Conclusion: We concluded that PUVA group patients achieved a faster clearance, but the adverse effects were significantly lower in the NBUVB group. (Source: Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology) Source: MedWorm: Oral Cancer

Source: MedWorm: Oral Cancer

Source: MedWorm: Oral Cancer

Source: MedWorm: Oral Cancer

You probably know that day can be delayed if you eat right, exercise and guard against the sun. But if you, like the rest of us, don’t always succeed with the healthy-lifestyle approach, turn to this list of fallback options from Charlene Haines of Euphoria Day Spa.

A truly blissful option, this facial cleanses, hydrates and exfoliates the skin while it pumps in plenty of fresh air, improving circulation, stimulating cell rejuvenation and killing any blemish-causing bacteria hiding in pores. Ever wonder how celebs like Jennifer Aniston look so luminous even without makeup? Now you know.

This common procedure involves using small needles to inject traces of a substance that “paralyzes” the muscles underneath, where lines are forming usually around the mouth and eyes and on the forehead. It temporarily freezes the muscles that form these expression lines, cutting down on the repetitive movements that help create wrinkles.

It’s fast, easy and relatively painless, but make sure to pick a doctor with experience, and undergo an allergy test first. You’ll have to get Botox shots every few months, but the results are dramatic and, over the long haul, can delay the formation of wrinkles.

Gone are the days of lumpy, bumpy injections to plump up lips and sagging cheeks. Now it’s all about Restylane or Radiesse, two natural fillers made of hyaluronic acid (a natural substance already present in the human body) that are injected right into creases and wrinkles to make them disappear.

The effects last for about six months and are less prone to infection and clumping than previous treatments. Britney Spears uses Restylane to give her bow-tie lips a slightly fuller look.

A highly effective procedure that’s one step below a laser treatment, this is actually nothing like a facial. Doctors turn an intense, pulsating light on your skin (officially known as nonablative rejuvenation) that fades pigmentation, reduces large pores, clears up acne and really does a number on fine lines and wrinkles. It’s quick and fairly painless (you might feel a slight zap) and can take 10 years off your skin in a matter of minutes.

Non-Surgical Face-Lift One of the newest anti-wrinkle options to hit the market, this medical device uses radio-frequency technology to eradicate lines and wrinkles that formerly could be reduced only with a surgical lift.

It works by chilling the skin and then applying tightening energy from radio frequency. It’s not entirely without discomfort, but the results are worth it. Dermatologists prep patients with a topical anesthetic and a strong painkiller before getting busy.

Unless things are really headed south, Charlene advises, don’t go under the plastic surgeon’s knife. Radical procedures like face-lifts will yield disappointing results if they’re done too early, she says. Better to prevent problems today so you won’t have to fix them tomorrow.

A Plastic Surgeon is a surgical specialist who has completed a minimum of 5 years of study and training in surgery after receiving a medical degree. He or she has demonstrated successful completion of training and passed a rigorous examination process overseen by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and is thus specifically qualified to practice reconstructive and aesthetic (cosmetic) plastic surgery.

Most people are familiar with cosmetic surgery. Plastic Surgeons are the experts in cosmetic surgery. However, many people do not realize that Plastic Surgeons also look after most of the hand and facial injuries in Canada.

They manage most large wounds including burns. Canadian Plastic Surgeons treat a large number of patients with skin cancer, and they help the rehabilitation of breast cancer patients with breast reconstruction. They repair congenital deformities like cleft lips and abnormal hands. They participate in leg, hand, face, and skull reconstruction after severe accidents.

In fact, if any part of the body is abnormal or needs reconstruction to restore function or appearance after birth, cancer or accidents, Plastic Surgeons are there to help.

Osteoporosis – Esophageal cancer – Health – Cancer – England (Source: Health News – UPI.com) Source: MedWorm: Oral Cancer

Who would have ever thought that the pretty colors that help you look beautiful can actually cause harm? The truth of the matter is that many of the ingredients that color your lipstick are derived from coal tar, which causes cancer. Now, these color ingredients may not themselves be known to cause cancer, but a great deal of them have not been adequately tested to determine if they’re safe.

