It may seem impossible, but there are those who are addicted and “must” tan. The week doesn’t go by without at least one trip to tanning salon. All medical advise and warnings are taken lightly or ignored
that over tanning is dangerous. It is an obsession for some to be as dark as possible. Tanorexia is the word that has been to describe these people.

Tanning releases endorphins within the body, putting off a relaxed feeling. Many of those people that are hooked on tanning can experience a withdrawal.

UVA and UVB are two types of radiation from the sun or tanning beds. The UVA radiation creates your tan by getting through to the lower layers of your skin. This is when the melanocrytes are released, producing the brown pigment than gives you the tanned look. The radiation that burns the outerlayer of your skin is the UVB radiation. Fair skinned people will burn quicker than dark skinned people due to having less melanin.

Other than getting a dark, golden tan, the side effects can be damaging. Such as the most common result, skin cancer. While it may take several years of tanning for skin cancer to appear, the age spots, fine lines and leathery skin not to mention wrinkles brought on by tanning comes much quicker. Your immune system can be weakened as well as your vision with too much radiation exposure.

That golden glow that so many people think to be healthy and sexy can be achieved safely. Such as using a sunless tanning lotion that can be purchased at your local drug store. The golden look provided by the lotion will last two to seven days on the average. Frequent, repeated washing or exfoliating can shorten the length of the glow. However, keeping a regular application will let you have that healthy, golden tan not put your health in danger.

The sun tanning lotion products on the market today have improved over the years. Follow instructions on the package which usually recommend to test the product on a small area that isn’t visible. No two people may have the same results and you may need to try several brands to get the one that is best for you. While the majority of these sunless tanning products are safe, take extreme caution using them around your eyes. With every person having different results to different brands, you may experience an orange tint with one which with bathing and exfoliating, it will fade.

So just how much is too much when it comes to tanning? Can you over tan? If you are an outdoor person, keep in mind any and all dangers and risks. If you are tanning bed fan, take caution that you aren’t overdoing it. It can be easy to become Tanorexia without realizing it.

If this blog comes to you have you have already spent many hours tanning over the years and the age spots and wrinkles are showing up, give us a call today at The Masters Clinic. Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Leslie Masters and review the options that can give you back a few years to your skin.

Freckles will be seen in multiples, randomly on the skin. They are most especially profound after exposure to sunlight. Freckles appear on people of fair complexion, especially children, with freckles showing up as young as one or two years old. They are primarily found on upper-body skin areas like the arms, cheeks, nose and upper shoulders.

They tend to darken and become more vivid during summer months as people tend to have more sun exposure than during winter months. An increase in melanin, dark pigment, is the cause of Freckles, not an increase in the amount of pigment-producing cells, medically known as melanocytes.

Freckles are categorized in two basic types. Simple Freckles which are usually round and about the size of a common construction nail head. Then there are Sunburn Freckles that are usually darker and have irregular, jagged shapes and are larger than the eraser on a pencil. Sunburn freckles are usually on the upper back and shoulders where you get the most sun exposure and are more prone to sunburn.

The medical term for freckles is Ephelides and comes from Greek origin. This term refers to flat spots that are tan, slightly reddish, or light brown and typically appear during the sunny months. They are most often found on people with light complexions, and in some families, they are often hereditary, especially for people with green eyes and reddish hair.

Lentigines tend to be darker than the common freckle and keep their color year round. Lentigines is the Latin word for lentil, the medical term for darker freckles and sunburn freckles. This kind of spot is occasionally part of a rare genetic syndrome, for the most part they are just isolated and unimportant spots.

For people who feel they have an overwhelming amount of freckles and are concerned that they are not appealing, there are medical option available that may help you. Such as laser peel where Dr. Masters will numb the area with a local anesthetic around the area of freckles you want gone. This will remove the top layer(s) of your skin and for most patients, it takes one to two week to heal. Each patient is different in how long the results will last.

Then there is the option of a chemical peel that can remove freckles. This is equal to an intense exfoliation using harsh chemicals that will peel several layers of your skin. Most patients recover within two days. Again, every patient is different and results vary.

The best way to avoid getting freckled is to avoid too much sun exposure. The use of sun screen is the best way to suppress freckles from appearing as well as protecting yourself from skin cancer. Give us a call today at The Masters Clinic and make an appointment for your consultation with Dr. Leslie Masters. Summer is around the corner, get the smooth color for your skin now!

