't torn the fabric of society asunder yet. Maybe the writers of these articles should stick to what they know rather than making outrageous postulations.

Carla Bruni: It's a laser treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:14:52 PDT

This picture of France's First Lady Carla Bruni is all over the internet this week. Various bloggers and news outlets are scolding her for having plastic surgery.

When I look at this picture, I see evidence that Carla Bruni is recovering from a fractionated laser treatment, such as the Pixel laser we have here at Advanced Rejuvenation. The texture of Carla's skin looks rough. Plastic surgery would not do this. It could possibly be makeup over a microdermabrasion treatment but why would she undergo microdermabrasion when she could have increased smoothing and tightening of her skin for the same amount of downtime with a Pixel laser treatment. Carla's eyes are a little puffy suggesting that her face is dealing with increased inflammation.

What is especially ironic for me is that my face looks very similar this week. I had a Pixel laser treatment two days ago. My eyes are puffy. My skin feels rough to the touch. I can cover it with makeup but if you get close enough to me you can see the fine bumps resulting from the fractionated laser. Overall, my face feels kind of stiff.

In a few days, I will be completely healed and my skin will look bright, smooth and radiant. My pores will be almost invisible. My brows and jawline will be lifted. A Pixel laser treatment makes you look air-brushed.

I use the Pixel laser now to maintain the collagen levels in my skin where they were around 10 or 20 years ago. Our collagen levels decline as we age, leading to skin laxity and wrinkling. Stimulating the skin to make more collagen restores the skin's firmness and means that you don't need plastic surgery.

This photo shows Carla Bruni at a state function at the beginning of March. I am sure that the photos that will be taken of her next week will show her looking flawless and glowing again.

I think Carla Bruni is wise to stay looking youthful and beautiful with non-surgical treatments.

Still tanning? Hollywood stars know it is not worth it

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:31:04 PDT

This March Break, are you planning to go somewhere warm and bake your skin?

Maybe you'll even try to justify it by naming all the Hollywood stars that sport a sun-kissed look?

Don't do it! A week of sun tanning really roughens the texture of your skin and increases the number of lines and wrinkles.

I have seen it time and again. We do laser resurfacing with the Pixel and get a woman's face looking smooth, bright and radiant and then she goes on holiday and comes back with rough, wrinkled, tanned skin.

Here's an example of the rough texture that occurs after just one week in the sun:

And what is really ironic is that the stars we are trying to emulate stopped tanning long ago. They are in the business of looking young and they know that having sun exposure would add years to their skin.

Remember '80s supermodel Stephanie Seymour? This is what she looks like on the beach nowadays. Talk about a whiter shade of pale.

Stephanie knows that sun damage will age her quicker than anything.

Still not convinced?

Sharon Stone is one of those stars that often appears sun-kissed.

This picture of her was taken when she was in character for a role in Law & Order: SVU but I think her skin tone here is exactly what I expect for Sharon.

She looks like she has a nice, even tan, right?

But Sharon is another one who wants to look as young as possible. No way is she going to risk prematurely aging her skin or reversing the benefits of all her anti-aging treatments by tanning.

Have a look at what she looked like before she sat in the makeup chair. Another example of very fair skin.

So if you want to keep your face looking as youthful as possible, avoid the sun.

Wear a high quality sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 (50 - 60 would be preferred).

Wear a hat when you are outdoors.

And now that I have brought to your attention how fair all the Hollywood stars are these days, you are going to start noticing that very few leading ladies ever look tanned.

Gift Idea for the Stressed Out Person

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:01:59 PST

Does he grind his teeth? Look angry or anxious all the time?

The treatment that relaxes these facial expressions can also reduce the emotion behind them. Imagine giving the gift of relief from stress, depression or irritability.

The theory is that when we no longer look angry or stressed, people respond to us more positively and we feel better. The observations of one of my clients supports this idea. Martha told me that after she had Botox, strangers found her more approachable, and would, for instance, ask her for directions or strike up a conversation.

I think there is also a component of internal feedback. When you no longer have the aching jaws from tooth-grinding or an aching forehead from frowning, you feel more relaxed.

But whatever the exact mechanism for the effect, improved mood has been observed in a number of different studies and settings.

