At The Whole Beauty® Institute our aesthetic treatments, surgical and non-surgical, contribute to your health and well-being. There are many ways that this is true. We have already seen in Part 1 of this blog how our treatments can help people maintain a healthy program of diet and exercise. We will now look at other aspects of our treatments that improve your quality of life.
Healthy Skin is Beautiful Skin
Your skin reflects your past experiences as well as your current state of mind. If you experience internal stress, your skin will reflect this. If you are in a relaxed and tranquil state, your skin will appear radiant and glowing.
Many of the skin treatments at The Whole Beauty® Institute affect the health of your skin in positive ways. Our treatments can help reverse the structural damage that occurs from sun, stress, and the aging process. We can also help you protect your skin from further damage. Our trained team can also be part of your skin’s surveillance process.
The skin has two layers, an outer cellular layer (the epidermis) and a deeper supporting layer (the dermis). In young skin, cells are produced at the deepest aspect of the epidermis and they move upward to reach the surface in about 30 days. As a consequence, the skin’s surface is in a constant process of renewal. The deeper layer gives the skin its resilience and keeps it plump. It is a mix of collagen, elastic fibers, and hyaluronic acid, the same material that is found in popular injectable fillers.
Whole Beauty® patient undergoing microchanneling treatment.
As skin ages, a number of sad things happen. The epidermis becomes thin and fragmented and more disorganized. The dermis loses its plumpness and becomes thinner with each decade after 30.
Many of the treatments at The Whole Beauty® Institute help to restore a more youthful structure to the skin. Some treatments like microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, IPL, and some of our chemical peels focus on the outer cellular layer. Some treatments mostly improve the deeper layer: microchanneling, fractional laser and radiofrequency, and certain peels. Other treatments affect both layers: vitamin A derivatives such as retinol as well as many other active treatments. Under the microscope skin that has undergone these treatments has returned to a more youthful structure. From a visual standpoint, this means that your skin that has more of the pleasing characteristics of youth.
Whole Beauty® Sunscreen SPF 30 and Intensive Moisture, our daily facial moisturizer.
Once your skin is restored it is important to protect it from further damage. Our aesthetics team will provide you with recommendations for sunblock options that allow you enjoy the great outdoors without concern. Our Whole Beauty® Sunscreen SPF 40 provides protection that is free from PABA derivatives, which cause allergic reactions in many people. It is formulated to avoid the white pasty look that often occurs with sun block products. Since it looks good, you are more likely to reapply it, which is one of the keys to making sunblock effective.
Our trained team has a good eye for some of the changes in your skin that may suggest that you are on the road to serious skin problems, such as skin cancer. As such we can help to supplement your regular skin surveillance program. The sooner a skin problem is recognized, the easier the treatment.
Our goal is not only to make your skin beautiful but also to make it healthy.
Self-Esteem Is Good for Your Health
Feeling good about yourself gives you many advantages. You sleep better, your immune system functions better, and you experience a greater sense of vitality. This affects the people you encounter in your day-to-day existence and they respond to you in a positive way. Their response affects you positively and further builds your self-confidence.
Nearly every treatment that we offer at The Whole Beauty® Institute has the potential to improve your self-esteem.
Much of the media coverage of plastic surgery makes it look trivial and self-indulgent. Nothing could be further from the truth. Patients who come to us at The Whole Beauty® Institute are intelligent and realistic. They have a natural tendency toward positive action. If they discover a problem they are inclined to find a solution rather than to engage in self-pity.
One patient who recently came to us for breast reduction surgery found that it was difficult to exercise because her breasts got in the way. As a result, she gained weight and never used her gym membership. She hid herself in loose-fitting clothes. The weight of the breasts pulled her shoulders forward, which led to pain in the neck and upper back. Once we outlined a plan for breast reduction surgery, the knowledge that there was a good solution to her problems motivated her to begin a gentle exercise program and to pay more attention to her nutrition. She lost 25 pounds in advance of her surgery.
Structural breast reduction before and after.
After her structural breast reduction, she described the effects of the surgery as “liberating.” Her shoulders came back into a healthy position and her neck and upper back pain went away. She broadened the range of her exercise and was able to run comfortably for the first time. Eventually, she donated much of her old wardrobe to charity and came to our office recently wearing and outfit that emphasized her trim, athletic figure. Our team celebrated her renewed self-confidence.
Another patient in her 50’s confided to us that she felt that she no longer looked like herself. She described her appearance as “tired and washed-out.” We provided her with a detailed analysis that included a review of pictures she brought in showing her face at different times over the last 30 years. It was apparent that she had lost tone in her cheeks, jaw border, and neck. Her face was increasingly squared off along the jawline and her neck had lost its clear definition. She also had lost volume in the cheeks, temple, and chin area. From years of outdoor activity, her skin had become dull and rough and was covered with brown and red spots.
Our aesthetics team started her on a regimen of Whole Beauty® medical-grade skincare and continued with a series of peels and intense pulsed light treatments, which improved the quality of her skin, and helped prepare her for surgery. Dr. Cook then performed a surgical lifting and fat transfer under local anesthesia, which restored the fundamental structure and volume of her face. She continues with a regular program of medical aesthetic treatments, Botox injections, and fillers to maintain her appearance. Recently she told us, “When I look in the mirror I feel like myself again.”
Our Name Says It All
At The Whole Beauty® Institute, we provide treatments that are part of a holistic approach to health and well-being. Our therapies, both surgical and non-surgical, often provide direct medical benefits and invariably contribute to self-esteem.
If you would like to learn more or receive your own personal analysis for a skin rejuvenation program, schedule a consultation with The Whole Beauty® Institute or call 312-751-2112.