As any parent though, you wonder how will the children react to mommy’s body changing, especially small children. First of all, after surgery, you won’t be able to do many things that you do now with them or for them. Such as picking them up or jumping and running while playing with them. Depending on whether you are having them decreased or enlarged, your chest will be much different to them when you hold them as they lay against you. What can you do to assist them to adjust this change? Helping your children with the transition of mommy’s chest size changing can be a concern that needs to be addressed or a plan in place before you have the procedure done.

A sudden breast augmentation can be unsettling for a few days for many children. However, infants won’t notice nor really care and with older children, you can explain plastic surgery in plain, simple words. Sit your older child down and have a frank, open conversation with them, explaining that you are having plastic surgery and they will need to help mom for a while with younger siblings and household chores.

However, with toddlers, it can be tough to explain where they understand. They will ask questions and this will be where you can use your plastic surgeon experience and suggestions about how to explain mommy’s new chest. With your surgeon’s advise and experience, and asking others that have gone through a similar situation, with some creativity, most mom’s can make this transition surprisingly easy without confusing your children.

Some women find that after they have made the decision to go through with a breast increase, they start wearing larger padded bras for a while, graduating up to the planned size they intend on becoming. With this process, your younger children will become adjusted to mommy’s different chest size when you hold the. If you have any family or friends that have had a breast increase or reduction surgery, let your children visit with them. This will show them that while they may look different, they are the same person they’ve always known.

Have a discussion with your children, without a lot of detail, that after mommy’s surgery you will need to take it easy around the house, getting extra rest and that while you love their hugs, they will need to be careful for a short time hugging mommy. Explaining to younger children that while mommy heals, she won’t be able to pick them up as much either. To prepare younger children for the lack of being picked up and held, gradually begin the transition from their needing to be picked up and gentler play times with mommy.

You aren’t just preparing your child for this transition, but your emotional adjustment as well. Starting to work with your children in advance will help ease you feeling like the bad guy while you follow your doctors orders and have the time to heal properly. Keep in mind that when this is said and done and mommy feels better about herself, she’ll be happier and this will relate to your children too.

If breast implant or reduction is your future, give us a call at The Masters Clinic. During your consultation with Dr. Leslie Masters, she will listen to your needs and answer your questions. We want you to be educated and informed before you enter the operation room. The more you know, the better your outcome will be.

Even though there are medications and treatments available for this chronic pain, not only are those patients subject to side effects that may be as bad in other areas as the headaches themselves, the medications and treatments do not work for all sufferers.

Good news is on the horizon for many of migraine sufferers with a surgical procedure that is now possible thanks to the discover by Dr. Bahman Guyuron, MD. Head of the Plastic Surgery Department at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Dr. Guyuron has pioneered a surgery that can be performed by plastic surgeons. Dr. Guyuron discovered that some of his patients who suffered migraines reported that after their forehead lift, their symptoms of chronic migraines disappeared. A two for one deal in getting a younger look and getting rid of their migraines too made for very happy patients.

Dr. Guyuron developed this surgical technique with the idea to deactivate the sites that trigger migraines. Studies have indicated that migraine pains are started in certain muscle areas or nerves in the suffers head. From 12 years of performing this procedure, Dr. Guyuron has several reports published stating the results he has had to date.

Along with others, Dr. Guyuron have discovered that after five years, between 60 and 70 percent of the patients who had this procedure done reported at least a partial ease from their debilitating migraine symptoms while 30 percent of the patients claim that they have experienced 100% relief of their migraines. Medically this procedure is better-known as a nerve decompression surgery that as fewer than 300 doctors trained to perform this procedure. As such, candidates are carefully chosen and must meet certain criteria.

Surgical interventions are not something you are going to do when you are first diagnosed with any illness or disease. As such, prior to having this surgery, Dr.Guyuron’s patients are given Botox to find the exact trigger site. Should they respond positive from the Botox injection, they are expected in all likelihood to have have effective results.

While the outcomes have been encouraging to date, only a small, select number of patients have been studied. Not just everyone who suffers migraines are candidates for this procedure. Experts say that roughly five percent of migraine sufferers are good prospects for this nerve decompression surgery. Strict criteria must be met, which include and not limited to being a current patient with a neurologist and have undergone treatment for severe migraines and failed to have any improvement from basic migraine treatments.

