Well Past 50: The Weblog of Boomerful.com

These Needles Aren't Filled with Collagen

Here at Boomerful.com, we love finding out about new ways to enhance and maintain health and beauty. We received a press release the other day about Denver-based Acupuncturist and Cosmetic Acupuncture Expert Martha Lucas, Ph.D., L.Ac., whose website is www.acupuncturewoman.com. She was recently featured in an article in The New York Times Style section about the growing interest that women have in healthy, non-invasive cosmetic techniques and natural alternatives for tackling wrinkles and sagging.

Martha Lucas specializes in the Mei Zen system of cosmetic acupuncture that combines shallow needling techniques with Korean face and hand needles. A treatment plan from Dr. Lucas may also include herbs and special exercises.

According to Dr. Lucas, the beauty of Cosmetic Acupuncture is that "patients not only see cosmetic results but feel more healthy ... and indeed they are more healthy because that's how traditional Chinese medicine works. It is about anti-aging, staying healthy, preventing the conditions that come with aging. Chinese Medicine is the true anti-aging medicine."

I have had needles inserted into my face to make me look younger, but those needles were filled with Restylane, to fill in small creases. Makes me wonder if I needed the injections – maybe all I needed was the needle!

Let's hear from you! Have you ever had acupuncture? Would you visit a cosmetic acupuncture expert?

Non-Surgical Cosmetic Procedures Gaining Popularity Over Scalpels

Here’s some good news for those of you who cringe at the very thought of stainless-steel scalpels touching your body! Laser aesthetics and other non-surgical cosmetic procedures are gaining popularity over traditional surgical methods. According to the National Laser Institute, from 2005 to 2006, invasive cosmetic surgeries declined by more than 200,000 and the number of non-surgical procedures increased by almost 250,000. Those who chose to avoid going under the knife accounted for 83 percent of the 11.5 million cosmetic procedures last year.

Plus, the new Global Aesthetic Market research report from Medical Insight, Inc. projects that the global non-surgical aesthetic industry will experience unprecedented growth over the next five years, spurred on by the emerging markets of body shaping and skin-tightening.

Not only is this good news for scalpel scaredy-cats, but it’s also promising for folks interested in pursuing careers in non-surgical techniques, such as laser hair removal, laser tattoo removal, laser wrinkle reduction, skin tightening, micro-dermabrasion, and more. If you are looking for a new job in a fast-growing industry, this might be your ticket! To find out more about working in the field of non-surgical techniques, visit www.NationalLaserInstitute.com or contact 800-982-6817.

If you are interested in enhancing your appearance through non-surgical techniques, check with your physician. Also, check out the Video page of Boomerful.com – http://www.boomerful.com/vseries.html – some innovative techniques are shown there.

Contour Thread Lift Comments and Feedback

At Well Past 50 we get more comments on our video and blog entry regarding my Contour Thread Lift than any other topic on the site. 

Susan emailed me:  “I had a thread lift on June 9th, 2006. I was not expecting to look how I look. Basically, I look very much like the Joker from the Batman movie. I swear if he had breasts and neutral colored splotchy skin, we'd be twins.”

Then I heard from Lisa: "I am African American and was amazed at the story I read! I almost thought it was ME! I had a little premature sagging, but for the most part I am a very attractive girl [I'm 38].  I too thought for less than $2000 and just a couple of days (as seen on TV, and read in brochures), I will be knock out gorgeous! Little did I know.  After the bandages were removed 4 days later..OH MY!  I thought…BIG MISTAKE! My face [too] was bruised, dented, lines - you name it. I looked battered."

Michele wrote me to tell me her horror story, and Ray from Canada tracked me down to call and tell me how frightened he was that he may have made a huge mistake about having the Contour Thread Lift procedure.

I am shocked at the lack of, or incorrect, information given to us by the media and our doctors.  We all believed we would have instantaneous results like the woman on the Today Show. They must have had her on Vicodin, and puttied in the dents on her face for the appearance. The brochures and Web sites I researched told the same story…this was a simple procedure with recovery time of just a few days. No one mentioned you couldn’t open your mouth to smile for two weeks. But who wants to smile anyway after sleeping upright during that entire time? The bumps and dents seem like they will never go away, and the bruising can take weeks to fade enough to be covered with makeup.

But here’s the good news: After the three months I spent hating my doctor and planning to become Muslim so I could wear a burkha, the dents, bumps and bruises disappeared, leaving my face significantly more taut and youthful than before. Before the Contour Thread Lift, while I didn’t have wrinkles, I was seeing the beginnings of jowls and deep naso-labial folds on my face. The Contour Thread Lift smoothed out all the saggy, baggy skin and took 5 to 10 years off my face. 

