health and beauty Archives - A Million Lives

June 19, 2018 by Greg Underwood

7 Well-Kept Hair and Beauty Tips and Secrets You’d Wish You Always Knew

Should you check the internet, you’ll find a mind-boggling range of cosmetics and beauty tips and secrets that promise to make you look young and gorgeous and give your skin a stunning blemish-free look. You’ll also come across a crazy array of hair care products along with hair loss reversal solutions that guarantee you manageable, glossy hair.

According to Statista, the market value of skincare products is expected to rise by USD 20.1 billion between the years from 2014 to 2019. Further, 23% of the products produced worldwide are intended for hair care. Here’s another interesting fact. Americans used close to 25% of the cosmetics produced in the world.

But, what if you could get beautiful skin and hair without the application of chemical products? How about using natural products that you can buy not at high-end beauty stores, but in the aisles of the grocery store? Such products are not only more economical, but they’re also safer and less likely to cause side effects. You could even add them to your diet for to nourish your skin and hair from within.

Take a quick look at these simple and effective beauty tips and secrets.

1. Frizzy Hair with Static? Tame Your Tresses with the Right Brush

Dealing with frizzy flyaway hair and static? You don’t need a bunch of serums, shampoos, and conditioners to fix the problem. Use simpler solutions like conditioning with olive oil right after washing with apple cider vinegar, or deep conditioning with coconut oil. And, use an anti static brush for hair styling. Made with natural boar hair bristles, the brush works to spread natural oils evenly through your hair to remove static and give it a smooth, shiny look.

2. Makeup Remover? Clean and Nourish Your Skin with Milk

At the end of a long day, your skin is likely to have accumulated all kinds of polluting buildups and free radicals that can oxidize the skin and cause aging and damage. The most effective of skin cleansing solutions is milk. Use a cotton pad dipped in cold milk to clean off the makeup and moisturize as you clean. One of the simplest of beauty tips and secrets, milk tones your skin, leaving it fresh and clean. Wash off with plain water after a few minutes and turn in for the night.

3. Lines and Wrinkles? Use Honey as a Natural Anti-Aging Mask

Check out this feature on Livestrong that talks about the amazing benefits of pure, organic honey for your skin. By combining honey with other ingredients like yogurt, papaya, or avocado paste, you can create a face mask that can reverse the effects of aging like lines, wrinkles, and creases. Massaging the salve gently can help in promoting blood circulation for more effective results. Remove with warm water and a soft washcloth and watch your skin glow. Now that’s a simple and effective beauty tip and secret. Given that honey has antibacterial properties, you won’t need to worry about pimples and breakouts ever again.

4. Sun Tanning and Skin Darkening Issues? Use Bananas

This simple skin brightening solution needs you to mix half a mashed banana along with a teaspoon of milk and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply this face pack on your skin and allow it to work for about 15 minutes. You’re also allowed to munch on the remaining banana while you wait. Wash off the pack with warm water and pat your skin dry. Try this anti-tanning treatment twice a week and you’ll never have to rely on the creams, day lotions, and night serums.

5. Looking for an Exfoliating Product? Check Your Kitchen

All the top-grade skin products companies will never reveal that the easiest of beauty tips and secrets can be found in your kitchen. The folks at StyleCraze recommend that when you need an effective exfoliant; mix a tablespoon each of sugar and lemon juice with half a teaspoon of glycerin. Massage into your skin using upward motions and remove all the dead and dying cells. While you work, you’ll also be removing any tanning, darkening, and pigmentation. The lemon juice in the mix does the trick. After a 3 to 4-minute rejuvenating massage, wash off with warm water. You won’t even need to moisturize or tone. The glycerin will do that for your skin.

6. Troubled with Zits, Pimples, and Breakouts? Try a Salad

Before you go, ‘Huh!” know that tomatoes and cucumbers contain the best compounds that can nourish your skin. For instance, cucumbers acts as astringents and prevent acne. They also contain compounds that can clear the impurities from your skin and remove dead skin cells. The result? Clear skin that resists breakouts.

