Injectable dermal fillers provide exquisite aesthetic results almost overnight. By adding volume, definition, and contouring to your facial features, dermal fillers offer an ideal solution for patients concerned about the encroaching effects of age. The pleasing results from fillers, however, often may feel too short-lived.
Indeed, dermal filler products are designed to be broken down by your body over time, so patients should expect multiple visits to their plastic surgeon every year to maintain the aesthetic benefits of dermal fillers.
While a well thought out filler schedule is the best way to look and feel your best year-round, there are several considerations to be made when looking to prolong the effects of dermal fillers. Patients can consider different formulas, injection locations, diet, lifestyle, sun protection, and hydration, all of which contribute towards filler longevity. One factor influencing filler duration that is hard to control, however, is a patients’ metabolism.
Beyond Our Control
Our metabolisms are set according to a multitude of factors, including diet, exercise, and body weight, but mainly our genetics. The metabolism is responsible for chemical reactions occurring in cells in the body; the faster the metabolism, the quicker the body will break down dermal fillers.
But having a high metabolism, achieved by regular workouts, proper eating timings, and having a close to ideal body weight, is highly beneficial in terms of having a healthy, good-looking body. So, the metabolism conundrum is one that people wanting to look their best with dermal fillers must face.
Fortunately, experienced surgeons can place fillers in strategic locations that optimize the lifespan of fillers.
Move It and Lose It
The more an area moves, the shorter a filler will stay in that area.
For this reason, fillers in our lips, nasolabial folds, and foreheads often experience shorter lifespans than those in our cheeks or under the eyes, purely because these areas of the face are essential in facial expressions.
This injection location depends on the patient’s desired aesthetic results and the skill of the surgeon. One thing that patients can do daily to help prolong filler duration is to not put them under undue stress or pressure.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
Sunlight directly onto areas with dermal fillers will cause a more rapid breakdown of the products. Using sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats while outside will prevent the sun from beating down on the fillers. This will contribute to significantly longer-lasting fillers.
Keep Hydrated
Hydrating your body and skin with moisturizer and drinking plenty of water will enhance and maintain the water-absorbing effects of hyaluronic acid-based fillers (which most of the best fillers consist of). Fillers actually work by absorbing and holding water, so keeping your body and skin well-watered will prolong the fillers’ effects.
Let the Fillers Rest
The more you manually touch or move an area of filler, the faster it will break down. As fillers are generally injected into the face, learning to sleep on your back is a great way to prolong their lifespan. Sleeping right means that the fillers are not moved around and pressured while you sleep.
Avoid touching and poking your fillers, as this will speed up the breakdown process.
Maintain a Filling Schedule for Best Results
To avoid any unwanted side effects from getting dermal fillers, it is advisable to consult an experienced, accredited, and respected surgeon. Doing so will usually result in the formulation of a yearly schedule where you can receive touch-ups at specific intervals to help results from fillers last as long as possible while still providing pleasing aesthetic results.
Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation specializes in guiding patients towards sustainable, highly satisfying filler plans. Contact her on 760 610 5558 or fill out her online form here to arrange your virtual consultation today, wherefrom the safety and comfort of your own home, you can consult and book an appointment with the leading plastic surgeon in Palm Springs.
Unfortunately in this difficult time in history, many of our favorite spas, salons, hairdressers, and beauticians remain closed.
While at-home treatments will never replace the service, companionship, and gossip we get from our pampering parlors, there are several ways to maintain some level of beauty standards without access to our pedicures, root touch-ups, and massages.
Until we can safely enjoy our favorite beauty services again, follow this expert advice from Dr. Maya Kato to make the best of a bad situation and look as good as you can.
Dial-in Your Skincare Routine
Staying at home brings its advantages – no rushing to get out the door in the morning. With some extra time on your hands, you can refine your morning and evening routines to perfection and enhance your self-care approach.
Morning and evening facial care differ, according to the needs of your skin. In the morning, you need to clean oils secreted during sleep, rejuvenate your eyes, moisturize the skin, and protect it for the day ahead with a gentle sun-protection lotion, generally SPF 30. A morning routine like this will shake any morning cobwebs, lock in moisture for the day, and serve as an anti-aging and protective measure against sun damage.
