Is Beauty Only Skin Deep? New Findings Show It’s Deeper Than That!

When you change how you feel on the outside, can it really affect how you feel on the inside? At Natural Image OC, we see many patients regain their confidence after undergoing a cosmetic/dermatological procedure; and now there is scientific evidence to shed light on the relationship between happiness and cosmetic surgery.

Research published in Clinical Psychological Science reports that cosmetic surgery patients often experience more joy in life, a higher sense of satisfaction and greater self-esteem.

The No-Surgery Options

Does everyone with aging issues need surgery? Absolutely not. And it’s not uncommon to discover that many non-surgical options are completely adequate to accomplish the changes you’re interested in.

Deciding what you need

It can be difficult to decide what you really need on your own. Will it be fillers, Botox, laser surgery? A consultation with Dr. Sikorski and our Patient Care Coordinator, Michele Stewart, is complimentary. You’ll get all the answers you need and an education all at the same time. It’s important to understand why certain procedures are recommended and how they impact the kind of changes you want to achieve. In the end, the final choices are always yours and you’ll feel secure that your decisions are founded on both knowledge and understanding.

Natural Image OC is based on the premise that cosmetic surgery doesn’t have to leave you looking as if you had surgery. Old school surgical techniques often create over-tightened, flat, wind-swept appearances. If you or someone you know is considering a cosmetic or dermatological procedure please contact us today for a free consultation: 949.448.0487

Top 5 Things You Should Know Before Getting an Injectable Treatment

When it comes to a cosmetic procedure, there are many questions that may pop into your head: Is this the right choice for me? Is this dangerous? How quick is the recovery time? Natural Image OC takes pride in making sure that all of our clients are as comfortable as possible when it comes to any procedure. We understand that it can be daunting to undergo an injectable cosmetic procedure, especially when it’s your first time. Dr. Sikorski’s signature style is giving each patient a ‘natural look’, so rest assure that your Natural Image OC doctor has your best interest at heart. To make things easier on you, Dr. Sikorski has put together the top 5 things you need to know before getting an injectable treatment.

What you need to know

1.) Discover your “problem” areas: In order to truly understand which areas you’d like your doctor to focus on, you’ll need to take a “selfie”. It is much easier to evaluate yourself objectively through photos, rather than starring in the mirror. Snap a photo of yourself looking forward in a neutral position, then take another of yourself doing a range of facial expressions: smiling, frowning, pouting, looking up and looking down. Next, lay your photos side by side and select the ones that bother you the most. Ask yourself; what is the biggest difference between the neutral photo and the others? Focus on where most of your facial lines are. The better you understand what you want to improve, the better your doctor can help you.

2.) Know your budget: Pick an amount that you’d like to use for your treatment, then discuss with your doctor what options you have available based on your budget. But keep in mind, you must be prepared to make some sort of financial commitment in order to get the results you want; and smaller doses may not last as long as you’d like. If your budget is limited but you want to address more than one area, then you may want to consider staggering your treatments.

3.) Start small: Choose the main area of concern and focus on that first as you can always go back and add more. Keep in mind it may take 3 months to resolve any deep wrinkles.

4.) Choose an area that has the best chance of success: This would be an area such as the frown lines that are treated with wrinkle-relaxing injections and have a low complication rate. It’s an easy area to have treated and can quickly give you that refreshed look that you’re seeking.

5.) Continue to take care of your skin: It’s imperative to continue to manage your skin to maintain the areas that you’re going to improve. This would include a morning and night cream, sunscreen and a moisturizer.

Natural Image OC is based on the premise that cosmetic surgery doesn’t have to leave you looking as if you had surgery. Old school surgical techniques often create over-tightened, flat, wind-swept appearances. If you or someone you know is considering a cosmetic or dermatological procedure please contact us today for a free consultation: 949.448.0487

More on Thulium from Dr. Sikorski

As you know, Thulium Laser is one of Dr. Lenore Sikorski’s Top 10 Cosmetic Picks for 2014.  To learn a little more about it and how long it has been around from Dr.Sikorski herself, check out the video below!

Make sure to keep checking back for more mini web shows from Dr. Sikorski!  We have more ready to go and some in the works!

If you haven’t already, head on over to our Facebook page and ‘Like’ us to keep up on our specials and stuff happening in our office!

Thanks, Natural Image OC

 

It is a New Year and a New You

To kick off the New Year, Dr. Sikorski has put together her Top 10 Cosmetic Picks for 2014!!  As a lot of people are looking for those non-surgical options, Dr.Sikorski has made sure to make that the focus of her top 10 picks.  Without further adieu, here we go!

Dr.Sikorski’s Top 10 picks of 2014!

1. Thulium Laser           2. Ultherapy        3. Voluma/Artefill

4. CoolSculpting           5. V-Beam            6. Botox             7. Sculptra

8. Thermage Eyes        9. Nectifirm        10. Vitamin A, C, E & Hyalis

 All of these picks are favorites of Dr. Sikorski’s because they are a great vast aray of different procedures that all help the uniform goal of looking younger.  Here at Natural Image OC, we work with you to put together the best plan for you as an individual to make sure you get the best results.  So whether it is all of these, a lot of these, or just a few of these options, we know you will get a great result!

As we continue our journey throughout 2014, we will go more in depth about each of these Top 10 Picks.  The first on the list is Thulium.

Fraxel Dual Wavelength Thulium Laser Treatment is a “fractional” treatment that produces thousands of deep, tiny columns in your skin called microscopic treatment zones (mtz).  The term “fractional” means that only a percentage of the skin surface is affected with each pass of the laser.  Fraxel intensively treats only some of the epidermal cells without affecting all of them.  This method of fractionally treating the skin reduces healing time and promotes the skin’s natural process for creating new, healthier tissue to replace the damaged cells.

 

Next up, Ultherapy!

Until then, have a wonderful day!

Natural Image OC

What to do with your face

Are you at the point where you just don’t know what to do with your skin care regime anymore?  It can be very daunting to try and figure out what you should be doing and when.  Everywhere I go, I always hear “well I do this and this in the morning and then this and this at night.  Oh and then I do this every other night with this in the morning”.  There are so many eye creams, serums, face creams, vitamins, antioxidants, etc. that it can be confusing to say the least.  And because of that, people don’t end up using anything at all!  Now, that’s where the big problem is.  Skin care isn’t something one should put off simply because they don’t know what to do. 

There are many ways you can figure out the best skin care regime for your type of skin.  You can obviously head to your dermatologist and they will definitely give you a good regime to follow.  You can also do some research on your own but you do need to realize and  be honest about the type of skin you have whether it is dry, normal, oily.  Everyone is different so you won’t necessarily be needing to do the same thing as your best friend is doing.  Make sure to do your due diligence and find your perfect regime and then follow it because it will definitely pay off later in life.

A good general regime would be to make sure you have a good Vitamin A, C & E as well as a moisturizing eye cream, a general moisturizer and sunscreen.  A general rule of thumb to follow when applying is the thinest product goes on first and the thickest goes on last.  For example, your vitamin serums would go first so they can soak in, then you would apply your creams/moisturizer and then your sunscreen as it is your thickest and is used to protect your skin.  After that, you whould then apply your make-up (if you wear make-up).  One thing to note…if you choose to do nothing, at the very least apply sunscreen!!

Here is a link to our product page so that way you can read up on some good products, if you would like!

Until next time…Natural Image OC