There are some important things you should know about fillers.
by Karl Swanson MD

Serving Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and the greater Tampa Bay area, Karl Swanson M.D. of Ultimate Image Cosmetic Medical Center not only seeks to satisfy his clientele, but educate them as well.

More often than not, patients walk into an elective procedure with little or no valid medical information. It is my goal to change that.

According to recent studies on non-invasive cosmetic procedures, the most popular filler injections administered are nonpermanent fillers, such Juvederm, Restylane and Perlane. These three fillers are all made out of hyaluronic acid and are very similar chemically. These fillers are top choice for most lines and wrinkles and for injecting the lips. Dr. Swanson prefers Juvederm, because it is smoother but we have all three types available for injection and patient preference. All three fillers last approximately 6 months to a year. A recent study by Juvederm demonstrated that some improvement is still visible one year after the injection in most people.

The next most commonly used filler is Radiesse. Radiesse is made out of calcium hydroxyapatite. This filler may last longer than the hyaluronic fillers, works a little better for very deep folds, but is not good for the shallow wrinkles because it is to firm and may form small little granules at the skins surface. Also Radiesse cannot be used in the lips. Dr. Swanson can tell you which filler would be the best for you, so don’t be too concerned about the small differences between the different hyaluronic fillers or Radiesse.

We have priced all four of the above fillers exactly the same so that the filler is chosen strictly on what is best for your specific wrinkle or fold. If you have a preference for a particular filler, we can provide it. Dr. Swanson will let you know at the time of a complimentary consultation if a different choice of filler might be better for your specific situation.

Each syringe of filler costs $549. It usually takes one syringe of filler to do the lips. Once syringe of filler to do the nasal labial lines, and one syringe of filler to do the labial mental lines. Most patients therefore will need approximately 3 syringes of fillers to optimize their wrinkle reduction, costing $1642. The lips are not injected necessarily to enlarge them but to reduce the wrinkles above the lip, below the lip, and to help merge the areas around the lips smoothly into the nasal labial and labial mental folds. Dr. Swanson feels it is important to clarify the cost of procedures to show that patients are getting exactly what they pay for.

Ever wondered how to understand what is the best way to keep your skin healthy and looking good? Every day we are bombarded by ads promoting products from big name skin care companies. The fact is, they are more interested in moving their product than in helping pick what works best for you. This anti aging skin care review will help you understand what contributes to skin damage, and learn what works for you in an anti aging skin care system.

What are the major causes of aging skin?

There are three major causes for premature skin aging.

The first is loss of collagen and elastin. These proteins help to support the skin and help your skin retain its youthful shape.

The second cause is the loss of hyaluronic acid. This acid helps hold together the collagen and elastin fibers to support firm and elastic skin.

The third cause is free radical damage. Free radicals invade skin cells and disrupt the normal growth and renewal process.

What ingredients to avoid?

Since the big companies spend most of their budget on promotion and advertising, they don’t have as much money to develop high quality ingredients. Here are some often used cheap ingredients to avoid:

Mineral Oil

Parabens

Petroleum based glycerin

Alcohols

Fragrances

Best features of an anti aging skin care system

You want to get the most benefits you can from your anti aging skin care system. A high quality system should meet several of these key features:

High concentrations of active ingredients – don’t settle for large quantities of synthetic fillers and inert ingredients

Collagen and elastin growth triggers – ingredients like Cynergy TK to promote growth of these key proteins for healthy skin

Antioxidants – To stop free radical damage, Coenzyme Q10 in a special nano lipid form can penetrate deeply through the skin layers to moisturize and combat free radical damage

Natural moisturizing oils – Plant based oils such as babassu oil and grapeseed oil provide rich moisturizing action for thirsty skin cells

Kelp extracts – Wakame is made from Japanese sea kelp, and helps your body maintain high levels of hyaluronic acid for strengthening collagen and elastin in your skin

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, the three essential parts of an anti aging skin care guide

The causes of aging skin

Worst ingredients to avoid

Best ingredients to look for

By reading this guide you will be head and shoulders above most consumers. With this knowledge, you will be well prepared to find the antiaging skin care system that works best for you!

How to Reverse Skin Aging?