It’s not a facelift. And it doesn’t last forever. From what I can gather, doctors have no idea how long it might last – there’s no real track record since the procedure is so new. I have noticed that everyone I have talked to about any cosmetic surgery they have had swears they would never do it again – in the first three months. But after the compliments begin to flow and the mirror becomes their friend again, they change their tune. 

If you have just had a Contour Thread Lift or Blepharoplasty, or even a facelift – just chill. It’s a lot like childbirth.  If they told you what it was really like, there’s a good chance you’d skip it and get a dog.

Tummy Tuck: Good, Bad and Ugly

Like many Boomer generation women - babies, buttered popcorn, and our old friend, gravity, have definitely taken a big toll on my abs and formerly taught tummy muscles. The profile that now appears when I turn sideways to my full-length mirror wouldn’t make it to the first roll call of a Body by Jake infomercial.

There is a solution, though - the tummy tuck – a slick little surgery that could give us all the tight bodied look of Lindsay Lohan. But – is it for you? In addition to the cost – which can range from $5,000 to $15,000 – it is not exactly a ‘slam-bam, you’re looking hot ma’am’ procedure. 

One of our readers shares her tummy tuck experience, some advice to those considering the surgery, and her feelings on whether she would do it again:

"My body is in great shape for 51.  But - after major abdominal surgery for endometriosis, two C-sections, and a hysterectomy—I was left with a hanging bag of flesh that I just couldn’t make peace with. I tried for two years after the hysterectomy to accept it - even calling it “my buddy” for awhile – but I just couldn’t be comfortable in my skin. That’s why I finally went for it: A tummy tuck.

For starters, it’s not a perfect science and there are no guarantees that you’ll be happy with the result. And – because payment up front is required - it can be a gamble.

The recovery was a long one and much, much worse than my hysterectomy. The part that was most painful was not the cut, but the procedure where they actually separate the skin from the muscle over the entire abdomen. After two months, I still can’t wear my jeans because of the pain from bruising that remains. There’s also an odd sensation of numbness. The nerves are damaged and, according to my surgeon, normal feeling will never fully return. I wasn’t aware of this until after I had the surgery, and it’s something to think about before taking the plunge. I do rub lotion on my abdomen daily to give those nerves lots of sensory input to help them repair.

Strangely, the worst pain after surgery was in my lower back. One post-surgery requirement was to walk bent over at the waist for two full weeks. That’s hard!  Our spines are designed for us to walk upright. After the 14th day, I was allowed to gradually straighten up. But, it took me another week and a half to finally go back to a completely erect walk.

Since I had previously undergone those four major surgeries, I knew that general anesthesia could be a bad scene for me. After each surgery, I ended up vomiting uncontrollably for two days and there was nothing that would stop it—not even the anti-nausea IV. So I made sure to request that the tummy tuck be done under an epidural, instead.  That was a good choice.

That part of my recovery went beautifully. No nausea at all. The only down side to the epidural was that my anesthesiologist admitted to have placed it one vertebrae too high; the result was that as they cut me down low, I was squirming.  Can you imagine? I was feeling the whole thing! Thank goodness they had given me some kind of amnesia drug because I don’t remember a thing. But, that may be the reason my scar is uneven. I have this funny “W”-shaped scar. I like to think of it as an upside-down heart. So, if someone ever happens to see it from that angle (oh, my!) it may seem sort of - well, artistic.

The most unsightly result was one I wasn’t ready for. The scar over my left hipbone, is nice and flat. But, over the right hipbone, there’s a piece of skin sticking out called a “dog ear”. It’s really ugly! My surgeon will “fix” that free of charge in his office.  It will  be a shallow cut that should heal in a few weeks. But it will extend the scar another inch, which means it will show above my panty line. Maybe I’ll go hog wild and get a tattoo there - so that if I ever wear something low cut like a two-piece bathing suit - the scar will be covered with a lovely flower or hummingbird. Tattoos are not normally my thing, but neither is cosmetic surgery. 

All of this said, it’s been two months since I was cut and I feel terrific. Now I can wear that sweater dress that I once refused to wear because it showed “ my buddy.”  Naked is still something to get used to. The scar is purple, and my skin is pretty light. Tanning is a “no-no” because it will make the scar worse. They say over time (years?) the scar will turn white. I now wish I had done this a few years ago.

My bodywork friend, Ursula, told me to massage my scar like crazy. I started massaging it at three weeks with permission from my surgeon and it made a difference the very first time. Some of the puckers came right out immediately. Now I’m still massaging it daily, hoping to avoid adhesions.

