Tattered Notes - My Thoughts

Step into Summer Feet First with Salon Quality Pedicures at Home

Get hip, healthy and sexy feet that are ready to show off. As temperatures rise, many women enjoy wearing sandals that make them feel pretty and feminine. But over 40 feet may need special attention to prepare for their full view debut. After all, they’ve been covered up all winter long.



Now that spring has sprung, focus on your feet with a professional pedicure or DIY version at home. Whichever route you take, just make sure your feet have received attention from front to back before making an entrance. Some of the worst offenses women make when baring their feet are nails that are unpolished, chipped, have not been clipped, filed or an old pedicure that has grown out.

It is best to invest in a professional pedicure when your feet first peek out from their winter hibernation. Once your feet have received professional TLC, you can use that as a template to guide your at home pedicures.

Hip, healthy & sexy feet are more than just pretty polished nails. One sure way to wreck a beautiful pedicure is to have a back view exposing dry or cracked heels. As we age, hormonal changes cause our skin to become dry, including the skin on our feet. Women who frequently wear open heeled shoes are especially vulnerable to dry, cracked heels due to air exposure. In more severe cases, as feet slide from side to side while walking in open heeled shoes, the friction can eventually cause skin to become dry, cracked and even split. Smooth, soft heels project a youthful appearance and require consistent attention between pedicures. There are excellent products to keep the skin on your feet moisturized and looking beautiful.

The right products and tools make it easy to maintain beautiful feet. A beauty supply store will carry the widest selection and highest quality tools with the widest selection at reasonable prices. However, most local drug stores also have an adequate selection. The ideal set of tools to care for your feet should include a toenail clipper, nail file, nail smoother, nail separator, cuticle oil, cuticle pusher, polish remover, 100% cotton balls, foot smoother, foot lotion, polish and top-coat. A nail caddy will keep your supplies neatly organized and within easy reach. The right tools stocked in a convenient location will help you to consistently maintain a foot care routine that will keep your feet looking their hip, healthy & sexy all year long!

Why spend your hard earned money on something that you can easily do yourself? Home manicures are easier than you think, can save you money for indulging in other types of “treats”, and give you the satisfaction of being able to say that you did it by yourself. So set aside some time and lets get started manicuring those nails!

A home manicure ought to be a weekly procedure. Here are your manicure instructions, so read them carefully before you start to ensure you have all the necessary supplies close at hand.

Begin by getting rid of any previous nail polish. Hold a cotton pad dampened with polish remover against the nail for a couple of seconds; and then rub from the base of the nail towards the tip. Apply a separate piece of cotton for each nail.

Next, file each nail with an emery board on a slant, just below the nail, file from sides to middle in one direction only.

To soften cuticles for the manicuring operation, immerse your fingertips for 5 minutes in warm, soapy water. Then applying the dull end of an orangewood stick dipped in cuticle remover, lightly push back the cuticle. Clip hangnails with a small pair of scissors.

Carry on your home manicure by scrubbing the nails with a nailbrush and warm soapy water. Clean below the nails with an orangewood stick wrapped up in wet cotton.

To put on polish, first rub your nails with remover and make certain they are dry and free of soap. Spread out one hand flat on the table. With the other, apply one thin coating of colorless polish. Brush from the base of the nail towards the tip, start down the middle, then down each side. Allow the polish to dry between coatings. Then put on two thin coats of color. With a tissue, get rid of the hairline of polish from the top side of each nail. Lastly, apply a colorless sealing coat all over the nail and beneath the tip.

Congratulations, you have finished your home manicure! Now sit back and admire the great job you did manicuring your nails.

It may come to no surprise that the procedure for a manicure & pedicure (toenails) are nearly identical, other than soaking and scrubbing any dead skin or calluses off your feet. So doing a home pedicure is also easy if you simply follow the above directions. So go ahead and “treat your feet”!

Perhaps of all hair-loss solutions, the one that works best, modern hair transplant technology, is the one least understood. Hair replacement surgery is in fact the only permanent solution to hair-thinning and baldness. Check out the four opinion statements below and see if you have been a believer in myths.


MYTH # 1: Hair transplants are phony-looking, obvious and embarrassing.

FALSE. While that was true in the past (and still is, if you don’t find an experienced and qualified doctor), hair surgery today has reached a level of sophistication that renders it as natural-looking as a person’s original hair. In fact, it is a person’s original hair, moved to a different location on the head. In most cases, in just one or two grafting sessions with the proper doctor, a person achieves good overall coverage that will last a lifetime. “Doll’s-head hair” and hair plugs are ugly and outdated. Today it’s possible to transplant hair follicle-by-individual-follicle, so transplanted hair grows as beautifully as a person’s original hair before their hair-loss began.


MYTH #2: Hair-grafting hurts. It calls for unsightly bandages and causes scarring.

FALSE. Scarring and bandages are artifacts from the pioneering days of hair replacement surgery. Physicians skilled in modern methods achieve outstanding results without those things. The procedure does not hurt. During the three-to-five-hour procedure (which is performed once or twice before a person is finished with treatment), a patient’s scalp is anesthetized, and the person typically reads a book or watches TV while the procedure ensues. Afterwards, there is little or no down time, and the patient may return to work the following day.


MYTH #3: Hair transplants are a last resort for people. There are better ways to handle hair-loss problems.

FALSE. While there are many gimmicks and gadgets on the market that promise amazing results, most do nothing at all or at best produce baby-fine hair. Two drugs have been shown to produce some results, but when the medications are stopped, the hair falls out again. And no gadget or drug will grow hair in bald areas. In contrast to this, hair replacement surgery grows permanent, natural-looking hair that continues growing without any need for drug therapy after the initial growing stage is complete. Hair transplantation is the only known permanent solution to severe hair-thinning and baldness.


MYTH #4: Hair transplant surgery is prohibitively expensive.

