Lifestyle

Both plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery deal with improving the body. The procedures focus on enhancing the appearance of the patient. Many people opt to go under the knife to feel better about themselves, look better, and enhance their physical appearance.

In Utah, there are many cosmetic surgery procedures that people undergo. The top ones are those which patients choose to have. In 2018 alone, there were 17.7 million cosmetic procedures performed in the United States. These included 1.8 million surgical procedures and 15.9 million procedures that were minimally invasive. There were also 5.8 million reconstructive procedures. Here are the top cosmetic procedures performed in 2018:

1. Augmentation mammoplasty

This is still the number one cosmetic surgical procedure for 12 years in a row. The top type of augmentation mammoplasty is the one that makes use of silicone implants. They were used in 88 percent of all procedures. The other implants were saline-based, which accounted for 12 percent of procedures.

Many female patients opt to have augmentation mammoplasty to improve the look of their upper body. In some cases, even older patients request for the procedure to improve their overall look.

2. Liposuction

Next in line is liposuction with a total of 258,558 procedures performed in 2018. Liposuction is a surgical procedure wherein the surgeon uses a suction method to remove fat from certain body parts. The most common areas include the thighs, hips, tummy, neck, arms, and buttocks. In some cases, the surgeon uses the procedure to contour or shape parts of the body.

3. Nose Reshaping

In 2018, there were 213,780 people who had their noses done. Nose jobs have always been popular in the plastic surgery world. The procedure has evolved from implants to more modern techniques such as the ultrasonic rhino-sculpture, which promises more improved results and a faster recovery. The new technique uses ultrasonic energy to help the surgeon shape the nose, reducing soft tissue damage and cartilage involvement.

4. Eyelid Surgery

This is a plastic surgery procedure performed on the eyelids to create a line on the eyelid and, in many cases, reduce sagging or droopy eyelids. This procedure is common and popular among Asians and older adults. Eyelid surgery helps enhance the upper eyelids and reduce the appearance of disfigurations in the area.

5. Tummy Tuck

With a total of 130,081 procedures, the tummy tuck is in the fifth place. A tummy tuck, also dubbed as abdominoplasty, helps remove excess fat and skin in the abdominal area. The procedure is common among women, especially those who already gave birth or those with sagging extra skin and fat in the abdomen. In some instances, males who lost excessive weight can also undergo a tummy tuck.

Plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery works by enhancing the patient’s beauty and physical characteristics. It’s important, however, to consult your physician before undergoing any of these procedures. It’s important also to research the best clinic in the city or town and review their customer feedback to ensure that you’ll receive the best service.

Aging can be quite unkind to women’s skin. One of the most common issues that they face is having to deal with wrinkles. They often start showing up in the late 30s, and grow more apparent as the years pass. That being said, for those who can’t bear having wrinkles, fighting them off is possible. With proper care and attention, you can minimize the sight of wrinkles and look decades younger. 

Here are some possible solutions that you can use for yourself.

Stay in the Shade

One of the biggest sources of damage to your skin is the sun. The ultraviolet rays of the sun break down the cells of your skin quickly, and can even cause skin cancer. The result is damaged skin. When skin experiences damage, it tries to fix itself, and that attempt at repairing causes wrinkles. The best way to avoid wrinkles is to avoid direct sun contact with your skin. If possible, you should try to avoid going into direct sunlight, but If you have to, then apply sunscreen beforehand. This can protect your skin from the sun’s negative effects.

Go to Sleep Early

Another thing that you should be doing is to get the appropriate amount of rest. When you lack sleep, the body produces large amounts of cortisol. This substance breaks down skin cells and damages the skin. Sleep, on the other hand, produces human growth hormones. This substance helps heal the skin and keep it in an elastic state. This ensures that wrinkles do not develop as quickly. Plus, your skin stays fresh and clear.

Give Up Smoking

If you have a smoking habit, then it is high time for you to give it up. People who smoke tend to have skin that is susceptible to wrinkling. Smoking damages your skin, with the smoke causing the collagen and elastin in it to break down. The result is thinner and less elastic skin. Give up smoking now to ensure that no further damage happens to your skin.

Eat the Right Food

You are what you eat, and there are several nutrients in the different types of food that will be beneficial to your skin. For one, you should eat more fish. Protein is a necessary part of getting good skin, and that is what you can get from them. This, along with omega-3 fatty acids that ensure smoother skin, are the most prominent. Additionally, you might want to add soy to your diet. The soy nutrient helps nourish and repair skin from sun exposure. Consult with a dermatologist on how you can change your diet for better skin.

