Love Your Face for February

Valentine's Day is just two weeks away, so if you're planning on making any last-minute cosmetic improvements before the big night, now is the time to do it! A New Reflection Cosmetic Surgery is running promotions on some of its favorite procedures. The discounted procedures will be available throughout the entire month of February, so even if you can't make it before the 14th you'll still have some time to get touched up before spring begins.

The promotions are detailed in the image above, and information on additional procedures can always be found at Dr.Wallace.com!

How Botox Fits Into Cosmetic Surgery's History

It's actually pretty remarkable how much Botox has impacted the world of cosmetic improvement. From just barely being among the top ten procedures fifteen years ago, to being the uncontested number one procedure in 2011, Botox procedures happen nearly 3,000,000 times each year! Here's a great infographic that illustrates some of the trends in cosmetic surgery since 1997, but it also demonstrates how Botox fits into the picture. It's interactive, so you can alternate between years to visualize just how much the cosmetic landscape has changed over the years.

Cosmetic Surgery Since 1997 | Infographics

Botox News

The world of Botox is never a dull one, so there are always new developments and headlines concerning the wonder injection. Here are two things in particular that has Botox treatments in the news:

The curative effects of Botox have been known to stretch far beyond just clearing the face of unsightly wrinkles. In many patients, Botox is used to treat hyperhidrosis (abnormally profuse sweating), particularly through a series of injections in the patient's underarm. Recently, the FDA approved the use of Botox in treating overactive bladders: something that roughly 33 million American men and women suffer from.

Attribution: oranje

An overactive bladder can contract too often or without warning, forcing a person to urinate more frequently than usual. This kind of urinary incontinence can be uncomfortable and, frankly, rather embarrassing for many people; the Botox injections aim to correct this activity through relaxation of the bladder. As when injected into a person's brow region, Botox relaxes the tissue that it comes into contact with; when the bladder has been relaxed by an injection it is less likely to tighten unexpectedly and cause the person to urinate.

Oral medications have been prescribed for this condition before, however Botox offers a solution to the problem for people who are otherwise unable to take these drugs. Allergan - the producer of the FDA certified Botox treatment - hopes that Botox's new-found utility will be responsible for more than 10% of its earnings next year.

In other Botox-related news, the FDA has deployed notifications to 350 physicians across the country warning them against an unlicensed Botox treatment that is circulating in the American medical community. These practices were warned that they had potentially received unapproved medications, some of those being unapproved versions of Botox.

Attribution: TschiAe

These alleged impostor treatments are being imported from a pharmacy called Canada Drugs and could possibly endanger patients if it is used in a treatment. The reason that makes these drugs of concern, is that they are not regulated by the FDA, and the amounts of active ingredients in the medication might not be consistent with what the FDA deems appropriate for authentic Botox treatments.

Physicians are understandably concerned about the notifications, but still relieved that the imitation medication was caught this soon. Many doctors want to make sure that they know exactly what kind of medications their practice is dispensing to its patients; the warning about the unlicensed drugs could potentially save them a lot of trouble in the future. 

This should be a warning to anyone who is bargain-hunting for Botox. You want to make sure that your treatment is affordable, indeed, but you shouldn't compromise on the quality of your injections just for the sake of saving some money. Make sure that your medical practitioner only uses FDA-certified Botox by asking him or her during a consultation. You should never cut corners when it comes to your new face!

Medical Weight Loss

Entering the second week of the new year, many of you might be having trouble maintaining that weight-loss resolution that you made not long ago. Maybe work is keeping you from the gym, or maybe the beguiling aromas from the restaurant below your office have beckoned you for a hearty lunch for the fourth day in a row. The fact is, resolutions toward a new self-image are not easy ones, which is why people make them year, after year, after year.

 But maybe neither of these things is the issue preventing you from getting the body you want. For many people, it’s possible that they have a history of unhealthy weight-loss habits, or insist on functioning on a very low-calorie diet. Although these methods do deliver results they can certainly have adverse health effects such as gallbladder stones; a lack of nutritional variety can also keep you from losing weight in a healthy manner if you impose excessive restrictions on your diet.

Since unsupervised weight loss can be dangerous in some instances, medically-supervised weight loss should be considered if you intend on not only being thin, but becoming a healthier person. A medically-supervised weight loss schedule and regimen not only gives you a well-rounded approach to achieving your goal weight, but can also provide you with a team of professionals that can hold you accountable for your own improvement.