"The Botox patients scored much lower on measures of depression, anxiety and irritability," explains Michael Lewis, a psychology professor at the University of Cardiff and lead author of the study. "Crucially, there was no significant difference in how much their treatment made them feel attractive from those who had other treatments, suggesting that [the mood boost] wasn't just down to a boost in self-confidence."

Reduction of teeth-grinding (bruxism) is particularly beneficial.

"And it's not just relief from jaw pain, tension and headaches, that our patients experience. Some are also noticing a dramatic change in the appearance of their lower face. The square, severe look softened into a more normal and aesthetically pleasing jaw line.

"Some patients have also reported a marked reduction in their general stress level as their grinding gradually comes to a halt. Breaking the habit of Bruxism allows patients to relax and enjoy life."

Maybe you can buy happiness after all.

Dr. Frankenstein 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:34:01 PST

Bizarre but true: plastic surgeon married a woman he didn't love and didn't find attractive but thought had "potential." He performed 8 operations and injected 1000's of dollars worth of botox and fillers to transform her into his ideal woman.

"Only AFTER £18,000 of cosmetic surgery did Reza, 48, fall in love with her."

Here are Before and After shots of her from topix.com. These images show how subjective our perception of beauty is because I don't find her transformation very attractive. And yet she was "created" to her husband's specifications. I'd like to see her face a little softer and prettier with less emphasis on the fake lips.

Her body is extremely toned and fit-looking but the massive breast implants make each breast bigger than her head. The doctor obviously has a comic book aesthetic.

And of course, the whole idea of their relationship seems pathological. Imagine marrying someone who didn't love you and wasn't attracted to you? Actually, I can't imagine it. And he says he loves her now that he has transformed her?!? I'm sorry but that isn't love; that's pride in creation.

Comic book girl superhero image from Comic Vine. Right hand image from http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26298019-5013016,00.html.

The original story appeared in British tabloid The Sun.

Returning to beauty and confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:32:47 PDT

This is a very personal story for me. It's about my sister Nicola who is 5 years older than me. We both agreed that we would share her story in order to help others.

A few years ago, her life seemed to be on a downward spiral. She'd reached the point where she felt she had lost her looks -- makeup didn't seem to be working any more -- her face was perpetually sad, even when she was trying to smile -- and she was overweight and suffering a lot in her health.

This Before picture was taken in October 2007 after she had started having a few treatments here (she didn't allow herself to be photographed before that) but you can still see the bleakness she was feeling. She didn't make much effort with her appearance because she thought it was futile.

From a cosmetic perspective, I see volume loss in the lips, and sagging of existing volume so her eyelids are heavy and her cheeks are most prominent down at the level of her mouth. You may not see it well in this picture but she has a very uneven skin tone with dark pigment around her eyes and mouth and on her neck.

In the past 2 years, Nicola has undergone a few treatments -- generally when we needed someone to practice on as various staff were trained. She might get something done every 4 months or so -- I don't want you to think that she was getting botox and pixel laser treatments every week or even every month.

Now take a look at Nicola today. You'll immediately notice that her hair style is more flattering and that she has lost weight. I would argue that she made more effort with her hair and she had success with losing weight because she was feeling better about herself.

If we look in detail at her face, you can see a huge improvement in her eyelids. See how crepey the lids were in the Before shot? Her left eyelid was touching her eyelashes. Today she has contoured lids with lots of lid show. We tightened the skin of her lids by doing some Pixel laser and lifted the brows with Botox.

Look at her cheeks. See how the fullness has been lifted from where it was, down at the level of her mouth, up to the apples of her cheeks? The whole shape of her face is changed with an overall appearance of uplift, improving the jowls and jawline. Nicola had a SoftLift in August with Juvederm placed in her cheeks and in the marionette lines extending down from the corners of her mouth.

Of course, Nicola mouth looks bigger. Part of her SoftLift included augmenting her lips with Juvederm. Nicola and I both have thin upper lips that tend to disappear when we smile so we both like the way the lips augmentation prevents that.

The other thing we noticed is that the scar on Nicola's nose across the bridge has improved. This wasn't something that we actively treated. Nicola always looked on the scar as a symbol of surviving a near-fatal accident so she never asked to have it erased. However you can see how much it has smoothed out in the course of using medical grade skincare from Vivier and having Pixel laser treatments.

