When each new year dawns on Jan. 1, so does another chance to stick to your New Year’s resolutions. The easy part is making the promises to change your life to yourself; the hard part is actually doing it.
Circling that magical date on your calendar is about as useful as going out to a karaoke bar with some friends and expecting to sound like Adele the first time you grip the microphone.
You can create a “new you” for the new year anytime you want. It might be helpful to think small at first — maybe try a new hair style — and then gradually work on bigger-picture makeovers, like weight loss. No one wants to be discouraged and disappointed on Jan. 2 or in the spring when lofty goals have not been accomplished. Here are a few places to start so by the end of 2017, you’ll be ringing in the new year as a new you.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Smiling takes no effort; it’s natural. Smiling is the portal to inner happiness. But once teeth start showing signs of age or discoloration and staining after years of coffee, red wine and tobacco use, self-consciousness becomes a mental nag. Crooked or crowded teeth, a shifting of the bite and gum soreness can cause you not to smile at all.
Teeth whitening is a simple and relatively inexpensive technique. Your dentist can bleach your teeth in the office in one or two visits by using hydrogen or carbamide peroxide to break stains into smaller pieces to reduce the concentration of discoloration. Upon completion of the process, teeth usually will be three to eight shades brighter.
Another option is to have your dentist create a custom-made mouthpiece tray in which a whitening gel is applied at night. When you wear the mouthpiece in the comfort of your own home, the gel penetrates your teeth and breaks down stains. Visual results can be seen in several weeks.
Veneers can mask all sorts of flaws, from stains to poor tooth shape, chips and wide gaps. The porcelain laminate shell, which essentially replaces tooth enamel, covers the front side of the tooth to change its color or shape. All it takes is two visits to the dentist: one for a tooth impression and again for a light beam to secure the thin lab-made resin adhesive to the tooth.
Bonding, requiring a one-time visit to the dentist’s office, involves attaching a tooth-colored composite resin to improve the strength and appearance of a chipped tooth or to close the space between teeth.
Crowns, or caps, are costly and used to help strengthen heavily damaged teeth with natural-looking porcelain. The application can help restore the tooth’s shape, size and appearance by capping the tooth from the gum up. A putty-like impression is made of the tooth and sent to a lab to produce a crown made of a variety of materials, although some dental offices these days can perform the same function in-house.
Restorative dental techniques also can involve bridgework, implants, enamel reshaping and contouring, as well as gum surgery.
EXPERT TIP
Here’s a resolution we know you can keep. “To Look Great in 2016.” So whether you can only commit to a quick fix – like a Zoom Whitening treatment or go all in on a full smile makeover… Bluffton Center for Dentistry wants to make this your best year ever!
Dr. Porcelli, Bluffton Center for Dentistry 843-593-8123
Cosmetic Surgery
Let’s face it: As we age, our bodies age, too. We live in a culture that relishes youth and beauty, and if we don’t have youth anymore, we can still have beauty.
We want to look good, even better than good. It’s no wonder that 15.9 million surgical and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures were performed nationally in 2015, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Women and men are not taking the reality of aging laying down. We’re perking up, shaping up, slimming down, nipping, tucking, and doing some light and heavy lifting.
Breast augmentation, the most popular cosmetic procedure because it can boost self-image and self-confidence, is typically chosen to increase breast fullness and projection and symmetry of the breasts. Typically, saline-filled bags are wedged between the breast tissue and chest muscles to achieve a noticeable effect. Recovery time may last up to a week.
Liposuction, also called body sculpting and the second most common cosmetic procedure, eliminates pockets of fat in the belly, “love handles” around the waist, thighs and elsewhere. Fat is vacuumed out through a small incision. Recovery takes a few days.
About 280,000 men and women last year decided to gift themselves a new nose. Skin is removed and the nose structure is altered to the patient’s liking. It can take at least a couple of weeks before the swelling and bruising disappear.
Eyelids are prone to bagginess and loose skin, resulting in a droopy look. Eyelid surgery reshapes these flaws, but won’t remove fine wrinkle lines. Swelling should subside in a week or two.
If exercise and weight control don’t achieve flat and firm stomachs, tummy tucks can. The fifth most common cosmetic procedure removes excess fat and skin from the middle and lower portion of the abdomen and helps tighten the muscle and fascia of the abdominal wall. Recovery time can be two weeks.
Facelifts and Botox injections help to rejuvenate the facial skin by smoothing frown lines and wrinkles.
“While more traditional facial procedures and breast augmentations are still among the most popular, we're seeing much more diversity in the areas of the body patients are choosing to address,” said Dr. David H. Song, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. “Patients have more options than ever, and working closely with their surgeon, they're able to focus on specific target areas of the body to achieve the look they desire.”
Thank the Kardashians and other cultural icons for a group of procedures that have gained popularity recently.
Buttock implants were the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery last year, with buttock augmentation with fat grafting and buttock lifts earning attention. Surging numbers also involved breast lifts, lower body lifts and upper arm lifts. Other procedures included soft tissue fillers, chemical peels and laser hair removals.
Weight Loss
Maybe you’re the last to know you’ve been putting on weight — and maybe it’s more than a little. A few extra pounds here and there over months or longer have added up, and now it’s time to act.
Numbers tell the story: For every 3,500 more calories consumed than burned, you gain a pound of fat. So, following that logic, to lose a pound of fat, you have to burn more than 3,500 calories than you consume.
Fortunately in the Lowcountry, there are several options for getting serious about getting back to your “normal” weight — and fad diets and nationally advertised meal plans and products are not on the menu.
