{Tested} Essence of Vali Soothing Sleep Gift Box

A few months ago, we asked you to test Essence of Vali’s Soothing Sleep Gift Box. Is a great night of sleep just a box away? The reviews are in, and the price of the set is now only $54!

Interested in other products from Essence of Vali? Enter code FOF2013 to receive 20% off any item, and your sleep set will be under $50!

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Love your legs again!

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What is cellulite?
“Connective tissue bands beneath the skin, called fibrous septae, are arranged in a crisscross manner in normal skin. When they are oriented in a parallel manner from birth, they allow the fat to bulge up against the skin’s thinner surface, creating a rippling, lumpy look. Some septae also harden and contract as women age, which causes more bulging and dimpling by pulling the skin surface inward.” Dr. Theodore Diktaban*, NYC Plastic Surgeon
*Dr. Diktaban is not associated with the following product in any way.

Have you ever met an FOF who didn’t care about her cellulite? Neither have we.
We’ll try anything that promises to reduce the appearance of those icky bulges and dimples that manage to pop up in all the wrong places.

So it got our attention when we heard that a group of Australian scientists has formulated an easy, affordable way to conquer the cellulite curse. Their revolutionary cream, used twice a day, decreases the appearance of cellulite by an average of 38 percent within as little as four weeks, and 57 percent within eight weeks. This is based on a scientifically validated consumer study conducted by an independent lab in New York.

The product’s complex formulation contains a concentrated blend of caffeine, retinol, forskolin, vitamins A & K, aloe vera, and TPM® Dermal Delivery Technology. TPM, which is derived from natural vitamin E, is the secret weapon that enhances the absorption of key ingredients into the skin. That means more of the key ingredients in the product are delivered into the skin’s layers where they are needed most. The result for you? Noticeably smoother, firmer, and younger looking skin. And there is the added bonus that the cream can be used all over your body for a more toned appearance, not just on your legs or thighs!

BioElixia Body Shaper Cellulite Contour Crème ($49.50 for 5 fl oz) is now available in the United States. Lather up those legs today!

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Are your mani/pedis sanitary?

Getting a mani pedi is meant to be relaxing, but are you being too relaxed about your spa hygiene?  We spoke to podiatrist Dr. Jacqueline Sutera, and dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner to get to the bottom of nail salon dangers–you’ll never believe what they had to say! Read below for their expert advice on how to stay protected while being pampered.

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Do your research.

“When you go to a nail salon, you should make sure it is licensed by the state,” says  Dr. Joshua Zeichner. “You want to make sure that you choose a salon that uses clean instruments [which] should be sterilized between customers. You need to ask the salon what method they use.”

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Avoid the “Wednesday special.”

“I warn my patients against the ‘Wednesday special,’ or that day where they have a mani/pedi for $20 or $30,” says Dr. Jacqueline Sutera. “There’s a lot more traffic through the salon on that day.  If you have the choice, go in the morning when things are a little bit cleaner, and the technicians aren’t tired.”

“If prices are too cheap, there may be a reason, and it may be too good to be true,” says Dr. Joshua Zeichner. I personally recommend quality over a good deal. Do your research on the salon before going to one featured on a website deal.  It may be a quality salon, but you need to research it first.”

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BYOT! Bring your own tools.

“I really recommend bringing your own tools,” says Dr. Jacqueline Sutera. “Most places will have a little drawer where you can store them, and sometimes they’ll even have a kit they sell. This helps prevent transferring bacteria and molds and viruses from one person to another. If you want to take it a step further, you can bring the tools home and disinfect them yourself. The best way to do that is to use betadine, which is a brown solution you can get over the counter at any drugstore in the first aid aisle. It does a great job of killing viruses.”

Dr. Joshua Zeichner agrees and suggests you also bring your own nail polish. “This ensures that it a new, clean and high quality. Old nail polish, or a bottle filled with a no-name brand polish can be drying and can cause damage to the nails.”

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Don’t shave your legs!

“If you have any little cuts on you, or if you just shaved your legs a few hours ago or even that day, your skin is susceptible to infection,” warns Dr. Jacqueline Sutera. “You’re putting your open skin into water that may already contain bacteria, a virus or fungus from someone else. I’ve actually seen people get folliculitis, an infection around the pore where your hair comes out; and cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin.”

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Use whirlpools with caution.

“If you soak your feet in a whirlpool and it was not disinfected well, you’re putting yourself at risk for any germs that are living in it from the people before you,”  says Dr. Jacqueline Sutera.  She recommends spas that use a triple filtration system, like her go-to salon,  New York Diva Nail Salon.  “They filter the water that comes into and out of the basin, so that it doesn’t get recirculated somehow, in the drain and in the piping.”