One of the greatest concerns aging concerns of people is wrinkles, especially women try to find solutions that will stop the time in their body and let them have a beautiful and young skin for a long time. However what most people dont realize is that most of the damage of the skin is not cause by normal aging but by the rays of the sun.People that have too much exposure to the sun have a lot more wrinkles, dark pigments and age spots than others, also your eating habits have a great impact on your overall health including your skin.Scientists have been studies for years how to reverse skin aging or at least slow the aging process. The result is that now there are many products and technologies that help people look years younger with just a few treatments.Some experts claim that the best anti wrinkle cream substances are Retin- A, alpha hydroxy acids and natural treatments like revitol.Moisturizers are just a temporary solutions for lubrication and smoothing of the skin. Moisturizers on their own do not prevent skin aging, you need to use sunscreen.Facial masks are beneficial for a few hours because they clean the skin and it feels smooth, but once the mask dry is produces tightening.There are some anti aging treatments that are becoming very common to use by many people including celebrities that need to maintain their skin beautiful for as much time as possible.Some of those treatments are facial lifts, botox, laser resurfacing, plastic surgery, chemical peels and others. The problem with some of those treatments such as facial lifts is that they require surgery, however the results can be very significant.To maintain your skin looking young as long as possible you need to have good diet by eating healthy foods that are full in vitamins, do exercise regularly and use some creams that stimulate collagen, elastin regrowth, boost your hyaluronic acid and destroy free radicals. This way your skin will look beautiful and you will appear many years younger than you are.

Are you using a safe antiaging facial cream? Get the Real facts

What should you look for in antiaging facial cream? Do they really work? What are the safest ingredients? Which ones are most effective? Let’s try to answer some of those questions.An antiaging facial cream should have the mildest, safest and most effective ingredients. They should have clinical trials and research to support their claims of effectiveness. Safe ingredients are plant derivatives, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Fragrances, chemical preservatives, alcohols and petroleum based products should be avoided.A new compound for wrinkle creams is extracted from sheep’s wool. Most cosmetic compounds are derived from hooves, horns and cowhide. Which is softer, wool or leather? If your skin looks like leather, then you’ve got a problem. So, it just makes sense that the sheep’s wool extract would be more effective than the cow hide derivative.The new compound is so similar to a protein found naturally in “people skin” that your body can’t tell the difference, so it soaks it up and uses it to rebuild skin cells and repair damage done by the sun. It is called functional keratin and it is only found in the best products.Another thing that you should look for in an antiaging facial cream is an ingredient called wakame or phytessence wakame. It is an antioxidant derived from Japanese sea algae. Research has shown that it protects the skin against damage from UV rays, but without the possibly harmful effects of SPF creams. It also protects against environmental pollutants, such as cigarette smoke. If you work in a bar, it’s probably a good choice.The other thing that wakame does is inhibit the activity of an enzyme known as hyaluronidase, which breaks down the skin’s vital protein hyaluronic acid. It is know that levels of hyaluronic acid drop as a person ages. So, an antiaging facial cream might list hyaluronic acid on its label. The problem is that artificial replacement is never as good as protection and increasing production. So, most of them are ineffective. This phytessence wakame prevents natural stores of hyaluronic acid from being depleted. The protein binds collagen and elastin fibers together, kind of like glue, so when it is lost, dark circles appear and elasticity is reduced. Skin cells can not be replaced efficiently and wrinkles appear.You will not find wakame in department stores. Maybe, if you live in Japan, but not in the United States. The ones that have it are only sold directly from the manufacturer. It’s too expensive for retailers, because they can’t mark it up and still have an affordable product.Which antiaging facial cream is the most effective? First, let’s look at ingredients that are not effective. Collagen and most forms of keratin are not effective. A combination of COQ10 and vitamin E is very effective at destroying free radicals and undoing damage done by the sun, but most companies that use them don’t have the right concentration or the right form. The most effective antiaging facial cream will be one that contains the effective ingredients mentioned here at a high concentration. At least 50% of the content should be “active” ingredients.

How to choose a man skin care cream product that works

Most people when they think of skin care creams they believe that is just used by women because they want to look beautiful and young, however what they dont realize is that skin care is for everybody, men need to take care of their skin if they want eliminate the visual signs of aging and look great for their partner.Its not just about vanity is a matter of health, if you dont protect your skin with the appropriate anti oxidants and vitamins free radicals will hurt your tissue and accelerate the aging process.Although using a man skin care cream product is very important to maintain the youthful of your skin and avoid inflammation and roughness in men, its also very important for any man to have a healthy lifestyle and feed their body with the right food and nutrients.Doing exercise daily is very important too keep your skin firm, fresh and destroy toxins, eating healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables full of anti oxidants is also very important and dont forget to take at least 6 to 8 glasses of water every day to hydrate your body.Those are some of the most important tips to maintain the natural healthy of the body of any man, but we know that as we age our body loses its ability to produce some of the most important substances that maintain our body young such as collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. So what you need to do is buy a skin care cream product that can stimulate the regrowth of those substances in your body.Although in some skin care creams for women can be used by men and have some effective results, there are some subtle but important differences in the skin of men, this is why there are some creams that are made especially for men to help eliminate age spots, reduce wrinkles, avoid redness and inflammation, etc.Make sure that you choose a skin care cream that does not have fragrances, because fragrances have toxins and they hurt your skin in the long run.You need to look for natural ingredients that will stimulate your skin to produce collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid which are the most important elements that maintain the youthful of your skin.

