Don't go to bed naked!

That's right!

Let me clarify. Feel free to wear, or not wear, whatever you would like on your body, but when it comes to your skin listen to the doctor's orders.

What does Dr. Clinton suggest?

Dr. Clinton recommends her patients apply a product that contains Vitamin A to their skin on a regular basis. Vitamin A is a key ingredient in skin rejuvenation and anti-aging products. Dr. Clinton is very excited about SkinMedica's new Tri-Retinol Complex ES.

What's so great about this particular product?

Tri-Retinol Complex is clinically proven to repair and regenerate the skin. With three forms of vitamin A in a retinoid formulation of 1.10% this product will:

• Diminish the appearance of fine lines and coarse wrinkles by stimulating collagen production.
• Stimulate cell regeneration and cellular turnover to enhance skin tone and texture and reduce age spots.
• Encourage improved skin elasticity and firmness and minimize collagen loss.

Sounds pretty amazing, right? Well to be honest it is!

I forgot to mention that Tri-Retinol Complex gradually releases into the skin delivering all the benefits of a traditional Retin A product without the skin irritation Retin A's are known for. This is truly a new favorite of the staff at Timeless Skin Solutions.

Want to know more? Ask Dr. Carol

or stop into the office.

TSS Investigates - DIY Botox

If anyone knows that value of a dollar, it’s me! I’m a coupon-clipping, rewards card-holding, price comparing and negotiating, black Friday shopping maniac! But one sacrifice I would never make – putting my health in danger just to save a few bucks. In my eyes, it’s just not worth it.

I came across an article the other day from the Lincoln Journal Star reporting on a burglary at a plastic surgeon’s office. It was your typical, everyday robbery – “…stolen items included a flatscreen TV, a laptop computer, two digital cameras and cash…” and “…six boxes of botulinum toxin type A,” AKA Botox! Wait a second, did I read that correctly? They stole $3,150 worth of Botox? What would two of Lincoln’s finest do with Botox vials?

“Well you know people are illegally selling Botox on the internet now?” Kristy later informed me. That sparked my interest – and I immediately started my search to find Botox for purchase online – without a prescription & without an MD at the end of my name.

I discovered a fantastic article by Lorraine Fisher from the Dailymail.com, with, what I think, is quite a show-stopping title “Poison-by-post.com : The terrifying new trend that could paralyze, blind or even kill you.” I mean if that doesn’t scare you, what would?

Lorraine did all the leg work for me – she researched sites online where you can purchase Botox and actually bought some. It seemed so easy - she simply searched “buy botox”, a website appeared, she selected three vials and headed to the online check-out. The Botox soon arrived, without any instructions on how to transform this gel-like substance into the liquid Botox we all see when at our physician’s office. (In case you aren’t aware, Botox is actually shipped in solid form and the physician combines that with sodium chloride before injecting a patient).

This might seem all fine and dandy up to this point – but let’s just bring to light some of the more “shady” things Lorraine ran into during her purchasing experience. The first, and most obvious red light is the fact that you can only pay with Western Union or Moneygram transfers. And even further, the money was to be sent to some lady with a fake name in Chisinau, Moldova. If Western Union asked you what the money was for, you were told to lie and tell them the money is “…for your relatives or for a friend in need.” Lastly, another little known fact about Botox is that it must be kept cold – in fact it’s packed and shipped in dry ice when sent to our office from Allergan. But was Lorraine’s illegitimate botox packed in ice? Nope, it was sent in a plain old envelope, so after all that, if by some miracle the product she received was really Botox, by the time it got to her, it wasn’t good anymore.

As I read through more articles, what seemed to interest me the most was not the physicians’ opinions on DIY Botox but instead the comments left by the public about the subject. Comments ranged from one end to the other; from citizens concerned for those who would take such a drastic step just to save a few bucks; to comments defending these online illegal drug stores; to those who think we should just all mind our own business and let people do as they please. I even saw a post from a past employee of one of these websites claiming her innocence of the whole situation.

I'm not trying to make up anyone's mind about this - after all, from what I've read, this seems to be quite a touchy subject - but I just don't see how risking your life is worth saving some money. Like any prescription you receive, there are possible side effects of Botox, side effects that are hightened when you aren’t fully trained to be dispensing the drug.

Allergan (makers of Botox) suggest seeing "dermatologists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat doctors), or other physicians specializing in cosmetic procedures [because they] are generally more experienced." On the Botox website doctors are listed for your convenience based on zip code so you can be sure you are seeing a trained, experienced physician.

So why take the risk?

References:

"Poison-by-Post.com: The terrifying new trend that could paralyse, blind or even kill you" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1178137/Poison-post-com-The-terrifying-new-trend-paralyse-blind-kill-you.html
"DIY Botox: Site Offers Injectable Drug Without Prescription - With How-To Video" http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/botox-without-prescription/
Botox Cosmetic Official Website: http://www.botoxcosmetic.com/index.aspx

NEW PRODUCT ALERT - The Clarisonic Opal! - How Do Our Patients Feel About it?