I know the phrase “medically-supervised” can sound intimidating (not everyone loves a visit to the doctor), so it might be helpful to address some of the things that you can expect from this method of weight loss. Below are some of the techniques and practices that your supervisors will employ to provide you with the most thorough plan of action in reducing your weight.

 Meal Replacements

Attribution: Janine

When people decide to be the sole supervisor of their weight loss, they can often self-prescribe a low-calorie diet that is too meager, and not very nutritious. But doctors have a better understanding of ways that cut your food intake, but still give your body the fuel that it needs. Doctors can evaluate your current eating habits and then prescribe an approach to your diet that will meet the low-calorie requirements for your daily intake, but also will allow you to actually enjoy your food while on your schedule.

Doctors will begin the analysis by estimating your body’s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Pairing this with your BMI, the doctor will decide what your daily caloric quota should be – usually between 800 and 1200 calories each day. The best thing is that your diet won’t have to entirely consist of replacement food. Many weight loss plans allow the patient to include normal food in their diets, so long as the food fits within the nutritional requirements for the plan and is not consumed to excess. Protein shakes and beverage alternatives may also be used since they can deliver a nutritional payload while still only making a modest impact on your calorie count.

Prescription appetite suppressants

Prescription appetite suppressants, commonly referred to as “diet pills” are often sought as a cure-all solution to an unhealthy weight. Used on their own, diet pills can actually be harmful to a person if they are not balanced with legitimate nutrition, or moderated in terms of consumption. Fortunately, however, a medical professional can use this type of medication in addition to a carefully thought out program to enhance your body’s ability to lose weight.

Attribution: 2day929

Rigorously adhering to a strict low-calorie diet is not easy work, but appetite suppressants can be a very effective way to prevent consuming any extra calories throughout the day. Appetite suppressants do just what you’d expect: they help your body believe that it is full, making you less likely to snack mindlessly or eat when it isn’t necessary. Diet pills can do this by increasing the body’s production of serotonin and/or catecholamine¹ - the chemicals your brain releases to communicate information about your mood and appetite.

 Be sure, however, that you are careful to use these medications only as prescribed by your doctor. Just like all prescription medications, addiction is a possibility; consider diet pills only as an addition to your diet plan, and do not allow them to become the prime factor in your weight-loss regimen. http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/weight-loss-prescription-weight-loss-medicine

B12 lipotropic injections

Whenever your body has trouble thoroughly metabolizing your food it stores it as fat, which is why eliminating fat deposits is essential if you hope to successfully lose weight. One thing medically-supervised patients have access to that non-supervised people don’t is lipotropic injection. This injection is meant to stimulate your liver activity to reduce the amount of fat that your body deposits. The injection increases the flow of bile and, most importantly, fats, from the liver; the increased activity facilitates metabolism and decreases the amount of fat that your body decides to store.

In particular, the B12 variation of the injection introduces (B) vitamins that help the body turn your food into glucose, which is used for energy. The B12 component of the injection stimulates the body’s metabolism², allowing you to process your food more efficiently and leaving less fat around for your body to hang on to.

Behavioral Counseling

It is ultimately up to you how effective your weight-loss program will be. If you are serious about preserving your new physique, then you will be expected to continue with regular physical activity once you are no longer under the supervision of a medical professional.

Attribution: GO INTERACTIVE WELLNESS

Behavioral counseling is a constant element of monitored weight loss that is used to ensure your continued success after you have completed your schedule. Your physician will evaluate what type of physical activity is best for you, but also which activity is convenient and fits into your schedule. You will be directed to a local facility that features the type of exercise most appropriate for your unique body type, and will discuss with fitness professionals how frequent and intense the activity should be. These fitness counselors understand that many patients are liable to experience lapses in good behavior in the months following their program. Because of this they are eager to understand the behavioral or environmental factors that can reverse your progress, and recommend the best way to avoid these factors.

Summer is just a few months away, so make a promise to yourself that this will be the year that you meet your goal weight. The Frisco weight loss community has physicians who are excited to develop a program that is right for you, and assist you in getting the body you’ve wanted for so long. Below is a weight loss calculator to help you begin your journey to a thinner, healthier lifestyle.

Web MD: Diet Pills¹
Wikipedia: B12 vitamins²

Botox Helps Stroke Victims

A recent study conducted by Neuroscience Research Australia suggests that Botox injections may help Stroke patients in a long-term capacity.

