Archive for April, 2010

There are many clinics, medical spas, and doctor’s offices that are now offering laser hair removal treatments all over the world. As a former engineer for a laser manufacturer, I can honestly say that I’ve actually installed lasers in people’s houses and even in their basements and that these people actually ran hair removal clinics from these locations. This may sound scary, but believe it or not, the technology is so advanced that it is certainly not as unsafe as it may sound.

Still, you may wonder what are some good resources for finding a reputable hair removal clinic in your area. Well, my first recommendation is to go to: www.laserhairremoval.com. This is a great resource for not only locating a clinic, but answering any questions that you may have. You can even ask questions and have them answered by knowledgeable people who can then refer you to a clinic in your area.

You can also go to: www.hairlasers.com. They also have good information and can refer you as well.

As a laser engineer and clinical laser technician I can say without any bias, that Candela makes the ideal hair removal lasers. They are preferred due to their superior epidermal cooling system (computer-controlled cryogen spray), and their larger spot sizes. The large spot size means fewer pulses and less time spent getting treated; and less time means less pain. The cooling system is best because it is the only epidermal cooling method that has parameters that can be charted, so every treatment session produces the same results. It is also the safest method due to the fact that it does not vary with the operators speed or technique.

In order to find a clinic that uses Candela lasers, you can go to the Candela website, and click on the “Locate a Practitioner” link at the top-right of the page.

It has been my experience that these are the best resources available for locating a good, reputable laser hair removal clinic in your area, however it is important that you still do your research, ask questions, and compare them to find the best. Google each clinic that you find and see if there are online user reviews or complaints, but most importantly learn about the particular laser or light-based devices they use. Remember some clinics offer “Laser hair removal” and they don’t even own a laser, but an Intense Pulsed Light device or IPL. Ask them for the make and model of the hair removal device they use and research it. For hair removal, is should either be a diode laser such as the “Light Sheer”, an alexendrite laser, such as the Candela GentleLaser, or a long-pulsed Nd:Yag laser, such as the Candela GentleYag. If you are not familiar with the device or the manufacture, check it out on the internet and make sure it’s an actual laser before proceeding. IPL devices are not very effective at all for removing hair.

Combination skin is skin that has areas of the face that are overly oily and areas of the face that are overly dry. Since skin is both dry and oily at the same time, treating it can be difficult. Products that can be used on oily skin will be bad for dry skin and products that can be used on dry skin will be bad for oily skin.

The most important thing that you can do to take care of combination skin is to make sure that you have combination skin and not one or the other. The best way to do that is to wash your face and wait an hour or so. Take a tissue and rub it on you T-zone area, which will probably be oily. Rub another tissue on your cheeks and chin. These areas should be a lot less oily. Make sure that you examine your skin closely to determine what, if any, other skin conditions should be considered when choosing your daily skin care regimen.

Once you have determined that you have combination skin, and you have taken note of any additional skin problems that you will want to address, choose skin care products that are geared at your specific skin care needs. Combination skin care products are sometimes more expensive and harder to find. If you are in doubt about how to treat your skin, you should seek the advice of a dermatologist.

Having a skin care regimen that includes exfoliating the skin two to three times a week will improve the look of the oily skin and scrubs away the dead skin cells that often make skin look dull. Moisturizing the skin with an intensive moisturizer should also be a part of the skin care routine to moisturize skin that would be dried out by the cleansers and exfoliaters that are used. Exfoliating the skin and following it up with moisturizer will make the newly exfoliated skin look much healthier than just exfoliating the skin alone.

A daily sunscreen should be used to protect the skin from the sun’s UV rays that will increase the production of fine lines and dry out the skin. Ideally, cosmetics that already contain a suitable sunscreen should be used. Using make up that is specifically designed for combination skin should round out the skin care techniques used to care for combination skin. Using make up that is designed for combination skin will not only be healthier for your skin when it becomes necessary for you to cover it up all day, but treating problem areas will be much easier when cleansing and exfoliating.

How often you color your hair depends on several different variables. One must take into consideration the type of dye being used, the strength and condition of the hair, and the desired color of the hair.

The strength and condition of the hair is the most important factor when deciding how often you should color your hair. Some people’s hair can withstand several chemical processes in a single day, while other hair types are much more fragile. Generally, those with thick and coarse hair types can get away with more frequent colorings than those with fine hair. Porosity of the hair is another consideration, as it will affect processing time. Porosity refers to the hair’s ability to absorb moisture. Hair that is overly-porous will absorb color faster than hair that is resistant. In order to test your hair’s porosity, snip a few strands of hair near the ends and place them into a cup of water. Within a few seconds, porous hair will sink to the bottom and healthy hair will float.