Evening skincare involves removing everything from the skin, including products, grit, grime, and dust gathered throughout the day. Do this with a pampering cleanser, then possibly use some acne prevention or antioxidant serum to help replenish and restore your skin after your day.
Try Face Masks
In lieu of salon facials, face masks at home are a great alternative. Decide which purpose you want the mask to serve, and purchase accordingly. Some masks offer delicate chemical peels which are very effective at removing dead skin cells, while others are deeply moisturizing.
Maintain Facial Hair
Brow maintenance can be done during this time to prevent any creeping mono-brows. Dr. Kato suggests first brushing the brows up, then using a magnifying mirror pluck outliers below the brow line and above the nose.
Don’t over-pluck. Just maintain and don’t try to shape your brows – just keep them in check until you can get your professional to do it for you once again.
You can also temporarily handle peachy fuzz on the cheeks, chin, and upper lip with topical hair-removal creams and micro razors. While these won’t replace a Dermaplane session, you can work to maintain some level of pride in your appearance until the salon doors are open once again.
Pamper Your Nails
It is essential to use a not-too-coarse file, and file slowly file your nails from the outside towards the center.
To fix cuticles, soak your fingers in warm water for five minutes, then using a q-tip, gently push the cuticles down and back.
Dedicate Time to Your Teeth
With time on your hands, we can follow the dentists’ advice and floss daily. Consider over-the-counter whitening products and also putting a little bit of toothpaste on your floss to help remove any stains between the teeth.
For people who wear retainers, consider wearing them around the house, as this way, they will realign your teeth around the clock.
Hair Care
This is also an excellent chance to try out different things with your hair. One common mistake we see is people cleaning their hair far too often. Instead, try increasing the time between washes and applying a dry-moisturizer two to three times a week.
You will be amazed at how healthy and vibrant your hair feels, and how much shorter your showers can be!
Next Steps
No doubt about it, we’re facing challenging times. But you can make an effort to keep looking and feeling your best with this advice from Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation. If you have any questions on how to improve your stay-at-home beauty routine, reach out to us at 1-(760)-610-5558 or contact us online for your consultation.
Thanks to constant developments in the cosmetic care industry, the facelift is no longer the only solution to facial skin sagging – welcome NovaThreads, or the thread lift.
An increasingly popular procedure, NovaThreading provides a non-invasive solution to loose, sagging skin as a result of the aging process.
A hallmark sign of getting older, loose skin in the lower face results in jowls, undefined facial features, and a sunken appearance – all commonly undesirable physical features.
Traditionally, you would have needed to get this loose skin removed surgically. Although effective, a facelift is an invasive operation that requires significant recovery. However, a thread lift requires minimal downtime and changes to your schedule.
Here, Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation discusses precisely how to prepare for your NovaThreading procedure, and the best post-procedure practices to maximize your results.
What Is NovaThreading?
NovaThreading involves a doctor inserting micro-stitches with tiny hooks on them into the skin, which pull the skin tighter and higher.
Advances in suturing technology and materials have made this progressive procedure possible. The stitches effectively anchor and pull up sagging skin in the lower third of the face, which isn’t possible with other products such as injectables.
The chief concern with healing from the procedure is bruising – standard for any damage to the skin – and, as such, pre- and post-NovaThread care revolves around minimizing bruising and maximizing comfort while healing.
Pre-Treatment Care
Pre-treatment care is simple:
- Avoid anti-inflammatories for a week before your procedure (to minimize bruising).
- Get plenty of rest.
- Drink plenty of water and eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Consider taking an over-the-counter Arnica supplement three days before your procedure – it can reduce bruising and decrease healing time.
These steps will prepare your body to heal as fast as possible after the treatment.
Post-Treatment Care
Patients should expect some swelling, bruising, and redness for two to four days following the treatment, which will disappear quickly. Other post-treatment care includes:
- Avoid strenuous exercise and alcohol for 24 hours following the treatment.