Not all medical professionals agree that plastic surgeons should treat patients for headaches. The opinion of many headache specialists is that the issue with surgery is permanent and patients may suffer from potential side effects, including bleeding, hair loss and numbness around the incision as well as a risk for infection.

The procedure can cost in the range of $5000 to $10,000. Patients also need to be aware that their insurance may not cover the treatment making the total expense an out-of-pocket cost.

For someone who suffers from these chronic headaches and nothing has worked, it is worth their time to talk to their doctor or neurologist about this possible surgery.

Fortunately, today men are becoming more aware of what products that are using and an increase of sales in the men skincare products has been seen the past few years. If only it were easy to recommend skincare products that are specifically designed for men. However, just as with women, it can be difficult for men to distinguish the good from the bad products. What men often discover is that most of the products for men, just as they can be for women, will be either poorly formulated, contain irritating ingredients, or not worth the price they paid for the product.

For many men, shaving is the typical way they start their skincare routine. It can also be where mistakes are common. Many shaving creams, gels or lotions that are geared towards men, containing ingredients that are irritating to the skin such as alcohol, camphor, menthol, mint and elevated levels of potassium or sodium hydroxide. These ingredients will cause the hair follicle and skin swell, raising the hair up from the skin to allow a close shave. Regrettably though, the irritation and consequent swelling cause the hair to be concealed by the swollen skin follicles and the razor misses them. The swollen skin follicles also make it difficult for the stubble to surface and when the hair commences to grow again, which is almost immediate, while the swelling is still there, it is more likely to result with ingrown hairs.

As well, the majority of men aren’t using sunscreen leaving their skin in danger for cancer as well as increasing wrinkles. Chances are they aren’t educated on the ingredients in their shaving products that irritate their skin and cause razor burn.

If you hare having constant irritation when you shave, have spots you’re unsure of or not happy with the look of wisdom known as wrinkles, give us a call at The Masters Clinic. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Leslie Masters and find a skin care regiment that works for you.

We all know that we’re going to age, we can’t keep from it. Time marches on. However, we can slow down looking older by minimizing those years with a good anti aging regimen. The thought here is to delay the aging process and preserve that youthful, vibrant look for as long as possible, even into your seventies and beyond. If you’re already in your seventies, it’s not too late folks! The ability and power is yours to turnaround any signs of aging when you have the knowledge and take the initiative to do it.

While aging has been considered an inevitable and slow decline of your appearance and bodily functions,the present trend now are people refusing to consent that old aging phenomenon. There are two categories of aging though and to know them is to better understand what you can and can’t do when it comes to slowing down your aging. Extrinsic aging is induced by elements that you are able to control. Intrinsic aging you can’t control. Knowing the differences between Extrinsic and Intrinsic will help you set your anti aging care goals and focus where you can do the most good.

Of course, we all know that healthy life-style habits and good practices will help you to deflect the trappings of aging that have become acceptable over the years. Whatever skin rejuvenation treatment that you incorporate for your skin care regimen will definitely control down the advancement of those fine lines and wrinkles we all dread as well as any related diseases. You will learn that when it comes to skin care, one size fits all is not accurate. Learn as much as you can about your appearance and health by reading up on skin care skin rejuvenation.

It can be confusing on which products to use for anti aging, with so many on the market today, which one do you need to choose and apply? It is essential to gain a solid knowledge about the various products, what they are made of and how they will effect your skin. The time between our birth and our adolescence is when our skin is usually at it’s most perfect condition. To gain this as close to having this skin back as you can, take the time to study the products that are available on the market. Knowledge is the first step to having beautiful skin.

To help you through the confusing jargon of all those skin treatments and beauty products, give us a call at The Masters Clinic. Make an appointment with Dr. Leslie Masters for a consultation and she can set you with a regiment using the wonderful, all natural products we offer.

Your face, your skin, you …. all deserve the best!

Like foods and medicines, makeup gets old and needs to be tossed and replaced with new. Makeup doesn’t hold up the same as clothes, handbags and shoes. Here at The Masters Clinic, we value your skin and safety and offer some words of advise when it comes to understanding makeup and it’s expiration date.

So just exactly should you throw away your makeup and how should you store your makeup? As we stated, like everything else, makeup prices are increasing too. Therefore, you probably try to get the most out of makeup as possible. By keeping them stored in cool, dry places is the best way to make sure that any cream-based makeup such as foundation and mascara won’t go stale or congeal before they are used up. Leaving your make up in direct sunlight can break down the important ingredients like preservatives. Don’t let your makeup get too much oxygen. Keep the caps and lids on tightly so they don’t oxidize.