Sufferers of a stroke can often experience severe rigidity and stiffness in the arm after the initial incident. Injecting the botulinum toxin (the active ingredient in Botox) into the patient's arm not only improved muscle use, but can allegedly alter the patient's brain activity. Said to affect activity in the brain's cortex, the procedure assists the brain region that controls learning, memory, and particularly movement.

An excerpt from the article:

"Botulinum toxin is used to treat a range of muscular and neurological conditions and our data shows that this treatment results in electrical and functional changes within the brain itself....Restoring normal activity in the unaffected side of the brain is particularly important because we suspect that abnormal information sent from affected muscles to the brain may be disrupting patients' long-term recovery."

The article serves as a testament to the curative potential that Botox injections can provide. We are all familiar with the great effects that such a procedure can have on a patient's skin, but it's exciting go hear that the utility of Botox extends far beyond its cosmetic benefits.

The article can be viewed here

Father Seeks Botox Treatment For Daughters' Weddings

Here's a link to a great post about a father in New Jersey who sought Botox treatment for the sake of looking his best for his three daughters' three subsequent weddings. Likely from the stress of age, work, and raising three girls,56-year-old John Sharman agreed to have undergo the procedure, knowing that he would assuredly be seen in the photos of each wedding for years to come.

This story is a great example of a man overcoming his apprehensions about Botox and enjoying what is truly a great treatment for the aging that affects everyone. Although men might experience shyness or uncertainty when considering Botox, the treatment can be just what they need to look their best on an important day - or, days.

The post can be found at this location.

Sweat Ruining Your Look - Hyperhidrosis

A medical condition, hyperhidrosis happens when a person sweats more than the normal rate. Usually, when one is suffering from hyperhidrosis, the sweating is unpredictable and can even happen even if the temperature isn’t that high. In fact, people suffering from this condition can start sweating even if it is really cold.

What causes this strange ailment? Isn’t sweating normal?

Sweating is a way for the body to regulate its temperature and in most cases, sweating is perfectly normal. People sweat more when it is hot though and this also happens when one engages in strenuous activities such as forms of exercise. Sweating is also a response to certain occurrences that can lead to nervousness, anger, embarrassment or fear. For example, some individuals would sweat before they speak in front of a lot of people while others would sweat if something is worrying them.

However, when you start sweating for no reason at all, it may be time to talk to a physician because there might be something wrong with your sweat glands or something even worse.
People who have overactive sweat glands have hyperhidrosis. This ailment usually affects the armpits, the feet and the hands. Although the sickness can be ignored, it causes distress for most who suffer from it regardless of the severity of the ailment.

According to statistics, around 3% of the population suffer from hyperhidrosis but only 40% of those suffering from the condition go to a doctor to get it treated. There are no particular causes of hyperhidrosis but it has been found to run in families. Although the ailment can be a standalone disorder, it can also be a signal from the body that there is something wrong with you healthwise. Conditions that result to a sweating overdrive include acromegaly, anxiety-related conditions, cancer, use of certain substances, heart disease, glucose control conditions or disorders, lung diseases, Parkinson’s, menopause, injury in the spinal cord, stroke, infections such as Tuberculosis, and Pheochromocytoma.

There are tests that can be done to diagnose this ailment and this includes starch-iodine test and paper test.
Treatment for hyperhidrosis includes the use of strong antiperspirants. Antiperspirants plug the body’s sweat ducts making it possible for sweating to be controlled especially in the underarm. Medication is also prescribed to individuals with this condition and the most common drugs used as anticholinergics such as Robinul. There are side effects though so it is best to discuss this with your doctor. You should also note what you are allergic to to ensure that you are eligible for using certain anticholinergics.

There are also other FDA approved treatments that you and your doctor can opt for. This includes iontophoresis or the electrical procedure of turning off the glands in the body responsible for swearing. This treatment is the most effective to date when it comes to excessive sweating on the hands and feet. This is not a one-time treatment though because you would have to undergo several 10 to 20 minute sessions to get your sweat glands to “turn off”. Botox is another FDA approved treatment for hyperhidrosis. It is a good solution for those who have severe underarm sweating. Small doses of the toxin administered into the underarms can block the nerves that cause sweating. Albeit temporary, the nerve block can last for months.

If you have questions about Hyperhydrosis we recommend contacting the good people at Oceanview can help answer them. Located right here in Frisco, their medical weigh loss spa offers many options for men and women including those that suffer from hyperhydrosis.