- Avoid touching or massaging the areas with the implanted sutures, unless Dr. Kato instructs you to.
- Do not get a facial or massage on treated areas for two weeks following the procedure.
- Bromelain supplements, pineapple juice, and Arnica gels or supplements are ideal choices to reduce bruising.
- Avoid dental procedures for three to four weeks afterward if the treatment area was around your mouth.
NovaThreads in Palm Springs With Dr. Maya Kato
NovaThreads are an ideal choice for those concerned about loose facial skin, but who don’t want an invasive surgery like a facelift.
By following this pre- and post-care advice, patients can minimize their downtime with NovaThreads, while maximizing their results and satisfaction from the procedure.
As you consider NovaThreading in Palm Springs, reach out to an award-winning, board-certified plastic surgeon by calling us at 760-610-5558 or by filling out an online consultation form.
The most popular cosmetic procedure in the U.S., over 7.5 million Botox appointments are made annually.
With so many people opting for Botox, however, there is bound to be some misinformation associated with the procedure.
From what Botox can do, can’t do, and everything in-between, here, Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation aims to clear the air surrounding Botox injections and clarify any hampering questions you may have regarding the procedure.
Botox, Briefly
Botox is a manufactured product. Derived from the botulinum bacteria, Botox is a neuromodulator that temporarily weakens the muscles that cause facial wrinkles. By weakening muscular contractions, wrinkles in the forehead, between the eyes and crow’s feet are eliminated for a period of time, generally four-eight months.
Some of the most common myths surrounding Botox injections include:
1. Botox is a Dangerous Procedure
Botox has been medically approved for over thirty years, first receiving FDA approval to treat medical conditions such as muscular spasms and excessive sweating in 1989. In 2002, Botox was approved for cosmetic applications, after which time millions of patients have safely obtained gratifying results with Botox injections.
Of course, Botox should be handled and administered by a trained, experienced, and qualified doctor.
2. Botox Can Cause Permanent Paralysis and Botulism
This myth stems from how Botox is produced. Botox is derived from a toxin produced by botulinum bacteria.
In its natural, unpurified and non-derived form, this toxin direct from the bacteria can induce botulism food poisoning – a serious type of poisoning that affects the body’s central nervous system and, in some cases, can lead to death.
However, Botox Cosmetic, a purified, controlled substance, only works on a localized scale at the injection site and causes temporary superficial musculature paralysis. Moreover, the dose of Botox Cosmetic is extremely dilute, which makes it safe, when administered by a physician properly trained in its use. The effects of Botox are reversible and non-permanent.
3. Botox Will Freeze My Face Expressionless
The results patients experience with Botox does depend on the skill and experience level of their doctor. However, Botox injections, when properly administered to the treatment sites, will not affect other muscles in the face and will allow for a full range of expression.
Injections sites for Botox include:
- Forehead furrows
- Crow’s feet
- Smile, or marionette lines
4. Botox Can Solve All My Signs of Aging
As we have discussed, Botox works by paralyzing the muscles responsible for causing dynamic wrinkles. There is another type of wrinkle, static wrinkles, which Botox cannot address.
Static wrinkles are caused by lines being etched into the skin due to repeated movement, the skin losing its elasticity, and sun exposure. In order to solve these wrinkles, fillers such as Juvederm, Voluma, and Volbella can be used in conjunction with Botox to give the entire face a fresh, rejuvenated, youthful appearance.
Next Steps
Undoubtedly, Botox is a highly useful, safe, and effective anti-aging treatment. Botox can provide anti-aging results to a vast majority of patients concerned about the effects time is having on their appearance. To have any remaining questions answered, or to book your consultation with Palm Springs award-winning board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Maya Kato, call (760)-610-5558 or fill out her online form.
“You look tired.”
We’ve all undoubtedly heard this phrase at one point or another when we have bags under our eyes. In some cases, it can be the result of a miserable night’s sleep.
In other instances, particularly as we move past our mid-thirties, bags, and dark circles under our eyes can become more of a permanent look. For many patients treated by Dr. Maya Kato, bags under the eyes are a source of self-consciousness and mental discomfort.
