Getting Sick Around the Holiday Season is No Anomaly

Posted on November 23, 2014 by ruthswissa

You’ve probably wondered why is it that you always develop a sniffle or dry cough around the holiday time? Many theories claim it’s the temperature change and so on. However, the one leading cause of holiday season sickness is holiday stress! The pressures of finding perfect presents, booking flights, cooking dinners, etc. builds up elevates your cortisol levels. High cortisol translates to low immunity. Here are some simple ways to prevent holiday stress sickness:

Prepare/Build Up Your Immune System: When holiday shopping comes around, the density of people and germs just about doubles. Make sure to disinfect your hands and minimize your exposure to stranger’s germs. Keep vitamin D and C levels high.

Restrict the Sweets: Although it may be tempting to indulge in a candycane or grandma’s gingerbread, sugar is a factor in increasing risks of sickness. Turn to protein to fill the sugar-craving void.

Don’t Forget About YOU: It’s quite easy to get rapped up in pleasing others during the holiday season, but it’s important to continue to take care of yourself in order to prevent sickness from overcoming. Make sure to prioritize and put your bodily needs as high on the list as “Getting ingredients for the stuffing” — eat breakfast, keep hydrated, and don’t overwork yourself when scavenging for gifts.

An App for Acne?

Posted on October 5, 2014 by ruthswissa

If you have acne, you know that you’d do anything to get rid of it. Scientific research has led to a mobile friendly answer that start with something as simple as your refrigerator. Northwestern university has created a free iPhone app that uses science to help people with acne make better food choices. It uses data from a systematic analysis of peer-reviewed research studies to show people if there is or is not scientific evidence linking acne to foods such as chocolate, fat, sugar and whey protein.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/diet-acne/id531996950?mt=8

Staying Up Late and Why It’s Bad For You

Posted on June 26, 2014 by ruthswissa

During the summer, most people find themselves going to bed later than usual. However, this habit does have a negative toll on your body.

“What is staying up late?”

12 am? 3 am? Everybody’s body has a different perception of staying up late. “Late” doesn’t have so much to do with the hour, rather you’re body’s reaction. If you actually feel tired, you know it’s past your normal bedtime, and therefore, you are staying up late.

Disadvantages of Staying Up Late:

1. Degraded immunity: People become more susceptible to illness if the temperature is a little bit hotter or cooler. Additionally, it also causes headaches (people may be dizzy or “heavy-brained” for the entire day).

2. Secretion of adrenal cortex hormone and growth hormone: These two are vital substances for the human body and are only secreted at night. The adrenal cortex hormone secretes only before the dawn and it’s in charge of facilitating the carb metabolism (weight management) and muscle function (body tone). The growth hormone only secretes after sleeping. This hormone improves the growth of the young and slows down the aging of the elderly.

3. Detrimental to hormones and menstrual cycles: Lack of sleep will affect the secretion of female hormones and affect the menstrual cycle, causing less consistency.

4. Bad for overall complexion: Staying up late will affect your overall complexion, leaving you with visible damage to your skin, eyesight, under-eye blackness, and memory capacity.

5. Ruins overall well being:Sleep deprivation can bring mental stress upon your body. You tend to doubt yourself more when you’re tired and emotions of anger and anxiety are often amplified.

It’s insane how much a good night’s sleep can do to your overall complexion and well being. If you feel tired when you wake up in the morning, it’s best you listen to your body and sleep some more. Listen to your body.

Things You Thought You Knew About Acne Might be Wrong !

Posted on June 12, 2014 by ruthswissa

Ruth Swissa uncovered some common misconceptions about acne

Popping pimples makes everything better — wrong. Picking at your skin is one of the worst things you could do. Popping pimples releases inflammatory secretion which can cause scarring and infect your clean pores (resulting in more pimples).

Acne doesn’t have to do with what we eat — Although it’s not 100% clear whether acne is caused by diet or genetics, there is some proof. Greasy foods as well as dairy are the leading cause of breakouts. Stay away from the deep fried foods!

Acne is a teen-thing — false, acne is also becoming pretty common amongst adults which is something dermatologists refer to as the “adult acne epidemic”. (Good news is that it’s treated the same way teenage acne is treated)

Acne goes away on its own — Don’t let those zits inhibit your skin silently. Acne is caused by clogged pores, most likely by natural oils. There are plenty of treatments to unclog a swollen pimple.

Check back for more skincare misconceptions resolved !