The type of hair dye is another important factor. Most permanent colors contain ammonia, which can be damaging to the hair. Temporary and semi-permanent dyes are much healthier for the hair, but they only have the ability to darken the hair, not lighten it. Lightening the hair is always more damaging than darkening the hair. Provided that your hair is healthy, strong, and has passed the porosity test, hair can be colored with a permanent dye every four weeks. A semi-permanent color, sometimes referred to as a color glaze, can be applied every two weeks if desired.

Hair that is over-porous or dry can still be colored, but less frequently and with more care. Close attention must be paid to processing time, as porous hair can process 5-10 minutes faster than healthy hair. Unless the hair is extremely damaged, dry and porous hair can be colored every 6-8 weeks with a permanent dye and every 4-6 weeks with a semi-permanent dye.

Severely damaged hair should never be colored at home. Only a trained professional will be able to assess the degree of damage to the hair, and will then be able to decide whether or not it is a good idea to apply color to the hair. Signs of severe damage include breakage and excessive hair loss. Applying the wrong type of hair dye or leaving the dye on the hair for the wrong amount of time can result in a hair disaster, which is why it is always best to leave coloring in the hands of a trained professional.

Generally speaking, professional laser hair removal is a fairly expensive process. In order to be completely free of unwanted hair, it can take as many as six to eight treatments, which can cost up to five thousand dollars each depending on the particular facility and the area of the body that is being treated.

That said many people don’t realize how much money they invest into hair removal in other forms over the years, such as waxing or shaving. Recent studies have shown that the average American woman spends between $3,000 and $10,000 over a ten-year period to remove unwanted hair from their legs, underarms and bikini line. Of course, laser hair removal can also be done on other areas of the body and is growing in popularity among men as well, especially for the removal of unwanted back or chest hair. Considering the cost that most women put into waxing and/or shaving and the time and hassle involved in the hair removal process, it isn’t surprising that many people are opting for laser hair removal despite the intimidating price.

One possible alternative to professional laser hair removal is the TRIA at-home laser hair removal system. It provides the same technology used by professionals but in the comfort of your own home at just a fraction of the price. For $795-$995 you can purchase the TRIA laser for use at home. It is easy and safe to use with no goggles or other safety precautions necessary. There are some limitations however. For example, it can’t be used on your face or genitals and the technology will only work for people with darker hair and lighter skin tones.

The TRIA system also requires more work on your part than an in-office treatment. You can’t just lie down and let the physician do all the work. Instead, you have to prepare the desired area by shaving and then tediously apply the laser. The laser is very small, so treating a larger area like your legs or arms can take a very long time and be more difficult to accomplish when you are treating your own body. You also should not expect immediate results. Just as with professional treatments, you will still have to treat each area up to eight times, which means a lot of time spent on at-home hair removal over the course of up to one year. This is due to the fact that hair grows in cycles and some hair may be missed from one laser application to the next. However, after that, you can expect to be virtually hair free for life, so for most the trade-off is worth it if you can afford the initial investment. And at less than $1,000, you can rid nearly your entire body of hair, for a savings of up to $15,000.

Plain Health Talk! I have to disturb and scare you first.

Your body is a living organism; every cell is alive. You do not feel the damage from lack of nutrition until the damage is almost uncontrollable. We as individuals don’t think about our health as a priority because we are too busy with any number of things, going to school to get a better education, raising our children, finding the job that will improve our income, busy with visiting our friends and relatives etc. We shovel in the fast foods that are easily accessible in our instant society, because it is quick and cheap, with no regard has to how the living cells are reacting to the lack of nutrition they are receiving.

It is a crime to feed your animals only rice or corn husks because there is no nutritional value in these types of foods, yet it is ok to put non-nutritional substances into your own body because it is your choice.

Damage is cumulative, over a long period of time things begin to go wrong, either our bowls cease to function as they once did or we begin to have sleeping difficulties or a number of other small inconveniences begin to occur. Most people do not seek the help of a health professional at the onset of the minor problems; they continue with their busy lives and wait until the problems become unbearable to live with.

Lets face the facts here; the air we have to breath is polluted, after a heavy rain the air actually smells good, that’s because all the heavy polluted matter was washed to the ground; oh boy now it is being absorbed into the ground water and coming out of your faucet for you to drink. Now you add all the wrong foods to this time bomb and you somehow expect to remain in good health through it all. Wrong answer, it’s not possible, your body is being damaged every day.

You will not feel the clogged artery that will cause your heart attack or stoke. One day you will wake up, go to work, play golf with a friend and during the game your chest will cause you to collapse to the ground in more agony than you can ever imagine. You will find yourself in the hospital being rushed into surgery, if you are one of the luck ones. If you are not one of the lucky ones your family and friends will lose you that day. People will say “they seemed so healthy, there were no signs to warn us about the condition, I don’t know what we could have done”. Are you scared yet, I really hope so.

There are things you can do right now to reverse many of the problems that exist inside your body. There