FALSE. If a person finds the proper doctor, the cost is not much different than any other kind of plastic surgery: usually $2,000 to $6,000 per sitting (most people need only one or two sessions ever). Patients who want quality treatment usually fly to the home city of their specialist, since knowledgeable physicians experienced in state-of-the-art technology are rare. Inexperienced doctors require many more sessions and in the end, charge exorbitant fees for what is often a botched job and an embarrassing nightmare for the patient.


Don’t go for the quick fix when it comes to something as important as your appearance and your hair. Find out what really works for hair loss, and invest in a permanent solution. It will save you piles of money and probable tears in the long run.

Cosmetic surgery has opened numerous options to enhance your physical appearance whether it is abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty, mammoplasty, rhinoplasty, rhytidectomy (face lift) or hair restoration surgery. In recent years hair transplantation has shown a tremendous growth in its popularity.

Many people are satisfied with their baldness and accept it as a natural phenomenon but for some it comes as an embarrassment and result to lack of self-confidence. Today, numerous methods are available for baldness treatment such as Minoxidil, Finasteride, low level laser therapy, and hair restoration surgery. Hair restoration is one best option for those who are not content and wishes more out of life.



Everyone has the right to look handsome. And baldness is one very common problem faced by men. Trying the suggestions given by your friends to get those hairs back are meager waste of time and efforts. Many people think that hair transplantation is a very expensive process; therefore, they do not even think it to be an option for them. We cannot call hair restoration surgery an inexpensive process but on other side it is certainly a cost-effective process that brings a life long result.



At a glance medicinal treatment of baldness or hair pieces may appear cheaper, but when looked at closely you find that over time medicines and hairpieces will often outstrip the cost of hair transplantation.



Pure follicular unit transplant, Micro-mini graft transplant and Punch graft transplant are three open options for you to get your hair transplanted. The best and natural hair bearing restoration procedure is Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). A strip of hair bearing scalp is removed from the sides and/ or back of the head and each of the skin on the scalp is stitched together after the strip is removed. As a result you can experience a natural and permanent hair growth after sometime. You also need to consider the experience and reputation of the clinic and doctor who is going to perform the hair restoration surgery on you.

Hair transplantation:


Hair transplant is the most popular cosmetic procedure being followed today. Hair transplantation has the potential to produce the most dramatic change in one’s appearance. But again, this should be carried out by a competent and experienced surgeon. The procedure involves removing of tiny particulars of hair from areas where the hair is growing [donor area] and by placing them in areas that are balding.


The physician literally makes a tiny incision into the donor area, generally from the back of the head, and removes follicles, inserting them into the top of the scalp, again with a tiny incision. This may result in minor scarring and infection in the donor area.


This process is quite time-consuming as it requires multiple transplantation sessions. Moreover, it can work out to be expensive. The success of the procedure lies in the quality and quantity of the donor hair. It has been a noted fact that hair transplantation has been more successful on men than in women

Follicular-Unit Extractions:


Follicular-unit extraction is a new type of hair transplant that is helping thousands of men and women today. It is a highly advanced micro-surgery treatment.

Grafting:


The process includes removal of a portion of the hair-bearing scalp from the back of the head and cutting the removed scalp into small segments. This consists of varying amounts of hair in each graft to achieve a thick and natural look with this technique. With each session hundred to thousand hair-bearing segments are transplanted. The donor sites are usually concealed by the surrounding hair. Basically there are three types of grafting:


- Micro grafts contain only 1-2 hairs per graft,

- Slit grafts contain between 4 – 10 hairs, and

- Punch grafts contain between 10-15 hairs.

Scalp reduction:


Scalp reduction is generally done to cover areas on the top and back of the head and not beneficial for the frontal hairline. This includes the removal of non-hair-bearing skin from the scalp. The surrounding skin is then loosened and stretched so that it fills the bald area of the head. Scalp reduction can reduce as much as half of the bald area.

Lasers and laser combs:


Lasers have been used to successfully treat many dermatological conditions. Many claim them to be effective in stopping hair loss and in some cases, growing new hair.


Laser combs which are considered to be a ‘low level laser therapy’ are believed to stimulate hair follicles at the cellular level. These hand-held devices help in the re-growth of hair. The advantage is that the laser combs can be treated by men and women in the privacy of their own homes. It can be used just ten to fifteen minutes, three times a week

Make a Critical Observation


Though there are various options you need to find out exactly why you’re losing your hair, learn about all your options, and then create your own power-packed treatment regime.

Commercial media are full of offers to solve the problem of hair loss, but there is only one permanent solution: hair transplantation (also called hair replacement surgery). The procedure yields natural-looking results. They look natural because they are natural – your own hair grows in areas of your scalp that were previously bald or thinning. This is achieved and maintained permanently without an endless regimen of expensive drugs.


If you already know about hair replacement surgery and have decided to undergo it to solve your own hair-loss problem, you should know that the most important factor in your success will be your choice of a qualified physician.


As with most things in life, there is a broad range of quality among hair transplant specialists. At one end of the spectrum, you’ll find many doctors who are relatively inexperienced. These often work for large groups that may look impressive because they have offices all over the country, but that are actually little more than sales offices which may import relatively inexperienced surgeons, some of whom don’t even specialize in hair transplant surgery. Many of these doctors have limited understanding of this new field of medicine and use outdated practices. Most of the time these practices yield unsightly results.


At the other end of the scale, you’ll find a handful of skilled doctors, highly experienced and knowledgeable in state-of-the-art techniques. These are true artists who have done thousands of hair transplants personally, and who continue to do them every day. It is unlikely that you will locate such a qualified specialist down the street from your home. You are probably going to have to travel, even to another state.


The following checklist will help you evaluate prospective hair transplant doctors:

1. Ask how many hair transplants the doctor has done himself. If you’re looking for the best, his answer should be well up in the thousands.

2. Ask how often he performs hair transplant surgeries. The right answer is “every day.”

3. Ask to speak with happy patients. Not just one or two. Get dozens and call them. If possible, have lunch with a few and take a look at their hair.