Here, Dr. Kato offers her expert insight into what causes under-eye bags, and offers tips on reducing their appearance naturally and also suggests a highly effective, minimally invasive cosmetic solution to the problem.
What Causes Under-Eye Bags?
In our youth, our skin is given its smooth texture and tight complexion largely by a compound called collagen.
Over time, due to the aging process and exposure to the sun, collagen production in our skin naturally begins to reduce. This reduction in collagen, combined with years of the effects of gravity, is what gradually leads to our skin loosening and losing its structural integrity.
When the skin underneath our eyes relaxes and loosens like this, it forms a pouch under the eyes. This pouch can collect excess fluid, and fatty pads just under the eyelids slip into the pouch, causing a permanently swollen, puffy appearance – or under-eye bags.
Natural Remedies for Under-Eye Bags
Most noticeable in the mornings because fluid has had all night to drain into the pouches, under-eye bags are largely a purely cosmetic issue.
Elevation
One way to reduce their appearance naturally is to sleep with the head elevated, which reduces fluid pooling in the pouches.
Avoid Fluids Before Bed
By keeping properly hydrated throughout the day, you won’t need a glass of water before you go to bed. This reduces the amount of excess fluid in your system overnight, meaning there is less fluid to pool in the pouches under your eyes.
A Minimum of Eight Hours Sleep
Getting enough sleep is also a highly effective way of reducing swelling, redness, and puffiness around the eyes.
If these natural remedies prove ineffective in reducing your under-eye bags, Dr. Maya Kato highly recommends the use of cosmetic fillers.
Minimally Invasive Cosmetic Intervention
As under-eye bags are caused by a loss in volume and skin laxity, one way to solve the issue is to administer dermal fillers, such as Juvederm or Voluma.
These products consist of compounds that replenish skin volume and tighten the skin over a certain area. As such, they reduce the loose appearance of the skin under the eyes and removes any space available for excess fluid to pool.
A fast and cost-effective procedure, dermal fillers can help you look your best all day long. To have any questions about the procedure answered, or to book your consultation in Palm Springs, CA, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Maya Kato on (760)-610-5558 or fill out her online form.
Smokers’ lines refer to vertical wrinkles that form around the edges of the lips. We see them most often on women who smoke; however, men and non-smokers also develop these lip lines as they age.
Fortunately, there are several effective at-home and in-office treatments available to those experiencing this issue.
Why Do People Get Smokers’ Lines?
As with many things, the prevention of lip lines is often better than a cure.
For this reason, here, Dr. Maya Kato first offers some preventive tips you can use to avoid the formation of lip lines, and then options available to those who are displaying more advanced stages of lip lines.
Smokers’ lines form due to a breakdown of the structural integrity of the skin.
A protein called collagen gives our skin its elasticity and smoothness. When the skin has high amounts of collagen, it is tight, smooth, and wrinkle-free. Over time, and due to contributing factors such as repeated muscle movement, sun exposure, lifestyle factors, and the natural aging process, our collagen begins to break down. This gradually results in skin that is rough, flabby, and wrinkly.
Smokers’ lines can appear differently in different patients, depending on the extent of collagen breakdown and wrinkle formation.
Different Stages of Smokers’ Lines
Cosmetic surgeons generally categorize smokers’ lines into two different stages.
- Stage 1: In this phase, the lines are only visible during the movement of the mouth, such as when a person is eating, talking, whistling, or, yes, smoking. Someone at this point can consider changing some of their habits and daily routines to slow the formation of more permanent lip lines.
- Stage 2: At this point, lip lines have become permanent features of the face. They are present when the person is at normal rest; however, muscle movement causes them to deepen. Stage 2 lines require more significant intervention and can be harder to treat at home. Nonetheless, there remain some very effective in-house treatments for stage 2 smokers’ lines, which we’ll discuss later in this post.
Preventive Measures
Some of the best at-home remedies for smokers’ lines begin with good habits and daily skincare.