Another point to make about these 2 photos: Nicola was trying to make the same facial expression in both -- her pleasant expression. In the bad old days, every line in her face was downturned -- brows, outer corners of eyes, corners of mouth -- so her pleasant expression looked angry and sad. Now that those downturned lines are gone, she looks alert and positive even without a smile on her face.

These pictures show that you can get your face back without surgery, without having a surgical facelift. Nicola had a combination of non-surgical treatments including excellent skincare products, Pixel laser, IPL photofacial, injection lipolysis, Juvederm and Botox.

It took time for Nicola to achieve this level of improvement. However when you have gotten to the point that you think that the rest of your life is a downward spiral, how wonderful to see yourself improving month by month, instead of declining.

And this brings me to my final point: looking better makes you feel better about yourself. When you start seeing some improvement in yourself, you're more energized to do other things that will make positive changes in your life.

The path back to feeling positive and confident will be different for different people. If you're having trouble finding your path, start with your appearance.

Now is the time to erase signs of sun damage

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:54:16 PDT

Now that cooler temperatures have arrived and the sun has slipped behind clouds, our tans are fading. Our winter skin is showing all of the after-effects of the sun-brightened skin that we enjoyed in the summer.

When you look in the mirror, you're probably not seeing a smooth bright even-toned complexion.

You're probably seeing brown spots -- sun spots -- known by the medical term solar lentigos. Sun spots foreshadow worse damage to come in the future. And they contribute to aging your appearance now.

You may be seeing redness, ranging from a diffuse flush to patches of broken capillaries.

The surface texture of your skin is likely to be roughened. My skin used to be so rough from sun damage that I gave up on wearing makeup because it looked mealy on my skin. I needed foundation to even out my blotchy skintone but I couldn't get it to go on properly.

And of course, we can thank the sun for many of the wrinkles and lines on our face -- both from squinting against the sun and also from damage to the collagen and elastin in our skin leading to the network of fine lines that we see as we age.

When someone comes to see me about sun damage, my recommendations depend on the individual's age, goals and budget, as well as the company that the sun damage is keeping.

So the basic treatment that addresses specifically the brown sun spots is the Intense Pulsed Light treatment (IPL), also known as the photofacial. By strict definitions, this is not a laser although many people refer to it as such.

In the upcoming series of articles, I will address sun damage and the factors that influence my recommendations for treatment. Depending on the situation, I might recommend skincare alone, chemical peels, or fractionated laser or any combination of these treatments, with or without IPL.

There's method in my madness and I'm trying to tailor the treatment to best suit the individual.

Fix droopy eyelids without surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:39:57 PDT

We often think of droopy lids as simply a cosmetic problem, but for sufferers they are more.

Not only do they have to put up with constant inquiries about their sleeping habits and apparent lack of energy, the lids actually press on the eyelids making the eyes themselves tired.

Nicola, our Director of Business Development is a case in point.

When she started working here in November her eyes were quite hooded (before picture, upper right). Since then she has had several pixel treatments and each time she is more and more thrilled with the lift she has regained (after picture, below).

"Instead of falling down like a curtain, my lids are following the contour of my brow bone. I look brighter, can apply my make up easier and best of all I don't suffer from the constant pressing on my eye balls that made it hard to work at the computer."

If you've been thinking about doing something with your lids, now is the perfect time to try out a Pixel treatment as part of our Summer Tasting Menu.

With little downtime and far less risk and cost than surgery it might be just the solution to your hooded lids.

This article is reprinted from our newsletter of July 2, 2009. Subscribe to our newsletter by clicking on the big pink button in the upper right hand corner.

Latest trends in bikini grooming from Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:42:41 PDT

A lot of my bikini hair removal clients are still asking for a brazilian, meaning everything off.

That's why I was interested to read on this Irish blog that more and more European women are choosing a well-groomed triangle rather than baring all.

The latest stats for Harley Medical’s Dublin clinic reveal that eight out of ten gals getting laser hair removal for their bikini line now prefer a little more coverage - a classic V-shape, to be precise. And why is it called the Sicilian? Well, that’d be to do with the fact that its shaped like the home of the Mafia, fact fans.

I saw the same trend on La Mom, the blog of an American woman in Paris.

Both articles are pretty cute and the comments are hilarious.

It will be interesting to see if North American women continue to prefer the brazilian or make the switch to the "classic T."

