Artefill Is The Hottest New Injectable For Wrinkles

It's quick and somewhat painful, so they say. And it lasts longer than Restylane and Juvederm. It's called Artefill. And it's the hottest new injectable for facial wrinkles and folds. Artefill was launched in February of 2007, and so far it's been clinically tested and labeled safe by the FDA. It was formulated especially for its staying power. Patients and physicians have been hoping for a longer lasting wrinkle filler. That way you save money, stay wrinkle-free months longer, and maintain your youthfulness.
Artefill is an injectable made of purified collagen with some tiny, smooth microspheres in a gel base. According to information from http://www.artefill.com/, the gel becomes absorbed by the body while these tiny microspheres provide a permanant backbone or support structure for your skin to keep it smooth and wrinkle-free. Artefill is actually injected under the wrinkle, deep into the skin and right above the fat layer. Results are immediate. And your skin gets better and better with each passing month. Wrinkles, like smile lines, iron out to a smooth surface.

A skin test is required before receiving an Artefill injection. Doctors want to make sure you are not allergic to bovine collagen gel.

How safe is the hottest new injectable around? So far, a 5-year follow-up study has been conducted by Artes Medical. And independent experts concluded that, "Artefill safely maintains significant correction of smile lines at least five years post-treatment."

For more information, visit http://www.artefill.com/, and speak with your dermatologist about this new injectable for wrinkles.

Wii Fit Balance Board Helps You Lose Weight

This game disc is huge in Japan. And now it's gaining by leaps and bounds here in the United States, since it was launched by Nintendo at the beginning of June. We're talking about Wii Fit, the $90 video game package that comes with a game disc and a sturdy, 10-pound platform that you stand on and choose from 40 virtual activities to do. You CAN lose weight with Wii Fit.

You can row, squat, ski, and hula hoop your way to fitness. Even leg-extension exercises! In addition, the really cool aspect to Wii Fit, is its technological ability to weigh users and calculate their body mass (BMI) .

The platform or Wii Balance Board, allows the user to stand on and shift their weight from side to side, to control their in-game characters.

Training falls into four fitness categories:

Strength Training
Aerobics
Yoga
Balance Games

What a fun and fit way to play! Get off your couch and off your butt! And that's exactly what Wii Fit enables the user to do---move, exercise, lose weight. Young and old can use the video game and it's family-friendly. Bonding physical activity to video games is a challenge for game companies, but this time, Nintendo has scored big. And with more than 40 physical activities to select from, you won't be bored easily.

For more information, visit: www.nintendo.com/wiifit

Top 10 Anti--Aging Foods And The 10 Bad Ones

USA Weekend had an interesting feature by Jean Carper, about food, and how strongly it can affect aging of the body.

Don't believe it? Well, there is so much research out there about the beneficial role fruits and vegetables play. And there are also tons of studies done on the damage too much red meat and sugar can do to your body. We've all heard the science.

According to Ms. Carper, we all need to do four things to age slowly and fight chronic disease:

Get Plenty of Anti-Oxidants
Infuse Your Body With Omega-3

Control Blood Sugar
Maintain a Normal Weight

Here are the Top 10 Anti-Aging Foods, according to Ms. Carper:

Apples

Popcorn, unsalted
Blueberries

Nuts, especially almonds, walnuts
Spinach, dark, leafy greens

Legumes, including peanuts
Salmon and sardines

Green Tea
Whole-grain cereals

Extra-virgin olive oil

Here are the 10 Terrible Aging Foods, according to Ms. Carper:

Bacon

Sugary processed cereals

Hot dogs

Sugary soft drinks

Potato Chips

Red meat

White bread

White potatoes

Corn oil

Doughnuts

I don't know about you, but I follow the top 10 anti-aging foods, and some of the 10 bad foods. Just food for thought here.

Rejuvenating The Delicate Eye Area

If you want to guess someone's age, take a look under their eyes, and around them. That's where the damage begins. That is where you can readily observe fine lines and wrinkles.