Obviously, one of the best things people can do for their skin is not to smoke. Smoking ages the skin and speeds up the breakdown of collagen, resulting in an appearance far older than your actual years.
Another major contributing factor to smokers’ lines is overexposure to the sun. Even people experiencing the beginning stages of these wrinkles can slow their formation by applying SPF 30+ sunscreen when they go out to enjoy the sunshine.
Some, however, require more significant intervention to address their smokers’ lines.
At-Home Remedies for Smokers’ Lines
One of the best available at-home solutions for smokers’ lines is retinol cream, which stimulates the body’s production of collagen, thus improving the structure of the skin by increasing the dermal layer.
Retinol helps skin maintain healthy, youthful quantities of collagen, which has beneficial effects on reducing the appearance of smokers’ lines.
A new and highly effective brand in the skin-structure collagen market is Alastin. Like retinol, Alastin improves the general health, moisture retention, collagen production, and elasticity of the skin to maintain a youthful, vibrant complexion.
In-Office Treatments for Smokers’ Lines
Other patients, particularly those with stage 2 smokers’ lines, will require a more significant intervention, generally in the form of an in-office treatment. Many of the most effective treatments for smokers’ lines happen in the office of an experienced, qualified dermatologist.
Most patients benefit greatly from either dermal fillers or neuromodulators, such as Botox, to provide volume to the skin surrounding their lips, or to neutralize the muscles responsible for creating the lines in the first place.
What is best for each patient depends on several factors, such as lifestyle, personal preference, and how advanced the wrinkles are.
While at-home treatments can be more convenient, the short amounts of time in-office treatments take and the incredible benefits they provide make injectables and neuromodulators a prevalent choice for many patients wishing to address the fine lines around their mouth.
Dr. Maya Kato of Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation offers the highest standards of patient care and guidance in Palm Desert, California, as shown by her patient reviews and winning the Palm Springs Life Top Doctor award for almost a decade, consecutively.
Don’t hesitate to call 760-610-5558 or fill out her online form now to book your one-on-one consultation to begin eliminating your smoker’s lines and restoring a youthful, vibrant facial complexion.
Hair is often a display of vitality and an expression of character, which makes the thought of losing it unpleasant to many.
The harsh reality, though, is that one in five Americans deals with hair loss, with proportionally more men than women being affected.
Although there have been many anti-hair loss treatments offered throughout the years, many of them are not backed by valid scientific research. Some of these may even accelerate hair loss instead of hinder it.
For this reason, Dr. Maya Kato weighs in with scientific information surrounding what causes hair loss, and the proven best methods for preventing it. If you are struggling with hair loss in Palm Springs, Ca, reach out to Dr. Maya Kato to see what she can do for you.
Why Do We Lose Hair?
The visible part of our hair, called the “shaft,” grows from the hair follicle. Hair follicles, which are embedded in our skin or scalp, receive nutrients from the blood. This allows the follicles to synthesize new hair cells and grow the hair shaft.
There are a number of reasons why hair follicles may stop functioning correctly, such as male pattern baldness, hormonal changes, stress, and thyroid problems. Nutrient deficiency may also have a significant role in both men and women losing their hair.
In such cases, altering one’s diet to get more of a necessary vitamin may slow hair loss and encourage the production of healthier, stronger hair. For other patients, hair loss might be at more advanced stages, and cosmetic intervention with a procedure such as PRP might be the best option for you.
Which Nutrients Assist in Preventing Hair Loss?
Many nutrients are not produced naturally by our bodies, so we need to get them from an external source, a.k.a. our food.
Nutrients are essential to the basic functioning of our bodies as they are the building blocks of many of the body’s structures. Proper nutrition allows many of our bodily functions to take place, such as tissue healing and growth, enzyme formation, and chemical reactions that constitute a healthy, living body.
Of these vitamins, some of the most important for preventing hair loss and encouraging healthy hair growth include vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, and vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A assists our body in the essential functions of cell growth and repair, procedures vital in the production of healthy hair. Vitamin A rich-foods include the ‘traffic light’ fruit and vegetables – reds, yellows, oranges, and greens. Fish, eggs, and offal such as liver are also particularly high sources of vitamin A and should be included in an anti-hair loss diet.