Tomatoes are a rich source of Vitamin A and lycopene. Vitamin A nourishes your skin while lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that can open your pores, remove the effects of pollution, and prevent acne. So, the next time you’re tossing a salad for dinner, combine 2 tablespoons of tomato paste with 1 tablespoon of cucumber paste and apply on your face for about 30 minutes. Isn’t that the best of beauty tips and secrets ever?

7. Hair Loss and Dull, Lifeless Hair?

Before we sign off, let’s add a quick beauty tip and secret for hair loss. Try a hair mask with onion juice mixed with other ingredients like bananas, honey, egg yolk, coconut oil, almond oil, or vitamin E oil. Leave the mask on for about 15 to 20 minutes and then, shampoo as usual. Like this article on BoldSky explains, you can also massage your tresses with oils like coconut, almond, olive, or argan, leave overnight, and wash off in the morning.

Ready to go grocery shopping for beautiful skin and gorgeous hair?

May 30, 2018 by Greg Underwood

Understanding the Face Lift Cost in Chicago

The fish is our most visible feature and therefore the first thing other people notice. Not just that, our face is often expected to reflect our in our feelings. Unfortunately, this expectation is wrong due to the ravages of time. As we age, the skin on our neck, jaw, and cheeks will lose its elasticity and will begin to sag. Over time, this makes the face look tired, and healthy, and unhappy, neither of which is necessarily a reflection of how someone feels. As a result, many women and men alike start to think about having a rhytidectomy or face lift. There are many things to think about before opting for this type of surgery, one of which is the face lift cost in Chicago.

What Is a Face Lift?

Rhytidectomy is quite an invasive procedure in which the skin and muscles of the face are lifted comma returning it to its younger self. The results are long-lasting, although they do have limitations. For instance, a facelift will not remove bags under the eyes, crow’s feet, or forehead wrinkles. Rather, it restores the natural Contours of the face. Often, additional work needs to be done to truly make someone look more youthful such as a brow lift, Botox, and blepharoplasty.

Who Has a Face Lift?

It is very important to make sure that you are a good candidate for a facelift before you continue your research in this procedure. Gender is irrelevant comma but those who see the greatest benefits are those who are within 20 pounds of their healthy weight and a defined and bony facial structure. Naturally, those who do not meet those two characteristics can still have the surgery but it is important that they also have realistic expectations in terms of what it can truly achieve.

The Face Lift Cost in Chicago

Cost is, naturally, a very big factor. However, it is also important to understand that the cost varies tremendously, and not solely by geographical location. This is because most people will not just have a facelift but also other procedures, whereas others may only opt for a mini lift comma which is a far less invasive procedure that takes just 90 minutes to complete. Other factors that will determine how much the procedure will cost include:

The specific techniques that are used.
The anatomy of the patient.
The extent of correction that will be needed.

On average, you can expect to pay between $7,500 and $15,000. Good surgeons will always discuss this and during consultation, when they will also discuss financing options and payment plans. One of the reasons why the facelift is a more expensive procedure than many others is because of its highly invasive nature. The recovery time is also extensive, which means that those who work must also factor in the cost of not being able to go to their place of employment for a period of time. It is unlikely that they will receive compensation for this, as it is an elective procedure.

April 27, 2018 by Greg Underwood

How to Prevent Wrinkles

As you age, getting wrinkles may become more and more of a concern. Click on this article to find a guide on how to prevent wrinkles.

For thousands of years, women have tried to learn how to prevent wrinkles. In fact, stories tell us that even the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra bathed in donkey’s milk daily to rejuvenate and refresh her skin.

This concern has been for ages. Luckily though, we’ve got science on our side, which means you don’t have to spend your days smelling like donkey’s milk.

Instead, if your trying to prevent wrinkles just follow these 5 steps.

1. Stop Smoking

Seriously, if you’re currently smoking, you’ve got to quit that habit as soon as possible. Not only is it unhealthy but it’s also incredibly aging as well.

When you smoke, the muscles in your mouth draw the skin in a certain position. The more you repeat this motion, the more wrinkles will begin to form. Second, the toxins in the cigarettes led to less healthy skin that gets damaged quicker.

