Hangers&Hangers

What is BMI?
A person’s BMI, or body mass index, is a statistical measurement which compares a person’s weight and height, and is used in determining a person’s ideal weight and fitness level.  But the science behind this measurement has many flaws.  Generally, people whose BMI is within 18.5 to 24.9 possess the ideal amount of body weight, associated with living longest, the lowest incidence of serious illness, as well as being perceived as more physically attractive. However, BMI does not measure the amount of body fat, so there are some discrepancies in what is perceived to be a healthy range.

BMI cannot determine between the overweight and the more muscular. According to the BMI test, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was Mr. Universe, he was morbidly obese, with a BMI of 33. The majority of professional athletes exceed the BMI “ideal” range of 25.  BMI can’t differentiate between body fat and muscle mass, so highly trained athletes can have a high BMI and not be overweight. And herein lies why the Body Mass Index is seriously flawed.

So why is BMI even used?

It’s a piece of a puzzle.  Statistically, pick the average American, and if the BMI is greater than 30, the chances are they are probably at least overweight if not obese.  Most Americans are overweight, and therefore have a higher BMI.

So why use BMI?  Without seeing you, just knowing your weight may not be meaningful enough to figure out if you are normal, overweight or obese.  Legislators in Florida have used BMI as one deciding factor as to whether a person can be legally prescribed weight loss supplements.  The good side of this is that people who want these medications to get the “high” of amphetamines cannot legally obtain them.  The down side is that a person doesn’t go from thin to obese without transitioning through becoming overweight - an area of BMI (25-29.9) where a patient may want to try a weight loss pill but may not legally be able to obtain one until they develop other illnesses associated with the progression to obesity.

At Med Spa Plus, we look at the whole person, evaluating your height, weight, waist circumference, eating habits, exercise routine, and cardiovascular performance.  A starting point would be to at least know your BMI, taking into account that it reflects the average person.  You can click online and figure out what your BMI is.   We don’t diagnose obesity online or over-the-phone.

Regardless of your BMI, carrying too much weight can be unhealthy and puts you at risk for heart disease and diabetes, among other serious conditions.

If you are overweight, there may be many factors that are contributing to your struggle to lose.
Ask yourself:
1. Do I eat when I’m getting hungry or famished?
2. Do I eat breakfast?
3. Do I eat just because it’s ‘lunchtime’ or dinnertime’ and my family/friends are eating?
4. Do I feel pressured (socially) into eating too much or the wrong thing when I’m not hungry?

Here are some suggestions that can help you curb the cravings and cut back on the calories:
1.  If you try to starve yourself for hours you will become famished and the chances of going through the drive-through and overeating are much greater.  Never let yourself get famished - carry healthy food in a cooler if you must.
2.  Most overweight people skip breakfast or eat a breakfast high in carbs (oat meal or granola).  This makes them hungry in 1-2 hours.
3.  You don’t have to eat what other people are eating.  Cut the portions in half and limit the beverage size.  The fast food industry knows it can make you buy and eat more food if you have a 32 oz. drink to wash it down with.

If you need some advice or medical assistance in your effort to live a healthier lifestyle, please give us a call and we would be happy to help you with a complimentary consultation.  We want to help you live longer, stay active, and of course, look younger!

ATTENTION MEN - - good looks are not just for women.  Clean up the act and get rid of shaggy body hair and keep the age in line with the attitude.  Sun damaged faces and wrinkles are NOT “distinguished”, they’re just … damaged and wrinkled.  Get rid of ingrown hairs, ear hair, nose hair, neck, back, anywhere!  Botox or Dysport to smooth the face wrinkles And, get a complementary facial designed specifically for men.  One treatment and you’d be amazed.  Seriously, what works for the women works twice as well for the men.  Maybe that’s because we have so much more ‘damage’ that a little bit looks like a lot of results.  Plus, our skin seems to respond more dramatically to treatment.  (sorry ladies, you know it’s not fair but it’s true)   AND, as much as men appreciate a women that has taken care of herself, women appreciate it in a man even more.  Until you’ve tried it, you’ll never know just how many women have been ‘observing’ you.