Vitamin B6, B12, Folic Acid
Hemoglobin is the compound in our bodies responsible for the transportation of oxygen around the body. Healthy hair demands a constant supply of oxygen. When the body does not receive enough B vitamins and folic acid, hemoglobin production drops, and oxygen transport suffers. Eating proper amounts of animal meats, or leafy vegetables, broccoli, beetroots, and soybeans will provide your body with adequate B vitamins to sustain an appropriate hemoglobin production.
Vitamin C
Our body needs vitamin C to produce collagen, the protein responsible for the structural integrity of our hair and skin. As such, eating vitamin C rich foods such as oranges, tomatoes and peppers, watermelon, and leafy vegetables will keep your vitamin C levels high.
How Effective is Diet on Hair Loss?
The effect of diet on hair loss depends entirely on the reason driving the person to lose their hair.
For many patients, finding a proper nutritional balance in their daily diet can make significant changes in their body’s production and retention of hair. They can do this by including the foods listed above and ensuring they get the appropriate quantities of vitamins.
For others, such as those suffering thyroid and hormonal abnormalities or men with male pattern baldness, nutrition alone will not be enough to restore proper healthy hair growth.
Cosmetic Intervention
In such cases, cosmetic intervention is necessary. One advanced technology, known as platelet-rich plasma, or PRP therapy, involves injecting a concentrated serum of proteins essential for hair follicle health and hair growth into the scalp to encourage hair production.
Schedule a Meeting
Dr. Maya Kato at Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation offers this extraordinarily safe and effective treatment for hair loss. If you are considering hair loss treatment in Palm Springs, CA, do not miss out on a consultation with one of Palm Spring’s leading cosmetic doctors. Call 760 610 5558 or fill out her online form now to learn more about what Dr. Maya Kato can do for you.
The winter months often lead to dry, irritated and itchy skin, which appears cracked, unhealthy, and feels horrible. But this doesn’t have to be the case.
Winter skincare isn’t complicated – it only requires some commitment on your part. By following these tips from Dr. Maya Kato of Maya Kato Aesthetic Art Facial Rejuvenation, you can expect to enjoy glowing skin all winter long.
Why Does Winter Dry the Skin?
One of the leading causes of irritated skin during the winter months is excessive dryness. The ambient air is partially to blame, but our behavior has a lot to do with it, too.
Colder temperatures mean the air holds less moisture – thus resulting in low humidity during the winter.
Low air humidity makes it easier for our skin to lose moisture due to the gradient between our skin and the environment. Because the air has little moisture, particularly inside where the air is warmer due to internal heating, it wants to absorb as much moisture as possible. As such, it sucks your skin dry.
Compounding this problem is the fact that during winter, many people are chronically dehydrated. Because we don’t sweat much in the winter, we feel less thirsty. Nonetheless, our bodies still require a minimum of one, ideally two, liters of water every day to function optimally.
When the air is draining skin of its moisture, and we are not adequately replenishing our water levels, the result is getting dry skin.
Yet another winter behavior that factors into excessively dry skin is hot showers and baths. While a hot soak can be just the thing we need after coming in from the cold, the high liquid temperatures open our skin pores – and yes, you guessed it – open skin pores release far more moisture than closed pores do.
One way of addressing dry winter skin is by considering a chemical peel. Chemical peels remove skin damaged during the summer sun and give you a new canvas to work with during winter.
The following tips also aim at helping you retain as much skin moisture as possible during the winter months.
Prepare Your Water Before Bed
Drinking enough water throughout the day is the first step toward making sure your body has the necessary amount of liquid to keep your skin moisturized, delicate, and smooth. For most people, two liters a day is optimal.
One handy trick is to place a full glass on your bedside table before going to sleep. The first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is to down the whole glass – this gets your day off to a perfect start and fulfills one-quarter of your daily water intake. Simple!
Finish Your Showers With a Cold Blast
We know – this isn’t the most appealing of suggestions, particularly considering the outside temperatures. But hear us out.
