Smoking can make your breasts sag at an earlier age.

Bad news for female smokers. This statement is true.

Smoking is seriously damaging to healthy skin, harming levels of collagen and elastin that are responsible for maintaining supple and taut skin. We all know that the habit causes wrinkles and creases on the face (particularly around the mouth and eyes), but did you also know that it can damage breast tissue? With both the skin and breast tissue adversely affected, your breasts begin to sag faster if you’re smoke on a regular basis.

To prevent this from happening, follow a healthy lifestyle and kick the habit. You’ll reduce your risk of getting breast cancer as well.

Did you know having poor posture can negatively affect your health and mental state? Constant slouching causes the spine and back muscles to adopt a shape that isn’t natural, permanently becoming disfigured. This can cause a variety of health problems including poor digestion, weaker bones and serious back pain that can be debilitating. Researchers have even found that poor posture can contribute to headaches and migraines.

And if these reasons aren’t enough for you to start paying more attention to your posture, how about how it can make you look: older and more tired, with a more pronounced belly. That’s right – bad posture can make your core weaker resulting in flabbier stomach muscles.

Stretching and strength training exercises can help improve your posture, but it’s always best to seek the advice of your physician before starting any new fitness regimen.

Fat contributes a lot to determining the unique contours of your face, primarily in the areas in and around the cheeks and chin. Pockets of fat distributed in these areas contribute greatly to the curves and lines of our facial features. They can help define the jawline, mold the chin, and create the overall shape of the face.

That’s why when we experience weight loss, it can be most apparent on the face. Fat pockets in the face decrease in size, altering the shape of our facial features. You may find that your jawline becomes more defined or angular, your chin more distinguishable from your neck, and/or your cheeks more hollowed.

Some amount of weight loss may help improve the aesthetic appearance of your facial features. However, for some, it can leave the face looking gaunt and aged.

If you like you’re at a healthier weight and have a flatter stomach and smaller butt, but aren’t happy with what weight loss has done to your face, we may be able to help with injectable fillers at Toronto Cosmetic Clinic. Call us for more information at 416-221-5554.

The summer is over but before you head to the tanning salon to maintain that sunkissed look, beware!

Some people experience a reduction in the amount of acne they have after tanning, leading to the popular myth that the habit is actually beneficial for acne sufferers. Although it may be nice to have less pimples after a few sessions under the sun (or under the lights of a tanning bed), in the long term, this practice can actually contribute to increased levels of sebum production in the skin, leading to the potential of more pimples.

Why?

Well, the role of sebum is to hydrate the skin. However, pimples are often caused by excess levels of sebum which support the growth of acne causing bacteria. Tanning dries some amount of sebum in the skin, which is typically how it positively affects breakouts. Unfortunately, the skin will naturally react to drier conditions by producing more sebum, thereby contributing to the formation of more pimples.

Alopecia areata (AA) is a noncontagious condition that results in hair loss on the head, face, and/or body.  The most common area affected is the scalp, typically starting as a single spot that may grow over the entire head. Hair loss associated with alopecia areata occurs du

e to a problem associated with the follicles.  Treatment includes topical, injectable and laser based applications.

Individuals with AA may experience loss of eyelashes. This may be perceived as undesirable, and can result in distress. Although MD Lash Factor should not be perceived as a “solution” to alopecia areata, clinical trials have shown that the product can help create the appearance of longer and lusher eyelashes.

Desquamation is the technical term for the natural shedding of skin cells, a process that reveals newer skin cells on the top layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum. Because the stratum corneum acts as a protective barrier against the environment and other factors, it is comprised of skin cells that are densely packed together.

You may know the more familiar term, exfoliation, which is actually the shedding of skin cells performed by mechanical means. Noninvasive forms of cosmetic surgery, such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion, are essentially forms of exfoliation.

Skin cells form by division way below the top layer of the skin, in the stratum germinativum. From formation to desquamation, the average length of time it takes is about 28 days.

Desquamation isn’t really a term you need to know, but why not impress your friends by adding it to your vocabulary?