“Whirlpool basins that are attached to chairs are difficult to clean. Bacteria can grow within the jets and filters. It can cause skin infections leading to non-healing boils on the legs,” adds Dr. Joshua Zeichner.

To prevent this from happening, Dr. Sutera suggests using a liner for the basin. Dr. Zeichner says, “It is best to soak your feet in a basin of water separate from the one attached to the chair.”

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Say no to these tools.

“[Turn down] foot files,” says Dr. Jacqueline Sutera. “There’s no great way to clean them. Dr. Sutera also advises again callus cutters. “They are actually illegal in the state of New York and New Jersey,” she says. “It’s not okay for them to be cutting at your skin with an instrument. There are no real regulations, and nail technicians don’t know how deep to go or if that callus isn’t really a callus, but some kind of wart, skin tumor or lesion.”

“Don’t let the manicurist cut your cuticles,” adds Dr. Zeichner. “Cuticles protect the nails from getting infections at the base of the nail where it grows out of the skin. Instead, have them push back skin.”

Furthermore, Dr. Sutera advises against going to nail salons to get ingrown toenails removed. “That’s a surgical procedure covered by insurance and needs to be done by a podiatrist,” she says.

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See a doctor if…

“The most common [diseases contracted in nail salons] are fungus, warts, and bacterial infections,” says Dr. Jacqueline Sutera. “I get people with ingrown toenails that [are infected] because the [nail technicians] were too aggressive. If you think that you have any of these infections, go see a doctor right away because some of these conditions can be contagious or get worse. In some cases, if you’re diabetic, if you have poor circulation, or other medical problems you can actually end up in the hospital with a bacterial infection that started as a little ingrown toenail.”

“Any non-healing wound, cut, or infection should be checked out by your dermatologist,” adds  Dr. Joshua Zeichner. He goes on to explain how you might spot these conditions, “Mycobacterial infections look like red, tender nodules on the legs. Athletes foot presents itself with scaling of the skin on the bottom of the feet or maceration of skin between the toes. Nail fungus can look like a white or yellow discoloration of the nail, along with nail thickening.”

For more information on nail salon safety regulations in your area, visit www.files.nailsmag.com.

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images: Shutterstock, Nails In The Key Of Life: A Mobile Nail Salon, eHow.com, The Daily Pennsylvanian

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The Home Beauty Remedies that FOFs Swear By

What did FOFs do before there were fancy-shmancy lotions and potions? They treated their wrinkles and imperfections with things they found from the earth–raw herbs, plant and animal oils.


Now, some FOFs are nixing modern anti-aging treatments and creams loaded with chemicals and other unidentifiable ingredients in favor of the all-natural remedies used by our FOForemothers. “Recently, my nutritionist encouraged me to get as far away from manufactured creams as possible,” says FOF Trish Perry. But, do these natural remedies actually work? We spoke to FOFs who swear they do and dermatologist Dr. Jessica Krant about what the current research says about these age-old beauty secrets.

Tell us: What natural home beauty treatments do you use?

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A Cancer-Survivor Comes “Clean” About her Beauty Products

A year ago, FOF Tracey Brown was willing to put just about anything on her skin. As the founder of the popular beauty blog Blinging Beauty, and a former Sephora executive, she received mountains of sample products. Creamy foundations, luxe lipsticks, smoothing peels and hydrating lotions–Tracey tested every one. She admits to especially loving super-powered cosmeceuticals: “If something burned me to death or turned my skin red–that was my thing,” she says. “I liked to feel it working.”

Then, in 2010, she was diagnosed with cancer.

Specifically, chronic lymphocytic leukemia–the very blood disease that had killed her mother at 67 and her grandmother at 98.

Suddenly, she saw beauty products differently. “Having cancer made me want to use less chemicals on my skin. Period.” she explains. “Your skin is your largest organ, and what you put on it is absorbed into your bloodstream. It also made me think about my own daughters and what they use.”

According to a report from The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a nonprofit that lobbies to keep dangerous chemicals out of consumer products, “more than 1 in 5 personal care products contain chemicals linked to cancer and 56 percent contain penetration enhancers that help deliver ingredients deeper into the skin.” While the chemicals in any one product are unlikely to cause cancer in an individual, there’s simply no definitive research on the cumulative effects of being exposed to multiple products every day.

For Tracey, finding products that were safe, but also effective, became a priority. “When it comes to skincare, I’ve gone 100% to clean products,” she says. “There’s no easy way to know what’s safe. A product labeled ‘natural’ can have some pretty scary ingredients. I look at the labels, at all the ingredients (not just the active ones), and compare them to the list of chemicals that we know are dangerous.”