WOMEN - - bring in your man for some manscaping and treat yourself to $50 (off Botox or Laser treatments) just for the public service.

CLICK HERE, NOW while the Summer is HOT!

As we start our  5th  year here at Med Spa Plus, I’m excited to tell you about a less expensive alternative to Botox®…Dysport™.

Although it may sound “new” to us, Dysport™ (aka Reloxin) has been used by doctors in Europe and South America for almost twenty years, and has only recently reached the U.S.

So what is the difference between the two wrinkle relaxers?  It is similar to the Coke versus Pepsi challenge….
Until recently, Botox® was the only F.D.A.-approved botulinum toxin A.  The F.D.A. has approved Dysport™, which is similar to Botox®, and made with a protein extracted from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Dysport works the same way as Botox®, temporarily freezing the muscles you use to frown or squint.  Dysport™ smoothes facial lines and wrinkles  and is believed to last approximately 4 months, whereas Botox® is said to last approximately 3 months.  The cost for Dysport™ is less per unit than Botox®, making it a more cost-effective approach to fighting wrinkles.

While Botox® has been the market leader in the United States, Dysport™ has been the leader in the United Kingdom since 1991.  So far patient exposure is estimated to be above two million single treatment cycles, which includes both cosmetic treatments and treatments of dystonia (muscle spasms.)

At Med Spa Plus, I’ve been waiting for its F.D.A. approval for about a year now, so I can treat a patient’s frown (the 11’s between the brows) for a more reasonable price!  As you know, I am very careful about adding any service or product to my practice unless it meets MY criteria for being safe and effective.

Physicians who have worked with both Botox® and Dysport™ have reported that while the two are relatively comparable, they sometimes prefer one over the other in certain facial areas, due to differences in the onset of results, and spread of effect.  Dysport™ is decidedly faster-acting and has a greater ’spread’ (giving a more ‘natural’ look); while Botox® tends to remain more localized, allowing for greater precision and predictability in the treatment area, but possibly requiring more injections in the course of a treatment.

Even though I have personally injected Botox® thousands of times, I am still going to be very careful when using Dysport™.  I will go over all of the ‘plusses’ and ‘minuses’ of each product with every patient, in order to determine the best approach for unwanted lines.

It will be exciting to offer an alternative to Botox®, as well as a less expensive option to prevent wrinkles, especially when those lines between the brows can give you a mean, nasty or angry appearance.

I’m pleased to be one of the first in Central Florida to offer Dysport™ to my patients and will be bringing the same expertise to Dysport® that I have brought to Botox® for one of the best experiences it is possible to achieve.  Just give me a call for your complimentary consultation.    (note:  We will be closed from July 2 thru July 6 except by appointment)

Beyond the importance of eye crème for its anti-aging purposes, there is an esthetic benefit to be gained.

O.K. ladies, have any of you ever had your concealer not glide on like it should, or settle in those dreaded creases? Well then….it’s time for the right eye crème.   The right eye crème can give your concealer the viscosity that is needed for the perfect application.
The right eye crème can also work on correcting both the deep, and fine lines in which your concealer can tend to settle.

So why not help the overall appearance of your concealer by using an eye crème that will not only combats signs of aging, but also improve your cosmetic application.

For those of you who are willing to go above and beyond, there is the world of Botox,
Botox can drastically improve the eye area. It is not only corrective, but it is preventative, and is similar to a pause button, when you do Botox as per Doctor recommended for the proper amount of time, you can almost see the aging process stop. With Botox you can help to relax and lessen those tough muscles that are causing all those pesky lines, and wrinkles. So to really improve the eye area, I recommend the proper eye crème, a fantastic concealer, and the crèmes de la crèmes….Botox!

And one last secret…did you know for those of you who are dry around the eyes, or if you have a concealer that is a bit thick or dry, you can mix one part eye crème, and one part concealer to soften the product for an easier application.

EYE hope some of this information has been helpful!   By the way, just call me for a free consultation and more info about your eyes.

☺Simone☺

This is important!  (and it’s true)
You may have the WRONG sunscreen and it can leave your face seriously damaged!!

