About Face

Look More Vibrant and Awake With These Celebrity Tips

Recently Yahoo! Shine caught up with Lucy Hale – she is one of the stars of ABC Family’s hit show, Pretty Little Liars - to get her tips on how to look awake even when you aren’t feeling so energetic. Living in Los Angeles, we all have fast paced full schedules which usually does not give us much time to rest.  I found her tips to be pretty helpful, and decided to share some tips of my own for looking less tired!

Cover up dark circles.  Being tired causes your skin to react in ways that it normally doesn’t.  For example, the delicate area under your eyes can get drier than normal, causing you to look even more tired. This is because the skin thins as it become more dry, and the dark, purplish muscle underneath shows through.  Make sure you moisturize the area before you apply your concealer to get more even coverage.  Also, you will have more wrinkles in that area when you are tired, so apply a primer so that your makeup will stay put longer and not cake into the wrinkles. 

Put away the tweezers. Thicker brows are in!  Not only are fuller brows now the trend, but if you have thicker, softly arched brows, it can make your eyelids look higher so that you seem more alert.  Stronger eyebrows also can draw attention away from your tired eyes.  Did too much tweezing in your younger years?  My trick is to not only just use Latisse for my lashes, but after applying some to my lashes, I use a little to touch up my brows as well! (Latisse is a prescription product; contact your facial plastic surgeon for more details.)

Add some color to your lips!  When you are tired, your eyes are usually the most obvious indicator.  You want to add a bold color to your lips so that it distracts from your eyes and also wakes up your entire face!  Need a little help in the lip department for fuller lips?  A commonly used lip filler is Juvederm, and in the hands of a board certified facial plastic surgeon, you will have natural looking fuller lips in less than an hour!

What tips and tricks do you find helpful for looking awake? Share your comments below!

Easy Tips to Erase Aging

The other day, a cashier asked my age as I was purchasing NyQuil (who knew you had to be over 21 to buy NyQuil?). My mind went blank and I stuttered for a few moments as I stumbled towards an answer. This led to the thought that it would be nice if you could be the age you felt inside. You want to look your best at your age, and to do that, you have to take care of yourself first. With that in mind, try these tips to pamper yourself and start looking younger!

Manage your time and stress level. Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep every night and drinking plenty of water. When I look haggard, I usually haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep or am extremely stressed...or both! Stress truly does make you look (and feel) older! Manage your stress levels with exercise, meditation, reading, or any hobby you find enjoyable and diverting. Adequate sleep is also a big factor, so set a bedtime and keep it - you will be more productive if you are well rested.

Enhance what you have. Looking the best that you can does not mean trying to look like someone else. You truly want to augment and highlight the features you already have. Make your lashes stand out with Latisse, brighten up your skin with Lytera, revitalize your lips and regain that plump pout again with fillers such as Juvederm and Belotero. There are so many fast, easy options available to smooth fine lines, reduce wrinkles, and even out your skin tone. Make sure you look your best!

Finally, prevent additional aging. Wear sunscreen daily, as it can reduce as much as 25% of skin aging. Using Botox before brow lines or crow’s feet become too prominent or, worse still, permanent can help delay the tell-tale signs of aging.

Let’s all get “carded” when we stock up on NyQuil. Look like you feel, and feel great!

Plastic Surgery while Pregnant?

For some celebrities, having the right look means continued success in the public eye. But at what cost? There have been some recent reports that Kim Kardashian is continuing to receive medical cosmetic treatments despite being pregnant. 

Elective (optional, not life- or health-saving) surgery during pregnancy is almost never recommended. That said, there are many medical cosmetic office procedures that have minimal or no downtime.

Yet because treatments such as Botox, Juvederm, and Radiesse have not been studied in pregnant women, their safety in such situations is unknown. Generally, they are not recommended for pregnant women. In my practice, I do not offer such treatments to women who are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.

If you are pregnant, planning to be pregnant, or breast-feeding, be sure to consult your qualified facial plastic surgeon before choosing to have a cosmetic medical treatment that may harm your baby.  

Not All Botox is Created Equal

Almost everyone has a strong impression about the minimally invasive injectables and cosmetic procedures that are available today. Unfortunately, misconceptions about aesthetic procedures abound. Many people believe that almost all plastic surgery results in an “overdone” appearance, but the opposite is actually true. For example, over 2.6 million people received Botox last year in the United States alone, and 1.6 million received some type of facial filler.