Older job seekers: Make your age a non-issue

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 07:22:24 PDT

If you're jobless and aged over 55 years, you're probably having a difficult time being considered for a new job, let alone actually getting it.

The US Department of Labor's statistics published in June show that unemployment rates for those over 55 are the highest they've been since 1948, 7%. And older workers remain jobless for far longer than younger workers.

...unemployed workers 55 or older were jobless an average of nearly 30 weeks, compared with about 21 weeks for those under 55. That gap has widened during the recession: In 2006, it averaged only six weeks.

The prejudices that younger supervisors have against older employees include the fear that the worker is more likely to injure himself on the job, for instance by falling, more likely to require more sicktime and less likely to have new ideas or be up on new technology.

Many job-seekers are adjusting their resumes to exclude dates, and sometimes cutting out certain experience or qualifications that indicates age or over-qualification.

Another strategy is to erase some of the signs of aging in the face so the interviewer will accept you as 10 or 20 years younger than your actual age.

In our recent 10 Years Younger in Burlington program, we performed a variety of treatments to reduce signs of aging all on the same day on the winner and 4 runners-up.

Each treatment requires some healing time before you see the final results so doing all of the treatments on the same day meant that everything had healed 1 week later. All of the ladies who underwent the treatments felt that it was very tolerable to have light and laser treatments as well as Botox and Juvederm injections on the same day.

You can see the results for each one by clicking on their links: Margaret, Celeste, Kathy M, Kathy P and Christine.

For all the male job seekers out there, don't be put off that these stories are all about women. I have written about how celebrities are getting laser and filler treatments to stay looking young here and here, and I have also shown how restoring the cheeks can take 10 - 20 years off a man's face here.

The approach to the male face has to be quite different from the female face to avoid feminizing the features. My techniques for men are all directed at keeping you looking masculine, handsome and ageless.

I strongly urge you to come and see me at Advanced Rejuvenation so we can talk about your specific issues and the best treatments to make you look younger and more vital. Call 905-340-0401 for an appointment.

Joan Rivers, can we talk?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:26:22 PDT

I've been meaning to write about Joan Rivers for a long while now but, frankly, I had trouble finding a good quality photo of her before she had any plastic surgery done.

Joan is an excellent model for showing how our ideas about cosmetic medicine and surgery have changed over the years.

In the photo on the left above, Joan is in her early 50s and already had a facelift. Joan's now 76, so this was taken around 25 years ago, before Botox and hyaluronic acid fillers were available though collagen injections were available then. In a classic facelift, lax facial muscles were cut and shortened to tighten them up and excess skin was cut out and the remainder pulled tighter over the framework of the face.

With a classic facelift, you get the very high brows and the tight skin of the lower face. Her hairline appears well behind the ears and her eyes pull into a bit of a slant. It looks like the framework of her facial bones has the skin stretched taut over it.

This photo (right) shows Joan before the facelift. You can see that her brows were lower and drooping at the outer ends. Her lower face was fuller with the fullest part of her cheek was down near the level of her upper lip.

So, comparing these photos of Joan Rivers in her 40s and 50s, we can see that in earlier years, the thinking in plastic surgery circles about reversing signs of aging was all about tightening.

The more recent photo of Joan (top right) shows that our new ideas about looking younger are all about volumizing.

As we age, everything shrinks -- the bones and muscles of the face. The skin loses collagen and elastin and becomes thinner and more lax. The fat pads in the face shrink and move downwards -- that's why Joan's cheeks were fullest at the level of her upper lip in the earliest photo.

In the most recent photo of Joan, her cheeks are fuller than they were after the facelift. This is probably from injections of dermal fillers like Juvederm or Teosyal. The cheeks can also be volumized with Sculptra.

Her jaw is wider. They have built up the jaw either with surgical implants or filler or Sculptra.

Her nose looks smaller. I suspect that this is because the tissues around the nose have been revolumized rather than another nose job.

As we age, our noses appear to get bigger because the tissues around them are receding. When I do a Sculptra treatment, I make sure to restore the tissues around the nose so the nose goes back into proportion. I explain this idea in more depth with photos here.

She has dermal fillers like Juvederm or Teosyal in her lips to keep them looking soft and full, and in the lines from nose to mouth and mouth to jawline building up the tissues in this area and making them look more youthful.