Finishing your shower with cold water has multiple long-term health benefits, including boosting immune function and improving blood circulation. It also closes your skin pores.
After a cooling-off period, your skin will better retain its moisture once you get out of the shower and get on with your day.
Moisturize
This tip might seem obvious, but moisturizing can make the difference between healthy, smooth skin or scaly crocodile hands.
Your shower is an ideal time to use a moisturizing body scrub. Once you seal your pores with the cold blast, you’ll trap the moisture in your skin.
Applying moisturizer after the shower and periodically throughout the day, mainly to body parts like the lips, cheeks, and backs of your hands, further encourage your body to hold moisture and keep your skin silky smooth.
Eat Right
This last tip shouldn’t come as a surprise either. One other complication that winter brings is shorter days and less time spent outside – for many of us, this means a deficiency in vitamin D.
Vitamin D helps keep our skin healthy, our moods up, and our bodies functioning correctly. By eating foods rich in vitamin D, such as egg yolks, cheese, liver, and most fish, we can supplement our vitamin D. (Of course, vitamin D supplements also work well for vegans or people with dietary requirements).
Next Steps
We’ve all experienced dry winter skin. The good news is that we don’t need to put up with it. With these four simple tips, and perhaps a chemical peel, you can enjoy smooth, glowing skin throughout the winter without having to make any significant changes to your daily routine. To discuss winter skincare, don’t hesitate to call Dr. Kato at 760-610-5558 or fill out her online form.
For many, Valentine’s day is the first important festivity of the new year. A celebration of love and friendship, Valentine’s day gives us a chance to express our full beauty and gratitude towards those we love in our lives.
To ensure you look in top form this Valentine’s day, Dr. Maya Kato in Palm Springs offers this advice on lip and facial care.
For everyone, the lips have the potential to be the most appealing aspect of their face. Full, sensual lips are the embodiment of youth, health, and beauty. Today, lips such as these are known as ‘trout-pout’ or ‘keyhole pout’ lips, and they don’t have to be reserved for the rich and famous.
What’s more, a life full of emotion means the skin around our mouths is constantly being moved and flexed as we laugh, smile, frown, and cry. This results in the gradual appearance of rhytides, or small skin creases and facial lines. An essential aspect of a perfect Valentine’s day face is smooth skin surrounding your full lips, giving you a healthy, vibrant appearance.
With the following advice, you, too, can achieve a set of full luscious lips and smooth skin this coming Valentine’s day. First, let’s take a look at why people are attracted to the trout-pout.
Why Full Lips?
Full lips in adults are what scientists refer to as “neotenous features” – juvenile physical traits possessed by an adult. Other neotenous characteristics, such as large eyes and protruding cheekbones, are also considered physically attractive features.
People find these traits attractive because of their expression in juveniles. It stems from an inherent biological urge to care for and protect our young. Large eyes, full lips, and high cheekbones signify youth and as such vulnerability, which provokes care-giving emotions in adults.
This is why many plastic surgeons are asked to enhance the fullness of people’s lips, along with making the cheeks fuller and the eyes larger through dermal fillers and eyelid surgery. Adults desire these youthful features because it makes others warm to them.
Lip Injections for Youthful Lips
For a long time, full lips, or the ‘trout-pout,’ were reserved for those with incredibly lucky genes or those who had access to pricy celebrity plastic surgeons. This is no longer the case.
A relatively straight forward cosmetic procedure, lip injections, give anyone who desires it the opportunity to have full, youthful lips.
Obtaining the ‘trout-pout,’ a la Kylie Jenner, is done by injecting dermal filler compounds into the upper and lower lips. Skilled cosmetic surgeons are able to provide patients with an array of lip aesthetics, including heavy upper lips, heavy lower lips, wide lips, heart-shaped lips, or downturned lips. The choice is up to the patient in how they wish their mouths to look – by choosing a trained, certified and experienced cosmetic doctor, patients will obtain the results they desire.
