Beauty remedies for women over 35 By Marge C. Enriquez Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 23:43:00 10/02/2008
MANILA, Philippines—"If you want to stay beautiful, you've got to be fastidious about it after 35," recently said Ricky Reyes to a group of mayoral wives of Metro Manila.
The group holds regular meetings to discuss topics ranging from charities to social issues. Reyes advised the women to also hold a beauty day to rejuvenate themselves. On one such beauty day, invited doctors touched on weight management and aesthetic procedures.
Eduardo Santos is the medical director of Beverly Hills 6750 Multi-Specialty Aesthetic Institute. The clinic's spokespersons are former Miss Universe and actress Gloria Diaz and her daughter Isabel Daza, both of whom have undergone non-invasive beauty procedures.
The Refirme skin-tightening procedure helped eliminate Diaz's jowls and firmed up her jawline. It combines infrared light and bipolar radiofrequency energies to modify the dermal layer of the skin by inciting new collagen growth. Both she and Isabel also go for the Accent body contouring.
Santos said beyond the celebrity endorsements, the clinic's reputation rests on its top-caliber physicians, state-of-the-art facilities and high-grade hospital structure. All surgical procedures are outpatient, except for the tummy tuck which requires an overnight stay in the recovery room.
The Institute has services that are unique to them. It has introduced the all-natural rhinoplasty, where all the components come from the patient's cartilage instead of using conventional implants. It has the exclusive rights to use the Mentor and McGhan cohesive silicone gel breast implants, which is touted as the Rolls Royce of breast implants.
Although its dentists can render the standard prophylaxis and cavity treatments, the specialty is laser whitening for the teeth and for pigmented gums.
For heavy smokers or those born with dark gums, a special laser can the gums make them pink again. The results last for three years.
Weight loss
For patients afraid of liposuction, the radio-frequency assisted injection lipolysis is noninvasive. It uses radio frequency to assist the body in releasing fat in a specific area. The injection of mesotherapy solution speeds up the dissolution of the fat.
Santos specializes in weight-loss management programs. Before he accepts a patient, he looks for his or her profile of discipline, orderliness and punctuality. He looks for hidden causes of weight gain such as thyroid functions, diabetes, hypothyroid and insulin resistance.
"Food allergies contribute to the body's inability to absorb food properly and therefore you tend to overeat. If you are always tired, you may not be absorbing food properly," he explained.
Santos examines the patient's blood profile to determine food allergies, the most common of which involve eggs, chicken and high-protein products.
"Basically, foods that are incompatible thicken the lining of the intestine. There is difficulty in absorbing food. You feel tired because the potential nutrients are not absorbed. The objective is to improve the absorptive capability," he said.
"If you eat a high-sugar meal, say two slices of banana cake and orange juice, the blood sugar shoots up, but then it drops after 90 minutes and you are hungry again. That is reactive hypoglycemia. The trick is to avoid sugar loads. If you want to indulge, take it with a meal, not as a merienda. Avoid prolonged fasting like skipping lunch, or you will tend to overeat at night."
Modification
Dr. Bernabe Marindique, meanwhile, discussed the latest gynesthetics and vaginal rejuvenation procedures.
"It's a modification of the anterior and posterior repair, or flower arrangement which uses a knife to cut and trim tissues to tighten. With laser, the healing is faster," he said.
Many Filipina patients have complained of loose vaginas. "I tighten the orgasmic platform which contracts when there is orgasm."
Patients with urinary incontinence are also candidates for laser vaginal rejuvenation.
"You repair the bladder because it's causing leakage and the posterior because it's bulging," he said.
Some patients do want the surgery for aesthetic reasons. They are bothered by flapping inner lips after childbirth or as a result of aging. The laser tightens the folds.
Hymenoplasty is popular among women who want to give a clean hymen as a gift to their new partner, or for couples who want to create their first night as an anniversary present. The healing takes six weeks.
As an alternative to the Viagra, a special filler is placed on the G-spot, the most sensitive area, to make stimulation readily available for the woman and her partner.
"The notion that women's sexuality wanes in midlife is culturally based. It's all in the mind. Psychologically, she doesn't," said Marinduque.
Reyes himself made a pitch for the new procedure introduced by cosmetic surgeon Rene Valerio. Refusing a facelift, Reyes underwent liposuction of the cheeks and an injectible filler called Erase that eliminated deep laugh lines.
"Let's go try anything and everything when you're over 35," he urged.
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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