In a lot of ways, Joan Rivers looks softer and more youthful now than she did 25 years ago. Sadly, she will always have the stretched-taut appearance of her brows and eyes from the earlier plastic surgery.

The stars who are hitting their 40s now are avoiding the characteristic facelift appearance by keeping the skin tight with fractionated laser treatments like our Pixel and maintaining the volume in their face with injectables.

In this day and age, you really don't need a facelift to look younger and better.

This article is reprinted from our newsletter of March 23, 2009. To subscribe, click on the big pink button in the upper right-hand corner.

Hot News: EWG 2009 Report on Sunscreens

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:05:54 PDT

Is your sunscreen working for you? Are you and your family truly protected from harmful UVA and UVB rays? Are any of the components of your sunscreen potentially harmful?

Now you can get the answers to these questions and more from a not-for-profit expert team called the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Their annual report on sunscreens was published online yesterday.

You can read it for yourself by clicking here.

Last year's report was harshly critical of many of the most popular brands of sunscreen, like Banana Boat, Neutrogena and Coppertone. The report stated that only 29% of sunscreens had UVA protection. The sunscreen industry is listening and this year 71% of products include UVA protection.

EWG ranks products according to effectiveness and safety.

Some sunscreen chemicals break down very quickly when exposed to the sun's rays so a compound that seems stable in the laboratory may be useless in the real world.

Certain compounds and/or delivery systems may be harmful. For instance, zinc oxide is an excellent and safe broad spectrum protectant in a cream or lotion form but could be harmful if inhaled so should not be used as a spray.

Wanna know what's on EWG's Top 10 List? Click here.

For your convenience, you can purchase the #1 Recommended Sunscreen Soleo Organics Sunscreen Organic chemical free sunscreen, SPF 30+, and 2 more recommended products: UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
and Obagi Nu-Derm Physical UV Block, SPF 32 at our online store.

Our online store is certified Hacker Protected and Verified Secure for worry-free internet shopping. You can pay using VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, PayPal, and Google Payments.

Be confident that the sunscreen you're using is effective and safe by choosing a product recommended by the EWG 2009 Sunscreen Guide.

Why did this woman almost die from botox?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:27:35 PDT

Front-page news: Botox injection nearly kills woman. Yesterday's Hamilton Spectator trumpeted the news.

Does this mean that everyone who decides to smooth out a few wrinkles is risking a brush with death? Not at all.

Let's look at what happened: Francine Giacomelli, a 25-year old woman who lived confined to a wheelchair because of severe cerebral palsy had botox injections into her thighs, hips and back to improve the function of those muscles and reduce pain.

Botox acts as a mucle relaxant, making a huge difference in conditions of severe muscle spasticity.

In this poor woman's case, she experienced side effects from the spread of the botox so that it affected the muscles that control the eyelids and her swallowing function. She will gradually regain control of these muscles when the botox wears off but it could take months.

What about botox treatments for wrinkles?

There's a vast difference between the way botox is used for cosmetic treatments and medical conditions.

Botox for cosmetic use is much more concentrated, meaning that it won't travel or diffuse any distance from where it is injected. We are targeting tiny facial muscles and we want the botox to stay put.

For medical conditions, particularly those involving large muscles, the botox is diluted so that it will diffuse into the muscle. This is a good way of dealing with large muscles but it carries the risk that the botox will spread beyond the target muscle to other areas.

The dose that we use for a tiny little facial muscle is much smaller than what is needed for a big gluteal or quadriceps muscle.

When I did our Fabulous Five in the 10 Years Younger in Burlington program, the most that I put into any one woman (targeting every single facial muscle that I wanted to) was around 75 units. Not one of these ladies experienced symptoms of the botox spreading to another area.

In contrast, a lot of these medical treatments for severe spasticity start at 100 units and go up from there. I don't know how many units this woman was given but an estimate for treating 3 large muscle groups, both left and right sides, would be a minimum of 120 units and probably a lot more.

Botox for cosmetic use in the face is very safe. There has never been a report of an allergic reaction or a death with true BOTOX® Cosmetic from Allergan.

Medical botox, on the other hand, carries risks related to the dose required, the size of the patient (the number of units per kilogram body weight is higher in children and small adults) and the part of the body being treated. However if you google botox and cerebral palsy, you will find countless reports of children and adults who experienced huge improvements in their lives, thanks to this new treatment.