Should you use cream or powder base? You may be a lucky gal to have a relatively blemish-free and smooth complexion, congratulations! If so, don’t cover your face with gobs of makeup day-to-day. If you do use a base, a powder form instead of a cream-based is the best for you. Since you won’t need to use it daily, the powder-based blush, concealer, eye shadow and foundation will last longer for you as opposed to cream-based products.

When should you throw away your make up? Well that can depend on whether it’s cream or powder and if it has an oil base to it. The general guideline recommended is to replace your cream makeup yearly. The oil base foundations generally last up to eighteen months and the water-based foundations much less. Depending on how you store your powder, it can hold up for as long as 3 years.

Make up has it has it’s own distinct, pleasant smell so it can be difficult to know when they are old since there is no expiration date on them as there are bottles of ketchup and other foods. The general rule to follow is to dispose your foundation and other make up when they changes color, texture or smell. These changes typically indicate that bacteria has started in your makeup and problems can begin before you realize it.

One of the most used makeup items is mascara. Eye infections are all too common by using mascara or other eye makeup that is bacteria-infested. First and most important rule is NEVER share mascara with others, it is the quickest way to spread germs and infection. For yourself, whenever you may experience an eye infection, toss your old mascara immediately. The infection will be on the wand and you will keep reapplying it with each use. Otherwise, mascara shelf life is three months.

However, when ordinary makeup and an eye cream doesn’t help hide or get rid of fine lines, puffy eyes and dark circles, it may be more than just a temporary thing. Call Dr. Leslie Masters and make your appointment for a consultation. What make up can hide or correct, Dr. Masters has cosmetic procedures that can as well as a full line of skin care products.

Noted as the premier provider for Body Sculpting in the Tulsa OK area, Dr. Leslie Masters has taken the techniques from Europe and gave it her special skills creating her own persona Body Sculpting brand. By utilizing unique, imported ultra-thin mico-cannula to disrupt fat cells, Dr. Masters can reshape your love handles, muffin top or saddlebags, giving you a thinner body.

Today, Body Sculpting is a minimally invasive that does not require anesthesia. Instead, Dr. Masters will administer a mild, twilight sedation that puts you in a pain-free, conscious state. Dr. Masters then extracts unwanted fat from areas that you and she have discussed prior, and it is cleaned and then transferred to the areas that you want to increase such as your breasts, face or hands. The areas that tend to get loose and sag as we age.

Masters Body Sculpting can be performed on your abdomen, arms, chin, back, hips, knees, neck and your inner and outer thighs as well. This can be completed in one session for most patients with some requiring two to three sessions depending on the areas being worked.

With this new method of low-fat injection body sculpting, merely small amounts of fat are injected that have been enriched with blood platelets and fat stem cells which were harvested from the patient’s fat. Dr. Masters has found that there is a much higher retention with this implanted fat technique and less chance of the body rejecting it, since it is from the body. The fat that is transferred is a living tissue that will develop its own blood vessels afterward and become a permanent part.

The ultra-thin mico-cannula, the tube used to liposuction the fat away. This allows Dr. Masters the ability to execute body sculpting in large areas like thighs and buttocks not just the smaller areas, such as knees, neck and chin. Dr. Master’s artistic techniques allow for more definition and with finer incisions that normally will not require suturing and result in less scarring. Not to mention, recovery time is much less than in the old days of plastic surgery with much less discomfort as well as less side effects have been experienced..

Do you have some areas of your body that you would like to fill in the wrinkles or tighten up? Call us today at The Masters Clinic for a consultation and in just one lunch break, you can have just that!

Experts, such as Dr. Leslie Masters, know that aging isn’t just on the surface with our skin. All layers of our face are affected by aging. Besides the skin the fat, the muscle and the even our skeleton is affected by aging. The development of several techniques evolved from deep subperiosteal dissections, the top of the bony skeleton, to more superficial techniques that involved very little invasive superficial suture suspensions has led the way to where plastic surgery is today with procedures such as Dr. Masters’ CosmoLift.

Many supportive methods are used at the same time, such as fat grafting that increases facial volume and to remove wrinkles, laser skin resurfacing. Rejuvenation of the aging face is based on profound surgical rationales that have developed over time and are practiced by Dr. Leslie Masters at The Masters Clinic. Dr. Masters has a deep understanding and knowledge of the soft tissues, bone changes and skin changes that come with aging and gravity. She has perfected her craft and is highly recognized for the artful way she performs any and all procedures.