Keep Your Skin Soft and Supple – Starting with Your Bathing Methods

Posted on January 9, 2014 by ruthswissa

– Don’t Shower for Too Long: Boiling hot, long showers are actually very detrimental, removing necessary oils from your skin. Try lukewarm showers instead!
– Careful When You Shave: As stated in a previous pose about razor-shaving safety, be sure to lubricate skin, use a clean razor, and shave in the direction of hair growth (not against it).
– Use Mild Soaps: Strong cleansing soaps can also strip your skin of necessary oils; look for a more gentle soap instead
– Pat Dry: Gently pat your towel against your skin after showering in order to allow your skin to absorb the remaining moisture on your skin
– Balm Post-Shower, If Necessary: It’s best you moisturize your skin as soon as you get out of the shower while your pores are still open in order to lock-in as much moisture as possible.

Would You Opt For a Double Mastectomy Based On Cancer Risk Alone?

Posted on January 8, 2014 by ruthswissa

A Prophylactic Mastectomy, also known as Preventative Mastectomy, is the procedure of removing both breasts to prevent breast cancer from occurring. This practice has been proven to be very effective in lowering the risk of breast cancer in women. Nevertheless, this procedure is the most drastic measure someone could take in combating the risk of breast cancer. There are other alternatives to consider.

Here are some of the pros and cons of preventative mastectomies.

Pros:

Stark Statistics: Lifetime risk of regular (11%) and contralateral breast cancer (10%) in woman is  Contralateral breast cancer is when the cancer mutation develops in the other breast.

Screenings Don’t Prevent, Only Detect: Screenings can pick up the cancer mutation, but no screening method can prevent breast cancer from occurring.

Breast-Cancer Reducing Drug Not for Everyone: There have been the production of breast-cancer reducing drugs, such as tamoxifen and raloxifen, but not all women can take these.

Psychological Reassurance: Nothing provides the same amount of confidence and reassurance that the risk of breast cancer has been dramatically reduced than a preventative mastectomy

Life Expectancy: Doing a preventative mastectomy can potentially increase the life expectancy in young women who have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.

Cons:

Potential Problems with Breast Implants: When doing breast implant surgery, there is a risk of complications which include capsular contracture (scar tissue that forms around the implant and squeezes the implant), breast pain, change in nipple and breast sensation, rupture with deflation of saline-filled implants, or rupture with or without symptoms (silent rupture)

Impact on Sensuality/Sexuality: Although this is one of the lesser issues when it comes to something as horrible as cancer, it still does prose a con. When having your breasts completely removed (regardless of the option of breast implants), you will lose all sensation in your breast area and nipple.

Residual Risk: Although Preventative Mastectomies can highly decrease the risk of breast cancer, it doesn’t completely eliminate the risk by 100%. There is a slight percentage of developing breast cancer in the remaining tissue even post-mastectomy

How to Get Rid of the Unsightly Side-Effects of Razor Hair Removal

Posted on December 20, 2013 by ruthswissa

When trying to achieve that sleek and suave skin, salon waxing and laser hair removal is the prime decision. However, women often turn to razors for the quick and inexpensive remedy you could do in the comfort of your home. Nevertheless, what women don’t know is if they are not careful with their conduct, nixing stubble can become a jeopardizing skin problem. Here are some tips on how to avoid this undesirable end result.

1. Look for razors that have fine blades and low-resistance coating glide such as Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor.

Although this razor is designer for men, the fact that it has a heavier handle and five blades results in effortless gliding of the razor. This essentially gives you a really close crop in half the amount of passes.

2. Shave after your hot shower.

After a hot shower your blood vessels become dilated. This causes your skin to plump and expose the entire base of your hair follicle. Not only will this allow you to get a super-close crop, but warm water also softens your hair which will prevent snapping and lessen the risk of ingrown hair.

3. Avoid skin infections and rust, switch your blade every five to ten shaves.

4. Use moisturizing shaving cream if you plan on shaving everyday

5. Apply moisturizer over freshly shaved skin

Although it sounds painful, bear the burn and apply moisturizer (especially during the summer). This will minimize flakes and razor rash

7 Tips on How to Shape Your Brows!

Posted on December 18, 2013 by ruthswissa

1. Don’t wax underneath your brow

eyebrow-waxing-300x243

Waxing can limit regrowth and thin out your eyebrows. If you have stubborn hairs in the area, try threading, so you won’t run the risk of someone who is inexperienced waxing off too large an area in one go!

2. Don’t pluck or wax above your eyebrow

This can cause your eyebrows to either be too thin or to slant downwards, neither of which will accentuate your face shape!

3. Find a pencil that is the right color for your skin tone and hair color

If you have dark hair, look for a pencil 1-2 shades lighter than your hair color. If you have light hair, try a shade darker. You should also consider whether you have warm or cool tones in your skin! If you have warm reddish tones to your skin, always go with an ashy colored pencil to combat redness.

4. Learn your shape

Hold a pencil up to one side of the bridge of your nose. Your eyebrow should start at this line. The arch should begin above the outer edge of your iris. The tip, or outside of your eyebrow, should follow the curve of your eye and taper gradually from the arch.