I wish Francine a speedy and safe recovery.

6 Common Sunscreen Mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:28:02 PDT

It's that time of year again when we think about protecting ourselves from the sun. Before you go outdoors, make sure you're not making any of the following common mistakes with your sunscreen.

Not wearing sunscreen on cloudy or overcast days.

Damaging ultraviolet rays, UVA, stay at a pretty constant level all year round and all day. These rays penetrate clouds and glass. UVA causes the damage we associate with accelerated aging such as wrinkling and sagging of the skin.

Not applying sunscreen until you are outside.

How many times have you gone to the beach with the sunscreen in your beachbag and applied it after you're sitting soaking up rays? Apply your sunscreen before you leave the house so that you are fully protected when you walk out the door.

Forgetting to reapply sunscreen.

Manufacturers' instructions advise that you should reapply sunscreen every 2 hours. At the bare minimum, you should reapply after swimming or working out, and on your face, after eating.

Habitually missing a spot when you apply sunscreen.

After a vacation in the Caribbean where she meticulously used sunscreen to avoid any tan on her face, Laura came back with a brown stripe down the middle of her nose. She always applied sunscreen with both hands starting at the sides and working towards the middle but her hands never quite met, leaving a stripe unprotected. I've seen other people miss the hollow under their cheekbones or the upper lip.

Using sunscreen that is too weak.

If you are using the SPF as a guideline to how long you can stay out in the sun, you're probably underestimating your level of protection. SPF is tested under ideal conditions, using a lot more product than we typically use. It doesn't take into account activities that will remove the product such as exercise, swimming, physical contact, contact with clothing.

Protecting the face and forgetting the body.

Many of us get into a workday routine of applying sunscreen to our faces in the morning but leave the house with exposed and unprotected skin, such as the nape of the neck, the hands, the decolletage. It's a good idea to wear protective clothing and to apply sunscreen to all exposed skin. Remember to reapply sunscreen after you've washed your hands.

Special program happening at Advanced Rejuvenation

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:33:49 PDT

We are in the middle of a project that is so fun, so gratifying and so absorbing that I have not been writing on this site for a while.

Yes, that's right, it's time once again for 10 Years Younger in Burlington!

We had quite a number of applicants this year and every one of them deserved a 10 years younger transformation. It wasn't easy to winnow down the applicants to our top 10, and then to our top 5.

Once we had our top 5 applicants, we were really sweating bullets trying to decide who would be The One. Each applicant had a compelling story. Each applicant had a particular sign of aging that other people would relate to; we knew the correction of each individual's problem would create a transformation that would amaze our readers.

Then we received the most wonderful good news: Allergan, the maker of BOTOX® Cosmetic
and Juvederm, agreed to provide SoftLifts to all 5 women.

Once we had Allergan on board, it was a no-brainer for all of the participating businesses, Advanced Rejuvenation, Art in Hair, Beth Parojcic, Dr. Bekesch, Mia Boutique, The Ornatrix, and Sparkle 2 Go to provide various products and services for all 5 women. And our wonderful photographer, Melanie Gillis, photographed them all.

This has really been an exciting month for us, seeing 5 women transformed in their faces, their hair, their smiles, clothing style and internally as well. They have become fast friends, calling themselves The Fabulous Five -- and they really are fabulous!

Go over to the 10 Years Younger in Burlington site to check them all out. Join us on Friday May 29th at 5050 Restaurant (corner of Locust and Elgin in Burlington) at 7 pm to see them revealed.

Come and share this magical experience with us!

What the Pixel experience is really like

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:35:22 PDT

Here are Miss A's comments about her Pixel experience and the skincare products.

Based on the science and Miss A's experience, I think the HYDRAgel and TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream are ideal for comfort and rapid healing after the Pixel.

You can see Miss A's photos here.

I would like to thank all of you for the opportunity of having a Pixel treatment on my face and neck. This was one of the things on my "wish list".

Not really knowing what to expect was a good thing for me as I had a fresh and unbiased experience with this procedure.

First off, the procedure itself was not painful. The IPL treatment was more painful, and even that was not so bad.

The pain of the Pixel comes approx. ten minutes after the procedure is complete. I found that the lidocaine gel and the cool air is a must. The cool air felt really good while still laying down - approx. 5 min. worth.