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recommends checking against this list of the 12 most harmful chemicals found in cosmetics, which includes pthalates, parabens, fragrance, petroleum and sulfates.

The good news: “The new generation of ‘clean’ products, as I call them, is amazing,” says Tracey. “I use them now because I actually prefer them to the products I used to use.”

Check out Tracey’s favorite products, below, and tell us in the comments, is there any ingredient you avoid when buying cosmetics or skincare products?

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Tracey Brown and her staff try out all sorts of products for her fab blog, Blinging Beauty. (But she uses the products above “day in and day out” she says.)

Can You Freeze Away Your Belly Fat?

A new device promises fat loss without surgery, diets or exercise. FOF investigates.

When we first heard about Coolsculpting at the FOF offices, there was one resounding response from our staff: “Sounds too good to be true.”

The claim: A new, non-surgical procedure can actually “freeze” away your fat cells. No dieting, cutting, anesthesia or recovery time. Just an hour in your doctor’s office, hooked up to a non-invasive “Coolsculpting” machine. Then, watch your fat slowly melt away.

But over the last few months, several doctors we trust have praised the procedure, so we felt compelled to investigate.

What we discovered: “Coolscupting” technology was created by Zeltiq, a global medical device company. It’s based on a process called Cryolipolysis, developed by two researchers at Harvard Medical School. These doctors demonstrated that fat cells are more susceptible to extreme cold than other cells and can be selectively destroyed without damaging the overlying skin. During “Coolsculpting,” a machine cools a targeted area of a patient’s body. Within several days of receiving the procedure, cooled fat cells begin a process called apoptosis (natural cell death) and begin to shrink and disappear. Clinical trials showed an average 20-percent reduction in fat in the treated area within 16 weeks.

Here, two doctors who have performed the procedure, and a patient who’s tried it, answer our most pressing questions. Read what they have to say, and tell us, would you try it?

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Expert testimony: Dr. Debra Jaliman, dermatologist, American Academy of Dermatology spokesperson and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist

“I’m a doctor and a patient–I used it on myself.  I read all the studies; it sounded good, so I bought the machine for my practice. Before I used it on anyone else, I used it on my own back fat. Afterward I kept pinching my back, and I didn’t notice a difference–6 weeks, 12 weeks. I started to panic. But then at 16 weeks, there was nothing to pinch….it had totally worked. It was amazing.”

Does it hurt?
I didn’t find it painful, but people say I’m the exception. My patients do say they feel pressure–intense suction for the first 7 minutes. Some people find it unpleasant, and after you may have a bruise or a red spot and feel sore for a few weeks. Some people get cramping while the fat is dissolving.

Who do you think is a good candidate for this procedure?

Someone who takes care of herself and maintains a healthy weight, but has stubborn fat she can’t get rid of.


Who is not a good candidate?
Someone who doesn’t have enough fat. You have to have at least “an inch to pinch” we tell patients. Or someone who has too much fat. This isn’t for someone who is 80-90 pounds overweight. Also, it’s not right for someone with loose skin or lack of skin elasticity. This procedure only removes fat cells, so if you have droopy skin from age or weight loss, this procedure won’t help you.”

How many times do you need to have it done?
We normally recommend 1-2 treatments, depending on the person. We’re very careful about recommending a certain number of treatments, in writing, right at the start so that people don’t get upset when they need a second treatment.

How much is each treatment?
About $750 for the belly, and $750 per side for love handles.

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Expert testimony:  Dr. Jon Mendelsohn, Medical Director of Advanced Cosmetic and Laser Center, Cincinnati, OH

“I’ve been using the machine in my practice for 16 months. I tested it on several people in my office and on my own abdominal area.”

 

Did it hurt?
On a scale of 1-10, it’s a 2-4. The suction did make me say, “oh my god” at first, and for several days after the area was hypersensitive.

Who is the best candidate for this procedure?
Someone who has realistic expections.  A typical patient will lose about 20-30 percent of their fat, as opposed to 80-90 percent which is what we can offer with liposuction. Lipo offers more volume, but of course, that’s an invasive, surgical procedure with recovery time. There’s no recovery time for this.

Would this be good for an FOF women, who, for example, has gained weight in her midsection during menopause?

Yes–definitely. This is not for the 350-pound person. It’s for the person who is at a pretty good weight, but has stubborn belly fat, love handles or back fat.

Are there any dangers or side effects? Is it safe to have that fat just dying off in your body?
It’s really no different than what your body would have to process if you ate some french fries. The liver breaks down the fat and you excrete it over time. If you had serious liver disease we would have to take that into consideration, but no, it’s not dangerous.

