What Is the Minimum Age to Work in Illinois
Age-Erasing Treatments That Really Work!
The latest gadgets claim to zap flab, tone your skin and even prevent wrinkles. Sounds like science fiction, but the body-shaping, antiaging results are very, very real. Check out the latest in-office and at-home treatments.
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No-Surgery Fat Zappers
IN OFFICE: Lose pounds with cold lasers
You work out, eat smart and Dropped 10 on the SELF diet. But you can't shake that last trouble spot. If you're fit otherwise—and willing to spend—new, noninvasive methods offer a kind of lipo "lite."
Exhibit A: Zerona, which uses low-level lasers, applied in multiple sessions, to create a temporary hole in fat cells so what's inside can leak out. But because the fat is broken down as it leaves the cell, it won't up your cholesterol. It's safer than old-school lipo and a lot less painful (as in, not at all), says Jamé Heskett, M.D., of New York City. But overeating may replump fat cells, so you could regain some of the weight over time, Dr. Heskett says.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: Up to $4,275 for 9 sessions
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No-Surgery Fat Zappers
IN OFFICE: Spot-trim with an energy stream
For those hell-bent on sundress-ready arms, Liposonix and its ilk "use ultrasound energy to dissolve small areas of fat," says Paul Jarrod Frank, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in NYC.
The technique focuses energy, as a magnifying glass does sunlight, to destroy fat at a pinpoint beneath your skin but above your muscle tissue, so those areas aren't harmed.
It's not zero risk: You may end up with bruising or redness, which can last up to a week. And as with other bulge blasters, the fat can come back in some weird places, like the bra line, neck and armpits.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: Up to $5,000
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No-Surgery Fat Zappers
IN OFFICE: Chill out flab
Uh-huh, you can literally freeze off your fat. Cryolipolysis, such as Zeltiq's CoolSculpting, took its cue from research on frostbite, which shows that fat cells freeze before skin does, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports.
This FDA-cleared device presses your pooch between two cold panels for up to two hours (in only one session), destroying fat cells. But don't ditch the diet! Once again, you can still gain new weight in other areas.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: $750
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Futuristic Firmers
IN OFFICE: Get ultra-toned with ultrasound
New allover toners use heat to reshape collagen, firming the skin on the surface, explains Francesca Fusco, M.D., a derm in NYC.
First up: Ultherapy, in which the heat source is ultrasound. FDA-approved for the face, ultrasound firmed up the forehead of 86 percent of women after three months, a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology finds.
"It looks totally natural," Dr. Frank adds. "And unlike fillers, these treatments do not wear off after a few months and may even last up to three years." (At this price and pain level, they'd better last!)
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: Up to $4,500
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Futuristic Firmers
IN OFFICE: Flatten cellulite with heat waves
If you have lumps you want to even out (join the club), the Apollo TriPollar system might help. A derm wields a wand issuing heat waves from radio-frequency energy that shrink fat cells, contract collagen fibers and stimulate collagen regeneration for up to a year.
You'll need numerous sessions, but there is no recovery time or pain. "I have women in their 20s doing this regularly on their body and face," Dr. Heskett says. "Many are coming in for preventative rather than reparative purposes."
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: Up to $3,500 for 10 sessions
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Futuristic Firmers
AT HOME: Liberate your thighs from lumps
The TriPollar POSE personal device uses technology similar to radio-frequency treatments at your derm's office. Though still not cheap, and less potent than in-office treatments, this gizmo is especially helpful to maintain an in-office cellulite treatment longer.
Persistence is required: You need to use the device two or three times a week for six to eight weeks to see results—and then continue using it to maintain them. OK, so the treatment won't replace hours of squats, but it does hurt way less.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: $549 for the device
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Serious Skin Resurfacers
IN OFFICE: Smooth skin with radio waves
Removing dead cells and stimulating new ones, called resurfacing, repairs and protects skin. Most people who've tried it say it greatly helped improve their looks three months after receiving treatment, a study in the Archives of Dermatology shows.
One option, eMatrix, uses fractionated bipolar radio-frequency energy (aka hot radio waves) to heat deep layers of skin. It's great for crow's-feet or crepey eyes, Dr. Heskett says, and it lasts a few years with annual in-office touch-ups.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: $3,600 for 3 sessions
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Serious Skin Resurfacers
IN OFFICE: Erase brown spots with lasers
Got sun spots or melasma? Nothing can totally delete them, of course, but fractional laser therapy, such as the Fraxel Thulium, can fade spots dramatically, Dr. Frank says.
The laser uses heat to create unseen damage under the top layer of skin, so skin cells heal themselves, lightening spots for up to five years. Before treatment, ask your derm for numbing cream, because the sessions (you'll need two) feel like burning. Not so comfortable!
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: $2,400 for 2 sessions
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Serious Skin Resurfacers
IN OFFICE: Squash spider veins with light
If you're sick of staring at squiggly blue lines on your skin, talk to your derm about pulsed-dye lasers, which use a light to heat up blood vessels and permanently dissolve them. New versions of the technology, such as the Vbeam, cause less bruising, "though you may still see redness and swelling for a short time," Dr. Frank says.
You'll need one to three sessions, so be warned: It hurts a lot, which makes this less pleasant than covering with concealer.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: Up to $1,200 for 3 sessions
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Serious Skin Resurfacers
AT HOME: Ban wrinkles with a beam
Smooth while you veg out: Light therapy devices, such as the LightStim for Wrinkles, send a beam of light that revs collagen production in your face.
It's not as powerful as in-office options, so you'll have to be patient while you wait to see results—and continue to use the device twice a week when you do. But it's FDA-cleared for treating wrinkles. Use it for three minutes a day on areas you want to firm and you'll look relaxed in two months.
PAIN: ☹ ☹ ☹
COST: $249 for the device
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Serious Skin Resurfacers
SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
What Is the Minimum Age to Work in Illinois
Source: https://www.self.com/gallery/age-erasing-treatments-slideshow