4. Ask to view a surgery in progress. There is no valid reason why this request should be denied.

5. Ask how many assistants work with the doctor on any given day. The right answer will be ten or more. When the strip of healthy hair is removed from the donor area of your scalp, many assistants will be needed to work on it simultaneously, separating the up to 3,000 miniscule hair follicles that your doctor will then plant in your scalp during your three-to-five-hour session. If only a few assistants are involved, the doctor won’t be able to complete the procedure in one session. Many sessions will then be needed, at high cost and inconvenience to you, before you achieve adequate hair coverage. Save yourself thousands of dollars by selecting a doctor with a large staff, ensuring your work probably will be done in one or two sessions.


If your prospective physician is unwilling or unable to satisfactorily answer any of these questions, continue your search. Be patient and persevering. Your choice of physician will have life-long consequences. The wrong one may leave you with nightmarish phenomena like scarring, freaky-looking hairlines, doll-head hair (holes poked into the scalp and inserted with small clumps of hair), and other unnatural disasters. Permanent hair replacement is a once-in-a-lifetime gift you give yourself. If you do it right the first time, and you’ll never regret it.

Many men suffer a loss of self-esteem as the result of hair loss, and want to take steps to mitigate the loss. There are options available for the many men who are undergoing hair loss and are unhappy about the problem. Men may choose a wig or toupee, or they may decide on hair replacement.

One of the first choices for hair replacement is to purchase a wig or a toupee. At first, most people might shy away from this idea and this option certianly has varying degrees of popularity. Some younger men feel that the wig or toupee option is only for older guys. Others can’t imagine using a “rug,” the slang term for wig or toupee, because they are only familiar with the old, easily recognizable versions of these hairpieces.

Now, however, wigs and toupees are known as hair systems, and they’ve come a long way from grandpa’s day. While wigs and toupees are not for everyone, they still do serve a purpose and might be a worth while try for someone who is unsure about hair surgery.

As the experts at USHairReplacement.com will show you, there are a number of good options for hairpieces. There are two basic choices when a person first looks at hair systems: stock hair systems or custom hair systems.

Stock hair systems are pre-made and available off the shelf. These systems are constructed to match the most common colors of hair and in the most common hair loss patterns. These can be very affordable because they are sold from the box and don’t require custom fitting or any special construction.

On the other hand, they can look inexpensive and may not match. They may also not fit properly, which makes them look unnatural.

The other hairpiece option is a custom hair system. While these are more expensive than the stock hair system option, they also have several advantages over the off-the shelf choice. The custom hair system will be measured to fit your exact size, and will have an exact color match. The hair system will blend naturally into your natural, growing hairline to achieve an organic look.

The custom hair system is made from lighter weight materials, which makes it more comfortable to wear, and those who construct the hair system will pay special attention to the front hairline, which can be the most important aspect of a hair system.

Many men, however, don’t want the artificial solution of a hair system. Hair transplants, using hair replacement surgery, is another option. In hair transplants, a certified transplant surgeon will harvest some of the patient’s natural hair from a place on the patient’s head where the hair is growing naturally.

Then the hair is transplanted into one of the bald sections of your head. Many of the new surgical procedures for hair transplants involve very tiny grafts, so that the hair transplants are virtually unnoticeable.

Most people suffer from hair loss at some point in their lives. The hair loss can be either partial, a condition often termed as alopecia arieta, or complete, leaving a bald head. Partial hair loss is often also called “pattern baldness”, since the person usually loses the hair in a prominent M-shaped area on the head. Hair loss can occur in both men and women, and has both physical and psychological origins.

Hair Loss in men

There can be many causes for hair loss in men. Hereditary hair loss is quite common, as are malnutrition, improper hair care and mental stress. Hair loss in men can also be caused by hormonal imbalance. Men produce the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in their bodies. Increased levels of DHT in the body can constrict hair follicles to an extent that the hair will simply asphyxiate and fall off. To add to the woes of the person, the hair follicles stay constricted even after the hairs fall off, thus preventing the growth of new hair. Hormonal imbalance in men is hard to treat. Some drugs can suppress the creation of these hormones, but those often have several unwanted side effects, such as, reduced libido, outbreak of acne, repeated occurrences of headaches, gynecomastia, i.e., growth of breasts in men, etc.

Hair Loss in women

Hair loss in women is caused by almost similar conditions as in men. Even in women, absence of a proper hair care regimen, lack of nutrients in the body, or psychological stress play major roles behind hair loss. But, hormonal imbalance, due to production of androgens, and subsequently dihydrotestosterone (DHT), especially in the post-menopausal stage, can also cause hair loss. Women can suffer from female pattern baldness, quite similar to men. However, in women, the rate of hair fall is much lower than that in men. Telogen effluvium is another reason, in which some physically traumatic experience causes women to suffer from rapid hair fall. Pregnancy is one such experience. Besides, alopecia arieta is also prevalent among women.

Remedies of hair loss

Hair loss can be remedied in a number of ways. Home remedies can be used to prevent it to some extent in the initial stages, but later on, special treatments may be required to stop hair fall. Surgical hair transplants, hair replacement therapies, and the use of medicated shampoos can help in preventing hair loss.

Getting a hair transplant operation may seem like a frightening prospect to the uninformed, but people who have opted for this solution to massive hair thinning and baldness tell quite a different story. In the hands of a qualified hair surgeon specialist, the operation is painless. A patient’s scalp is locally anesthetized while a doctor performs the procedure. Patients typically watch TV or comfortably read a magazine during the three to five hours they’re sitting in the chair.


Afterwards, patients may return to work the following day, avoiding heavy lifting for a time. Most patients use nothing more than over-the-counter pain medication and have no bandages to worry about.


During the transplant process, a tiny strip of skin is removed from an area of scalp where hair is in good supply. The skin is sutured so hair immediately covers the “donor area.” From the donor strip, thousands of hair follicles are removed and “planted” in paper-cut-like incisions across the scalp wherever new hair is desired. Hairs are placed individually, in twos or in threes, so “Barbie Doll hair” does not result (hair like on a doll’s head, set in unnatural clusters inside hole incisions).


With a qualified doctor, one or two sessions are usually all that’s necessary for a majority of patients. In as little as three to six months, the newly transplanted hair will begin to grow, with full growth achieved within ten to twelve months.


