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Stay Beautiful While You Travel
Many of you have planned vacations for the upcoming holiday season. If you’re about to travel by plane, remember that our bodies don’t always respond so well to being moved from place to place, high overhead. But, fear not. With a little preparation, you will look your best despite the altitude.
Here are a few beauty strategies that you can make part of your normal travel routine:
- Face: Cabin pressure causes skin to become dehydrated. The night before you fly, apply extra rich, extra thick moisturizer that will prime your face for the plane’s dry air. And, do yourself a favor and skip the foundation on the day of travel. Sometimes, foundation can exacerbate dryness, so use a rich moisturizer only as you normally do in the morning and then again before you board.
- Cheeks: It’s best to avoid makeup when you fly, but if you must…boost your complexion with a shimmer powder or cream applied lightly to the tops of your cheeks and bridge of your nose. Also, a cream blush and lip balm will add color without drying.
- Lips: Layer with a lip stain, apply a few coats and then finish with gloss. Or, use an extra creamy lipstick. If you don’t use color, use medicated lip balms throughout the trip, instead. More is better, in this case. Stay away from cakey lipsticks or long-lasting formulations, since these can sometimes dry out the delicate skin on the lips. Remember to moisturize well before applying any product to your lips, particularly on the border between the lips and skin above and below them
- Eyes: Use a rich eye cream under your eyes and if you are skipping concealer, reapply during your flight, particularly if you will be sleeping.
- Body and hands: Again, it’s all about the moisture. Slather your body with your creamiest moisturizer before you dress, and do the same for your hands. Remember to reapply after you wash your hands.
- Hair: Cabin dryness will produce fly-aways and static and sometimes leave hair looking flat. During the trip, twist your tresses on top of your head and secure with a butterfly clip or fabric band. When you land, your hair will be full and full of natural waves, too. Take along a spritz bottle of water, turn your head upside down and spray at the roots to reignite products when you are on the ground. The upside—if you suffer from coarse hair, nothing is better than airplane air to fight the frizz.
Safe travels, and see you soon.
Stay Beautiful While You Travel
Many of you have planned vacations for the upcoming holiday season. If you’re about to travel by plane, remember that our bodies don’t always respond so well to being moved from place to place, high overhead. But, fear not. With a little preparation, you will look your best despite the altitude.
Here are a few beauty strategies that you can make part of your normal travel routine:
- Face: Cabin pressure causes skin to become dehydrated. The night before you fly, apply extra rich, extra thick moisturizer that will prime your face for the plane’s dry air. And, do yourself a favor and skip the foundation on the day of travel. Sometimes, foundation can exacerbate dryness, so use a rich moisturizer only as you normally do in the morning and then again before you board.
- Cheeks: It’s best to avoid makeup when you fly, but if you must…boost your complexion with a shimmer powder or cream applied lightly to the tops of your cheeks and bridge of your nose. Also, a cream blush and lip balm will add color without drying.
- Lips: Layer with a lip stain, apply a few coats and then finish with gloss. Or, use an extra creamy lipstick. If you don’t use color, use medicated lip balms throughout the trip, instead. More is better, in this case. Stay away from cakey lipsticks or long-lasting formulations, since these can sometimes dry out the delicate skin on the lips. Remember to moisturize well before applying any product to your lips, particularly on the border between the lips and skin above and below them
- Eyes: Use a rich eye cream under your eyes and if you are skipping concealer, reapply during your flight, particularly if you will be sleeping.
- Body and hands: Again, it’s all about the moisture. Slather your body with your creamiest moisturizer before you dress, and do the same for your hands. Remember to reapply after you wash your hands.
- Hair: Cabin dryness will produce fly-aways and static and sometimes leave hair looking flat. During the trip, twist your tresses on top of your head and secure with a butterfly clip or fabric band. When you land, your hair will be full and full of natural waves, too. Take along a spritz bottle of water, turn your head upside down and spray at the roots to reignite products when you are on the ground. The upside—if you suffer from coarse hair, nothing is better than airplane air to fight the frizz.
Safe travels, and see you soon.
We Can’t Remind You Enough: Avoid The Sun
Tanned skin is damaged skin…and who wants that? Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause early wrinkling and brown spots, and it puts you at risk for skin cancer, too. While most of us enjoy being outside in the summer, not many of us really want to suffer the effects of sun damage. Staying safe while spending time outside is possible, though. The strategies just need to become a part of your daily routine.