With the MACS lift (minimal access cranial suspension), the incisions made by Dr. Masters will leave the shortest of scars, with a vertical vector pull. With the soft facial tissues anchored to the strong temporalis fascia at the cheek bones there is very little skin excision, no earlobe deformation, no scars behind your ears so that the finish look is artful and not giving every one the news that you just had work done.

Performed in our offices at The Masters Clinic located in Tulsa, OK as an outpatient basis, Dr. Masters will use a local anesthesia. For most patients, within one hour, you will have the immediate effects of younger face that will last a long time and is a fraction of the cost of the standard face lift.

If you are tired of the droopy, sagging face making you look older than you are at heart, or by age, give us a call at The Masters Clinic to set an appointment for a consultation. Describe to Dr. Masters your concerns and desires and she will make recommendations on how to approach those things that can be corrected or improved. Enhancing the body, mind and soul is what The Masters Clinic is all about. Let us start with yours today!

We also know that our stress level is the strongest force against our age though, When we are always anxious, jittery and tense, it shows up in our skin. Stress is not healthy for us, it speeds up the aging process. However, do you know how stress affects your skin?

Another thing that Dr. Leslie Masters knows and you may not is there is a powerful hormone in our body called Cortisol and stress releases it into our blood stream. Cortisol is what is known as the fight-or-flight hormone. It represents as a steroid and will close down your immune system, getting ready to run away. Cortisol is the hormone where jitters and nausea come from, it is an invisible attacker. As with anything you can’t see but need to fight off, you need all your energy so that you can focus in fighting the unseen. Your raised hypersensitivity causes you to be more susceptible to allergens and allergic reactions. Many people will experience hives and rashes on their skin.

Our skin cells lie on top of each other and tightly side by side. One of the basics that we all learn in junior high science that epidermis is the outer layer of our skin. This layer of skin builds a solid barrier that is covered with acid mantle, a waxy coating. Our body is protected by this barrier from bacteria, irritants and different pathogens. The first thing that is affected by our stress levels is this acid mantle, the waxy, protective coating.

The pH of our acid mantle begins to break down when we are stressed which causes the epidermis to break up as well. At this point, the skin cells start to display signs of dehydration by shriveling and the lipids in the outer layer start to break up. As stress begins to compromise the defensive layer, the skin becomes more endangered to attack and more previous to invaders. The layers of skin under the epidermis can now be intruded on by irritants and pathogens, possibly resulting in eczema and psoriasis.

When you skin becomes red, swollen and itchy that may bring you to The Masters Clinic. This condition, Atopic Dermatitis, is your skin reacting to allergens which is caused by stress. As any student will tell you, stress can bring out acne such as during exams. The more stressed they are, the worse their acne becomes. Stress also brings about cold sores. There is nothing worse than a big ugly cold sore when you go out on a date or a job interview!

People who are stressed tend to have scrunched up faces with frowns along with tensed jaws. Habitual frowning will cause your skin to wrinkle and form permanent frown lines. Wrinkles will make a person look older than they are in the face. Acid mantle breaking down will cause the skin to lose moisture and dry it out. Stress makes your skin feel dry, rough, and look old.

While we can’t eliminate all of our stress, there are things we can to do offset the aging process. Such as the large variety of of lotions and potions that are on the market. The Masters Clinic offers a line ofr every age group, every skin type that can help you keep that youthful, smooth skin.

However, the best fight you can give your skin from looking old is busting the stress from the inside out. Drink plenty of clean alkaline, ionized water – that is the best moisturizer for skin. Eating right and getting plenty of sleep gives you that young, fresh, glowing look and don’t forget laughter is the best medicine!

You are only given one body and stress is it’s enemy. Stress is all around and will wear your body down fast. So to keep a younger look, use every strategy you can to get rid of stress. Take a day from time to time to do noting but relax and enjoy the day. With a series of books written by Dr. Leslie Masters, you can learn a way of life that will keep your stress levels low and could even teach you to live stress free.

Give us a call today to set up a consultation. Dr. Leslie Masters will discuss the issues of your skin, suggest a regiment of facial care products and discuss what she has learned and shares with you in her books. A stress free life will give you beautiful skin to enjoy for a lifetime.