Hyaluronic Acid - The Fountain of Youth

Hyaluronic acid is a component of the glycoconjugates and it is also added unadultered and concentrated to the formulation of the skin care products. It is a glycosaminoglycan present in the intracellular matrix of skin (between dermal cells) where it has a protective, structure regulating and shock-absorbing role.

Hyaluronic Acid is naturally found in the joints, the lower layers of skin, the umbilical cord and in embryonic skin.

Medical grade Hyaluronic Acid is currently used to minimize the formation of post-operative adhesions, as a viscoelastic agent in intra-ocular interventions, also as a synovial substitute fluid; and is used to facilitate the healing and regeneration of surgical wounds.

The special characteristics of Hyaluronic Acid make it an excellent moisturizer. Hyaluronic Acid plays a crucial role in tissue hydration, lubrication and cellular tasks, and is able to hold more water than any other biological substance. Its unmatched hydrating properties result in increased smoothness, softening and decreased wrinkles.

Hyaluronic Acid has also produced excellent results in the reduction of dryness, itching and burning of the skin. It offers a perfect environment for the growth of new cells and healing following skin peeling.

Hyaluronic Acid is an important constituent of the extra-cellular matrix that engulfs quickly dividing cells. It has been demonstrated to be an integral component in the rapid and scar-less wound healing achieved in foetal and neonatal organisms. In addition to this, the cellular actions precipitated by Hyaluronic Acid are integral to the seemingly miraculous biochemistry of fetal development.

It is well known that foetal tissues contain large amounts of Hyaluronic Acid and that reducing Hyaluronic Acid content correlates with aging and wrinkling. Therefore any practical attempts to prolong and recapture youth by revitalizing damaged tissue should include this molecule.

Within the Skin

Almost 15 percent of your body weight is attributed to the skin! About half of all the Hyaluronic Acid (HA) found in the body is in the skin. Young people have a lot more HA in their skin than older people and therefore have less wrinkles. As we age, we don’t produce this fluid as much as younger people do so it is specially important to youthful looking skin to provide the skin with Hyaluronic Acid.

Today is well known that Hyaluronic Acid is just as important (if not more important) than Collagen. Collagen maintains the skin firm but HA maintains the Collagen healthy. Consider Collagen as a rubber band that can stretch much longer - like 1.000.000 times longer than its natural length. Keep doing that and very soon that rubber band will get out of shape and won’t stretch anymore. This is what occurs to the Collagen in your skin if it is not nourished. Think of that rubber band being stretched in a solution of oil so that its ability to revert back to its size is helped. Then make that comparison to Hyaluronic Acid in the skin so that the Collagen is always bathed in this nutritious gel like substance - Hyaluronic Acid. Your skin can stay young and smooth and elastic if it has elevated concentrations of Hyaluronic Acid.

The Benefits of hyaluronic acid supplements

A while ago was discovered that the natural substance hyaluronic acid is one of the key elements to keep our body and skin healthy and glowing for a longer time than we use to. People in a small Village in Japan live longer than most people and have a healthy life without most diseases due to locally grown starches that help produce the hyaluronic acid in the body.The problem we all have is that as we age our body loses its ability to produce this HA substance, however now there are hyaluronic acid supplements that can help you get its benefits easily.Some of the benefits of hyluronic acid supplements are that:It helps store water in the skin and thus provides essential moisture to the body processes.It help to control cell migrationIt stimulates the immune system and thus you dont need antibioticsOne of the most recent popular uses of the hyaluronic acid supplements is to slow the aging process and reduce the signs of wrinkles and fine lines.It helps to improve sexual dysfunction and sleep problems.It has many other healthy benefits such as faster wound healing, clearer vision, increase mobility, etc.Now is starting to be used as the best anti aging nutritional supplement, because it can make a huge improvement in your skin and maintain its youthful appearance for a longer time.What you should also know is that the HA is also being used in anti aging creams as the best solution in the market. The hyaluronic acid, collagen, elastin and antioxidants are the best substances that can improve the look of your skin and make you look younger without risky surgeries.One last thing that you should not forget, is that no matter what product or supplement you use, if you dont take a healthy lifestyle with exercise, balanced diet and sunscreen to avoid the sun, you will make your skin age faster.

