Is Your Skin Aging You?

The South Beach Peel® doubles the fight against fine lines, wrinkles and pigment issues such as age spots, sun damage and redness.

The treatment combines the Sciton® BroadBand Light™ (BBL) and the Sciton Joule MicroLaser Peel™.  The South Beach Peel laser duo is a wise choice for patients’ whose biggest concern is aging skin due primarily to sun damage and fine wrinkles. 

Sciton® BroadBand Light™ (BBL) treatment is very effective in clearing irregular spots of pigmentation or discoloration  (brown spots, age spots, freckles, red spots, Hyperpigmentation, redness, flushing, rosacea and facial spider veins) over 10 – 14 days.

A Stanford University study reports groundbreaking findings that are as close as we’ve come to a true “Fountain of Youth” supported by peer reviewed science. The study provided clinical evidence that our Sciton® BroadBand Light™ (BBL) rejuvenates gene expression to be more like youthful skin. This means that for the first time, we have scientific evidence that, when done at a minimum of once annually, the BroadBand Light does more than just improve the appearance of lax skin and pigmentation on the skin; skin is improved and restored to a more youthful state, at a genetic level.

Forever Young BBL™ treatments are safe, scientifically proven anti-aging treatments. The study was published in the prestigious Journal of Investigative Dermatology and can be referenced at www.foreveryoungbbl.com.

The Sciton Joule MicroLaser Peel™ is an effective laser peel that will soften wrinkles and fine lines.  This peel treats skin conditions associated with aging and an active lifestyle. You can see real improvements in just a few days. The MicroLaser Peel™ is an intra-epidermal laser peel that precisely ablates the outermost layers of the skin.  Over the next 2-3 days you will have sloughing of the skin. You will be prescribed Aquaphor ointment for 1 – 2 days, followed by moisturizer.  Redness may persist up to seven days and can be covered by make up on the third day (average client).

For the South Beach Peel® Dr. Eddie Ariss, MD performs both the BroadBand Light™ (BBL) treatment and the MicroLaser Peel™ all in one treatment.  When administered separately, both the MicroLaser Peel™ and the BBL™ (BBL) are extremely effective, but when combined can provide an even greater result with less downtime.

The South Beach Peel® is an ideal combination of services for patients who want to target both fine wrinkles and pigment issues with only about three days of down time.  All this in just 2 hours!  The procedure can be performed on Thursday or Friday and you can return to work the following Monday.

The number of treatments depends on your skin's condition and desired results. The South Beach Peel® is great for the face, neck, décolleté and hands.  This peel may be repeated every eight weeks or as needed.

This procedure can literally take years off of your skin!  

Call today for your Free Consultation (727) 502-9000.

Are You Struggling Losing Weight?

Back in our 20s and 30s, losing extra weight was a matter of simply eating a little less and moving a little more. After the age of 30 or so, there are many functional reasons that we can no longer just eat a little less and move a little more to easily shed pounds.

Many women, and men, are told by health professionals and experts that if they eat right and exercise, they will lose weight. It's just not that simple anymore. If we really knew the reasons why we are gaining weight as we get older, we wouldn't suffer unnecessarily, go on every fad diet, and starve ourselves over and over again.

So what's going on? Well, as we age our metabolic rate (our ability to burn calories) slows down every year. We lose our muscle tone, which in turn flips our fat-to-muscle ratio. More fat and less muscle slows our metabolism even more. If we are eating the same foods and not making any changes year after year, we would still gain weight! How frustrating is that? Throw in stress, thyroid issues, medications, diabetes, lower hormone levels and other medical conditions, and you have a very resistant weight loss journey.

Here are some things you can do that can jump start your metabolism:

Phase One:

• Eat smaller, portion-controlled food during the day, rather than three square meals.
• Avoid all sugar, especially in the morning. Eating sugar first thing will trigger your fat-storing mechanism, so that most everything you eat for the rest of the day will be stored as fat.
• Participate in a weight-bearing exercise (resistance training) class or use home exercise DVD’s for 30 minutes, three times a week.
• Do cardio exercise for one hour, four times a week.

If Phase One does not produce the results you are looking for, you need more:

• Check your thyroid; look at the medications you are taking to see if they are the culprits to stalling normal weight loss. If they are, then you need extra help in the form of getting your thyroid issues under control. If medication is your issue, then supplements to help you lose weight can be very useful to jump-start your metabolism. At Fresh Vitality, we can direct you in the right direction. 
• Is daily stress destroying your weight loss effort? If you're chronically stressed, your body will hold more visceral fat in your midsection. Find an outlet every day to reduce your stress. Read more, take baths, or enjoy the company of friends. Again, if this is not helping, you may need a supplement to help.

Still having trouble losing weight?

Lack of sleep, irritability, loss of sex drive, dry skin and irregular periods can be signs of loss of hormones. As we age, we are losing estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, thyroid, and other hormones that were abundant when we were younger. Hormone loss will also make losing weight very difficult. Consider making an appointment with Dr. Ariss at Fresh Vitality who can perform tests to check your hormone levels and suggest treatments for Bioidentical Hormone Replacement. We are able to help our weight loss patients achieve their goal weight. When our weight loss program is combined with hormone replacement therapy, our patients are able to realize their goal weight more efficiently and effectively.

Holiday Survival Tips for Dieters

The solution to almost any holiday challenge is to have a plan and be prepared. Here are some tips to help dieters survive the holiday season.

• Plan and prepare for parties and events one at a time. Ask yourself, what is the biggest challenge this poses and how can I overcome it?
• Never go to a party hungry. Trying to save calories is the surest way to ensure you will overindulge. Eat all your meals as you normally would before you arrive.

Reap the healthy rewards of an anti-inflammatory diet

Inflammation is a component of essentially all autoimmune diseases. From a naturopathic perspective in treating the cause of inflammation, one of the first ways to address this is through an anti-inflammatory diet. This upstream approach to treatment focuses on avoiding pro-inflammatory foods and eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods.

Additionally, since medical research is converging on inflammation as the common link in most diseases (heart disease, Alzheimer’s, asthma, diabetes, cancer, etc.), eating an anti-inflammatory diet is a great model of dietary health for everyone.

Testosterone replacement helps you feel like yourself again – even better!

Commonly referred to as “male menopause” Andropause is the result of declining testosterone levels, which naturally occurs as men age – typically in their late 40s and 50s, though testosterone levels actually begin a gradual decline in the 30s. Men who are experiencing Andropause may notice a decline in some or all of the following:

• Sexual arousal
• Morning erections
• Erection stamina
• Orgasm intensity
• Lean muscle mass
• Skin elasticity
• Energy levels