Unlike other methods of treating hair loss, hair replacement therapy is a permanent solution. Because the grafted roots come from an area of the head not prone to balding, they continue to produce healthy, normal hair in their “new location” throughout the rest of a person’s life.


The picture is rosy, with one important warning. Choose your hair surgeon very carefully. Experts skilled in state-of-the-art technology are rare, and you will probably have to travel a long distance if you wish to be treated by one. Placing yourself in the hands of a doctor who only does three or four hair transplants a month is gambling with disaster. Most doctors still make hole-incisions and plant hairs in Barbie-Doll clumps, or plugs. Often they fail at creating a natural hairline, and scaring and flaps create nightmares for unsuspecting patients who wrongly placed their trust.


Insist on talking to many of the doctor’s patients who have had the procedure, and on seeing a live surgery being performed, before you trust yourself to the doctor you think you will choose. Many dilettantes talk impressive terms and make bold promises but cannot deliver the goods. Particularly avoid hair transplant franchises that import doctors to do their procedures. Never trust a physician who promotes gimmicks and gadgets (like oxygen therapy) in addition to the surgery.


If you do your homework and choose carefully, you will be among the thousands of happy patients who have undergone hair transplantation and have lived ever since with a head of full, natural-looking, growing, healthy hair. In the final outcome, it’s your appearance that’s at stake. That should be worth all your trouble.

Hair loss affects millions of men and women, both young and old. It can decrease self-esteem and confidence, and limit the ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Persons balding at a young age may feel deprived of an essential element of their youth. This feeling is created and affirmed by cultures all over the world. Images on television, in the movies and on print ads, constantly reinforce the association between a youthful appearance, sexuality, and a full head of hair.

Balding affects people in different ways, but certain emotional reactions seem to be shared by many.

The most common concern that people have when they begin to lose their hair is that they will be less attractive to the opposite sex. The interesting thing is that this is often only the view of the person that is balding and not that person?s partner. The spouse or friend of those experiencing hair loss commonly state that the only thing that bothers them is that it makes their partner depressed. The balding does not bother them per se.

It is interesting that women sometimes express that they want their spouses to look good for the wedding pictures, but once married, they become far less concerned about their spouse?s hair. In fact, when a married man suddenly becomes interested in having a hair transplant, we have seen the spouse become suspicious of extra-marital interests and even object to the husband having the procedure.

Hair loss is a universal marker for aging, with one?s mane gradually diminishing over time. Your body slowly changes as well, with more sagging and wrinkles and ones muscle mass decreasing. However, hair loss hair can also occur suddenly at a young age, making you appear much older than you actually are.

A practical concern with looking older is that the person may not be as competitive in the work force. Unfortunately, studies have shown that this is a real phenomenon. When employers are screening job applicants, all other things being equal, those with hair are viewed more favorably than those who are bald.

People experiencing hair loss complain that the way they look does not fit with their own image of themselves. This occurs when someone begins to lose hair early i.e., in their late teens or twenties, but it is as much a problem when someone has had a full-head of hair for years (and is used to receiving compliments about their hair) and then their hair thins unexpectedly in middle age.

Another aspect of balding is that people feel a loss of control. Hair is one of the few body parts that you can actually manipulate yourself. You can grow hair long, cut if off, you can wave it, dye it, or pull it back in a pony-tail. It serves as a form of self-expression. As people start to lose this form of self-expression, they can become depressed and withdrawn. But not everyone responds this way. People react very differently to their hair loss, with some considering it only a minor nuisance and others finding it so debilitating that they won?t be seen in public without their head covered.

One of the things that makes going bald difficult is that, for some reason, people feel that commenting or joking about hair loss is “fair game” when they wouldn?t dare mention that someone had bad skin, or had a limp. I often point out to patients, that just because people chose to comment about thinning hair, doesn?t mean they are judging that person or really care much about it. It just seems to be a socially acceptable thing to mention.

Women seem to believe that female hair loss is less acceptable than hair loss in men. While this may be true, the vast majority of women have hair loss in a pattern that can be easily camouflaged. Women are often reassured when they realize that about 40% of women experience hair loss over their lifetime, but it is to such a small degree that it is rarely recognized by others.

The important things to remember are that hair loss is very common, it is much more acceptable with age, and it is generally less important to other people than the person experiencing hair loss thinks. That said it is not unreasonable to be upset about going bald. Fortunately, for those who are bothered by their hair loss, there are now excellent medications to prevent hair loss and excellent surgical treatments to restore hair once it is gone.

In seeking treatment for their hair loss, younger men often consider a surgical option first. They shun the idea of having to take a medication “for life” and think that surgery will be a permanent solution to their problem; often not realizing that having surgery at a young age may create far more problems than it will correct. Unfortunately, these young people, in a panic, may fall prey to unscrupulous physicians whose practices are built on “selling” hair transplants to those in an emotionally fragile state.

It is the responsibility of the physician to make sure that an emotionally distraught patient is making informed choices and understands the long-term implications of any treatment option – especially surgery. In the younger patient, it is often prudent to slow down the decision making process. This can be accomplished with multiple consultations, stressing the importance of drug therapy and, when appropriate, getting parents or other significant persons involved. The doctor should allow the patient to reflect on the situation and the decisions involved – and should never rush to operate.

Older patients are often more deliberate about the decision to undergo hair transplant surgery. Many have considered the procedure for some time, and understand the challenges of making emotionally charged decisions, getting accurate information and finding a doctor they trust. They often research their options more thoroughly. Outsides factors may finally tip the balance in favor of having surgical hair restoration. These factors may include a search for a new job, a divorce, or simply the availability of financial resources. Alternatively, it may reflect the indulgence of a confident, successful person doing something extra for himself.

When hair loss becomes an obsession, it is rare that either medical treatments or surgery will satisfy the patient?s need for perfection. In situations where the emotional reaction far exceeds the degree of hair loss or where the expectations of treatment is more than can be achieved with existing technology, psychological counseling is in order.

