Category Archives: Integrative Beauty

Better than Botox?

Better than BotoxCan something as good as Botox get even better?

Revance, Bonti and Evolus, three California biotechnology companies, are counting on it!

Aside from Galderma’s Dysport and Merz’s Xeomin, three new Botox offspring are about to hit the market. First up is Jeauveau by Evolus which received FDA approval on February 1, 2019. “European and Canadian studies showed a 4.4% statistical superiority of Jeauveau to Botox.” Next will likely be RT002 which promises a longer duration of action than Botox (about 6 months). And, finally, EB-001A offers a short onset of action (within 24 hours), and an associated shorter duration of action (one month instead of 3+ months) making it ideal for first time users, of for scar optimization after surgery.

Are you a member of the “newer is better” team or are do you belong to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” group? Undecided? Ask Dr. Yagoda which one is right for you. And, fingers crossed, perhaps more products will lead to more competitive pricing!

ALL you need to know about collagen supplements

What is collagen and why is it important?

  • Collagen is a peptide that is responsible for your skin’s strength and vigor.
  • ​A​ deficiency in dietary protein cause​s reduced cellular turnover, decreased DNA repair, fragmentation of collagen and elastin, and skin wrinkling and laxity.
  • ​Supplementation with hydrolyzed collagen was shown to stimulate collagen-producing cells in human​s.​
  • ​Daily oral ingestion with collagen hydrosylate of 2.5 grams or more per day, will statistically and significantly increase skin hydration and decrease skin wrinkles.
  • So, if firmer skin is your objective, incorporating collagen into your regimen is important.

How do you incorporate collagen into your skincare regimen?

The short answer is…in your diet! Because collagen is a large molecule, and because your skin’s main function is to act as a barrier, topical collagen is not well absorbed into the skin. Interestingly, your body can create collagen, if you consume (and absorb) a lot of proteins. But, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 33% of people over the age of 18 (and this number increases with advancing age and certain medical conditions) have difficulty absorbing nutrients even from a healthy and balanced diet. For these people, supplementation is important both to correct insufficiency and to bypass problems with absorption.

How do you select the right collagen supplement?

  • First, you need at least 2.5 grams of collagen hydrosylate, in powder form​, consisting of types I and I​I​I, per day.
  • Types I and III target the skin, hair and nails, while type II primarily target bones and joints.
  • ​C​ollagen powder should be given in the proper ratio with zinc, manganese and copper for optimal absorption.

While there are many collagen supplements on the market, only BeautyScoop (for youthful skin, lustrous hair and long, strong nails) and BeautyMe (for healthy, fresh skin on your period) are patented and clinically proven. Each contains 3.5 grams per serving of types I and III collagen (in powder form and in the proper ratio with zinc, manganese and copper for optimal absorption). BeautyScoop’s rapid results are unsurpassed and are clinically proven by ten years of rigorous scientific studies that were double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, prospective and run by independent doctors. These clinical studies were published in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

Living an Illusion

Social media’s presence in our everyday lives has done nothing but grow. Whether one prefers Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter, blogs, or vlogs, it is almost guaranteed that each and every person who has access to a smartphone or computer checks in with their online “friends” dozens of times a day. At first thought it would seem that this is good for our mental health — we are more connected, right? — but in actuality it can be very detrimental.

Take Instagram model Essena O’Neill, for example. In a very public announcement, O’Neill left Instagram — abandoning her thousands of followers. Even though she was earning up to $1,400 per sponsored post, she said the money wasn’t worth the negative effects endured from a daily addiction to comparison. Seeing others’ “perfect lives” does cause one to compare and contrast our own struggles and realities, and it can be hard to remember that what we see is only what someone else WANTS us to see. The reality can be very, very different!

Self-worth should not be measured in “likes,” and our value as a person does not equal how “pretty” or “handsome” we are. O’Neill edited her photo captions to reflect the amount of time she spent on perfecting her appearance, and many people were very surprised that her “morning look” only came about after hours of preparation.

Keeping our online identity close to our true identity is of the utmost importance, researchers say. If we stray too far from our true selves, then there is a much higher risk of social anxiety. Staying in the present moment is necessary as well, and it definitely wouldn’t hurt to put a cap on the amount of times you click over to FaceBook and Instagram! Remember that a picture can be worth a thousand words, but those words were written by someone who wanted to write a very specific book — and you don’t get the whole tale from just a page (or, should we say a photo!).

So… what IS good?

Everywhere you turn, you hear a new “truth.” Whether you are searching for answers about beauty, diet, or nutrition doesn’t matter — regardless, it is almost impossible to navigate the vast number of health “experts” and their personal opinions. Why is this? Perhaps it is because the definition of “truth” has morphed from that of hard, scientific fact to personal viewpoint: What was once only fact by science is now, in fact, truth by personal science.

However, this poses a problem in the world of supplements. Whereas many consumer products claim to work or have proven results, they do not have the scientific facts to back up these claims. Although personal truths are not necessarily bad, it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you are searching for hard, visible results, science and/or data-driven research is the only way to find what you need.

Dr. Yagoda’s patented and PROVEN nutritional beauty supplement, BeautyScoop, is one such product backed by scientific truthIts results were not founded by scouring the shelves of other supplements to see what people wanted (or thought they needed) but are based on results provided by double-blind and placebo-controlled trials. This assures users that what they are taking does work — no matter which way you look at it.

When searching the shelves of supplements, skip over ones that have been molded to fit the current, socially-constructed truths that pass in and out of fashion. Long-term consumer results are born out of long-term testing and experimental results!

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Going to the beach for Labor Day? Be camera ready!

Are you traveling to the beach this upcoming weekend for one summer last hurrah? If so, here are three things you can do to look like a camera-ready celebrity, straight from beauty expert  Dr. Michelle Yagoda:

1.  Hair:  Did you know that hand lotion is a great frizz tamer and curl setter? That’s right! Just put some in your hands, rub them together and apply it to your hair when you get out of the pool or shower. You’ll have cover-girl glamorous, beach tousled hair in an instant.

2. Nails:  While not necessarily safe for everyday use, there’s nothing quite like a gel manicure and/or gel pedicure to keep your nails in tiptop, shiny shape — even through sand and salt!

3. Eyes:  Here’s a secret tip recently learned by Dr. Yagoda from celebrity make up artist extraordinaire, Julie Morgan! Apply Chantecaille black eyeliner pen to line your upper lid (she said it was nearly indelible… and it is day five and counting!). Next, glue Ardell short flare lashes with duo lash glue in black to your upper eyelid (or, have a professional makeup artist do it for you!). Then, leave it there for up to two weeks! Voila! Who knew? You can wash your face each evening and even wash the eye shadow off of the upper eyelids. According to Julie, this will last for a full two weeks!