THE YOUNG AT HEART

One day you are walking down the mall with all the mirrors in the store fronts, and you catch a glimpse of yourself.  You can’t believe it!  Reality check!  In the flesh, you look tired! And old!  In fact, you might even look like your beloved mom or dad. 

YOUNG AT HEART, TIRED FACE

One day you are walking down the mall with all the mirrors in the store fronts, and you catch a glimpse of yourself.  You can’t believe it!  Reality check!  In the flesh, you look tired! And old!  In fact, you might even look like your beloved mom or dad.  Of course, beauty is more than skin deep, and your love for your parents transcends the skin!  But we are talking about “SELF”!  Maybe we are not quite as forgiving about our own external degeneration.  After all, we are still young at heart.  We are still children of the world, flower children no doubt!  But it is hard to live the fantasy when the mirrors all around us remind us of our wear and tear. 

Reality called on Wendy.  She was a divorced parent who had enjoyed an attractive look as a young woman.  She was accustomed in those days to plenty of flattering attention in high school and university years.  As the years passed she became goal oriented in her career, eventually attached to a husband and children.  When she was divorced and straining with full time parenthood and an even busier career, she realized that she was sacrificing regular exercise and spiritual well being.  She spent more than 60 hours/week in her career role, and all her spare time went to the children.  There was no time for beauty treatments or shopping.  Now she began to notice that she wasn’t being noticed in public anymore.  She rationalized that she had no time for dating anyway, so she shelved her disappointment.  It was also not unusual recently to be prompted by others to “cheer up!”  While she wasn’t on top of the world, she wasn’t at the bottom either!  Where was this coming from?  She realized why one day as she scrutinized her facial creases.  She was in a habit of frowning as she concentrated or squinted.  And now the folds had become permanent creases in her thinning skin, fixing her face in a “grumpy” expression.   Furthermore, the horizontal forehead creases had frozen her face in “worry and weary”. 

One day she attended a career function where she was invited to serve as audience example for the speaker, a Cosmetic Medicine specialist.  There in front of all in the audience, she learned that she had developed “JOWLS”!   Apparently her skin elasticity had diminished while her facial fullness had migrated to her abdomen!  Now her cheeks were like loose clothes after weight loss!  Her eye circles had become prominent as lax skin rode the bony prominences.  The mouth creases had become deep like her dad’s, cultivating a “down in the mouth” impression, further developing the “grumpy look”.  For the first time she noticed that she was relying to a greater extent on lip-color because her lips had lost fullness.  First, her lipstick was a strategy she was now relying on in order to cultivate the illusion of youthful full lips.  Later, this benefit was lost and it was necessary to admit that her lips were thinner, prolapsed and wrinkled.  And her skin was dull like a deflated and wrinkled balloon.  Veins were reddening her nose like she had been blowing it all week.   She had to admit that there were a few “age spots” appearing on her face and hands over the past few years.  All considered, it was obvious that she could no longer deny that she was long in life experience, and her face was reflecting this fact.  The spring flower had wilted some! 

Wendy would not settle.  She was a child of the day, much less likely to accept the inevitable when it comes to beauty.  She was not satisfied with her look.  She was disheartened by her perceived loss of attractiveness.  She certainly wouldn’t turn down some youthfulness to her look, but the primary goal of her rejuvenation was a more vitalized, healthful impression.  She felt like her face was not accurately reflecting her energy and attitude.  Her inner SELF was still a powerful free spirit, while her face was defeated.  She was still a free spirit who had things to do yet in life.  She was aching for freedom after decades of responsibility!  She wasn’t ready for “old age”.  She was going to take action to retain her “look”, her vigor.   

Wendy was clear that she did not want to risk surgery, take time off work, or commit to repetitive maintenance procedures to sustain the lift.  Furthermore, she wasn’t keen to reveal to her coworkers or friends that she had taken the “face lift plunge.”  Although she preserved the option, for now she would look into non-surgical rejuvenation. 

Wendy did utilize one of the world’s most satisfying non-surgical rejuvenation procedures in the frown and forehead zones.  She was comfortable with the explanation about safety and science pertaining to “Botox Cosmetic”.    The injection procedure was simple, comfortable and quick, and a few days later she began to notice a smoother relaxed forehead, prompting others to comment that she looked “relaxed, rested”.  Apparently she was no longer “grumpy”!  She was amazed to discover that before 10 days had passed, her forehead was smooth like that of the 20 year olds in her office.  Now, if only she could accomplish as much with the rest of her face!

The next revision that took place was filling of the volume losses around her mouth.  The deep grooves were literally filled in, and the creases were sculpted out.  This procedure was equally as quick, taking only a few moments.  There was no significant discomfort because the doctor administered some anesthetic to the skin.  She was thrilled immediately afterward as she checked out the change in the mirror before departing for the next activity on her agenda. 

The first two procedures were quick and satisfying with no downtime.  Now she was faced with an array of options that would stimulate and vitalize the upper and lower layers of the skin, in order to transform the deflated wrinkled dull balloon into one that was full, firm, and reflecting.  True to character, Wendy accepted responsibility for informing herself prior to any procedures.  Openness and information flow was obviously a priority for her Specialty team as well.  She was realistic about her expectations of improvement, and not perfection.  Accordingly, she elected to proceed to Intense Pulsed Light with a Health Canada approved Vasculight device.  She experienced no significant side effects and over the next weeks she observed brightening and smoothing of the skin.  Her brown spots amazingly crusted and then disappeared like a spot of dried mud would flake off.  The Thermage was next administered with consideration of comfort, without missing a step in her life.  She noticed tightening of her skin immediately afterward, followed by a more gradual improvement.  Wendy realized that there were other treatment modalities available to maximize her skin turnover, prompting youthful changes seen by the naked eye and in the microscope.  She appreciated knowing that the claims were legitimized by Health Canada objective scientific review. 

Soon afterward, others were commenting that she was “looking good”.  Although she was looking somewhat younger, she was mostly grateful that she was looking more attractive, and vitalized for her years.  When she began to experience second glances from others in the crowd, she knew that she had succeeded in regaining “the Look”.  Her vigor and energy was back in her face.  She would continue to take care for her SELF inside and out. 

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