If you’re thinking seriously about a tummy tuck, my advice is to look carefully at examples of the work done by any surgeon you’re considering. Think about anesthesia options. And, don’t expect perfection. When I look in the mirror naked (and I tend to do this a lot these days), what I see is far from perfect. But - believe it or not - I’m still glad I did it."

No Pain, Some Gain with Thermage

Flying home from a speaking engagement in California, where everyone appears to be barely post-pubescent, I was doing even more in-depth research on staying young than usual. There, on the cover of my favorite women’s magazine, was the solution I had been searching for – Thermage.  Thermage is a technology for tightening skin and building collagen using radiofrequency energy.  Don’t ask me how it works – it’s just friggin’ magic. 

According to the Thermage PR, the technology heats up your collagen, causing deep structures beneath the skin to tighten. Like I said – magic. The best news is that Thermage is an in-office procedure that takes about an hour, is non-invasive and you can go right back to work afterwards…if you don’t mind co-workers asking where you got the sunburn.

I tracked down the doctor mentioned in the article, called immediately, and was able to schedule an appointment in just 2 months. In the meantime, I asked everyone I knew what they had heard about Thermage. The responses I got included stories of intense pain, terrible reddening of the skin, and questionable results. I knew results were gradual, and pain doesn’t frighten me, so I wasn’t deterred.

Prior to my appointment I was given a prescription for a topical anesthetic, which the nurse applied to my face when I arrived. She then covered my face in Saran Wrap and told me I needed to let the anesthetic set in for a half hour. I asked if I could take the pain killer I had brought with me and she said “yes."

After I had marinated in anesthetic for the appropriate amount of time, the doctor came in and explained that he would be using the ThermaTip device to deliver radiofrequency energy to all parts of my skin from the eye area to just below the chin.

I braced myself for the intense pain I had heard about. What a pleasant surprise - I felt virtually no pain for the entire procedure, except for the last couple of touches on the under side of my chin. I do have a high pain tolerance, and I certainly was protected by anesthetic cream and pain killers, but this procedure was nothing like the painful experience described to me. I know there are those of you who will want to tell me how your experience differed, and I would certainly welcome a different perspective.

BUT DID IT WORK?  This is a tough procedure to evaluate, because it does take time to show results, and when you look at that face in the mirror every single day it’s hard to see gradual changes.  Having said that, I would still say that I think it made a difference in the tightness of my skin. It was inexpensive compared to a facelift (I paid $1400), took only an hour, and required no recovery time.  And since I found it painless, I would definitely do it again.

I had the treatment two years ago and I understand there are newer Thermage treatments now, with faster, more visible results. I’d love to hear about the newer Thermage treatments, how they feel, and if the results are more dramatic.

Taking off the Inches with Mesotherapy

My mother always said, “Your friend, Doris always looks like she stepped out of a band box.”

I have no idea what that means, but I knew it was true nevertheless. In high school Doris had perfectly coiffed hair - turned under on one side, swept up into a giant water buffalo horn on the other side. It was glamorous. She had eyeliner wings that made her look like an Egyptian queen, and she wore nylons to school every day. 

She has given up the eyeliner wings and buffalo horn. In fact, I think she has given up the nylons, too.  But she is still the epitome of glamour. I continually marvel at her perfectly-applied, multi-colored eyeshadow and the incredible artistry of her clothing style. Doris does have good genes, but she also works hard to stay healthy and look great.

She told me about lipo when it first became accessible. She lectures me about diet (she has a long-standing relationship with a dietician) and she had a personal trainer before I even knew what that meant.

Now she has told me about mesotherapy. This one sounds too good to be true. Like so many things that sound too good to be true, the procedure originated in Europe. The European government approves new procedures faster than in the United States because they love looking at pretty people. Now get this – during mesotherapy doctors inject a solution containing vitamins, minerals, enzymes, plant extracts, anesthetics, medications and amino acids into your fat, and the fat disintegrates.

Of course you know there has to be a downside. Mesotherapy doesn’t last as long as liposuction, and even though it costs only (depending on your definition of only) $350-$600 per treatment, you may require four to ten treatments to get the results you want. So if I have this right, in order to get rid of my back fat, I may need ten treatments (in each side of my back, unless I want to walk around lopsided) at a minimum of $350 each. That’s $7000, which in many plastic surgeons’ offices would get every drop of fat in your body suctioned out with lipo.

I am urging Doris to have the procedure so I can get the whole story. Much as I love to rush to the plastic surgeon’s office yelling, “Me first!" I want to see the results on someone else before I jump into this one. The informational brochures warn that you need to eat right and exercise for the procedure to work effectively.

I’m guessing if I ate right and exercised like I should I wouldn’t have any back fat that needs disintegrating.