Why? As most skin specialists will tell you, the eye area contains the thinnest skin in the body. It is delicate and easily damaged. Unfortunately, the eye area also holds the biggest challenge for rejuvenating, or making look youthful again.

Sure, we see all the eye creams and serums lining store shelves and expensive skin salons. We are constantly bombarded with promises of younger, wrinkle-free eyes. No more bags. No more undereye circles. Etc.

But 'rebuilding' the eye area without cosmetic surgery is not impossible, but if you've enjoyed the sun for a number of years, well, you've got a task on your hands.

According to Dr. Loren Pickart at http://www.skinbiology.com/, what we wear on top of our skin and how we cleanse it, can destroy the delicate skin, too:

"The use of many color cosmetics and makeup, with their high concentrations of dyes and metal salts, can produce extensive skin damage and sagging. This skin is often chronically irritated and may be in a condition of sub-clinical inflammation.......Many cleansers used to remove makeup cause further irritation by stripping away protective lipids from the skin. "

Dr. Pickart suggests using his own Skin Biology skin care line.

"Rebuilding this skin area is complicated. Use of progressively stronger remodeling system works best. This method was developed by our clients. Most clients start with Super GHK-Copper Cream($39.95) or Super GHK-Copper Serum, CP Night Eyes Premier (relatively mild cream), then move to CP Night Eyes Regular($24.95). When this skin is somewhat thicker and more protective, most clients move to using Super CP Serum, and finally Super Cop($29.95)."

Avon is also boasting about its new Anew Ultimate Contouring Eye System($30) . It's formulated to restore firmness around the eyes, reduce saggy skin under the eye, and rebuild skin's cellular structure.

For more information, visit: http://www.avon.com/

Oprah and Bob Greene Take Their Diet Tips To Mississippi

Here we go, again.

Oprah and fitness guru, Bob Greene, are telling folks how to lose weight in a new way. And now, they're taking their diet tips to Oprah's home state of Mississippi, the fattest state in the country. One of out three Mississippians is considered obese. Yes, that is an alarming statistic, but how can Oprah claim to be a fitness and diet expert, after so many well-documented diet failures??!!

Oprah is currently in the last days of her 21-day detox diet. The divine Ms. O was inspired by popular author, Kathy Freston, and her book, Quantum Wellness. Oprah had remarked in a blog at her website, that she was jump-starting an inner makeover. In addition, Oprah had gained some considerable weight recently, and wanted to stream-line her figure.

Lets give props to Ms. O, for wanting to tone up, keep an uncluttered mind, and being forced to abstain from bread, sugar, animal products, caffeine, and alcohol for 21 long days. This vegan diet plan isn't easy. What is left to eat, Oprah asked? Kathy Freston said, there is plenty. Like brown rice, steamed vegetables, apples, blueberries, flax crackers with peanut butter. And so forth.

Oprah is on the last leg of her 21-day cleanse or detox diet. And she misses one item terribly. She explains it in her 21-day cleanse blog at http://www.oprah.com/:

Wine…yes, I've missed it the most. It's amazing how many things I have to toast in life. We did a champagne toast with the crew today as we finished last show of the season. Neither I nor the Veganista Cleanse Team took a sip. That wasn't as hard as it would have been last week—that same team was at dinner with T.C. (Tom Cruise), where we did have wine. So we felt okay today. This cleanse has provided discipline and restraint. Only once have I craved chicken. Too many lentils that day.This week was harder without Tal, but we've managed to do okay. Yesterday, I prepared breakfast for the VCT before doing the show. I brought gluten-free waffles and Morningstar vegetable sausage that Tal had left in my freezer from his shopping at Whole Foods. Delicious and easy breezy to prepare.Eating more consciously now feels like a way of being. I actually think about how my food got to my plate. That was the whole point, right?Doesn't mean I'm committed to veganism…but I am thinking about what I eat and why. And from that I can never turn back.— Oprah

I'm proud Oprah is getting back on the diet track. But she has done so, over and over again, with mediocre success. Why does she have to take her personal journey on the road? Leave the good folks of Mississippi alone. Since when is Oprah an authority on weight loss?