Although each individuals motives may vary, it is not unreasonable for people at any age to want to improve their appearance, and it is hard to deny the great impact that hair plays in this regard. However, a decision to proceed with hair restoration should be made with a clear head, a specific objective and with as much factual information as possible.

Hair transplants are now the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure and most procedures are for male patients who are combating male pattern baldness. This condition affects a large portion of men around the globe, however certain ethnic groups are shown to be less likely or even immune to this genetic disposition. The condition has varying degrees of severity and much is yet to be discovered about the causes of the condition.


Recent research has shown that the condition is a genetic defect that is affected by the formation of defective androgen receptors which is the hormones that deal with pre-birth and infancy sexual development. The most common symptoms of the disorder occur around the crown of the scalp and the fore brow where a receding hairline occurs. The genetic disorder of pattern baldness occurs mainly in males however is sometimes apparent in females.


The symptoms in women are different to the male ones, as a less distinctive thinning of the hair occurs as opposed to the complete hair loss males experience in certain areas of the scalp. There is no physically debilitating symptoms however patient can experience serious self esteem issues leading to depression, anxiety and other associated psychological problems. There is no evidence that male pattern baldness affects any area of sexual potency.


This issue is why many men choose hair transplant options and the procedure is completely safe and bears very low risk. As the balding occurs only in certain parts of the scalp which possess the genetically deficient coding, other parts of the scalp will still continue to grow. Hair transplant procedures work on this basis and the donor area’s genetic coding is transferred to the recipient area and continues to grow.


A small incision is made in a discreet place, usually above the back of the head, then the donor hair is removed in clumps of certain follicles, the number of follicles contained in any cluster depends on the individual surgeon’s preference. These transplants are then inserted into the recipient area with the follicles intact and this procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic. The genetic information from the donor area will be transferred causing hair to grow.


After a number of weeks the transplanted hair will fall out and providing the patient continues to take medication, after a number of months the new genetic information will begin new hair growth. It has been proven that medication must be taken to maintain the new hair growth otherwise the hair will go back to the pre transplant state.

Get rid of the dark under eye circles and refresh your skin with simple and easy homemade beauty tips.
In today’s busy life, the problem of dark circles or under eye circles is faced by every second person. Due to the busy schedules and hasty lifestyle, not only the adults are facing this problem, but also it is getting common among teenagers also. The appearance of dark circles makes you look older much beyond your age with a tiring and fainted look.
There are three simple ways to cater the problem of dark under eye circles, which are beauty tips for prevention, beauty tips for remedy and beauty tips for cosmetic help.
Prevention for Dark circles:
The simple and easy beauty tips to prevent from the ghostly dark circles are following:
Take proper sleep. After a busy and tiring day, you must get enough sleep of at least 8 hours to relax your body and mind and to avoid dark circles.
Drinking a lot of water and fluids to keep your skin hydrated and smooth is among the best beauty tips.
Try to take balanced diet. Include green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and dairy products in your diet. You can also use iron supplements, because the deficiency of iron causes dark circles.
Always use sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sunrays. Before going out in the sun, cover areas around the eyes with the sun block.
Homemade Beauty Tips for Dark Circles:
To attack the problem of dark circles and puffy eyes, always opt for the best of homemade beauty tips which can solve your problem without hassle. Following are some of the quick and easy beauty tips that can give your under eye skin a younger and healthier look.
Dip cotton pads in the cucumber juice and place on eyelids for 15 minutes.
One of the easy beauty tips is to dip cotton balls in rose water or chilled water and keep it over the eyes for 5-10 minutes.
Try one of the classic homemade beauty tips by placing two slices of cucumber over the closed eyes for 15 minutes. You can also apply the same beauty tip with thin slices of potato.
The use of squeezed and chilled tea bag over the closed eyes for 10 minutes is also one of the magical beauty tips that can do wonders.
Easy Beauty Tips for Cosmetic Help:
One of the magical beauty tips to hide the dark circles with the cosmetic aid is the use of lighter shade concealer, which will surely assist you in defeating the under-eye evils until you get rid of them.

Make sure you pamper your feet properly and provide a good care in order to get smooth and healthy feet. It is essential not only for your beauty, but for your health to. If you don’t treat your feet, it can lead to dry skin, cracked heels and further infections. So here are a few tips you should pamper your feet with.

First of all, you should make sure your shoes are perfectly comfortable. If you wear uncomfortable shoes, your feet won’t get a proper blood circulation. Which will not only make you feel tired, but harm your legs and bring to further problems.

Relax your feet as often as you can. Position them in a higher place than your body, than soak them into a lukewarm water. Use glass balls to massage and stimulate your feet and refresh your pedicure. You can also use a blood circulation improving massage and aromatherapy to stimulate your sences to.

Rejuvenate your feet by removing all the dead skin cells. Exfoliate your feet and apply a soothing cream that will deeply nourish your skin. Make sure you keep your feet clean, specially if you already have dry, cracked or specially infected areas. If your skin is dry, bacterias will spread out very easily and create even more problems.

Also, to make sure you keep your body healthy, keep a healthy diet and do workouts. It is essential to maintain a good lifestyle and avoid any possible damaging factors, to have youthful, fresh appearance even at your feet area.

And finally, but not least, do your pedicure. If it’s winter, it doesn’t mean you have to forget about your pedicure! After your foot care routine of keeping them clean, you should match your pedicure with your manicure. You never know when your feet will get observed, so make sure even tiny little details like them are absolutely perfect.

Treating your feet, keeping them clean and polished with nice pedicure, you can assure a nice appearance all year long. It is much more easier to maintain a fresh look than treating skin problems. Avoid smelly feet by wearing shoes with a proper ventilation and use foot deodorants. They will not only provide a good smell, but protect your feet from bacterias. It is really not hard to keep your feet healthy while wearing boots. You just need to keep treating and pampering them and you can forget about any of your feet problems.