Most of the color ingredients in your lipstick that give you an amazing number of shades to choose from are D&C and FD&C colors, i.e. artificial colors. However, the majority of the time, the D&C and FD&C are left off the label so you’ll see the color listed something like “Orange 5″ or “Blue 1 Lake.”

Why should this matter to you?

The FDA has approved D&C Colors for drugs and cosmetics but not for food. So they can’t be used in things you eat. Now, in spite of the fact that lipstick is a cosmetic and not a food, everyone who wears it eats it. Every time you lick your lips, you’re eating a little bit of lipstick. In fact, “in the June 2002 issue of Glamour magazine it was reported that women inadvertently ingest about 4 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime.”

The other artificial colors used in lipstick, FD&C Colors, have been approved by the FDA for food, drugs and cosmetics.

D&C and FD&C Colors are regulated by the FDA, but only in terms of the amount of the toxic metals, lead and arsenic, they contain. D&C Colors may not contain more than 20 ppm [parts per million] of lead and arsenic. FD&C Colors are limited to 10 ppm.

Lead and arsenic are poisonous. So, every time you lick your lips you may be getting a small dose of these noxious chemicals.

Tests done on a number of different lipstick brands in 2007 for the presence of lead found that in over half of the brands tested the level of lead was more than what’s allowed in candy. More recently, the FDA tested 22 brands of lipstick and found lead in every single one and at even higher levels than the 2007 study! Nevertheless, the FDA considers the lead detected in the lipstick tested to be harmless. However, considering that lead accumulates in your body, and even minute amounts of lead in lipstick can lead to harm, do you want to be adding lead to your body every time you lick your lips?

It’s important to note here that the certification of D&C and FD&C Colors does not address any other harmful effects these colors may have on your body. For example, neither the D&C nor FD&C Colors are checked to determine if they cause allergic reactions, are skin irritants, whether they’re toxic to your nervous system or reproductive system or even cause cancer.

In addition, a great deal of what you put on your skin is absorbed directly into your bloodstream. This fact is NOT taken into consideration in the standards for D&C Colors, which allow twice as much of the toxic lead and arsenic as the FD&C Colors.  

Avoid these D&C Colors commonly found in lipstick:

•    Orange 5
•    Orange 5 Lake  
•    Red 6
•    Red 6 Lake
•    Red 7 Lake
•    Red 21
•    Red 21 Lake
•    Red 27
•    Red 27 Lake
•    Red 30 Lake
•    Red 33 Lake

Stay away from these FD&C Color ingredients found in lipstick as well:

•    Blue 1 Lake
•    Yellow 5 Lake
•    Yellow 6 Lake

This is just a sampling of the kinds of color ingredients you may find in your lipstick. When you check the ingredients list on your lipstick, you may find other color ingredients that are not listed here, but should be avoided. For example, it’s best to pass up any lipsticks that contain any color ingredients with a number after it, or with a number and “lake.”

Also, there are other harmful ingredients in your lipstick besides colors. These include xenoestrogens or endocrine disruptors, which interfere with your hormones. Some common ones found in lipstick are parabens. Methylparaben and propylparaben are the ones most frequently found in lipstick.

Another kind of ingredient you want to pass up is the penetration enhancer. It causes more of the ingredients in your lipstick to be absorbed into your body. An example of a common penetration enhancer found in lipstick as well as other cosmetic products is propylene glycol.

By now, you’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to protect yourself.

Here’s a simple way to get started using healthier lipstick and cosmetic products:

Check the ingredients list for the chemicals listed above when you shop for lipstick as well as all your other cosmetic products. Then choose only those products that are free of these harmful ingredients. You may need a magnifying to read the tiny print. Do this and you’ll be off to a good start.