This is one battle I wish Oprah would quietly fight on her own.

My Favorite Hairspray Beauty Tip

We all want hair that's thick and healthy. Hair that doesn't wilt in the humidty. Hair that moves, but has big body. Or as the makers of Stiff It hairspray say: "Intense volume! Crazy hold!"

Hands down. Stiff It Hairspray is my favorite for several years now. I used to buy the cans at CVS and other drugstores, until suddenly, the hairspray disappeared off store shelves. I panicked. Major panic! I looked at my empty can of Stiff It and found the address and located a telephone number. Then I began ordering them by the case, and have been, ever since.

Stiff It is distributed by Key Brands International of California. To order from their website, visit: http://www.keybrands.com/.

What's so super about this hairspray? Well, it actually has hold, or memory. It gives you volume. It isn't sticky. And it's pretty good in muggy weather. Okay, it isn't perfect. It's not a miracle, but for me, with long, straight hair, it's prety darn good.

Stiff It Mega Hold is made with wheat protein and panthenol B-5. It also comes in a non-aerosol hairspray.

I prefer the aerosol cans. The cost is $34.90 a case (6 cans). The price includes shipping and handling and arrives quickly by UPS Ground. Not bad, averaging out to actually $5.00 or less, for a can of Stiff It Hairspray. That's a good deal.

And if you'd like to explore more wonderful hair styling products, the Key Brands website features these brands:

Freeze It

Freeze Fame

Hi Def

Merci Gelle

Polish It

Vital Care

Vital Plus

Vital Solutions

There are shampoos, anti-frizz serums, spiking gels, sports gels, more and more hairsprays, shiny hair serums, volumizing mousses, etc. So many varieties. Every hair type and texture can find something good at keybrands.com.

How To Apply Suncreen The Right Way

I never knew this:

When you apply sunscreen, don't forget to put it along your hair part. What? Yes, your scalp can burn. Wherever you part your hair, remember to rub some sunscreen in there. And if you are bald, your head needs to be shielded from the sun's damaging rays, so sunscreen is essential.

I learned these tips from a dermatologist making the morning TV rounds yesterday. In addition, don't forget to rub sunscreen along the sides of your face. This is actually another simple, but intelligent tip. Most times, we hurry applying the sun lotion, and end up ignoring the entire face and ears.

And use plenty of sunscreen. Don't skimp. You need to apply a lot of it, for it to do its thing, and that is, protection from the UVA and UVB rays. Think of the rays like this: UVA rays affect aging of the skin, and UVB rays affect burning of the skin.

The number one best sunscreen for 2008, according to Consumer Reports:

Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-Touch, 45 SPF. Score: 86/100.
Excellent protection all the way around. Cost: $4.33 per fl. oz.

World-famous plastic surgeon, Dr. Michelle Copeland, swears by her excellent sunscreen product. She created it:

SPF-40 Lotion Mist Sun Block ($30, 4 oz.)
Recommended for: SPF-40 sun protection to block UVA/UVB rays in easy-to-apply spray mist. (http://www.drcopelandskincare.com/)

More advice from Consumer Reports: Choose your sunscreen with the highest protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Make sure the sunscreen is very water resistant or waterproof. And select an SPF of at least 30.

When applying sunscreen, the Food and Drug Administration says a sunscreen works most effectively when:

applied about a half-hour before heading outside
applied liberally on all exposed skin (Many dermatologists suggest at least a teaspoon of sunscreen just for the face.)
reapplied at least every two hours or more often if you're sweating
reapplied after swimming

And most of all, have fun in the sun, but try and avoid the peak burning hours of 10 AM to 4 PM.