The Most Popular Cosmetic Procedures in 2012

Each year, around this time, the most popular plastic surgery procedures are totaled.  Usually the most popular procedures such as Botox, breast implants, or rhinoplasties, continue to stay high in demand.  However, there are some unexpected new increases in other procedures as well!  Read more to see what plastic surgery procedures have been increasing in popularity.

Grow Younger With Age

Have you tried to look more refreshed and awake, only to still have people think you are tired all the time?  No matter what you do, your face still seems sunken or drawn, and those under eye bags just won't go away.  Makeup won't cover it, and skin care products just don't seem to be giving you the results you desire.  When you get to this point, you may need to start exploring other more effective options besides just trying to cake on more concealer. What are some culprits that cause you to look worn out and tired, and how can you fix it?

Keep That Youthful Look With Three Simple Tips

 

Once you get past the age of twenty-five, it’s always nice to have people think you are younger than your actual age.  The best way to look younger is to make sure you take care of yourself.  Pay attention to what you eat, exercise, and use proper age prevention methods.  Some of the biggest giveaways of aging are fine lines and wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation.  Here are some tips to take years off your face!

The Age-Old Question of…Old Age

These days, more and more celebrities seem to age gracefully. Recently, I read that Jennifer Aniston just turned forty-three! I’m sure most of us would agree that she looks great for her age (she’s more fit than I am). For the most part, genetics plays a large role in how well we age. However, without taking care of your health (including the health of your largest organ—skin!), genetics matter less, and you will look old for your age.

So how do you know if you are going to age well (or not)? Here are some ways to look into your future!

A Meditation on Medi-Spas

Medical spas, also known as “Medspas” or “Medi-Spas,” seem to offer the ideal combination of relaxing comfort with cosmetic medical procedures. When set up and maintained appropriately, under the supervision of a qualified health care professional, they certainly can provide a safe, pampered environment for aesthetic medicine. And because the combination of comfort and care seems right to anyone with common sense, medical spas have proliferated in recent years.

 

It's Never Too Late to Look Younger

Women begin worrying about wrinkle prevention in their twenties and older women are trying to stop (or at least slow!) the aging process. Many ask themselves, how can I look younger? There isn’t a specific age to start taking preventative actions on the aging process, but a good defense is always the best offense. Millions of men and women use anti-aging products as a part of their everyday skin regimens to minimize fine lines and wrinkles; however, many of us don’t see the improvement we want. Some of us hesitate going under the knife for long lasting younger looking skin. With advances in skincare, there are many nonsurgical enhancements and rejuvenation options that may work better than just slathering on skincare products full of anti-aging ingredients. There are options at every price, and many of them focus on preventing unwanted skin concerns before they get worse.

Looking Younger is Your Nose's Job, Too

When people decide to get nasal reshaping (rhinoplasty, often called a nose job), they usually want to fix an imperfection such as a bump, a low nasal bridge, or to make the nose smaller.  Others need to fix a breathing problem (by getting a septoplasty), or have experienced a traumatic injury to their nose. Most people don’t know or realize that a nose surgery can make you look younger!

When Thin is Too Thin

Some of us spend most of our youth watching our weight, trying to remain healthy and thin.  Then, suddenly, due to exercising, age, or other issues, our faces look too skinny—they look gaunt!  Or of course, you are fit and healthy, but you happen to lose your fat in all the wrong places.  Your face needs fat for a healthy, youthful appearance. That baby fat really does make you look younger. According to a study published by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the lead culprit that causes people to look older is a thin face. 

Thinking about Cosmetic Surgery? Don't Make These Mistakes!

Even though the economy has been suffering, the number of people receiving cosmetic or plastic surgery has increased and is still on the rise.  Knowing about these plastic surgery mistakes that no one talks about is more important than ever. So if you are considering or have decided to go forward with a cosmetic procedure, you will want to know about these mistakes which can leave you with less than desirable results!

Five Tips for a Youthful Face

Inevitably, everyone gets wrinkles.  However, the way you take care of your skin and the preventative measures you take will really make a difference as you get older.  We all want to keep the wrinkles away as long as possible, and we all want to look younger.  Here are five effective ways to reduce and prevent wrinkles!

When Less is More for Men

Women still outnumber men in the number of cosmetic procedures they have, which is why most advertising for plastic surgery is still tailored for women.  However, the number of men receiving plastic surgery is on the rise.  In increasingly competitive work and social environments, men are caring about their appearance and aging more than ever. Given the improved health and ability (and, unfortunately, necessity) to work longer before retiring, older men find themselves competing to look youthful, energetic, and capable.   Although men are receiving more surgical and nonsurgical procedures overall, men prefer permanent surgical procedures over more temporary noninvasive ones.