Posted in Health and Beauty
I am so pleased to offer a new skin care line – Neocutis. It is available only in doctor’s offices. Like you, I am always skeptical when it comes to anti-aging product claims. And of course, no cream can possibly be as effective as surgery or therapeutic laser treatments. But in the world of skin care products, I think that Neocutis is among the best there is for clinically proven wrinkle reduction.
Its flagship product, the Bio-restorative Skin Cream, contains the company’s proprietary ingredient, PSP™, the most complete protein blend of Human Growth Factors, Cytokines, and Interleukins available to rejuvenate and soothe skin.
Not only is it a great product for anti-aging, but it also helpful after facial cosmetic procedures to promote healing, a real plus in my clinical practice. It can even be used in combination with other topical treatments such as anti-rosacea medications, anti-acne medications, or retinoids to help soothe and treat the skin.
The Bio-restorative Skin Cream’s effectiveness in helping to reduce the signs of facial skin aging has been shown in several clinical studies.
The detailed results of the anti-aging studies can be found by clicking the links below.
Clinical Data: 2 Month Study
Clinical & Histology Data: 6 Month Study
Reduction of Skin Wrinkle Depth
The Neocutis product line also includes an eye cream, a daily sunscreen moisturizer combo, as well as Blanche. This product helps to even out the skin tone by treating hyper-pigmentation and melasma. Blanche was recently chosen by Allure Magazine as the 2009 winner of the Best Beauty Editors’ Choice Breakthrough Award.
For more information on the complete line of products, visit www.neocutis.com.
Dr. Carolyn Chang, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted by Dr. Carolyn Chang San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted in Health and Beauty, Plastic Surgery
What do people find attractive about themselves and each other? The answers are surprising. Recently, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery conducted a survey asking these very questions. People in their 20s, 30s, 40, 50s, and 60s were each asked a series of questions. Their answers are as follows. They are not what you would expect!
“What aspect of physical beauty do you find most appealing in another person?”
People in their 20s-40s responded that they considered a fit, well-proportioned body to be most important. For those in their 50s and 60s, youthful skin was the most important.
But when people were asked, “Which part of your body are you most concerned about,” the answers were different. Only those in their 30s responded that they were most concerned about their body. Everyone else was more concerned with their face!
Beauty standards that we have for ourselves are apparently not the same as those we have for others.
Other interesting findings in this study include the fact that in regards to the body, more people were concerned with their abdomen and hips than their breasts for each decade. And when asked what “the most important reason to maintain your physical appearance” was, the overwhelming reason across all decades was to boost self-confidence. The second most popular reason for those in their 20s was “to attract potential partners.” For those in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, the number two reason was “to increase professional opportunities,” and for those in their 60s, it was “to help make friends.”
You can access the original summary from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery at http://www.surgery.org/media/news-releases/how-do-our-attitudes-about-beauty-change-as-we-age
And the actual Beauty for Life survey results at http://www.surgery.org/downloads/BFLUserSurvey.pdf
Dr. Carolyn Chang, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted by Dr. Carolyn Chang San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted in Health and Beauty, Plastic Surgery
What do we do when the Botox, fillers, and lasers stop doing the trick, and we finally do look our ages? For some women, making the decision to rejuvenate their look with facial plastic surgery may be a vital part of their long-term beauty goals. So how do we best incorporate downtime into our busy lives?
Jane Ford, co-founder of Benefit Cosmetics
Whether it’s a small tweak or a major overhaul, immediately after, the swelling and bruising from the procedure may have you in hiding longer than you would like. Luckily, in most cases, the temporary changes to your face are easy to camouflage. So what are the best products on the market that can help you put your best face forward as soon as possible? Who better to ask the tricks of the trade than a true expert – Jane Ford, beauty powerhouse and co-founder of the global beauty brand Benefit Cosmetics.
I recently sat down with the very fabulous Jane to get her recommendations for the perfect post-operative regimen. Of course, once the healing is done, these Benefit products are perfect for looking gorgeous everyday too!