How using facial skin care for anti aging can help you

Any women desire is to look young and beautiful forever, they want to slow aging and reverse the affects of time in our skin. The good news is that there are many facial skin care products made for anti aging, however is not easy to decide what is really effective and what is not.There are many facial skin care products that are suitable for specific needs like eye creams, after shaving creams, for dry skin, for smooth skin, to make your skin brighter, etc. However an anti aging skin care facial product should have some very specific ingredients that are the ones that help your skin stay young and keep its freshness.Be careful of what you use in your face, some products might actually harm you in the long run and if you are using anti aging products make sure that they actually work and dont waste your money just on promises.A facial skin care cream for anti aging should achieve 3 main goals to be effective:It should help your body stimulate elastin and collagen, which are very important substances that your body begins to lack of as you grow.It should boost your hyaluronic acid, that with aging our body loses its ability to produce.It should contain the necessary anti oxidants to help your body fight dangerous free radicals.If a facial skin care cream contains the necessary ingredients to achieve those goals then it is very effective and you will notice the positive changes. Dont use products that contain a lot of chemicals or fragrances that hurt your skin, just natural ingredients.On the other hand, you can also help your body fight the free radicals and toxins that hurt our skin tissue by doing exercise, taking vitamins or eating fruits and vegetables that contain anti oxidants.

What should a professional skin care natural product contain?

Millions of people every day go to their favorite retail store to buy natural skin care products others search over the internet for the best solutions and others take treatments to improve the natural look of their skin. All of this is great if you know what is really effective for you, there are some pros and cons for most skin care natural products.The first thing that you must be aware, is that big brand name companies spend millions of dollars in publicity and therefore they need to charge a high margin cost in the skin care products. The consequence is that this companies do not invest enough time and resources in making sure that the skin care products they are giving you are actually effective and safe for you.One of the most common misconceptions is that people think that a product that says natural or organic is completely safe to use and does not have any risks. The truth is that most products that say natural are just implying that they use some natural ingredients in their solutions, but that might be just a small percentage from the many other chemical ingredients that they use too.So you have to do your proper research and ask what a professional skin care natural product contain. So let me give you a few guidelines of what you should find in a natural and effective skin care product:The product should not contain fragrances because they are harmful to your skin.The product should contain natural ingredients that help your body to produce the necessary substances to help your skin to look better.If you want to have a glowing sin, reduce wrinkles, fine lines, redness and improve brightness you should look for ingredients such as:Phytessence Wakame which helps to boost your hyaluronic acid, is an extract from Japanese sea kelp. It will gradually improve your hyaluronic acid until you have the same amount of a young person.It should contain anti oxidants to help your body destroy free radicals and are the main cause of skin damage. One of the most effective anti oxidants used in topical solutions is CoEnzyme Q10.Another powerful ingredient is CynergyTk with helps stimulate elastin and collagen in your body.As you can see a professional skin care product should be effective and make very clear what are the ingredients it uses and how they will help your skin look better.

How to choose the right Skin care cream for younger looking skin

The first impression that we give is with our face, a nice looking and glowing skin gives a great impression of a person that take cares of herself and that is confident of herself.Most people with a good looking skin feel more confident and comfortable in any social situation. The good news is that there are many skin care creams that can help you improve your skin tissue and remove fine lines and wrinkles as well as ages spots.But you must understand that getting a younger looking skin requires more than just buying the latest skin care cream, you need to get complete natural care for your body and skin.The best skin care creams are the ones that are made of natural and organic ingredients that come from plants, roots, seeds and flowers. The problems is that most skin care products in the market contain harsh chemicals such as fragrances and alcohols that hurt your skin.A good anti aging skin care cream should help your body protect your skin from the environment toxins that we are exposed every day and should promote the production of vital substances such as collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid that are responsible for the elasticity and firmness of your skin.Finally is not good enough to just use a good skin care cream, you still have to do your part and take care of your body by protecting your self from the sun that damage your skin, drink a lot of water, exercise and eat a healthy diet with a lot of vitamins and minerals that contain important anti oxidants.Following those simple tips you will be able to help your body protect your skin, erase fine lines, remove wrinkles gradually and have a more healthy and firm skin for years to come.