I recently treated a patient that tried to do everything right.  After a very extensive (and expensive) full face procedure that she waited months to schedule, she almost ended up looking worse rather than better and waiting another year to start over.  During the critical recovery period she protected her face with a nationally known brand of sunscreen that is advertised as SPF 70 and having some of the most amazing new chemical blocks that are the latest and greatest ways to protect yourself.  NOT!!!  And, this is not the only patient I’ve seen have problems using this product!  So read on if you want to learn how to protect yourself and how to choose the right sunscreen.

With Summer coming and all that Florida Sun, serious skin damage (yes, even skin cancer) can be only a day away.  As I tell everyone of my patients, over and over, the first and most important thing you can do for your skin is “to use sunscreen”.  The second thing I tell them they should do is … re-apply sunscreen every hour or two.  But if you’re using the wrong kind of sunscreen, it’s not going to help you at all.  The more ingredients you put on your skin (sunscreens with dozens of ingredients), and then expose to broad spectrum radiation (sun), then add heat (summer temperatures) and moisture (sweat), the more likely you are going to have a bad reaction (rash, burn, acne, allergic reaction, blisters, hyper or hypo pigmentation, etc.).  “But it says it has SPF!”  or “It had the biggest number thingy!”  Please, just try to remember this:   the words “titanium dioxide” or the words “zinc oxide” should be in the list of ingredients and they must total AT LEAST 10%.   Or, just call me.

“But, what about UVA and UVB and these chemicals that can absorb 10000 times more of UVXYZ??”  And, “What about this newest sunscreen/block/barrier/dam from Europe/Africa/Mars that has an SPF of 800++??”   The SPF rates only the UVB protection.  If you research how the FDA determines the SPF value of a sunscreen you’d realize that to actually have protection equal to the rated SPF, you would typically have to use the entire contents of your tube of sunscreen on just the surface of your face, assuming you had the larger tube.  No, that doesn’t mean ‘blending it into the skin’ either.  That is why, if you’re not going to use sunscreen a 16th of an inch thick (and then not sweat), you need to keep re-applying it every 45 to 90 minutes.  As long as you have an SPF of 30, you’re fine.  The words “broad spectrum” on the tube does not mean it covers UVA well.  You need Titanium dioxide or Zinc Oxide, the most common ingredients on the market and the least likely to have any adverse side effects.  They are the best blockers of UVA, proven safe for decades, and are truly “broad spectrum” screens.

Just because you don’t get “burned” does not mean the sunscreen has worked.  Many people experience long term darkening after sun exposure resulting in uneven skin tones, spots and changes in pigmentation, not to mention the cancer issue mentioned above.

There are over a thousand different sunscreens out there to sift through.  Everyone’s got their gimmick.  Just try not to get burned by them.

Old Age Begins at 27!  Many people tell us that Anti-Aging Medicine or Age Management is certainly not for them!  They’re not that old yet.  By the time you’re “that old” you’ll be too old to fully benefit from the medicine.

Many people, especially women, begin to experience ‘issues’ with their health in their 30’s.   By their 40’s, most people are already starting to experience natural hormone balance decay.  When ‘old age’ finally hits you, it is NOT a slow process.  We hear repeatedly “within just 2 years I went from young to old!”  “I saw the changes in my face happen almost overnight!”  Scientific evidence indicates that when parts of your DNA stop functioning, they just stop.  No slow, drawn out process.  It may be different things in different people at different ages but it consistently seems to happen within 2 years.

The sooner you catch it, the better the outcome.  Dr. Cantrell bases her treatments on re-balancing your hormones to levels that someone in their 30’s would have.  That doesn’t mean you’re going to be a 30 year old again but your body will at least be working with ideal chemistry. However, it does mean that if you start younger you already have a lot to work with (that you can keep) rather than having little left to save.

So, if you want to maintain your youthful lifestyle longer and later into life, you’re going to want to start the process before you’re That Old!

Many patients come to me confused about Botox.

What is Botox and can it improve your life?