Have you had unsatisfied patients?
Generally, patients are very pleased. The only patients who aren’t happy are the ones with unrealistic expectations–they expected more extreme results. At this point, we’ve gotten very good at identifying good candidates. There will always be doctors who choose to treat anyone, whether or not he or she is a good candidate, and that’s when people get upset.

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Expert testimony: Becky Neiheisel, age 62, Cincanniti, OH, Coolsculpting patient.

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When and why did you have this procedure?
I did CoolSculpting this past July, becuase I wanted to get rid of some excess fat on my waist, back and thighs. I’d had liposuction a number of years ago, and I remember it being very painful and uncomfortable for quite a while afterward.  With this they said, ‘you come in for an hour, there’s no surgery, and there’s no pain afterward.’

So it didn’t hurt for you?
The only discomfort is very minor. While you’re having it done they clamp a suction cup on your body and try to grab as much of the fatty area as they can. Then it starts freezing the area.  At first it’s a little cold, but then it gets numb and you don’t feel anything. The biggest challenge is figuring out how to kill the hour.

How long before you saw results?
I saw a little after 2-2.5 months. But I didn’t see full results until about 4 months. I was absolutely astounded at the difference in 4 months. My husband started telling me how great I looked in my clothes. I lost about ½ inch around my waist and around each thigh. The area that’s been most impressive is my back. Before, I hated putting on my bra and seeing that little bit of fat bulge over the top of the straps in the back. I had stopped wearing all my thin knit tops because of it. I’m wearing them all again. The bulge is completely gone. I look 10 years younger from the back.

Have you recommended it to friends?
Yes, I recommended it to my son’s girlfriend, who asked me about it.

You are obviously happy with the results, but can you imagine someone who wouldn’t be?

To me it’s one of the neatest thing to come around in a long time. But, if you’re a rather impatient person–if you want to see results immediately, you won’t like it. You do have to wait.

Were there any negatives for you?

I’m always a little skeptical. When something sounds too good to be true, it’s probably not. But I really didn’t have any negatives.  Other than I forgot a book one time when I went in for the treatment and they had to turn on the TV for me.  I’m thrilled with the results.

So what do you think FOFs, considering the price, results, and everything else, is this something you’d consider?

Bringing the Dermatologist’s Office Home

Doctor’s-office cosmetic procedures, such as laser treatments, micro-dermabrasion and peels, are generally considered a luxury. Perfectly realistic for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills–less so for the average FOF on a budget.

But recently, a number of products that employ medical-grade technology have been approved for home use, from “skin-renewing” lasers to “body-smoothing” eletromagnetic pads. These items aren’t cheap (the Palovia Skin Renewing Laser is $500 and the Brazilian Skin Peel is $78) but when compared to their in-office counterparts, they’re a steal.

The question is–do they work?

We looked at 6 new at-home anti-aging products that employ medical-grade technology and asked Dr. Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research Mount Sinai’s Department of Dermatology, whether their science made sense. Then we asked real FOFs who had tried the product to tell us what they thought. Check out the slideshow below to see them all.

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Affordable Anti-Agers That Really Work

Dermatologist Jessica Krant reveals the products that can save your skin–while saving you money.

Navigating the world of anti-aging creams is a harrowing process. They range in price from $15 at the drugstore to $400+ at department-stores, all promising smoother, tighter, more youthful skin. So which ones will actually work–without breaking the bank? We posed this question to Dr. Jessica Krant, a New York dermatologist with a passion for helping women make educated decisions about their skin. Unlike many dermatologists, Dr. Krant has no financial relationship with any beauty companies, so she’s a great source of honest info.