Jane starts with the basics:
“Always, always invest in good moisturizing. I just love our Dear John facial cream (one of Elle Magazine’s top 5 picks)…quite honestly, I can’t find one better.”
Eyecon eye cream is terrific for puffiness. She also recommends Ooh la Lift for under eye tightening and brightening to maintain your results.
Next the camouflage:
Over your moisturizer you’ll want to apply That Gal, a raspberry -based skin primer and brightener.
She also recommends purchasing a Play Stick in the appropriate shade for strategic camouflaging. This should be used all over eye (under and on lids) as well as around ears. It’s also chamomile and lavender-based for gentleness.
Jane adds, “I love this because it’s really easy to use. It provides a matte finish and can also double as a light weight foundation if mixed with moisturizer.” Stay clear of concealers that have too much oil…”They may have a mite too much shine for post-op use.”
For the final overall coverage, Jane prefers Benefit’s cream to powder foundation, Some Kind of Gorgeous (deemed the world’s best foundation by Elle Magazine).
Time for color:
For a gentle looking, healthy glow, try Dallas, a subtle powder bronzer, and the company’s bestselling Posie cheek tint.
Go for a natural eye using soft brown mascara and possibly a soft dark brown eyeliner for lining the upper and lower lids. Consider using the Big Beautiful Eyes kit – both for eye color and lining. The kit comes in warm neutral hues and provides you with all you need to line, define, and contour your eyes like a professional.
To add definition to the face, keep the brows filled. Try the winner of Allure’s 2008 best brow product, Brow Zing.
Compliment your look with a very natural lip color…no pinks or reds. Use a neutral soft lip liner. Fill in the lips with just a hint of gloss.
For the finish, get a pretty, soft, luminescent look with Dandelion, a super light-weight soft pink powder for all over face.
Jane’s Final Tip
Get brows and lashes dyed two days before your surgical procedure. It will give your face definition afterwards.
And at the end, I couldn’t resist asking – what is the one product that Jane absolutely cannot live without (surgery or no surgery)?
It’s That Gal, of course.
Thanks for all of your wonderful suggestions Jane!
Benefit Cosmetics, the “friskiest luxury brand“can be found at over 2000 beauty counters in more than 30 countries. Or you can just look at www.benefitcosmetics.com.
Dr. Carolyn Chang, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted by Dr. Carolyn Chang San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted in Health and Beauty, Lifestyle, Plastic Surgery
Yet another great offer from Mentor breast implants… introducing the new LoveYourLook MemoryGel® Referral Program. From now until October 15, 2010, refer a friend for a breast augmentation using Mentor MemoryGel silicone breast implants and receive a $50 American Express gift cheque as a thank you. For more information, visit this link.
Here’s to a great new look for both of you!
Dr. Carolyn Chang, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted by Dr. Carolyn Chang San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted in Health and Beauty, Lifestyle
Congratulations to Mia Caybut – my hair colorist extraordinaire of 10 years, who was just named San Francisco Magazine’s 2009 Best of the Bay and SF Gate’s Readers’ Choice!
Over the years Mia has taken my hair from dark to lighter and back again, but recently I have been getting increasingly worried about a new phenomenon, grey. People with darker hair often notice those little grey hairs earlier in life. I am certainly one of them, and although I’m not quite there yet, I wanted to know how Mia was going to help me with this fast approaching new hair dilemma.
In order to strategically hide those grey hairs and maintain a more youthful appearance longer, Mia has created an innovative technique she calls HALO. She applies a lighter tint around the face. This matches the color of the fine hairs that frame the face. She then applies a darker tint on the rest of the hair. Mia says, “This works really well on people who have allowed dark tint to grow out and are ready to go lighter.”
When the time comes, then, I’ll let my roots come in, and then I’ll make an appointment with Mia for her rejuvenating HALO treatment!
For more information on Mia, visit www.colorbymia.com
Dr. Carolyn Chang, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
Posted by Dr. Carolyn Chang San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
