celebratingour 2 0 thyear - The Parklander Magazine

HEALTH & BEAUTYBy Jamie LoberOne of the most memorableoccasions in a woman’s life is herwedding day. When it comes tohaving a smooth and flawlessevent while looking beautiful, proper planning is the key.“It is really about general healthy living.This means keeping yourself awayfrom the sun, eating healthy, getting plenty of rest and paying attention toyour body,” said Ingrid Bowman of the American Cancer Society in BocaRaton. “Everybody in South Florida should be going to a dermatologist.”Every bride-to-be has a vision of her wedding day.“If it was me, I would do a wedding with orange blossoms.There is a historyof brides with orange blossoms and that is very moisturizing for the skin. InChinese culture, to gather orange blossoms means to seek a wife,” said CoralBhabek, esthetician at Natures Symphony Aromatherapy in Boca Raton.One item that is key to maintaining skin health is sunscreen,experts agreed.“Sunscreen with zinc or titaniumshould be used everyday because they provide thegreatest amount of benefit interms of preventing skindamage from the sun,”said Dr. Stefan Weiss,a dermatologist at WestBoca Medical Center.“It is always good to havean annual skin check just asyou would have your annualphysical or gynecologicalexam, just in terms ofensuring that there are noskin cancers present.”Do not be afraid to turn toprofessionals for guidance,but make sure they areboard certified or credible intheir area, Weiss said.“It is important that anyindividual who wants lasertherapy or an injectablegoes to a physician–be ita dermatologist or a plastic surgeon,” Weiss said. “In our area, there are ahandful of places where non-physician providers are administering theinjectables or devices without the requisite knowledge of skin anatomy,and you can get into a lot of trouble.”Five months before your wedding, you should start schedulingappointments with a dermatologist and esthetician.“Begin regular facials and peels to clear skin and reduce the appearance offine lines,” said Jennifer Alpert of GBS the Beauty Store.“A facial includes cleansing, steaming, extractions, hydration, a mask and amassage with a hydrating product,” said Rose Larocca, esthetician at LookGreat European Day Spa in Boca Raton.You should also consider what a treatment is going to do for you.“Laser and light face therapy are the most common for individuals whohave accentuated blood vessels on the face or brown spots that occur fromthe sun. Intense pulse light refreshes one’s appearance and gives you amore youthful look,” Weiss said.Microdermabrasian is another common skin procedure.“It will remove dead cells, but we like to use crystals for a milder peeland better results,” Larocca said. “People with very sensitive skin ordilated capillaries have to be careful. Ninety-nine percent of people haveclogged pores, hyperpigmentation or are not taking good care of the skin.They are using heavy creams that are not for their skin condition,which is why they need to be educated on how to look glowing and havevery nice skin.”Also, remember to allow yourself some time to heal from any treatmentsbefore the photographs begin.The five-month mark is also a good time to experiment with newproducts and decide which ones are keepers.“People can use retinol or retinaldehyde face creams via prescriptions likeRetin-A or even many of the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals that havesome form of a vitamin A derivative which has been shown to reduce signsof aging including fine lines and wrinkles,” Weiss said. “You want to findproducts with youthful active ingredients that have been shown to bebeneficial, like hydrocodone, vitamin C and retinol.”A mask may be another option. Mask preference should depend on skintype, as white clay is good for sensitive skin whereas red clay is intendedfor oily skin.WEDDING SKIN continues on page 2220 MAY 2010