  • Before you start recommending products, can you explain why there is so much confusion around this issue? How can so many different products, at such different prices, all claim to work?
    • It’s very hard to know what “really works.” To understand why, it’s helpful to understand what a “cosmeceutical” really is. Riding the gray area between cosmetics, which only claim to alter the appearance of skin, (think bronzer or eyeshadow), and pharmaceuticals, which alter the body’s biology (think Botox), cosmeceuticals try to have it both ways. Companies that make these products want the public to believe they actually do change skin scientifically, but they don’t want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars and many years going through FDA drug trials to prove it.
    • The result: most anti-aging creams, both in the drugstore and in the department store, avoid the FDA entirely, which means they can make lots of claims without the need to prove anything. They just have to pass muster with the Federal Trade Commission, which requires that they maintain a level of safety. (Even this is difficult to rely on, since most safety issues come up only after the product has been out on the market and caused enough trouble to get attention.)
  • Wait, so are you saying that none of these products work?
    • It’s possible some anti-aging products really do work, but there is currently no independent group that is testing and validating these products’ claims. A company may advertise that it’s put a product through “clinical trials,” but that only means it has been tested on actual humans–as opposed to cells in a dish. Clinical research is vital, but when it’s presented by the company that’s selling the product, you need to take it with a grain of salt. Often, results are reported such as a reduction in the “appearance” of fine lines or dark spots. That does not mean that the lines and dark spots have been reduced, only that it looks better.
  • What ingredients have been tested so that we KNOW they have benefits? Are there inexpensive products that contain these ingredients?
    • The most proven anti-aging ingredient on the market is the only one that has gone through the formal FDA-approval process. This is tretinoin, a vitamin-A derivative known as a retinoid. The most recognized brand name is Retin-A. Tretinoin is the gold standard for anti-wrinkle treatments. It’s also proven to reverse other signs of aging, as well as help to reduce the risk of skin cancer by keeping skin cells growing in a healthy, ordered way. Because it is irritating to skin if used improperly, hard to get because it requires a prescription, and expensive, we look for other anti-aging options.
  • So are there other ingredients that have been shown to work?
    • Several ingredients on the market are known to have real results in basic science research–the science behind them looks good, even if they haven’t been formally tested by the FDA. These include over-the-counter retinoids (retinol, retinyl palmitate, and retinaldehyde), antioxidants such as soy, green tea, feverfew, licorice, mushrooms, vitamin C, coffeeberry, and other formulations proprietary to different companies. Finally, glycolic and salicylic acid and their relatives are also useful ingredients in many anti-aging formulations.
  • What affordable products do you recommend to your 50+ patients and why?

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  • In choosing anti-aging products, try to go for the most emollient (moisturizing) versions tolerable, such as heavier night creams. This allows the skin’s top layers to absorb creamy moisture which allows it to be plumped up, giving more of a translucent glow as well as swelling tiny lines and wrinkles full of moisture so they smooth out temporarily. In fact, this is how some of the most expensive anti-wrinkle creams do their best work.
  • Is there a benefit to spending more to get a prescription anti-aging cream?
    • The benefit of using tretinoin by prescription is that it has the most research evidence behind it; it’s rigorously evaluated and proven in an unbiased way; and it not only reduces the “appearance” of fine lines (which plain moisturizers also do), but actually does reduce the fine lines. A tube of tretinoin, which is sold under various brand names as well as the generic, does cost a bit more than some drugstore creams, but less than some department store creams [editor’s note: a prescription for a 20-gram tube of tretinoin could cost anywhere from $40 for a generic to $75 for a name brand]. However, a little goes a long way, and it may be the best bang for the buck, if one knows how to use it properly to avoid issues.
  • Do you recommend any expensive anti-aging topicals–department store brands? Are there any that you think have interesting science behind them?
    • Physician-dispensed anti-aging topicals and some of the more expensive department store brands claim to have higher concentrations of active ingredients, formulated in more expensive ways, to justify their higher prices. This may indeed be true, but since formulas are often proprietary, it is hard to know exactly how much more of the ingredient you’re getting. Some of the more reliable brands are SkinCeuticals, which has highly researched antioxidant serum formulations; Revaleskin, which is a line containing active coffeeberry extract that performs multiple anti-aging functions; Neocutis, a company whose product line is based largely on their proprietary PSP (purified skin protein) formula, which aids wound healing—a finding they extrapolate to claim anti-aging effects in intact skin; Obagi, a line which contains many well-tested products; and Neova, a line which contains many copper peptide and antioxidant products.
  • What anti-aging products and services are, in your opinion, worth a “splurge?” In other words, they may be more costly, but they make a huge difference in the longterm? 
    • In my opinion, any of the products mentioned here are worth a try, remembering that it may take 6 months to be able to tell whether a product is making any difference. The most reliable anti-aging treatments are still tretionin–the prescription retinoid–and some of the more invasive procedures, including peels, Intense Pulsed Light photofacials, laser treatments, and the injectable neurotoxins (Botox, Dysport) and fillers (including Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, Sculptra, and others). All of these treatments have risks that are important to discuss in great detail with your dermatologist before starting, to have a clear understanding of the medical risks involved as well as costs and realistic expectations of change and length of benefits.
Author
Dr. Jessica KrantDr. Jessica J. Krant is a dermatologist based out of New York and founder of Art of Dermatology, LLC. She is also the assistant clinical professor of dermatology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City.

How can I look 10-years younger–without surgery?

A dermatologist to the stars reveals the non-invasive treatments that really work.

Meet Dr. Howard Sobel at the Beauty Bash, Oct. 1-2 in New York City.

