Be healthy and happy!
It’s getting lighter in the mornings and soon we’ll be counting down the days till the clocks change. Personally, I tend to want to hibernate during the winter and its only about now I am beginning to feel motivated about getting myself back to a more healthy state! Recently, I have been going to the gym again and out for the occasional run and I must admit you do forget how much better it makes you feel.
And like many of you I’ve come to the conclusion there is only way to get fit and healthy. Eating less and making healthier food choices, combined with some form of regular exercise are the most reliable ways to keep your mind – and body – in good shape.
However, there certain treatments in the salon that can really help enhance and speed up results such as Mesotherapy for fat reduction and cellulite treatments using Mesotherapy and Endermologie Lipomassage (I am a big fan of this!). The best results are for those clients that are being healthy with diet and exercise but need that extra help in toning or certain stubborn areas. We also have a great range of internal supplements which are great to take when trying to tone and firm up and get back on track. For more information on the supplements or treatments you can get a free consultation at either of the salons.
Healthy eating and exercise have benefits way beyond the aesthetics. It really does help your frame of mind. Personally, I feel more energized, focused and motivated as well. Did you know that exercise has been proven to help with depression?About 1 in 6 adults in the UK suffers from depression and improving our health and increasing exercise is one way of preventing/alleviating depression. Drinking more water helps a lot too. Drinking good amounts of water each day not only helps to hydrate your skin but you are also helping your mind stay healthy. We all know the mind and body work as one so if we want to look good on the outside we need to start with the basics and put in good quality fuel and exercise our bodies. Actually focusing more on the health benefits and less on our image make it easier to put these into practice and we then get the added bonus of looking great as well.
Perhaps like me you find it hard to keep up the momentum. You start well, and then it all falls by the wayside. I think the most important thing to remember is that doing a few small changes a can make a difference and just because you’re not good or miss the gym one day does not mean you need to give up altogether. The spring is a great time to get your exercise and healthy eating regime off to a gentle start. So good luck and here’s to looking and feeling healthy and happy!
Thermage Skin Tightening
We have recently started offering an amazing breakthrough treatment in our Skin Clinic at Teviot Place in Edinburgh.
Thermage is the only non-invasive procedure that helps tighten and contour your skin in a single treatment-with no surgery, no injections, and little to no downtime.
Instead, Thermage stimulates your body’s natural renewal of collagen, which creates subtle, natural looking results on and off the face, especially tighter, smoother skin… Softened wrinkles and lines…And an overall younger looking appearance.
So people won’t think you’ve been away at surgery. They’ll think you’ve been away on vacation. This treatment which is relatively new to the UK has been gaining huge attention in the States- it has been featured Oprah no less than 8 times. Supermodel Linda Evangelista is one of many celebrity fans.
Thermage is offered in the UK by only a small number of selected cosmetic surgeons. Dr Ash Dutta, who runs the UK’s largest laser clinic, was the first practitioner to introduce this treatment in Britain. Together with his wife Wendy, also an experienced cosmetic nurse, Dr Dutta will be offering regular clinics at the Teviot Salon.
Dr Dutta’s next clinic will be this coming Tuesday, 6th April. If you’re thinking of getting any surgery or cosmetic procedure for skin tightening anywhere on your face, eyes or body, why not come in for a consultation to see what Dr Dutta can do for you?
Beauty Sleep
I think one of the best beauty tips you can get….is to get a lot of sleep.
Sleep is essential for restoring your body and maintaining your health. Memory, learning, emotions and social behaviors are all influenced by your sleeping patterns. Those who suffer from sleep disorders frequently experience disrupted, non-restorative sleep. While some of these people have sleep problems due to a physical stress or condition, others suffer from sleep disorders due to some mental or emotional factors.
The amount of sleep you need each night depends on your age, general health and quality of sleep. While adults generally need about seven hours of sleep, teens and young children tend to need about ten hours. Regularly sleeping longer (more than an hour) than these normal sleeping patterns is defined as “long sleep.
Long sleepers, those who need much more sleep than others in their age groups, can require anywhere from 10 to more than 12 hours of sleep each night to feel fully rested during the day.
