Natural Anti Aging

If you haven’t been feeling like making love with your honey lately and you’d rather wash your hair, it is probably because your body is low in the hormone testosterone. Testosterone levels in both men and women decline as the years go by, but it is possible to supplement with testosterone to bring back those feelings of lust and desire, so important for human beings of all ages.

Testosterone levels can be checked with either a blood or saliva test. If your levels are normal, then you will have to look deeper into why you are not feeling a little lusty for your partner. It could be overwork, stress or a variety of other relationship issues which will lower the testosterone in your body. Talk to your medical practitioner. But today, we are going to talk about testosterone supplementation in this posting.

Only recently has testosterone and its effects in both men and women become understood. Often referred to as the “hormone of desire”, it plays a major role in libido levels for women and men. Not only do the levels of testosterone in the system affect libido, it has many other overall health benefits. It builds strong bones, muscles and ligaments, improves energy levels and contributes to combating depression. Where low levels of testosterone are found, it has been known to actually cause aches and pains in the joints, thin, dry skin, loss of muscle mass, osteoporosis, fatigue and depression.

Overdosing on testosterone is not a good thing because we want our hormones to be balanced. Too much testosterone can possibly lead to high cholesterol levels, liver and heart disease.

Balancing your hormones not only includes supplementing with estrogen and progesterone, but also with testosterone. Testosterone is less effective when taken orally and is best used as a cream, topical gel, inserted pellets or sublingual tablets. For women, to increase sensitivity to the genitals, it is applied to the inner labia and clitoris. Testosterone should be prescribed in the correct dosage and frequency for women to avoid the unwanted side effects of deepening voice, unwanted facial hair, oily skin, acne and unwanted weight gain.

Check with your doctor who specializes in bioidentical hormone supplementation for further information on whether you should supplement your testosterone levels.

Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure that can be done at home or in a salon. The home procedure can be performed with a hand held machine such as Neutrogena’s At Home Microdermabrasion kit or with any one of the variety of microdermabrasion formulas available on the market.

However, treatments at home are not as effective as the treatment you can have in a salon because of the equipment used and the skills of the esthetician performing the task. In a salon, the esthetician will use a specialized tool for the procedure which utilizes various crystals such as sodium bicarbonate, aluminum oxide or sodium chloride. The tool action shoots out the crystals and vacuums up the used crystals and dead skin cells.

The process of microdermabrasion works on the outer layer of the skin, the stratum corneum where the fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes on your face lay. It is a less invasive procedure than, say, cosmetic fillers such as Botox, etc., and can be viewed as an “instant” facelift. The prices range from $50 – $175 a session. Your esthetician will recommend a series of treatments to achieve the results you wish.

How does it work? During the microdermabrasion process the outer layer, the stratum corneum is disturbed. The body interprets this as an injury and responds with crythema – the redness you will see after the process and mild edema (swelling). These reactions will last anywhere from an hour to 48 hours.

The beneficial effects of microdermabrasion are the creation of new skin cells and a smoother skin surface. It can “fix” such things as removing fine lines, correcting sun damage and blemishes and allows moisturizing creams applied after the treatment to reach the lower levels of the skin. Over time and with repeated microdermabrasion procedures, it can also improve minor acne scarring by generating new healthy skin cells, thereby improving the skin surface.

Microdermabrasion is not recommended for people with any of the following conditions:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Lupus
• Dermatitis
• Persons taking anti-coagulants
• Open sores
• Herpes
• Acne
• Vascular lesions
• Active rosacea
• Broken capillaries
• Warts
• Skin lesions
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Erythematosis

Microdermabrasion is recommended for the treatment of:

• Sun damaged skin
• Brown spots
• Shallow acne scars
• Fine lines
• Improving dull aging skin
• Improving uneven skin tone and texture
• Melasma (hyper pigmentation)

Microdermabrasion is an inexpensive anti-aging procedure which does wonders for your skin.

To help fight the aging process and combat stress, a spa can be your best friend. An appointment was booked for me to experience and review the services at In Beauty MedSpa. I was booked for their Zen Hydrating Relaxation Facial which is accompanied by the Alpha LED Oxylight Spa Body treatment. This session lasted 35 minutes, good for relaxation, stress relief and a very refreshing, soothing facial.

In Beauty MedSpa is located in Yorkville, Toronto at 26 Bellair Avenue on the second floor. It is a clean spa with elegant décor and private rooms for your treatments.

The session began with me undressing, covering myself with a towel and hopping into the Alpha LED Oxylight machine. The machine looks something like a tanning bed. For 15 minutes, Wren, my esthetician cleansed and massaged my face with a cleansing cream made of botanical extracts and then applied a gentle exfoliator made of Quartz Peel from Switzerland. She massaged my face for a few more minutes with a pleasant sweet smelling essential oil and then left the room. I was hoping that the massage would have lasted a bit longer but, alas, I had only been booked for a 35 minute session.

You might be wondering what the Alpha LED Oxylight Spa Body treatment is exactly. Invented by Nasa as a pure oxygen infusion and light therapy treatment, it massages, provides pain relief, rejuvenates the skin, assists with insomnia, gives an emotional lift, energizes and provides stress relief. I can definitely say that it does provide stress relief

After 15 minutes, my esthetician returned to clean up my face and applied some vitamin rich anti-aging eye cream around the eyes and a calming herbal moisturizing cream to the rest of my face. She did not do any analysis of my skin or recommend any products or treatments which were supposed to be a part of the facial. This is not a problem for me

Overall, I found the experience pleasant and relaxing, my face properly cleansed and massage and moisturized and my frazzled nerves a little less frazzled. I will be returning to the In Beauty MedSpa to experience more of what they have to offer in the near future.

In Beauty MedSpa
26 Bellair Ave., 2nd Floor
416.929.3313

For those trying to beat stress and seeking anti-aging procedures, check out what your local spa offers.