Here are some simple ways to protect your skin:
- Stay indoors between 10am and 3pm, when the sun is most powerful. There are two types of rays: UVA rays cause aging and wrinkles and contribute to skin cancer. UVB rays cause sunburn and skin cancer.
- Go nowhere without sunscreen:
- More is better, so don’t scrimp. Make sure that it has a SPF of 30 or higher and it says “broad spectrum” on the label, which means that it will handle both UVA and UVB rays. Also, make sure it’s water-resistant and that you apply it all over your body 15 to 30 minutes before leaving the house.
- Use sunscreen even when it is cloudy outside, when you are driving in a car and inside a window. UVA rays penetrate clouds, glass and water.
- If you wear foundation, apply the sunscreen first and let it absorb before continuing with your makeup.
- Don’t forget the lip balm, SPF 15 or higher.
- Remember the tops of your ears, hairline, the “V” of your chest, nose, hands and tops of your feet. Eighty percent of skin cancer occurs on the head, neck and hands.
- Wear protective clothing: hats, sleeves and sunglasses. Dark, tightly woven fabrics provide more protection than lightly colored ones. Find hats that have protection built into them.
- Be aware that umbrellas and shade trees give only moderate protection from ultraviolet light. They don’t protect you from light that is reflected off of sand, snow, concrete and other surfaces.
- Avoid tanning oils. These essentially cook your skin.
- Be conscious of your medications. Certain medicines can make your skin extra sensitive to sun exposure, including tetracycline, diuretics and even herbal formulations such as St. John’s Wort.
Call us today to schedule your complimentary consultation. See you soon.
September, Seriously
Fall is the time for getting back to work and hitting the books. With vacation time behind us, we tend to become more serious in general about our day to day lives and responsibilities. An important part of every day is how we feel, with happiness being the overwhelming goal for many people. When we are happy, we typically do better–at work, at home, at school, and everywhere else.
How we feel about ourselves determines, in no small part, how happy we are. The more assured in our abilities, the more secure in our emotions, the more enthusiastic about the experiences we have, the happier we seem to be. How content we are with our appearance also plays a role in our overall well-being. It is an old adage–”Look good, feel good”–but I think that it is true.
We can help bring it to life for you, and now is a good time to start, or to begin again. Fall is self-improvement time, the perfect season for getting serious about making subtle changes that will enhance your natural good looks and your confidence.
Here is what we recommend for this month:
Lift Your Spirits, and Your Skin: Using advanced dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Radiesse, Restylane, Restylane Defyne, Restylane Refyne and Restylane Lyft, we can lift and contour facial features, restoring your natural fullness exactly where you need us to. Nonsurgical and virtually pain-free, this “liquid facelift” can reduce wrinkles, lines and folds, create a more rested and fresh look, and return your face to its curved former self.
Sometimes, we “lift” the entire face; sometimes, we target specific spots, such as bags under the eyes, marionette lines, sagging eye lids, jowls and flattened cheeks. We can even disguise bumps on the nose, a method that will keep you out of the operating room and free of anesthesia, recuperation and downtime.
No More Turtlenecks: Particularly effective for this area, Infini microneedling is a treatment for boosting your skin’s natural production of collagen and elastin, which are two of the most important substances for keeping your skin plump and youthful. Tiny needles, ones that are much smaller than the needles we use with dermal fillers, penetrate the top layer of your skin, triggering your body to create the new collagen and elastin. Results may include improved texture and firmness, and I’ve seen terrific success in the reduction of acne scarring, pore size and stretch marks.
Say Eye: Touted as the first nonsurgical facelift, Thermage CPT will actually transform skin all over your body. The Thermage CPT thermal lift will tighten loose skin on the eyelids, under-eye areas, abdomen, arms, legs and even your sagging buttocks. Thermage CPT, one of the most effective lift treatments for a multitude of concerns, yields dramatic results without incisions and recuperation.
In the eye area, for instance, Thermage CPT reduces “hooding,” improves texture, and tones and softens fine lines and crow’s feet. The treatment is a safe, effective and unique option for “eyelid rejuvenation.” The Body Shape procedure is ideal for men and women who are looking to help firm sagging skin and reduce unwanted bulges that dieting and exercise alone cannot seem to change.
Shape a Better You: SmartLipo Triplex is a minimally invasive method for removing unwanted fat and sculpting areas of the body that you’d like to change. A laser treatment that virtually melts fat cells and suctions them away, the Triplex technology is updated from the original SmartLipo system in that it uses three wavelengths of laser light and yields better fat removal, tighter skin and high-definition body sculpting capabilities.