Lack of sleep can lead to us over eating on foods for energy and also turning to caffeinated drinks. It also is very ageing to suffer from lack of sleep as our body repairs itself when we sleep at night. If you are having trouble getting to sleep at night try to cut out caffeinated drinks after lunch time and have a nice relaxing bath or massage in the evening. At Zen we recommend Tea Pigs, our fabulous tasting range of caffeine-free teas. Honey and Rooibos is a great late night drink, its lovely with milk as well.
To create a calming and relaxing environment, I also suggest good quality aromatherapy candles. We have some amazing Neom candles such as ‘Calming’ and ‘Tranquility,’ which are excellent to have burning in the bedroom if you are reading before you go to sleep or when you are relaxing in a bath.
Murad has a wonderful new product called Sleep Reform (£79.50), which is excellent to help repair the skin overnight. The topical melatonin in it helps promote the skin’s sleep cycle, maximizing its ability to repair and regenerate itself.
Advances in skincare technology
Over the last few years we have seen some tremendous advancements in skincare technology, both from the point of view of homecare skin products and equipment used in treatments. The global skin care industry, and in particular the anti-ageing aspect, is huge business. There is a phenomenal amount of money and scientific brainpower dedicated to research and development, and we are learning more each year about how the skin works and how to slow down the signs of ageing. There are even some really powerful techniques to reverse the signs of ageing, Botox being an obvious, simple example. Products and treatments are also becoming increasingly sophisticated at targeting the critical functions of skin health, for example the production and maintenance of collagen and elastin, the building blocks of healthy skin. We can now safely speed up the skin renewal process without undue dryness and irritation. Products are coming onto the market which will mimic DNA functions of healthy skin and which can repair skin damage right down to the level of individual skin cells. Many products successfully harness the healing power of anti-oxidants, which play a very important role in preventing the ageing effects on skin cells caused by free radicals in the body.
One of the most important developments in skincare technology has been the development of high quality AHA based products. AHAs are Alpha Hydroxy Acids, naturally occurring compounds which are wonderful for restoring and correcting skin. AHA’s gently exfoliate your skin in a natural way, sloughing off the outer layer of dead skin cells to reveal smoother, healthy layers below. This process also speeds up the cell renewal cycle, stimulating the production of healthy new skin cells. As well as helping to return damaged or aging skin to a healthy, natural looking condition, they are great for long term skin health and anti ageing. Whilst associated in the past with causing irritation and dryness for some clients, there are products now in the market which are suitable for sensitive skin and which actually improve moisture levels. AHA’s were developed in the States by Joe Lewis, the bio-scientist behind the Priori brand, and first introduced to salons and spas by leading US dermatologist Dr Howard Murad.
Generally speaking we recommend that all clients should adopt a 3-step skin care regime. The first step is to cleanse (and tone); the second step is to correct; the third step is to hydrate and protect your skin for the day.
Personally I like to use a cleanser which I can take into the shower with me and foam up. The Priori Advanced AHA cleanser is gentle and a great anti-ageing cleanser. It’s a treatment in itself. Then you should use a corrector, that is, a product which will work on making gentle changes to your skin throughout the day or night. The correct cleanser should be prescribed based on your own skin condition and skin type, as well as what objectives you are trying to achieve. For example I am currently using the Murad Resurgence Age-Diffusing Serum, which is the most amazing anti-ageing product, but when I come back from holiday I will probably switch to the Coffeeberry Brightening Serum from Priori as I might be more concerned about sun damage and uneven skin tone.
The third step is to hydrate and protect your skin. The moisturiser does what it says on the bottle, but ask for a good one: for example all the Murad moisturisers contain anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant ingredients as well. If your moisturiser does not contain an SPF of at least 30, you absolutely must apply an SPF on top of your moisturiser. This is essential every day of the year, especially if you want to prevent early ageing. Even when it’s not sunny, a good spf will filter out the ageing effects of many polluting influences, especially the highly ageing UVA which surrounds us all the time.
I would recommend getting good advice from a skincare specialist on your own skin care needs. It’s best to do this in a professional salon or skin clinic environment, rather than relying on the product knowledge of sales assistant in a department store. If you can it is also worth getting your skin scanned for digital complexion analysis, in order to get really customised recommendations. This is available at Zen Lifestyle and at some dermatology clinics.
Links:
Buy Murad Products online at Zen-LifestyleDirect.com
Buy Priori Products online at Zen-LifestyleDirect.com