As we get older, skin ageing is inevitable. Over time our skin becomes thinner and loses its elasticity, and we develop lines and wrinkles. Lines on the forehead, crows feet, lines around the lips and mouth, sagging skin on the jowls and neck are all signs of growing old. Exposure to the sun, diet. lifestyle and environmental factors also have an impact on the skin. What can you do to keep looking younger for as long as possible?

1. Protect your skin from the sun. Use sun protection products with an SPF factor 15 or higher on your face throughout the year, whether the sun is shining or not! When on holiday or spending a lot of time outdoors in the summer, choose a product with SPF 30 for longer lasting protection form the sun.

2. Drink Plenty of Water. Hydrating you skin from within will keep it plump and firmer looking. Drinking at least 8 glasses or 2.5 litres of water a day also flushes out harmful toxins which can cause premature ageing of the skin. Try replacing as many of your drinks as possible with water, and reduce your intake of coffee and alcohol, which dehydrate the body.

3. Eat a Well Balanced Diet. Eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. A glass of orange juice can be counted as one portion. Try adding grapes, raspberries or strawberries to your breakfast cereal, a banana at lunchtime, and 2 portions of vegetables with your main meal. Eat plenty of fibre rich foods, the recommended daily intake is 25g. If your natural diet does not contain enough fibre, swap your breakfast for a high fibre one, and consider taking a supplement which contains natural fibre, such as Psyllium husks. The recommended calorie intake is 2000 per day or 70g fat per day.

4. Protect Yourself from Harmful Free Radicals. Anti-oxidants absorb harmful free radicals that can damage cells and cause disease. You can buy supplements at a health food shop, and many supermarkets stock a good range of vitamins and supplements. Good anti-oxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, beta-carotene, pyconegol and lycopene.

5. Hormones and the Menopause. In most women, the menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. At this time, the skin becomes thinner and loses its elasticity. Natural collagen is lost which can result in sagging of the skin, particularly around the jaw and neck. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or a natural alternative such as soy isoflavones can relieve menopause symptoms.

6. Use Quality Skin Care Products. Cleanse your facial skin twice a day with a product for your skin type. Use a skin firming moisturiser at night, and an SPF protection cream during the day. Some cleansers and other skin care products contain exfoliating ingredients which remove dead skin cells, help to keep wrinkles at bay and reveal a brighter, more youthful complexion. There are many anti-ageing skin care products available which will help you to look younger.

7. Stop Smoking. You only have to look at people who smoke to see how the effects of smoking make them age prematurely. Most smokers have more wrinkles than non-smokers. Also, their teeth are generally stained with nicotine which makes them look older than their years.

8. Smile! Finally, there is nothing better than a smile to lift your face instantly! Try not to worry about the small stuff, learn to enjoy what you have, and without yearning too much for what you do not have if it is not easily achievable.

I have to say that I was beginning to show my age and decided to hunt down some good, anti aging, skin care treatment products. Let’s face it, its an undeniable, cold, hard fact of nature that all skin ages, some quicker than others. That last point could just be the luck of the draw as it depends on our genes.

Turning back the clock is also out of the question, but even when we get older we can with the right choice of products, get back that youthful looking skin we took for granted when we were youngsters. What is the best anti aging skin treatment will be briefly discussed here, with references to those ingredients that my research has uncovered, should be part of whatever you choose to use.

I say products because the vast majority of us cannot afford to have cosmetic surgery or pay for countless visits to beauty salons to undergo the latest fad. The first ingredient I’ll mention is something that’s called Cynergy TK. It might strike a familiar cord with some of you as a component of a brand named product.

By the way these big beauty companies are expert at getting their message across and often use highly paid celebrities to endorse their ranges. That’s fine but without us getting too technical I discovered that the best anti aging skin care treatment products contain a variation known as Functional Keratin, a naturally derived substance. It’s quite often the smaller companies that have used this ingredient because they choose to spend their time and funds on developing an effective, quality product rather than on grandiose adverts.

So, let’s just mention quickly what the fuss is about. The secret to using Functional Keratin inside a product is that its make up is as close as possible to a protein that’s found in our own skin. The direct benefit to us is the fact that our skin is thus left rejuvenated. Its makers have coined a very descriptive phrase, calling it ‘liquid skin’.

To further back up this claim there have been scientific studies that show how people have generated new skin cells, when using this version of Keratin. Some food for thought, and I’ve written about one such company on my main site, which has developed some quite outstanding products. Go see for yourself.

Life can be hard on your skin with busy schedules, rapidly changing lifestyle, stress and environmental factors. Besides regular beauty maintenance, you need to take care of skin for specific problems. Understanding the needs of today’s women, VLCC introduced Cosme-Dermat CME (Cure, Maintain and Enhance) treatments that combine cosmetology and dermatology for clinically safe solutions. They Improve skin clarity tone and texture and leave with beautiful skin from inside and outside.

The Cosme-Dermat treatments have been scientifically developed. They are tested for their effects with use of FDA certified equipment and techniques approved by 2500 doctors, dermatologists cosmetologists and nutritionists. Therefore, depending on your problems, VLCC offers personalised and customised solutions to get beautiful and healthy skin.

Cosme-Dermat introduces and witnesses the launch of the Peel & Lift Anti Ageing Treatment, Dermawhite-Skin Whitening Treatment, Vit. K-Eye Youth Treatment and Clear Skin Anti Acne Treatment.

Peel & Lift Anti Ageing Treatment: Peel & Lift Anti Ageing Treatment is a safe, effective and non aggressive deep exfoliating treatment developed to provide for peeling and lifting effect on mature skin.

It is suitable for all climates and skins and has nourishing, emollient action.

Its double peel action- peels and penetrates active principles at the same time

lift action strengthens the skin. It is extremely effective as results visible after the first application.

Dermawhite-Skin Whitening Treatment: Dermawhite-Skin Whitening solutions combines the principles of anti-oxidant complexes, papaya extracts and aloe vera with a lightening mask.

It gives Brightness and Suppleness to the skin and skin becomes two shades lighter after treatment. Results are visible after the very first sessions.