After that, approx. 3-4 hours later the redness really comes out. My face felt very sunburned and sore.

I would strongly encourage the HYDRAgel! That gel is amazing! It cools and takes the sting away. It is very soothing and the nice part is that it does not ever sting, even right after the procedure. I found that the Cicaplast does sting for about 10 minutes after application and I'm not sure if I would like to use that again. The Ceramide cream is also very nice in combination with the HYDRAgel. I did not use the Ceramide cream on its own so I'm not sure if it would sting if used alone. However, since I put it on overtop of the HYDRAgel, I found that it added to the moisture level on my face and the two of them really made my face feel more hydrated and supple. On the other side of my face (left) I used the Vivier Redness Relief cream and although it did not sting, it still was not as soothing as the other side (right). My left side still felt a bit tight and sore with the Redness Relief cream, although bearable.

I found that the flakiness was most obvious 2-3 days after the procedure but even that wasn't very bad.

The next time I get a Pixel treatment done I would use the HYDRAgel and the Ceramide cream on my entire face and neck. Even now, one week later, I still like the way these two products make my face and neck feel. I will continue to use the HYDRAgel in my daily routine and the Ceramide until gone.

Thank you, once again.

Sincerely

A

Study on new skincare products used after Pixel laser treatment

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:16:18 PDT

This is what a Pixel fractionated laser treatment looks like from before (first image) to immediately after (second image) and day-by-day to the seventh day after the treatment.

We compared our standard skincare products on the left side of the face, with a new product from Vivier, HYDRAgel, and a SkinMedica product, TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream.

We chose the HYDRAgel for 2 reasons: 1) it is an excellent oil-free moisturizer full of hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B5 and glycosaminoglycans, and 2) our experience was that it didn't hurt on Pixeled skin.

The TNS Ceramide is designed to help skin heal after a Pixel. Ceramides are the specific fats on the surface of your skin. In damaged skin, you need to replace the ceramides to promote skin healing and prevent drying. The TNS line of products also contain peptides and vitamins that stimulate growth and help the skin to heal faster.

Immediately after the treatment, you can see some dark red patches where we did extra shots of laser for scars and wrinkles on Miss A. These are mostly on the right side of her face. She applied the HYDRAgel and TNS Ceramide to the right side of the face. At this point, her skin is feeling pretty sunburned; she doesn't look very happy, does she?

DAY 1: Twenty-four hours after the treatment and everything has settled down. Miss A's complexion appears darkened because she has so much healing and blood flow happening in her face. At this stage, you can comfortably apply makeup and cover everything.

At this stage, the skin is feeling rough to the touch. The roughness lasts 5 - 7 days and flakes off.

DAY 2 DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5

DAY 6
DAY 7: By 7 days after the treatment, Miss A's skin has healed. Notice how Miss A looked happier and happier as the week wore on -- this was her natural response to the treatment.

She now has new skin cells and new collagen in her skin, making her skin smoother, brighter, lighter and tighter. Her skin is more reflective, which is why it appears so white under the lights.

In the final image, I don't see a difference between the 2 sides of the face so you might think that the skincare products didn't make a difference. Don't forget that the right side of her face was worse to start with and received a more intense treatment. The fact that the right side caught up with the left side so quickly and healed so well suggests to me that the skincare products made a difference.

Boob Job Bandit: Doesn't she watch CSI?

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Rose Jeans) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 07:31:51 PDT

You may have heard about the Boob Job Bandit, a woman who purchased $12,000-worth of cosmetic services from 2 Newport Beach clinics using a stolen credit card.

Her stolen purchases included liposuction and new breast implants to replace an old set.

She has now been captured and it was the old breast implants that revealed her identity as 30-year old Yvonne Pampellone.

All implants have a unique identification number. This is classic CSI: unidentified DB (dead body) turns out to have some kind of implant, somewhere -- I've seen breast, cochlear, even intervertebral disc (that was the episode where the daughter killed her mother and disposed of her in the trash, I believe).

The CSIs check the number on the implant and, voila! They have the identity of the victim.

Same thing with the Boob Job Bandit. Her old implants have resulted in her being charged with identity theft, grand theft and commercial burglary.

She should have paid more attention to CSI.

Did she really think new boobs and a little less fat was worth risking a criminal record? The mind boggles.