Clarisonic, the makers of the Clarisonic Brush [a staff favorite!] just came out with a brand new product using the same gentle micro-massaging movements as the Clarisonic Brush & the Sonic Toothbrush, but geared toward your under-eyes. Although the product was just released on Tuesday, our office was lucky enough to receive a sneak preview of the product about 30 days ago. We were given some Opals for us and some of our patients to try out before the product was even on the market!

We asked our “test” patients to supply us with some basic feedback of the product, based on 7 simple questions;

Was the product easy to use?

Was it difficult to add to your normal skincare routine?

Did you see immediate results?

Did you apply other product(s) either before or after use?

Did you like the serum that came with the product?

Did you use any other product in the opal, instead of the serum?

Do you have any major complaints?

At a quick glance of the responses, the feedback was great! The product was easy to use and effortless to add into a normal skin care regimen. It seemed that the big amazement for everyone was the immediate results you could see after using the Opal. One patient exclaimed, “Actually, much to my surprise…I could see an immediate difference in the reduction of small lines around my eyes!” Based on feedback, the best time to use the Opal seems to be after cleansing as you apply your facial moisturizer. Instead of patting in the eye cream you currently use, simply switch over to the Opal and in the same amount of time, you can expect immediate “plumping” of the skin around your eyes.

Another praise we heard from our patients is the futuristic appearance of the Opal itself. Not only of the sleek outer shell, but also in the trendy design of the charger – even being compared to the Wii remote charger. One patient loved “the magnetic click you hear when you set the Opal on its charger base.” Some did experience a little confusion when first setting up the charger, because it is so different than most product chargers in the industry – and for that very reason we have an Opal laid out in the office so you can play around with it before you take yours home!

A specially formulated Anti-Aging Serum is included with your purchase. The Opal has not been clinically tested using any other product besides this serum – but we know how attached some are to their eye creams (myself included with the TNS Illuminating Eye!) - so we were interested to see if some of our “test” patients used their favorite eye product instead of/or in addition to the serum. Every patient liked the serum included, noting that “It has a very nice consistency and smell to it. Very cosmetically elegant,” and “…it's smooth and disappears quickly.” No one seemed to use one of their products in the Opal, in place of the serum, but instead just used their favorite eye cream before use, and then continued with the regimen after use (i.e. Essential Serum, sunscreen, Vitamin C).

I know what you all are wondering - were there any complaints? Not one patient had a MAJOR complaint about the product, just a few small concerns or unanswered questions. First of all, one patient showed interest in learning more about the serum itself; what ingredients are in the serum and what went into the development of this serum to work hand-in-hand with the Opal. We went straight to Clarisonic for that answer, and here it is:

“Our Anti-Aging Sea Serum was scientifically developed for optimum results with the Sonic Infuser. Key points about our Serum are… specific viscosity (thickness and consistency) to work best with the cupped applicator tip [and] specific rheology (the physical way that it flows) to work with the dynamics of the Sonic Infuser.”

Ingredients include, “…Key marine and botanical ingredients to hydrate (Trehalose); to firm and tighten (Glycosaminoglycans and Kigelia Africana Extract); and to soothe and protect (Canadian Willowherb). As well, our serum has a natural preservative derived from naturally occurring substances and is Paraben free.”

Other patients expressed a need for more instructions on use, “…how much pressure to add or how to rotate…because it's so different from the Clarisonic Brush and it's close to the eye.” That is a great question, and based on our experience, both with the Clarisonic Brush and so far with the Opal; pressure is not really needed. What’s so great about the Clarisonic Brush is that the sonic vibration shakes and lifts dirt and bacteria out of the skin without much pressure at all. Same with the Opal, the gentle vibrations will plump and softly infuse the serum into your under eye area – doing all the work for you, no need to add additional pressure!

Another question that frequently arose was the expectation of how long the serum will last and how many applications you should expect with each serum. The answer there is - 180 applications, 90 per eye at twice a day – so you can expect the serum to last you 45 days. If you choose to use the product once a day, then obviously you will see a longer life from the serum – it’s up to you and your face!

Now for some fun! What other advice or insider information did our patients have for future Opal users?

“…it is great for when your sinuses are full after a nights sleep and you want to reduce the puffiness under eyes!”

“I shared the Opal with my husband before a party for instant plump!”

“The Opal is really great for travel… It's small, looks good and comes with a great little bag. “

“I am going to use the Clarisonic on just one of my eyes for the next few months. I will do it in the morning everyday after I wash my face with my regular Clarisonic Brush.” – Stay tuned for some before and after pictures!

After you try out your Clarisonic Opal – please let us know how you like it! We would love to hear your thoughts and I’m sure those interested in buying the product would love to hear them as well!