Weight-loss camps, resorts, clinics and private consultants in the greater Hilton Head area provide the tools to help you not only lose weight, but keep it off as part of a personalized health and wellness regime. A sustainable lifestyle change requires teamwork, which dedicated nutritionists, fitness experts, behavioral therapists, life coaches, counselors and wellness educators provide in an emotionally and socially supportive environment.
Sign up for enlightening daily or weeklong overnight camps and see the results.
And it wouldn’t hurt to check with your doctor if you’re feeling a little heavier than normal; hormone and genetic testing can also indicate imbalances that cause weight gain.
Just remember that everyone loses weight at a different rate, depending on size, age and gender. Typically, 4 to 8 pounds a month of weight loss can be expected.
EXPERT TIP
Aquatic therapy provides safe and efficient exercise to decrease pain, heal and improve stability. At Horizon Rehabilitation we have the area's only indoor, heated, resistance therapy pool, as well as certified aquatic therapists on staff. For patients who are in pain and are weakened due to an injury or disability, aquatic therapy is a great solution.
Horizon Rehabilitation | 843-671-7342
Hair and Makeup
Sure, we all want to look like Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford or Brad Pitt. But we don’t, and never will. No matter; there’s a “new you” style that can transform last year’s look into this year’s makeover.
Sit down with your stylist to discuss your hair, what you want, expectations and what’s manageable after you leave the salon. Length, style, color and hair treatments should all be bullet points in the conversation.
Tightly coiled hair, braids, tranquil colors, texture and fine curls are on the fashion horizon this year. Hair color trends list blond, brown, black, ombre and grown-in roots as favorites. Reliable standbys include highlighting or lowlighting, gloss, toner, color correcting and straightening. Look for even facial tones, bright mascara, natural eyebrows and glossy lipstick in makeup trends this year.
EXPERT TIPS
At Terra’s Style Studio, hair is a science. Terra uses the fundamentals of hair cutting, color, and styling to achieve the absolute best results for each and every one of her clients. She believes strongly in continuing education and travels outside of the salon when opportunities arise. She is fortunate to work with companies who give her an advantage in the industry by offering hands on classes to continually evolve and sharpen her skills.
Terra’s Style Studio | 843-682-HAIR (4247)
After all the glitter and cheer of the holiday season has ended, our guests enjoy a change of venue by enhancing their hair design line with a change of interior texture, providing movement and volume and lift. The possibilities of a great haircut are endless! Color can also be the great equalizer. Adding depth, balance or brightness with color shading can produce the perfect compliment for a new year and a new you.
Fringe | 843-785-7400
Spas and Massages
In addition to what you’re already doing to maintain a healthy lifestyle — exercising regularly and watching your diet — there’s another surefire method for achieving relaxation and rejuvenation of the entire body.
Picture yourself being pampered with aromatherapy, advanced natural skin care, facial freshening, a massage and body treatment. Besides feeling great after treatment, your central nervous system and blood circulation also have benefited.
Medical spas have emerged as a specialized niche providing laser treatments and injectables, in addition to the standard spa services.
EXPERT TIPS
The new year is a great time to renew your skin! One way to benefit your skin in the winter is a chemical peel. Chemical peels can give help to even out your skin tone and texture, and can also smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.
FACES Day Spa | 843-785-3075
As little as an hour at a medical spa can give you back years. Serendipity Medical Spa provides the latest advances in the art of facial and body rejuvenation – blending the pampering, soothing elements of a spa with the safety and assurance of superior medical treatment. The professionally qualified staff is constantly trained in the latest cutting-edge rejuvenation technologies.
Serendipity Medical Spa | 843-342-2639
Bamboo massage incorporates bamboo stalks of different lengths and diameters to provide deep-tissue work. The massage promotes circulation, sensory nerve perception, and lymphatic drainage, as well as providing a deep sense of relaxation and well-being. In addition, using the bamboo sticks helps to reduce stress and strain on the practitioner’s hands and fingers.
Esmeralda's Massage Therapy & Pilates Center | 843-785-9588
Varicose Veins
These dark blue, swollen and twisted veins under the skin certainly are unsightly, but typically not a serious condition. They’re caused by weakened valves and veins, usually in the legs and ankles. When one-way valves that keep blood flowing from the legs toward the heart are inefficient, blood collects in the legs and pressure builds up.
Treatment to close off affected veins include sclerotherapy, laser and radiofrequency, with a phlebectomy and ligation to strip and remove the veins.
Think about the “new you” working out at a fitness center, taking up martial arts or yoga classes, twirling in ballroom dancing, andlearning transcendental meditationtechniques. With a little time — and maybe help from a few professionals — you’ll be able to reach your goals and check off your resolutions for the new year.
EXPERT TIP
Fortunately, the treatment of varicose veins no longer requires painful vein stripping. Laser ablation is an outpatient procedure performed with a local anesthetic allowing immediate return to normal activity. Patient satisfaction is high. The misery of varicose veins is now easily eliminated permitting a more comfortable life.
Hilton Head Vein Center | 843-689-8224
Eyes
Routine eye exams are important — regardless of your age or your physical health.
During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor does much more than just determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses. He or she will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
Also, eye doctors often are the first health care professionals to detect chronic systemic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Eye exams for children are extremely important, because 5 to 10 percent of preschoolers and 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems. Early identification of a child’s vision problem can be crucial because children often are more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed early. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and just before they enter the first grade — at about age 5 or 6.
EXPERT TIP
Bishop Eye wants to help you achieve your best vision, confidently and comfortably. To meet that goal, Bishop Eye has established a team of experienced eye doctors who are highly qualified in general eye care, as well as such specialty areas as low vision, cataracts, glaucoma, dry eye and more. Bishop Eye has invested in the most advanced technology available to diagnose and treat your eyes.
Bishop Eye | 843-689-3937, 843-208-3937