Botox is a highly purified protein.  It does NOT contain bacteria!  The protein comes from a bacterium called C. botulinum.  Botox is made by Allergan and it is F.D.A. approved to relax frown lines, (the “11’s” between your brows.)

Botox has been used to treat over 1 million people worldwide for over 11 years.  We’ve used it over 4 years in many different facial areas.  I’ve injected it into myself (usually the forehead and frown areas).

How can Botox improve your life?  If you have moving wrinkles like the frown lines (the 11’s), the horizontal worry lines going across the forehead, or “crow’s feet” lines around the eyes, Botox can help you look and feel better.

Using Botox will:

*Prevent future wrinkles
*Preserve youthful skin and reduce the wrinkles you have (when used regularly)
*Help sinus or tension headaches
*Help depression
*And, you’ll still have plenty of facial expressions.

To see if you are a good candidate for Botox, just give me a call to schedule a free consultation.  When you have an area treated, I will inject it 3-5 times using a very tiny needle.  Voila!  Process complete!

Gradually, over the next 3 to 10 days, only the muscles treated will relax.  So, if your frown is treated, you will be able to make all sorts of facial expressions…just NOT that ugly frown!  Some patients feel that their sinus headaches or tension headaches are improved.  In fact, a recent study showed that using Botox to “stop the frowning!” worked just as well against depression as an anti-depressant!

How long will the results last?  Usually, the 1st treatment will last 3 months.  If you continue to keep the same area “Botoxed,” future treatments can last up to several months.

Now what about $99 Botox?  Is it safe?
Your guess is as good as ours.  We can’t speak to the safety or lasting effectiveness of a $99 Botox treatment.  What we DO know is this:  There’s only enough Botox in 1 vial to treat an average of 4 areas.  Charging $99 per area would not even pay for the Botox.  Although we can’t possibly know how other establishments operate, there are only so many possible ways to profit from a $99 Botox treatment:

*Buy real Botox at a much lower price (unlikely.)
*Losing money on Botox, but up selling you additional, more profitable services.
*Injecting less than the recommended dose per area.
*Diluting the Botox beyond the manufacturer’s recommended specifications.

Just remember:  ‘Buyer Beware.’  I personally make up and inject all of the Botox at Med Spa Plus.  So, at Med Spa Plus, you will always get the proper dosage of Botox, diluted to the exact specifications recommended by the manufacturer so that you can be sure of optimum, long lasting results from your Botox therapy.

D.L. Cantrell, M.D.

“The Botox isn’t working like it used to.”   “Are you using a different kind of Botox?”  “This last treatment didn’t work like the last times, what’s wrong?”

It’s an epidemic.  Three patients this week.  Two last week.  Four the week before.   WHAT’S GOING ON?!  Well, it’s the economy, stupid.     WHAT??!!    Yep.  Believe it.

No, there is nothing wrong with the Botox and we haven’t changed our uniquely, specialized, highly proprietary treatment technique either.  We’ve noticed many patients have been putting off and delaying their regular Botox treatments, because of the economy, trying to get the extra week, 2 weeks, or even an extra 2 months out of the last treatment.  Well, if you’ve been treating regularly and finally have worked up to a reduction of units and/or extended your regular treatment intervals by a couple of weeks you might think you can keep those great results even a little longer.  And you can/did.  ONCE.  Very unlikely twice.  Dr. C gave an example of working out in the gym.  It takes a lot of work over many weeks to get yourself in shape and you’re able to start lifting, let’s say, 50 lbs.  You’re lifting 50 lbs. quite easily now several times a week.  Then you go on vacation.  Two weeks later you’re back lifting 50 lbs.  You maybe a little sore after and maybe you don’t want to do it again for a couple of days but then the kids are sick and you miss a few days at the gym.  By the time another week goes by, the 50 lbs. is turned back to 45 lbs., with effort.