Call our office for a complimentary consultation, and we’ll help devise a treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
Keeping Dry Skin at Bay
When winter temperatures hit, we put on coats, scarves, hats and boots to keep our bodies warm. But it is just as, if not more important, to protect the delicate skin on your face.
Biting cold and wind can assault exposed skin, causing dryness, chafing and other more serious skin disorders, including frostbite. And, it happens quickly. So, before you venture out, even for a few minutes, moisturize with a broad-spectrum sunblock and apply a petroleum-based product to your lips. If your moisturizer is oil-based, choose an oil that is “non-clogging,” such as avocado, mineral, primrose or almond. Then, cover your face as best as you can with a scarf or hood. Also, don’t forget the sunglasses, which will protect your eyes from glare, freezing temperatures and wind.
To avoid the inflamed and itchy skin that happens all over your body during the winter months, you can take several preventative steps all season long, around the clock. Remember, the condition happens because of a lack of water, not oil, so the following tactics aim to prevent dehydration.
- If your facial skin is uncomfortably dry, avoid using harsh peels, masks, and alcohol-based toners or astringents, all of which can strip vital oil from your skin. Instead, find a cleansing milk or mild foaming cleanser, an alcohol-free toner and masks that are “deeply hydrating” rather than clay-based, which tend to draw moisture out of the face.
- Trap water from a shower or bath quickly by applying a water-in-oil cream moisturizer. If you have sensitive skin to begin with, use a cream moisturizer that does not contain lanolin or perfume, and don’t scrimp. More is better in this case, particularly on your hands, elbows and feet (these can contain petroleum or glycerin).
- Choose a shower instead of a bath; sitting in hot water will break down lipids and dry your skin.
- Limit your use of hot water and soap. Take short lukewarm showers, using non-detergent soaps and cleansers, and only as much as you need since they remove natural moisturizers from the skin. If you must bathe, keep the water as cool as possible.
- Keep your house temperature as low as you can (no higher than 78 degrees) and use a humidifier that returns moisture to the air.
- Overnight, use a thicker night cream on your face, a product formulated for the delicate skin under and over the eyes, and a lip balm.
As always, call my office to schedule a complimentary consultation to learn how we can help you look and feel your best.
See you soon.
Adding More Comfort to Your Experience: Introducing Pro-Nox
We know that some of you become anxious with one step inside a doctor’s office. It’s not uncommon for people to experience the “White Coat Syndrome,” a heightening of nerves and increased heart rate. We have always had several ways to help you relax–depending on the procedure–but now, we are introducing something new. And you are in total control.
Pro-Nox is a mild form of nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas.” Some of you know about it from the dentist’s office, where it has been used for years. But Pro-Nox is new in two significant ways: it is a mild form (50 percent nitrous oxide/50 percent oxygen) and you take in as much as or as little as you need, through a simple tube that you hold yourself.
It’s effective enough to take the edge off if you are fearful of injections or want to forego a stronger anesthetic for longer or more involved procedures like SmartLipo or Thermage. You now have the option to drive yourself home after certain treatments that in the past would have required that you be picked up. The effects of Pro-Nox are immediate, and they wear off just as quickly. And don’t worry that you are administering it yourself–the system is fixed so that you can only take in the safest amount.
So, next time you come in for a cosmetic treatment, be sure to ask us about Pro-Nox. If anxiety or the fear of discomfort has discouraged you from having a treatment, now you have a solution.
Call our office for a complimentary consultation, and we’ll devise a treatment plan tailored just for you.
See you soon.
Are You Thinking About SmartLipo?
Not a day goes by at the office without my hearing that losing weight has become so difficult, despite your efforts to diet and exercise. So many of you tell me that you have cut back calories and ramped up workout routines but still fight with problem areas. This often happens when metabolisms slow down with age or hormones decline. For those of you encountering such frustration, a body sculpting treatment might be an effective option. (This is especially true for women, who store more fat than men do, though men are great candidates, too.)
If you’re thinking about body contouring, here are a few good questions to ask yourself as you decide. Count how many you can answer with a “yes.”
- Do you watch your portion size, eating small amounts more frequently?
- Do you make sure to eat breakfast?
- Do you graze instead of eating three large meals a day?
- Do you avoid eating late at night?
- Do you avoid refined grains such as white bread and crackers?
- Do you avoid hidden sugars and fats?
