What Brings You Here Today?

Years ago a friend of mind described a reoccurring dream he had during the last year of his marriage. In his dream he had an enormous pimple on his face that defied excision. No need for a professional interpretation on this one. What my friend clearly reserved for his subconscious to wrestle with, I see many woman dealing with each time they look in the mirror. Imperfections become the vessel in which we load our worries and regret; as we tuck the loss of a loved one in that furrow between the brows, squeeze our career frustration into the lines encircling our necks and scatter regret among the dozens of tiny lines across our face, we begin to equate removing the signs of wear with emotional resolution.

In the, often emotional, description of “what brings you here today” I frequently hear a narrative that is not about looking younger, but looking hopeful. If a procedure can conjure back the face we used to see, before disappointment, betrayal, and loss took their toll, then maybe we can start afresh. While some people do cling to the past, and to their youth, I truly believe that others simply want to refurbish their appearance in order to take on what lies ahead. Those who discourage others from any alterations may not fully understand, or care to, the complex reasons one would choose to alter one’s appearance. But whether it’s a new haircut, braces, a tattoo, or the annihilation of a wrinkle, ultimately, we each have to find our own path to peace with our reflection.

Getting Groomed In This "Hairy" Economy

According to Wakefield Research, bikini-line grooming is one of the most widely practiced beauty routines in America. The folks at Wakefield seemed surprised to learn the importance that American women placed on this, still rarely discussed, beauty ritual. In fact, when asked which is more embarrassing during a day at the beach, a majority of women (59%) say that being seen with an ungroomed bikini-line is worse than their top slipping off in the surf. Yep, most chicks would rather be seen half-naked than a wee bit hairy.

This same study found that many cash-strapped female consumers will be "trimming" their trimming costs with as many as four in five (80%) women will be skipping spa or salon visits to cut down on expenses. Skipping the professional depilation leaves a gal with basically 5 choices;
1) Let it grow and try to claim it as an ethnic or religious choice.
2) Shave and suffer through the occasional cuts, abrasive stubble and ingrown hairs.
3) Learn the ancient art of threading. Hopefully it will go better than that scarf you tried to knit.
4) Get a home-care gadget or two that promise to have perfected the process.
5) Try to wax yourself. You can do it, sister! Pour that molten wax on your nether regions, wait ‘til it cools, and then rip that unsuspecting clump of curly hair outta there. Then do that 2-6 more times…on both sides.

Those you who have actually tried the 5th option are, no doubt, chuckling at this point. For those of you who have explored the other 4 options, you probably won’t be surprised to know that most of you eventually return to a pro for grooming. So, instead of throwing the hairy baby out with the bathwater, I’d like to suggest applying a little basic math to the problem.

Okay, waxing costs, on average, between $25 and $65 per treatment. Since waxing needs to be repeated every six weeks or so, it can cost over $500 per year to keep your garden of delights (or any other area for that matter) tidily groomed. Depending on the area we are talking about, and laser sessions needed to annihilate the hair follicles; you are looking at about that same amount of money (or only slightly more) to get rid of the hair, once and for all, with laser hair removal, and…here’s the best part, there’s less discomfort than with waxing!

I am always happy to do a test patch so that you can see what you are signing up for. At that time, I can also give you an exact price per treatment, as it does vary slightly depending on the amount of area and growth. If you plan on asking Santa for a gift certificate I can even put a “suggested package” on file for you. But, I do urge anyone, male or female to consider the laser as an option to all that other depilating nonsense. Until they create a cream that makes all the hair fall off the area it is applied to...and no where else...and never return, it is your best hair removal option.

Dysport Enters The US Aesthetic Market

New Botox Rival Unveiled: Dysport, the newest contender with hopes to temporarily paralyze your facial muscles, appears to differ from Botox in some important ways. The process, through which Dysport is manufactured, creates a solution with a smaller protein complex. This is a distinct advantage when treating the condition hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating) as the area(s) that require treatment are much larger and the smaller protein appears to allow the solution to diffuse beyond the injection site. But, some physicians see this as an undesirable aspect in the treatment of facial lines, where control and placement are highly desirable.

Another consideration is the duration of the effect these two solutions are able to sustain. In a double blind study published by the American Academy of Dermatology in 2006, the performance of both Botox and Dysport was evaluated in the glabellar (between the eyes) area. Both solutions performed acceptably from week 1 through 16; however, by week-16, 53% of the Botox group maintained the desired improvement in glabellar lines while only 28% of the Dysport group maintained improvement. So, for aesthetic applications it appears that, at least for now, Botox is holding its own in the battle of the botulinum toxin treatments.