The first time you get Botox, it’s really working hard to relax muscles that have strengthened themselves over years to the point of displacing collagen and creating wrinkles and deep lines.  It will take weeks to get the full effect of first time Botox and it will start to wear off early.  With regular treatment, those muscles start to ‘give it up’ and the Botox effect will start to last a little longer.  A few more treatments and maybe you can use fewer units.  But, as soon as you break the cycle those muscles start to come back.  You won’t see them initially because they’re masked by the new collagen you’ve rebuilt in the wrinkles; but, these stronger muscles are already starting to displace the new collagen and your next ‘reduced’ unit or ‘late’ treatment won’t be able to keep up with momentum already created by the strengthened muscles.  You’re starting over.  :-(   Sorry, can’t help it.  Can’t predict it well either.  Dr. C has to ’see’ the muscle reaction to be able to adjust.  (You probably wouldn’t want us to use electrodes to measure the muscle strength.)

So, there you have it.  When a medicine gives the definitive results that Botox does, not using it also gives definitive results.  That being said, these are trying times and we’re all trying to stretch our dollars.  If longer times between treatments are necessary then by all means do it.  Prioritizing your cosmetic needs may also help.  When things improve, remember, the results can too.  The Botox is the same.

Orlando Sentinel’s community blog did a nice little article that included a presentation Dr. Cantrell did last Monday.  Our very own Simone was also there as an instructor.  Check it out.

I have patients telling me all the time that they’ve tried Laser Hair Removal and it doesn’t work.  They have friends that have tried Laser Hair Removal and it doesn’t work.  They’ve gone 10, 12, 15 times and don’t see much in the way of results.  Some say they’ve seen it go away then come back later.  Friends in California say it doesn’t last very long and after a few years it’s all back.

So, why doesn’t Laser Hair Removal work?  Well…there are several reasons.  The first 3 reasons are going to surprise a lot of people and irritate many more.  They sure did upset a few Doctors when they found out.

I was in a conference of Plastic Surgeons, Cosmetic Surgeons and Dermatologists last year when one frustrated physician jumped up half way through the lecture and fumed “You mean to tell me that the thing I spent $60,000 on and have been using for 2 years now, ISN’T EVEN A LASER!!??!”  That’s right.  The majority of people doing “laser hair removal” don’t even own a laser; and, probably don’t even know it themselves!    One of the largest Laser Hair chains in America does not use a laser for their treatments (oh, THEY Know it).  Do you think that could have a little bit to do with the problem….?  Yah think maybe?!

Now, lets say someone really is using a laser for treatments.  What kind of a laser?  (Note:  Reason one is already beyond at least a few well educated Doctors.  Reason two gets much more complicated.)  How much energy, of what wavelength, does it put ON the patient and at what depth and for how long?  Laser pointers used in lecture halls (and to make cats crazy) are real lasers but most people wouldn’t expect them to be very effective in removing hair.  Like wise, lasers used for hair treatments can vary in power by a factor of 10 and there are multiple wavelengths to choose from.  If you read the manufacturer’s literature you will find that each of them says that “…as everyone knows [our wavelength] is the most effective wavelength for removing hair.”  At this point, many doctors would opt to go back to brain surgery.

Ok, you’ve miraculously started your first treatment of laser hair removal with a real laser having the right combination of power, wavelength, pulse width, duration, etc.  Congratulations.  What are your specific treatment parameters going to be?  Say what?!   Yep.  Even the best lasers have the ability to perform a treatment that is so comfortable, safe and quick that it wouldn’t even hurt…a hair follicle.  I’m sorry, but several people have been asking me why laser hair removal doesn’t work.  These are just some of the reasons.  Bet you didn’t know that the FDA has never certified a laser for hair removal did you?   Please, don’t EVEN make me go There!

How about asking me if laser hair removal ACTUALLY DOES WORK?  You don’t get a billion dollar industry that is now even being put in OBGYN offices, dentist offices and even Urologists’ offices that specialize in erectile disfunction (not kidding here) without there being some good science and clinical data to support the concept.  Yes, ‘marketing’ has had more than just a little to do with it too.  But with the right combination of Doctor and equipment (not much different than other procedures if you think about it) results can be outstanding.  And these results can last until one’s hormones decide it’s time to start growing hair in places that Never had hair to begin with.

So how do you find that right combination that will assure you that your money is well spent getting the results that you are expecting?   I’m sorry, I see our time is up.  We’ll have to deal with that issue next time…