Vit. K-Eye Youth Treatment: Vit. K-Eye Youth Treatment is a safe, non-invasive and innovative solution for skin under the eyes which is fragile and susceptible to ageing.

It reduces the wrinkle around the area of eyes and also helps in reducing the swelling around eyes thus enlighten the dark circles.

Clear Skin Anti Acne Treatment: Pimples, spots, zits, blemishes – Acne is a problem not only with teenagers but can affect people of all ages. The blemishes occur due to overactive secretion of sebaceous (oil) glands making the skin pores clogged with oil and bacteria.

It helps in getting ridding of both pubertal and non-pubertal acne. The formula consists of Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA), which is a highly effective peeling agent and an excellent pore cleanser with anti-acne properties.

The Cosme-Dermat treatments produce spectacular and unparalleled effects which supersede the existing anti-ageing treatments offered by VLCC. Results can be seen since the very first session and an individual will require 4 sessions as against the usual 8 to 10 sessions to experience complete results. The treatments will provide a cost and time effective option to today’s women who is constantly on the move and faced with stress.

Our hands and feet take an awful beating every day. They work hard for us and we often neglect them. They are exposed to the elements of the sun, wind, and cold outside. Inside they are exposed to drying air, water, and harsh chemicals. Frankly, they are often the last things we think about in our beauty regime. But it’s time to put a stop to that. Our hands are often one of the first things people notice about us. Don’t you always notice dirty, jagged fingernails and inflamed cuticles? Don’t you notice dry, scaly skin when you shake someone’s hand? First impressions last and that’s why it’s vitally important to take care of our hands and feet.



Here are some treatments you can indulge in at your local spa or salon:



Hand Treatments



The cornerstone of hand treatments is the manicure. Each salon or spa has its own techniques for delivering this luxurious experience. There will be express manicures which just provide the basics of conditioning the skin and nails and then filing the nails. This usually lasts about 30 minutes. There will be regular manicures offered which last about an hour and include the basics plus polish or buffing the nails and perhaps a hand and arm massage. There will also be deluxe services which provide a longer, more luxurious experience that lasts around 90 minutes.



As part of the manicure, most salons offer some kind of nail and cuticle conditioning treatment with scented exfoliant scrubs, soaks, oils, lotions, or creams. As each salon or spa is different, so too are the products they choose to use when pampering your fingers and toes. Some salons offer decadent chocolate paraffin wax treatments. Other salons offer marine extracts, alpine herbs, citrus soaks, sea mineral scrubs, and the scents of coffee or antioxidant tea.



Extensions



Nail extensions create natural looking longer nails. They can be applied to both fingernails and toenails. The extensions can be made out of acrylic, fiberglass, or gel. Gel is the most popular method currently because the nails are durable and they look healthy and natural like real nails.



Extensions can be permanently applied to the natural nails or done temporarily (one to two weeks) for special occasions. They are designed to give the natural nails extra strength while they grow. Permanent nail extensions must be maintained by filling in the space that is left when the natural nail grows out. The in-fill usually must be done every two to four weeks depending on how fast the nail grows.



Feet Treatments



The cornerstone of feet treatments is the pedicure. Very similar to manicures, the pedicure starts by conditioning the skin and nails by applying scented scrubs, soaks, oils, lotions, or creams. Then the nails are shaped and then buffed or polished. Often a relaxing lower leg and foot massage is given to improve relaxation and boost circulation.



Most salons will remove calluses and rough, dry skin from the feet during a pedicure. Some will also offer foot reflexology or hot stone treatments.



Foot Reflexology



Reflexology dates back 4000 years ago in China, India, and Egypt but the benefits to modern society have only been recognized recently. The foot contains reflexes for every part of the body including the glands and organs. In reflexology, pressure points on the foot are pressed and that allows energy to flow between the point and the rest of the body. This helps the body to rejuvenate itself, detoxify, increase circulation, and relax. Men, women, and children of all ages can benefit.



Hot Stone Treatments



For hot stone treatments, smooth, polished lava stones are sterilized and heated in boiling water until they reach the right temperature. They are used during pedicures to massage the lower legs and feet. The warmth of the stones allows the heat to penetrate the reflex points thus allowing for deeper relaxation.



Arthritis and Diabetes Treatments



Some spas and salons offer specialized treatments for people with arthritis and diabetes. Warm paraffin-filled gloves and booties do wonders to relieve the pain of arthritic joints. Benefits of this treatment include increased flexibility and circulation, reduced pain, and enhanced relaxation.



People afflicted with diabetes must be especially careful of the circulation in their legs and feet because any kind of wound can increase complications. There are special diabetic creams and lotions that can be used during treatments. Allowing a professional to take proper care of your feet for you is not only enjoyable but it’s also a wise step.



Your hands and feet deserve the same amount of care and time you spend on your hair and face. After all, they work twice as hard for you every day. Visit your local spa or salon, indulge your senses, and treat your hands and feet to the pampering they deserve.

Your immune system is an aggressive age fighter: it keeps you younger for longer.

Your body is made up of billions of different types of cells, such as brain cells, blood cells, bone cells, heart cells, kidney cells, liver cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, skin cells, and spleen cells, among many others, which constitute your body organs and systems. These cells repeatedly die and replace themselves throughout your lifespan. For example, your red blood cells die and replace themselves every ninety days or so, while your bone cells may survive many years before they are replaced.

Your Creator has given you an immune system which protects your body cells from degeneration and disease. The B-cells in your immune system play a pivotal role in maintaining your body’s optimum immune response by releasing antibodies into your bloodstream to fight against any foreign invaders that may damage cellular functions. In addition, the T-cells in your immune system play a critical role in distinguishing normal cells from abnormal ones for the B-cells to target. In this way, your immune system prolongs you younger and healthier for longer.

However, your immune system, just like you, ages too. Anti-aging is no more than keeping your immune system as young and as healthy for long as possible. The reason is that a weakened immune system leads to the development of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses – which all form the groundwork of degeneration and disease.

There are many reasons why your immune system may weaken as you continue to age, such as the shrinking of your thymus, the decline in the production of T-cells, and the attack by free radicals, which are extremely reactive compounds that damage cell membranes and other cell components, leading to degenerative diseases and aging.

