Salon Vox Joins CPRS for a Red Carpet Event

The Center for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery invited the Salon Vox team to a Red Carpet event last night. The evening was festive with light refreshments, a Botox demonstration, and a brief overview of our services. They were treated to gift bags with GlyMed Plus skin care samples and the latest issue of New Beauty magazine. Salon Vox is part of our Professional Network and we are proud to refer our patients to their Salon downtown Ann Arbor for world-class hair, color, makeup and extension services. Thank you Salon Vox. We enjoyed getting to know your professional team!

Save Time with Makeup Basics

I'm in a hurry every day, but I still want to look good. What basic makeup items can I use to save time? 

I rarely leave the house without makeup, but you don't have to use your entire collection to create a finished look. Cutting corners and using products that multi-task can definitely save you time when you're rushed.

Always use a great concealer to cover up minor imperfections like dark circles, blemishes, and broken capillaries. You can actually skip a full=face foundation if you use an appropriate color and blend the edges so it doesn't look obvious. If you don't have any little flaws to cover and you just want to even out your skin tone, opt for a tinted moisturizer that provides hydration, light coverage and sun protection, or choose a powder mineral makeup that can be quickly brushed on the skin.

A bronzer is another good multi-tasker that can be applied to the cheeks and eyelids for a touch of color. Mascara is a must in my book and can eliminate the need for eyeliner when brushed close to the lash line. Choose a colored lip gloss to balance your look and add color and sheen to your lips with one step.

Finally, do not skip your brows. Most people forget to shape and fill their eyebrows daily, but brows frame the face and finish off the most rushed makeup application. So take a minute to define your brows and people will think your flawless look took you all morning to create.

- Gina Thompson, Clinical Skin Care Specialist and Camouflage Makeup Artist

Get Your Before-Baby Figure Back

A growing number of women are undergoing mommy makeovers -- plastic surgery procedures that restore their post-pregnancy bodies. Listen to a happy CPRS patient talk about her mommy makeover.

Sun Spots

I'm concerned about some sun spots that have appeared on my face. What products will make them go away?

When I was a little girl, I'd get a sprinkling of freckles across my nose and cheeks every summer and my mom thought it was adorable. My childhood freckles faded away by fall, but now, those little brown spots don't go away - ever.

Sun spots, age spots, or hyperpigmentation are all a sign of aging and develop after many years of UV exposure. Although areas of dark pigmentation may not disappear completely, they can be lightened with diligent daily skin care. Here's how:

• Exfoliate with products containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or Vitamin A derivatives to speed up your skin's natural turnover. 
• Correct darkened areas with products that contain hydroquinone, kojic acid, Azelaic acid, or bearberry extract that interfere with melanin production. Since this process happens at a cellular level and these products don't actually "bleach" the skin's surface, it can take 30 days or longer to see results. 
• Enhance the effectiveness of skin-lightening products with daily use of topical antioxidants containing Vitamin C, E or Acai berry. 
• Protect your skin with a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher to prevent future dark spots from forming or existing ones from becoming darker. 

Treatment of hyperpigmentation is an ongoing process and sun spots can easily reappear with sun exposure. Lots of sunscreen, sunglasses, and shade will be in your future if you want youthful, less pigmented skin.

- Gina Thompson, Clinical Skin Care Specialist and Camouflage Makeup Artist

New Non-Surgical Facelift

Is there such a thing as a non-surgical facelift? There isn't a replacement for the dramatic effects of surgery, but Ultherapy offers a non-surgical alternative for a visible lift. Ultherapy is a non-surgical procedure that uses the energy of ultrasound to gently heat up the tissue without cutting or disrupting the surface of the skin. The skin's response to this energy stimulates the growth of new collagen to visibly lift and tighten aging skin. The procedure takes only 60 minutes or less and provides dramatic improvement for wrinkles and skin laxity of the brow, cheeks, lower face and neck. CPRS is one of the first to offer this new procedure. Listen to Dr. Ian Lytle talk further about Ultherapy.

Mommy Makeover Plastic Surgery

In this informational video, Dr. Daniel Sherick discusses the mommy makeover, a combination of procedures that helps patients regain their pre-pregnancy figures and enhance self-confidence. If you have breast, body or skin issues as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, it could be time for your mommy makeover. Visit http://www.MichiganMommyMakeover.com/ for more info.