- Do you avoid processed foods that contain MSG, sodium nitrate and other risky food additives?
- Do you include weight training with your cardio workouts?
- Do you do resistance exercises to build muscle?
- Do you mix up the types of workouts that you do?
- Are you sleeping from 6 to 8 hours a day?
If you’ve answered “yes” to all or most of these questions, you are doing everything right. So that is great news. But if you are still having trouble losing weight, and you do not have an underlying medical condition that is causing the weight retention, you could be a good candidate for SmartLipo TriPlex, a high-definition body sculpting procedure.
SmartLipo TriPlex is a minimally invasive method for removing unwanted fat and sculpting areas of the body that you’d like to change. It’s a laser procedure that treats localized pockets of fat in targeted areas, virtually melting fat cells and suctioning them away. It uses three wavelengths of laser light and yields optimal fat removal, tighter skin and high-definition body sculpting capabilities. SmartLipo can be used on many areas of the body, and is particularly effective on waistlines and abdominal areas. One of the best parts–you can see results immediately.
If you’d like to hear more about the treatment, call our office to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll devise a plan just for you.
See you soon.
Fun Fact: Where Cosmetic Procedures are Most Popular
You guessed it–the USA leads the list, comprising nearly 18 percent of the procedures performed globally. According to a survey of International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American men and women undergo more treatments than people do in any other country. Here’s how it breaks down…
| USA – 17.9% | Number of procedures: 4,217,862 |
| Brazil – 10.7% | Number of procedures: 2,524,115 |
| Japan – 4.8% | Number of procedures: 1,137,976 |
| Italy – 4.1% | Number of procedures: 957,814 |
| Mexico – 3.9% | Number of procedures: 923,243 |
| Russia – 3.8% | Number of procedures: 896,629 |
| India – 3.7% | Number of procedures: 878,180 |
| Turkey – 3.3% | Number of procedures: 789,564 |
| Germany – 3.1% |
Number of procedures: 730,437 |
| France – 2.2% |
Number of procedures: 517,731 |
South Africa, Romania and Lebanon have the fewest procedures of all surveyed countries.
Also, for all of the treatments that Americans have, they have spent more than $15 billion for the first time ever, according to the ASAPS survey. This figure represents combined nonsurgical and surgical procedures: nonsurgical procedures comprise 44 percent of the total and surgical, 56 percent. The expenditures are up 11 percent from last year. Botox remains the most popular nonsurgical anti-aging option this year, with about 4.6 million treatments given in the U.S. in 2017.
Remember, fall is an optimal time for laser resurfacing and SmartLipo, in addition to Botox and dermal fillers. So, call our office to schedule a complimentary consultation, and we’ll help you devise a treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
The Best Fall Fixes
Now that the temperatures have begun to drop and the sun is no longer at its height, it’s prime time for certain cosmetic treatments that do their best during the fall.
Here’s a run-down of the best treatments for right now:
Laser Hair Removal: This procedure works best on fair skin, so if you’ve become tanned in the summer and now notice a fade, you might consider scheduling an appointment.
The greater the contrast between a dark hair follicle and a paler skin tone, the easier it is for the laser to find the root of your hairs and remove them.
Fraxel Laser Resurfacing: After the treatment, which penetrates through the surface of your skin, you’ll need to avoid direct sun for a little while. So, autumn is a fine time for Fraxel. It may take a few days for your damaged skin to flake off, revealing a smoother blemish-free complexion. Fraxel will help improve summer’s damaging effects on your skin.
SmartLipo Triplex: You will see immediate improvement with SmartLipo Triplex, but it can take some time for optimal results to emerge. So, it’s best that all of this happens during the fall. You’ll be ready for beachwear, whether on a winter vacation to a warm locale or the local beach next summer.
Of course, your individual needs determine which procedures you choose, and when to have them. Call our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll help you figure out the fall plan that serves you best.
See you soon.
Lips, Naturally: It’s All About Balance
Many of you have a simple request when you come to my office: you don’t want anyone to know that you’ve been there. One of the biggest giveaways is the overdone lip.
My guiding principle has always been “less is more.” Much more. When it comes to restoring lips, this philosophy is critical. To restore lips to their more youthful selves, naturally, I like to utilize a triple-play: Define, shape and add volume.
To give your lips the appearance that they once had, I carefully use dermal fillers in small specific ways to create subtle changes that provide maximum visual impact. The secret is balance. If any part of the lips is too fat or too thin, the result will affect the entire appearance of your face.