“Most women in their 50s do not need a facelift.”

So says cosmetic dermatologist Howard Sobel, a New York MD who’s gained a cult following among women who want to look tighter and smoother, without going under the knife. One conversation with Sobel and it’s clear that this is a man who’s passionate about his job. If you’ve ever witnessed a football fan discussing his Fantasy team, you get a sense of what Dr. Sobel sounds like when he talks about laser treatments. Here, he discusses the latest non-invasive treatments that “really work.”

  • FOF: When it comes to their faces, many FOFs are particularly interested in non-invasive anti-aging treatments–creams, lasers, facials and so on. Which ones work the best?
    • Dr. Sobel: I know we’ve all heard this, but the very best anti-aging regimen starts with prevention. Stay out of the sun and use a sunscreen properly. That means putting a full teaspoon on your face every day and re-applying every 2-3 hours if you’re outside. SPF 30 is probably enough (there’s not a big difference in protection when it goes above 30).
  • Is there a specific brand that you recommend in your own practice?
    • Well, we created our own line, DDF, which is now owned by P&G. It’s good, but there are a lot of good sunscreens on the market. Just make sure it blocks UVA and UVB rays.
  • Okay, so what about the woman for whom the damage is done. Now what?
    • Right, so once you have that sun damage, you’re naturally going to lose elasticity in your skin. You get fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmented areas where skin becomes irregular, rough and lumpy. There are amazing lasers for that.
  • Let’s start with the least involved! Are there any creams that work?
    • There are some topicals that will get rid of the uneven pigmentation–somewhat. The key ingredient is hydroquinone. Some people are a little afraid of hydroquinone because there were studies connecting it to cancer in mice. But we know now that hydroquinone is very safe and there’s nothing wrong with using it. The trouble is, it doesn’t always work.
  • Tell me about the lasers.
    • The one I like is the Fraxel Dual laser–1927 wavelength. It really removes the sun damage…brown spots, uneven skin, etc. It’s terrific. You’ll need one or two treatments, depending on how much sun damage you have, and there’s no downtime. You might get what looks like a little cat scratch right afterward–you can cover it with makeup.
  • How much does that cost and how long does it last?
    • Not costly by laser treatment standards. It’s $1500 per treatment, and the results last as long as it takes for you to re-damage you skin through sun exposure. Also, it’s a laser that really works. There are a lot of lasers out there that promise to do everything–and do nothing.
  • Does that also get rid of wrinkles and sagging?
    • Yes, you can set that same laser to a different wavelength, and it removes wrinkles and fine lines and tightens the skin. I think it’s most effective to get rid of the pigmentation first and then have the patient come back in two or three months to have the wrinkles done. Some doctors will put the laser up to half strength and do a little of each, but I find that doesn’t work as well.
    • Another great laser for skin tightening is the eMax. It actually goes below the skin and tightens the collagen fibers and stimulates the collagen. It gives the skin back its elasticity.
  • What are other laser procedures really work?
    • The ulthera laser–it’s actually ultrasound, not a laser–tightens skin and stimulates the fibroblasts to make collagen.
    • And the C02 laser works well to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles. C02 lasers used to have several weeks of recovery time, but now we have C02 lasers called fractional C02s which have very little downtime–they’re excellent.
  • You’re known for doing “facelifts” with injectibles. Can you tell me about that?
    • It used to be that if you had a little loose skin, and you wanted to look younger, plastic surgeons were very keen on doing facelifts–earlier than later. But now most people believe that volume creates a younger face. A surgical facelift causes the skin to get pulled, and if you don’t put volume back, you look like you got caught in a wind tunnel. So you don’t have loose skin anymore, but you don’t necessarily look better–you just look like someone who had surgery. Injectables like Juvederm, Radiesse, etc, create volume.
  • I know that injectables can fill in wrinkles, but if you have sagging skin and jowls, do they really help?
    • Yes, they absolutely lift. For example, I’ll inject filler on top of your cheekbone, and that creates volume that actually lifts the skin on your cheek. It’s like re-draping a shirt on a hanger. I do a very popular procedure called “The Trifecta” which involves three types of injectables–Botox, Radiesse and hyaluronic acid. The results are comparable to a facelift. Wrinkles and lines are smoothed and sagging skin is actually lifted and tightened.
  • What is the Botox for? That’s not really a filler, right?
    • Nothing works better to get rid of dynamic lines than Botox. Your crows feet, your worry lines, the wrinkles on your chin. No matter how much filler I use on those, they’ll keep coming back because you’ll keep creasing the skin. Botox actually stops the muscle from moving so the creasing stops. Unfortunately, you have to do it every 3 or 4 or 5 months, but, like I said, nothing works better.
  • So who is a good candidate for “The Trifecta”–or any “injectables” lift?
    • That’s for someone who wants to look younger and fresher, but doesn’t want surgery. Patients literally can walk out and look ten years younger.
  • What are the limitations of these non-surgical procedures? In other words, when do you refer a patient to a plastic surgeon?
    • Between the lasers and injectables there’s so much you can do. And I think the biggest mistake you can make is doing too much. But once you get into your 60s and the skin around the neck area starts to hang, you probably will need the knife to get rid of it. Filler won’t be enough. But just cutting, without filler, isn’t enough either. Because these days, the trend is to do a lift and then still add volume back in.
  • What is the biggest mistake women over 50 make when it comes to their faces?
    • Of course, spending too much time in the sun. The other thing is, women come in and have cutting and pulling procedures a little earlier than they needed to. They wind up with their eyes up near their scalp. Too much surgery is much worse than no surgery at all. Start with the simplest procedures and work your way up.
  • What non-invasive procedures on the horizon are you most excited about?
    • Injections and topicals that can actually turn on individual cells to increase collagen production and give us back our youth. Or that can inhibit the enzymes that stop collagen production. There are are topicals now with stem cells and dermal growth factors but they don’t work yet. They just don’t penetrate the skin. And this is something you have to be careful with, because any factor that encourages cell growth might encourage a cancerous cell to grow–like a melanoma. I don’t know when it will be ready, but that’s the future.
Author
Dr. Howard Sobel, MD
Dermatologic SurgeonDr. Howard Sobel, MD, is a Board Certified Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgeon and the first editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology. He is recognized by both New York Magazine and the Castle Connolly Guide on How To Find the Best Doctors in the New York, Metropolitan Area as one of New York’s premier cosmetic dermatologic surgeons for eleven consecutive years.