Check out our 8 tips for kicking your smoking habit.

2. Eat Healthily

While we often think of food affecting our internal health, it also plays a large part in our skin as well.

Make sure that you are eating lots of fruits and vegetables. The vitamins in these foods will help your skin bounce back from the harsh variables of the day.

If you’re planning on taking a vitamin supplement make sure that you find one that has vitamins A, K, and E. These help prevent wrinkles by tightening your skin.

3. Protect Yourself From the Sun

While we all love the warm golden feel of the sun against our skin, it is incredibly damaging. If you are going to be outside in the sun for extended periods of time be sure to apply sunscreen frequently.

It also wouldn’t hurt to invest in some shade producing hats as well.

4. Moisturize

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! We cannot stress this enough. Dry skin is more prone towards irreparable damage, including wrinkles.

Even if you have oily skin, you still need to moisturize it. There are many products on the market that can work for your skin type. Find the one you like the best and then apply it religiously.

5. Deep Clean and Rejuvenate

Lastly, even with all of these tips, you still might notice wrinkles forming. The best thing to do is to deep clean and rejuvenate your face. This can be done through facials and masks.

Sometimes your skin will need a little bit of help from the professionals.

Take the time to meet with skin care professionals like those at Dr Aesthetica. Talk to them about your skincare routine. Be sure to read our guide before getting cosmetic surgery, however.

Learn How to Prevent Wrinkles

While wrinkles might seem aging and frustrating, they’re nothing to be afraid of. The most important thing is to focus on having healthy skin. Never make drastic changes without talking to a healthcare professional.

In fact, if you’re really worried about the possibility of wrinkles they are a great resource to turn to. In the meantime, if you are looking for any more tips on how to prevent wrinkles, contact us!

We’ll let you know what we find.

January 11, 2018 by Greg Underwood

Dr. Dean Toriumi: What to do for a Botched Nose Job

What’s worse than having a misshapen nose that takes away from your appearance? Going through surgery to have it corrected and several months later realizing you’re worse off than you were before. Unfortunately, not all nose surgeons are equal: The wrong one and the wrong situation can lead to a botched nose job, according to renowned facial plastic surgeon Dr. Dean Toriumi. That’s why picking the right surgeon from the start is so invaluable. Fortunately, you can take some steps to recover from a failed rhinoplasty by seeing a surgeon who specializes in revision rhinoplasty.

Why May a Nose Job Fail?

Nose jobs can end up taking a turn for the worse for a number of reasons

One question that may especially bug you when you look in the mirror is, “How could surgery on such a small part of my face be so hard to get right?”

A rhinoplasty gone bad can understandably be emotionally devastating, decreasing your self-esteem and thus keeping you from wanting to show your face to family and friends. Your social life and overall well-being can be negatively affected as a result, so it’s not something to take lightly.

Nose Jobs Are Complex

Because nose jobs remain a relatively popular and often successful surgery in the United States, it’s easy to take for granted how complex they really are. The truth is that many plastic surgeons view rhinoplasty as the hardest facial cosmetic procedure. It’s part of the reason why revision rhinoplasty — surgery done to correct a poorly done nose job — is on the rise.

With revision rhinoplasty, your surgeon will make changes and corrections that caused or failed to resolve functional or cosmetic problems., Some revision rhinoplasty involves complex surgery to correct problems such as breathing issues, noticeable deformities, and asymmetries.

Revision Rhinoplasty Can be Challenging, Too

Revision rhinoplasty may sound simple, but in reality, it can be more challenging than the initial surgery. Why? Because your surgeon has to tackle issues that may not have been present before the first procedure.

However, a competent surgeon can address these issues effectively. Sometimes the surgeon will take cartilage from another area of the body to use in the nose; in some cases, building a totally new framework beneath the skin in the nose area may be necessary.

In spite of the challenges nose surgeons may face when performing revision rhinoplasty, positive results are quite possible. However, having realistic expectations is critical when attempting to achieve an ideal result, just as with first-time surgery. You can consider yourself to be in the winner’s circle after corrective rhinoplasty if your surgeon was able to erase your malformations and make you look and feel respectable again.