First, I define the edge between the top lip and the skin above it, beneath your nose. Then, I place gentle injections in key spots to reshape and plump the upper lip, keeping it looking natural. The upper lip should have variation across the lower border and a bow across the top.
As for the lower lip, which typically has a uniform shape all the way across with a little extra volume in the middle, I take all angles into account. When I look at your lip from the side, I want to make sure that it isn’t too puffy, and when I look from the front, I like to see some extra height.
Lip injections take only a few minutes, and you should be able to go back to your normal activities right after the procedure.
Lips tend to thin out and lose fat as we get older. A variety of lip injection options are available to take care of your concerns, and the results should last from several months to a year, depending on the type of filler used. We like to use the hyaluronic acid fillers Restylane, Restylane Silk, Belotero Balance, Volbella and Juvederm.
So, call our office to talk about how we can give you back the lips of your youth.
And…Remember to register for our upcoming Fall Beauty Seminar, scheduled for this coming Saturday, October 14 at 10:30 am. You’ll learn about the latest cosmetic treatments, including Infini, the nonsurgical approach to reducing sagging skin and wrinkles on the neck, and Kybella, the fat-melting “double chin” injection. You’ll also see me perform treatments and “glimpse the new you” on computer imaging. We’ll be offering exclusive discounts and free gifts to attendees.
RSVP (631)878-9200 or online at www.drcovey.com
Atlantis Banquet & Events Seastar Ballroom
431 East Main Street, Riverhead
See you soon.
Don’t Forget Those Hands
You may have taken care to keep your face and body looking youthful, but the telltale signs of aging happen in places that we might forget. Hands, even though we use them and see them all of the time, are one of the most overlooked spots for cosmetic treatment. Because they are so active and exposed to the elements, and because the skin is so delicate, hands are prone to sun damage, wrinkles and discoloration. Often, they can make you look older than you are.
There are a number of effective techniques that can help rejuvenate your hands, improving the quality and texture of your skin, while decreasing the wrinkling and prominent veins. If you’ve noticed prominent veins and tendons because of volume loss, or wrinkly and thin skin, or age spots, we have several techniques that can help.
First, injectable fillers may be used in various locations on the hands to plump and reshape sagging or loose skin. For fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, sun damage or irregular pigmentation, we offer non invasive treatments like Fraxel DUAL and Thermage CPT.
Mid-summer may be an optimal time for these quick and easy hand rejuvenation treatments. Call our office for a complimentary consultation, and we’ll devise a plan just for you.
See you soon.
Neck News
For many of you, the neck is a body area that you’d like to improve. Because the skin is so delicate, it’s prone to changes in tautness, smoothness and color, particularly as we age.
Some of you may notice little lines or bands that run horizontally around the neck or vertical cords (platysmal bands) that become prominent. Also, when collagen and elastin decrease over time, the skin on your neck may sag and look crepey. Changes in color may include brown spots and pigmentation, particularly on the decolletage, the chest area. Or, you may see red, blotchy or wrinkly skin, most often due to excessive exposure to the sun.
At home, remember to moisturize and use SPF and retinol products, as you would on your face. If you are still not happy, come see us. We have many ways to help your neck look beautiful and more youthful. Here are a few:
Infini: This radio frequency microneedling treatment tightens the neck and jowls and reduces crepiness, too.
Thermage CPT: This tightens skin on the neck and jowls, non-invasively. It’s often called a “Thermal Lift” treatment, and it’s highly effective for many areas of the body.
Exilis Elite: Another thermal treatment, Exilis Elite tightens skin on the neck and jowls and reduces fat, non-invasively.
Fraxel Repair: This laser treatment resurfaces and tightens the skin on the neck and jowls and reduces crepiness and hyperpigmentation (brown spots). It is the procedure of choice for deep lines, hard-to-erase lip lines, pronounced photodamage, sagging face and neck skin, facial wrinkles and discolorations, age-related/sun-damaged rough skin texture, acne and surgical scars.
SmartLipo Triplex: This laser procedure permanently removes fat by destroying fat cells, removing them and tightening the skin. It is effective for large areas of the body as well as smaller ones, like the neck.
Kybella: This series of injections dissolves submental fat permanently and causes some skin contraction, too. Once fat cells are destroyed, they can no longer store or accumulate fat, so re-treatment is not expected.
Call our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll devise an individual treatment plan just for you.
See you soon.
