The art of looking young

The billboards along C-5 are very attractive and one that caught my attention is the Beverly Hills 6750 billboard of former Miss Universe, Gloria Diaz. It is a beautiful, youthful photo of Diaz, which somehow gives mature women a powerful message: Beauty does not have to fade with age. It must have been 40 years ago when she brought honor and glory to our country by winning the Miss Universe title. Her billboard shows that she still has the oomph, that so-called X factor, that victorious air of a beauty queen. So what seems to be her secret for having managed to “age” (or not age at all) gracefully?

For starters, she naughtily quips that she has a boyfriend younger than herself who makes her feel young and wonderful. They do a lot of sports together, which helps her maintain her winning form.

As for maintaining her good looks, she admits that she has been doing a skin-tightening program with Beverly Hills 6750 religiously for the past year. This made a lot of difference in the texture of her skin, and the firming and toning of her facial muscles. Her lines and wrinkles were reduced and whatever was sagging firmed up.

Without surgery? Yes, without surgery, she emphatically says.

What exactly are the non-surgical procedures that one can avail of these days to achieve that youthful look we all aspire to have after one hits the golden years?

Diaz endorsed me to Dr. Ed Santos and Dr. Abe Marinduque of Beverly Hills 6750, who explained to me the non-invasive procedures that are on the market today. They strongly endorsed two procedures they believe women should do to maintain their youthful looks if they don’t want to have a surgical facelift: the first one is Refirme, a revolutionary treatment to lift, tone, and contour the face. It is highly successful at treating the areas affected by aging like the neck, eye area, brow line, naso-labial folds, and upper and lower jaw line. Powered by Syneron’s Elos technology, Refirme is the only skin-tightening treatment that combines the use of infrared light and radio-frequency technology to significantly improve the skin’s tone and elasticity. When applied to the skin, the infrared light heats the tissue of the skin. The heat acts as a conductor to allow the radio-frequency (RF) to penetrate the dermal layers more deeply and easily. As the radio-frequency energy permeates the tissues, it causes the skin to contract and tighten while stimulating collage production for a period of at least 90 days — a process called “collagen remodeling.”

Over time, as the collagen continues to reproduce, significant improvements in the tone and contour of the skin become apparent as it becomes tighter and firmer. Refirme is a safe, non-invasive therapy approved by the FDA. There is little or no risk of serious complications from this treatment. The most common side effects are redness and mild tenderness in the treated areas, which are temporary and should disappear in a few days. The treatment is painless and needs no sedation, only an application of a topical anesthetic cream to keep the client very comfortable. Treatment time is at least 45 minutes and there’s no downtime.

While many clients experience an immediate improvement, an initial series of three treatments is recommended. But advanced skin laxity may require five treatments, ideally once every 30 days.

Another treatment recommended by the two doctors is Thermage. It is a non-invasive procedure that reverses the signs of aging in the face and neck by tightening and gently lifting the skin to smooth out wrinkles and renew facial contours. The apparatus pulses intense radio-frequency heat into the skin’s deeper layers while simultaneously cooling the surface layer to prevent burns on the visible skin. Heating the underlying layers of skin stimulates collagen production, thereby tightening and smoothening the treated areas. The skin appears lifted and more youthful, with a markedly reduced appearance in wrinkles. There is a visible difference immediately following the treatment, but optimal results are usually seen three to six months later. These changes can last up to a year post-treatment.

Although the procedure is incision-free, some patients have reported some discomfort during Thermage. Experienced doctors, however, will usually administer a mild topical anesthetic before beginning the treatment. Still, there has also been a very low incidence of side effects (one percent) such as swelling, tenderness, redness, bumps, skin depressions or blisters. The procedure itself is normally performed as a single treatment that takes from 20 minutes to two hours depending on the treatment area. What’s more, there is no downtime so you can quickly resume your normal routine. Unlike lasers, this procedure can be performed on all skin types and tones; and unlike injections or fillers, Thermage works on your entire face — forehead, eyes, naso-labial folds, jawline, and areas under the chin.

Some doctors recommend surgical facelifts as the faster way to youthful looks, and some claim it’s also cheaper in the long run as the effects last for at least 10 years. These skin-tightening procedures have to be repeated over and over again. But for those who are fearful of going under the knife, do what Gloria Diaz does and go for non-invasive procedures. She swears by them so they must be worth trying. With today’s new technology in beauty treatments, there is absolutely no reason for women not to look good nowadays.