I have a confession to make and it's only right I share it with you since it's beauty related, but being that it's also anti-aging related most would consider it a hush-hush situations. In my case though, it's show and tell. With my career heading towards on camera work things are starting to bother me that I never really paid attention to before – lines and wrinkles. Of course I use a slew of anti-aging products, but have recently been considering Botox and fillers.
I do believe that taking care of your skin daily and using cosmetic enhancers in moderation is OK. What I'm struggling with is am I ready to start? Should I wait until I'm at least 30? I'm just not ready to take the plunge. This week my mother and I visited Dr. Stephen Bracci at Verve Medical Cosmetics in NYC and I picked his brain on my dilemma as my mom tried a filler.
"The right time to start doing fillers depends on your lifestyle," commented Dr. Bracci. "There's no appropriate age, but if you start when fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear, you're not trying to fill resting lines (deep ones) so it's easier to soften them."
Overall, people who are thinner start to see lines earlier due to having low body fat and as you age, it's not about having excess skin, it's about lacking volume where you once had it. Fillers like Restylane and Juvederm last about a year and replace the volume in your skin to give you plump, supple skin in a nautral way while helping your own body rebuild natural collagen. They also work instantly. Since they're thick, they're best used for smile lines, the cheeks and areas of the face that tend to have more fat.
Botox on the other hand is a thinner formula and used around the eyes and the forehead. It takes three to four days for results to show and lasts about three months. Most people could use a bit of both, but as Dr. Bracci told me, start small until you get comfortable with it. The beauty of injectables is that they just add volume back to areas that are lacking it. They're not meant to warp your face and change it's structure.
Dr. Bracci has a true passion for the art of using cosmetic injectables and looked at my mothers face the way I never would have. Of course I would notice the typical fine lines and wrinkles, but as an artist, he explained certain areas that need to be filled in order to bring out others. I do appreciate the art and everything in moderation, but for now, will stick with chemical peels and my skincare regimen. One day, I'll be visiting Dr. Bracci when I'm ready to take the leap.
Dr. Bracci is located at Verve Medical Cosmetics, 216 E. 50th St. NY, NY 10022.
It's April and Spa Week is right around the corner! From April 11 through the 17th many spas nation wide will be offering some of their top treatments from deep tissue and hot stone massages to lash extensions, manis and pedis, Botox, Velashape, body wraps, and facials for only $50!
Almost a thousand spas nationwide will be participating this year. If you've never participated in Spa Week before, I highly suggest you take advantage of it and book your appointment early to get the treatment and days that you want. Most spas offer three treatments at this discounted rate and book up quickly.
Cosmetic surgery in the United States is so common today that 18–year–old girls are getting breast implants from their parents as high school graduation gifts. It’s almost as if these parents are saying, “Welcome to the real world honey.”
The top five cosmetic surgical procedures done in 2009 were breast augmentation followed by liposuction, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty and tummy tucks. However, according to Women’s Health – geography plays a part as to what form of nip and tuck women had done.
Last week I attended an event at the London Hotel with other bloggers and met the one and only Cindy Crawford. I don't normally write about beauty events I attend on a daily basis, but this one was like no other. Cindy spoke about her skincare line Meaningful Beauty, which is launching in Sephora this October and dished her beauty secrets.
The most exciting part – I scored an exclusive interview with the super model (and I mean super model) on camera! I have to say, she was the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen in my entire life. And that says a lot because throughout my career I've met the all of Victoria's Secret models like 