The Little Strip That Could

By creating pH balance in your body, Dr. Jeannette Graf says you can prevent your cells from accelerated aging, achieve youthful skin and feel fantastic.

A little strip of paper the size of your toothbrush is one of the most “empowering” health and beauty tools an FOF can own, according to dermatologist and former National Institutes of Health research fellow Dr. Jeannette Graf, M.D. The strip tests your body’s pH level, which according to Dr. Graf is the best indicator of how our cells are functioning and aging. Her her book, Stop Aging, Start Living, Dr. Graf explains how to “balance” your body’s pH by changing the amounts of alkaline-producing foods and acidic-producing foods you eat. The result? Fewer wrinkles, brighter skin and more energy. Here, Dr. Graf answers all our questions about her pH diet and what it means to FOFs.

Plus, 3 FOFs will WIN a copy of Dr. Graf’s book Stop Aging, Start Living and a package of pH strips. Leave a comment below to enter.

  • As a dermatologist, how did you discover the correlation between pH and anti-aging?
    • I was doing cosmetic procedures to help women look better, and although the procedures went well, technically, the women still didn’t look great. I’d peel them, and their skin would look a little better, but they were still missing something. On the other hand, I had 80-year-old patients who were just full of life and energy and had a glow, yet they never did any procedures. So I began asking questions. I realized that what’s going on internally impacts what your skin looks like and how it ages, but I didn’t know why. So I went back and began to read old research.
  • What did you find?
    • ImageA 1931 Nobel Prize Winning study in which Dr. Otto Warburg did a very simple test. He immersed cancer cells and healthy cells in two solutions. The first solution was oxygen-poor and highly acidic. The second solution was high-oxygen, highly alkaline. The cancer cells thrived in the low-oxygen, highly acidic environment but could not replicate well in the high-oxygen, more alkaline solution. The opposite was true for the healthy cells. Essentially, his study shows that when you’re alkaline at a cellular level you can defeat disease. That’s when I realized how important your body’s pH is to your overall health and appearance.
  • I remember pH from chemistry class, but how does it relate to your body?
    • pH measures the alkalinity or acidity of a liquid. All liquids have a pH. The pH scale is between 0-14. Acids are solutions with a pH lower than 7. A solution is alkaline when it has a pH higher than 7. You may think of the human body as a solid, but it’s made up mostly of water and has a pH. For optimal health and functioning, most of the cells, fluids and tissues in your body need a slightly alkaline pH.
  • What is the correlation between alkalinity, acidity and aging?
    • Body cells function best in the pH range of 7.35 to 7.45 (slightly alkaline). If your pH falls too low (acidic) the cells in the skin stop dividing, produce fewer enzymes and create less collagen. This leads directly to sagging, dullness and wrinkles.
  • Does your pH get more acidic as you age?
    • When we are born, our bodies are at their most alkaline, and when we die we are very acidic.
  • How do you test your pH?
    • The best way to test your pH is by using a pH strip every day. You want to make sure that your mouth is clean. If you just did something like brush your teeth or drink coffee, you’ll want to rinse your mouth with water. Then, you’ll want to take a strip and saturate it with saliva. Saliva is the best indicator of your pH since it is from an immediate organ. After you determine your pH, you can make adjustments to your diet to get it in the 7.35 to 7.45 range.
  • ImageWhere do you get pH strips?
    • Health food stores are selling them more and more. I also have an index of places that sell them in the back of my book.
  • What can we eat to get our pH in the ideal range?
    • If your pH is too acidic, you need to eat more alkaline-producing foods. If your pH is too alkaline, you need to eat more acid-producing foods. Certain foods are acidic such as lemons and limes, but these are alkaline-producing foods. Other foods that are alkaline, such as milk and dairy, are acid-producing foods. It doesn’t matter whether a food is acidic or alkaline; what matters is if the food is acid-producing or alkaline-producing. After every food is metabolized there’s an ash that is left. The pH of that ash determines if that food had an alkaline or acidic effect.