The procedure may appear simple, but to inject the correct quantity of filler into the precise area of the lips to provide the desired aesthetic is no easy feat. Many patients learn the hard way and choose inexperienced people to do their lip fillers, they end up looking overdone and unnatural.
When considering who will do your lip fillers, you should always ask about certification and training, and ask to see the doctors’ gallery of before and after photos on other patients.
To complement their now full, youthful lips, many patients complete their Valentine’s day facial rejuvenation by smoothing out the skin surrounding their mouths. This is done using other dermal fillers.
Dermal Fillers for Smooth Skin
Small facial lines inevitably appear on everyone’s face. Fortunately, cosmetic doctors have refined their techniques and now have a solution for any degree of facial creasing and wrinkling.
For creases beginning to form in the soft sensitive skin that surrounds the mouth, aestheticians administer exact quantities of small-compound dermal fillers. These allow precise smoothing of the skin by restoring lost volume and gently plumping the skin in areas of fine lines and wrinkles.
Like lip fillers, dermal fillers for the skin are not permanent solutions. But, quick treatments a few times per year can maintain your results and keep you looking youthful.
In preparation for Valentine’s day, the combination of these two procedures is just what the doctor ordered. Please call Dr. Kato 760 610 558 or fill in her online form to get expert advice from the Palm Springs top doctor to help you look your best.
Over the last few years, lip injections with dermal fillers have skyrocketed. What has been a go-to anti-aging procedure to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles has more recently also become a hit among younger patients interested in improving naturally thin lips.
With this growing popularity, there are a number of questions our Palm Desert cosmetic specialist receives about the procedure. Patients are curious about when they can start getting back to their normal activities following lip filler treatment. To help provide some guidance, we’ve pulled together our top recommendations for lip care after lip injections.
Post-Lip Injection Eating
As lip fillers are non-invasive, one of the perks associated with this treatment is that the entire procedure can be completed without undergoing anesthesia. While this might mean you don’t have to worry about fasting ahead of treatment, taking some care with your diet during the first few days after your procedure makes sense.
What you eat during the first days after lip injections can influence your comfort during recovery. As a result, we recommend that patients focus on staying hydrated and healthy. Washing down fruits and vegetables with plenty of water will help newly treated lips stay hydrated while delivering critical vitamins to treated cells. This can help reduce the duration of post-injection swelling and ensure that you enjoy your final results faster. On the flip side, we recommend avoiding spicy, processed, or excessively salty foods. While delicious, these can delay the healing process and make sensitive lips feel uncomfortable. Similarly, straws and water bottles should be on hiatus for the first few days after treatment as these can cause accidental puckering.
Sleeping After Lip Fillers
Are you a stomach sleeper? While it can be tough to monitor your sleep while you’re sleeping, laying on your back in an elevated position is critical to sealing in the perfect pout. As the filler material can take several days to firm up inside the lip, an accidental roll onto your stomach or side in the middle of the night can lead to asymmetrical lip shape.
To avoid these risks all together without sacrificing your sleep, we recommend setting up a pillow fort around your head to prevent unconscious movement during the middle of the night. Likewise, add a few extra pillows beneath your head to help keep the filler in the right position. Most patients only need to do this for the first couple of nights following treatment.
Kissing Post-Lip Fillers
Whether you’re dating, married, or enjoying the single life, one of the most common questions Dr. Kato gets about life with lip injections is about kissing. In particular, how soon after having lip fillers injected can a patient safely receive smooches?
For starters, while the procedure is non-invasive, patients can expect to experience some swelling, bruising and sensitivity during the first few days following treatment. While a quick and light peck might be fine, anything more intense can make the unpleasant side effects last longer. To help protect your new look and keep you comfortable, we recommend taking it easy on the romance for at least 72 hours following your injection or longer if you’re continuing to experience swelling and bruising.
Have Questions? Call Dr. Kato
Whether you’re new lip injections or returning for touch-ups, the team at Aesthetic Art is here to help. Dr. Kato and her staff have helped countless patients use this popular procedure to achieve their dream look. To learn more about how this treatment can transform your look, contact our office to schedule your visit today!