Therefore, to protect your immune system, you need to eat right in order to get all the nutrients to support your immunity and strengthen your thymus gland.

Your immune system needs beta-carotene obtainable from broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and spinach., vitamins A, B12 , C, D, and E, antioxidants and minerals, including iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc.

In addition, you need to exercise to increase circulation of anti-bodies in your blood to protect your organs and systems, as well as to prevent bacteria from entering into your lungs.

Furthermore, you need to smother stress to prevent the release of steroids by your adrenal glands, which may impair your immune system. Getting adequate sleep to repair your immune system and exercising regularly are ways to cope with stress.

Apart from protecting your immune system, you need to maintain it in the optimum conditions. This can be achieved only by keeping your cells in a healthy environment. Your body cells have multi functions: breathing in oxygen to bring in nutrients, removing toxic waste products, and synthesizing hormones and neurotransmitters in your body. But the most important functions of cells is to balance the acid and alkaline (pH) level of your body – which is the healthiest environment for your immune system. A balanced pH level is conducive to a healthy immune system for anti-aging. If your body is healthy, it should always be slightly alkaline.

To maintain a balanced acid-alkaline body, you need to consume more alkaline-forming foods, such as green vegetables. In addition, you need to detoxify your body through regular fasting and exercise. You may also use herbs, such as milk thistle, psyllium husk, and red clover, to detoxify your body. If your body is cleansed of its toxins and the acid-alkaline ratio is balanced, then your immune system will be in its optimum condition, and you will be forever young.

In summary, immune system health keeps you not only healthier but also younger for longer.

If you haven’t been able to find the best anti-aging skin cream for your skin, it’s not because there aren’t enough to choose from. In fact, there are hundreds of different brands with different ingredients, but all with the same claim: Theirs are the best skin creams you can buy.



So, how do you choose the right skin cream for you? First of all, determine what your top priority is. If you are on a limited budget, then the best cream for you isn’t going to be the high-priced brand at the cosmetics counter. Are you determined to use the anti-aging skin cream that is going to do the best job at taking years off your face? Then you will be more interested in getting what has been scientifically researched and determined to work the best regardless of the price. Do you have sensitive skin and problems with allergies? Natural ingredients might work better for you than those with chemicals and fragrances that are more likely to irritate skin and makes things worse instead of better.



Some skin creams are better at erasing fine lines and wrinkles that you already have while others are more efficient at preventing future damage. If a product shows you a picture of a young model, that doesn’t mean that product is going to get rid of your wrinkles and make you look like that model. It means they hired a model with a good complexion to make you want to look your best and spend your money to do it.



Once you have your priorities straight, then you can start checking out the market. Start by investigating which ingredients are proven to give the results that you want to obtain. Make a list, and then look for evidence that each product meets your expectations. Have there been clinical trials performed by someone other than the company that is selling the product? If someone else is promoting the results of a company’s product, you should feel better about the validity of their claims.



Before and After pictures can be a very convincing sales strategy, but there are too many ways to “doctor” pictures these days. These pictures alone shouldn’t be enough to convince you of what your results will be.



Look for a product that gives you a timeline of when you should be able to tell a difference in your appearance, and exactly what that difference will be. Otherwise, you may call to complain one month down the road that you spent $200 on a useless cream only to be told that results aren’t always visible until after at least six months of continued use. If the company truly believes in its product, then they should be willing to be forthright with you about what to expect from it.



The best anti-aging skin creams don’t necessarily mean the most expensive ones. If you know what type of cream you are interested in and what ingredients to look for, then you can compare different ones with the same ingredients. If you find two that are similar in formula but vary greatly in price, there may be two reasons for this. One, the more expensive brand may be highly advertised or celebrity endorsed, which means the price tag reflects the expense of the promotion. Two, the company may simply want you to think, without comparing to other similar products, that theirs is better and will provide better results just because it is more expensive. Neither of these two reasons is good enough to cause you to pay more for the expensive cream. Just because a product costs more, that doesn’t make it the best cream you can purchase.



Choosing the best anti-aging skin cream is an important decision and you shouldn’t just try products randomly. Take the time to know what your needs are and which ingredients can provide you with the best possible results for the best price.

Neurodegenerative diseases (i.e. Alzheimer's and Huntington's) often involves the formation of aggregates of proteins in a patients' brain, correlated with the process of degeneration. Some of these proteins are unique to the specific disease and others are commonly found in healthy individuals but also occur intertwined with the disease-linked types. Until now, these "common proteins" were thought to be an effect of sampling the tissues and were ignored as background. A new paper out today in PLoS Biology suggests, however, that these protein aggregates may be linked to aging. The main reason to think this is that they are found more widely (in a phyologenetic sense) than previously expected ... having been isolated in Caenorhabditis elegans, the laboratory classic roundworm model. And, in C. elegans, they seem to be linked to aging.

In neurodegenerative diseases specific proteins escape the cell's quality-control system and associate together, forming insoluble aggregates. ... we discovered that the aging process itself, in the absence of disease, leads to the insolubilization and increased aggregation propensity of several hundred proteins in the roundworm Caenorhabditis
elegans. These aggregation-prone proteins have distinct structural and functional proprieties. We asked if this inherent age-dependent protein aggregation impacts neurodegenerative diseases. We found that proteins similar to those aggregating in old worms have also been identified as minor components of human disease aggregates. In addition, we showed that higher levels of inherent protein aggregation aggravated toxicity in a C.
elegans Huntington's disease model. Inherent protein aggregation is a new biomarker of aging. Understanding how to modulate it will lead to important insights into the mechanisms that underlie aging and protein aggregation diseases.
According to one of the study's authors, Cynthia Kenyan, "If you take people with Alzheimer's and look at their aggregates, there are many other proteins in the clump that no one has ever paid much attention to. It turns out that about half of these proteins are aggregating proteins that become insoluble as a normal part of aging."
There are several hundred proteins involved in this system, many associated with cell growth.