  • So what are acid-producing foods?
    • Refined carbs, sugar, cola drinks, meat and dairy. Cola drinks are the number one enemy. Coffee is acid-producing as it sits around and oxidizes, so you are better off having freshly-brewed coffee from newly-ground organic coffee beans. It can actually have a beneficial antioxidant effect when consumed in this way.
  • What are alkaline-producing foods?
    • The most alkaline-producing food is kale. I cook with it or I make juices out of it. Organic greens, vegetables, garlic, olive oil, lemon, fruit, Brazil nuts and seeds are other alkaline-producing foods.
  • If your pH is acidic, should you only eat alkaline-producing foods?
    • No, you’ll just want to up your intake of alkaline-producing foods until your pH is back in that 7.35 to 7.45 range. I recommend a Mediterranean diet— fruits and vegetables, protein, but not too much protein (about 20 percent of your diet), olive oil and safflower oil. Instead of table salt I would use sea salt. I recommend Stevia for a sweetener. I also recommend the addition of super alkalinizing green powdered drinks, which can be reconstituted in your favorite beverage, and spirulina tablets to boost pH. Mineral supplements are also a great way to boost alkalinity.
  • How often should you be testing your pH?
    • Every day. But if you want to play with the pH strips to see the effects that different things have, go ahead.
  • How long after you eat can you can see a change in pH?
    • After taking a mineral supplement, sometimes you can see results in an hour.
  • Is there anything else that can affect your body’s alkalinity or acidity?
    • Smoking and stress can also make your pH very acidic.
  • Some of this sounds like what we already knew about bad behaviors and bad eating habits…
    • It’s common sense proven by science. What’s unique is that it is simple to be alkaline. You can do it with simple changes each day. What’s appealing to most people is, it’s not prison. Dieting is stressful. Let’s say you went out with your friends and had a couple of margaritas, and then the next day you test your pH and maybe it’s not as alkaline as it was. So that’s the day you beef up your intake of greens and alkaline-producing food.

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  • Are there other effects besides better skin? Can you lose weight from this diet?
    • It can give you energy, lower your cholesterol, and help you lose weight.
  • Can you change your pH through topical lotions?
    • There are two pH issues — outer and inner. We have been discussing inner pH which influences organized skin formation. The outer skin has a slightly acidic pH which is extremely important for skin barrier function. Both inner alkalinity as well as correct skin care are needed.
  • How fast can you see results from this diet?
    • In my experience, most patients felt an immediate surge of energy the first day.
  • How come I never heard about this before?
    • There are studies as far back as the early 1900s that have documented the negative health effects of unbalanced pH. However, it wasn’t until scientists were able to piece together a century’s worth of research on cellular function that we had a clear picture of the importance of acidity and alkalinity on cell health. The importance of pH is rapidly gaining acceptance in the medical community, and I predict that this will not be the last time you hear about it.
  • Author
    Dr. Jeannette Graf, M.D
    DermatologistDr. Jeannette Graf, M.D. is a New York-based, board-certified dermatologist and former National Institutes of Health fellow. She received an award for Outstanding Achievement from the National Institutes of Health, for her research on peptides in 1987. Published in Journal of Cell Biology, Dr. Graf is a leading expert on skin cells and anti-aging, consulting for cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies including Johnson & Johnson, Neutrogena and Aveeno. She is author of Stop Aging, Start Living: The Revolutionary 2-week pH Diet.