5. Brush up

This is a great tip to follow to avoid making your eyebrows too thick or too thin. If you have over plucked your eyebrows, or feel they are a little thin, try brushing the hairs upwards before using brow pencil. This will give the appearance of thicker brows, and give a better line to follow with a pencil when filling your brows in. If your eyebrows are too thick, brush the hairs upwards before plucking to ensure you only pluck the hairs below.

6. Follow the natural angle of the hairs

This sounds obvious, but quite often your eyebrow hair does not all angle the same way. Usually, the hair near the bridge of your nose will angle upwards, while the hair on the center of your brow will angle outwards towards the side of your face. Follow these lines in a hair stroke pattern with your eyebrow pencil for a much more natural looking brow.

7. Set your eyebrow pencil or powder with finishing powder or brow gel (optional)

While eyebrow makeup is usually not waterproof, setting your makeup will at least stop the everyday oils and moisture from your skin affecting your beautifully made up brows!

Q: Do I Have to Get Rid of All the Hair on My Brows Before I Do Permanent Eyebrows?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by ruthswissa

A: When getting permanent eyebrows done, there is an ongoing misconception that one would have to get rid of all current eyebrow hair. Ruth Swissa is here to clear up this myth and provide you with information that’s actually quite the contrary. At Ruth Swissa Professional Permanent Makeup and Skin, we put the utmost importance to eyebrow hair, looking to preserve each strand. Many customers have asked Ruth if they would need to shave their eyebrows clean in order to get permanent eyebrows but this is a false idea. Ruth Swissa uses the eyebrow hair as a simple add-on to the already 3-d looking pigment she applies just to provide you with realistic and natural result.

On the other hand, there are many customers who come to Ruth Swissa who suffer from hair-loss diseases such as alopecia or trichotillomania and don’t have any eyebrow hair for Ruth to work with. Not to worry, Ruth has an artistic eye and skillful technique, she is able to apply permanent makeup pigment in a way where the strokes look like real hair. Ruth never uses generic stencils that were in style twenty years ago. Each of our clients leave with natural-looking eyebrows that suit and enhance their individual facial expression.

Beware of Bad Permanent Makeup Out There

Posted on March 7, 2013 by ruthswissa

Ruth Swissa is spreading awareness on bad permanent makeup jobs and is sharing her advise on how to best avoid it. Most of Ruth’s patients are those who seek permanent makeup fixing. Ruth is so exposed to these permanent makeup mishaps, she feels obligated to share her knowledge on how to avoid these horrific procedures many aestheticians are offering to oblivious costumers. In this hard-hitting economy, it is our instinct to lean towards the cheapest option, but when it comes to matters involving your outward aesthetic, cheapest isn’t always better.

1. Ask for Before and After Pictures

Ruth’s first suggestion is to look at before and after pictures. It is crucial to see how your aesthetician performs. Anyone who is willing tattoo your face should be willing to show their previous work with pride. Be sure to ask many questions, not only for your own knowledge, but in order for you to see if your permanent makeup practitioner has a good knowledge of what they will be performing on your face. When looking at before and after pictures, it would also be a good idea to evaluate its legitimacy. There have been many occurrences when before and after pictures have been derived from other aestheticians.

2. Read Reviews

Nowadays, the internet has made reading reviews oh-so easy. Simple websites such as Yelp and Google Reviews are actually quite reliable. They truly give you the gist of whether a place is good or bad overall.

3. Check for cleanliness

Make sure that the place you are getting your permanent makeup done is clean. Look for certificates that are up-to-date and make sure your aesthetician is using antibacterial sanitation. Permanent makeup is indeed a real, invasive procedure, so it should be held on the same level of intensity as cosmetic surgery. You can get serious infections not just from un-sanitized needles but from ink as well. Ruth Swissa uses all organic ink derived from fruit and vegetables – if you have severe allergies make sure that wherever you choose to get your procedure does some sort of sample patch-testing to verify that your body reacts well with the ink. It never hurts to be proactive.

4. Don’t go too bold

At Ruth Swissa’s medical spa, her motto is the more natural looking the better. Even if you wish to have a more dramatic look, it’s always safest to be conservative at first. Just see how the color suits you first, then you can always go back and add more. You can darken permanent makeup, but you can’t lighten. Always start with a lighter look and color.

5. If you’re not comfortable, leave

It’s always best to go with your gut-feeling, your instinct. If you’re not feeling the vibe of the place, it’s best to just leave and find a more comfortable place. Ruth Swissa has numerous occurrences where she has had to fix bad permanent makeup jobs and she says that almost every time the patient claims that they initially didn’t feel comfortable in the place they were getting their procedure done. If your intuition has an opinion of a spa, your best bet is to find another place.

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