Don’t Be Afraid to Go Under the Needle

Many people dislike the idea of cosmetic assistance when it comes to dealing with wrinkles. However, many dermatologists swear that the use of neurotoxins, like botox, can be a big help in dealing with wrinkles. They relax the skin and can smooth out the most stubborn wrinkles. You can get them every two to four months. Botox injections should be easy to find in Utah and other nearby states. Schedule one now and you can be sure about smoother skin on your face.

Get That Smooth Skin

Growing old does not mean that you have to lose your smooth skin. Many older women have minimal wrinkles, because they are doing something about it. It’s all about exerting the effort to maintain a youthful skin free of wrinkles. Hopefully, the tips shared above can give you an idea of how to make wrinkles a thing of the imagination. All it takes is effort and self-care, so you can be proud of your smooth skin even as you grow older.

We live in a fast-paced era that ironically has made boredom even more pervasive. The idle mind can only take so much binge-watching and social media scrolling before it eventually balls up into a relentless monotony. Quick fixes to boredom don’t get into the root of why we get in that state in the first place, so here are some ways to get rid of the bug with more lasting effects.

• Try getting into something measurable

Psychologists have noted that, among a variety of reasons, a major cause of boredom stems from unfulfillment and feelings of not attaining certain things. Instead of beating yourself up and resorting to blank distractions, try doing something that positively reinforces you.

Engaging in activities where you can measure progress could help you keep tabs on how you’re improving or coming along. This not only provides you with an interesting way to pass the time, but satisfies the innate craving to see levels of completion.

There are tons of things you can do like learn a new sport, try arts and crafts, or even build something. You can get into baseball and buy a radar gun to start measuring how fast you can pitch and track how much faster you can get. You can even start learning a different language and mark conversational goals to see how well you can speak. Come up with activities that feel fun at the moment and create motivation that lasts.

• Start practicing mindfulness

Boredom can actually be the mind’s reaction to stress. It can cause you to lack focus when trying to accomplish tasks and can lead to more anxious feelings like cabin fever and frustration. A great way to subvert this mindset is by practicing mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a therapeutic practice that involves making oneself completely “in the moment.” It calls for the mind to be fully aware of everything that is happening, but from a non-judgmental perspective. This takes away our tendency to project feelings of anxiousness on situations.

It can help a person not feel too fixated on “wasting time” and focus more on simply being, appreciating the workings of the body, mind, and surroundings.

• Switch up your routine

Monotony can be one of the biggest causes of overwhelming boredom. The best way to combat this is by introducing change. By cutting off the repetition in our life, we can spark new experiences and feel more engaged.

Even though risks and adventures have their own attraction, they are not the only ways to remove the repetitiveness of life. Making little changes here and there without completely blowing out your comfort zone can already provide a satisfactory shift in how you feel. Try something new, change your plans, or even just adjust the way you do things with a method you may not have thought of using before.

Life can be exciting, or at the very least, worth getting into a little bit more. With some worthwhile adjustments, being bored can be a thing of the past.

When you think about dental caries in kids, the main contributing factor in your mind might be sugary food. Studies show that dental caries is indeed prevalent among children between five and seven years old. And yes, this condition occurs when certain bacteria in the mouth digest sugar to form acid. The acid, in turn, dissolves the teeth, resulting in tooth decay.

Ideally, staying away from sugary foods should prevent dental caries. But the question lingering in many people’s minds is whether this process is more aggressive in certain cases. Are there other factors contributing to tooth decay apart from sugar?

The answer is actually yes. Below are five other reasons why we are finding dental caries to be very common with children.

Congenital Dental Disorder

The congenital dental disorder is defined as an issue that develops when the baby is still in the womb, usually during the initial three months. Some of these disorders could be due to external factors, but most of them are inherited. Pediatric dentists in Lehi, or any other places, can best counter caries related to this factor.

Poor Oral Hygiene

Brushing your teeth after every meal may seem like a simple routine, but it goes a long way in preventing dental caries in children. When food particles are allowed to remain between the teeth, they promote the growth of oral bacteria. Microbes multiply as a result and enhance the chances of tooth decay, among other dental issues.

Low Fluoride Level in Water

Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance in water, its primary source being fluorine from the earth’s interior. Scientists have since established that fluoride can prevent dental caries. In some instances, it may reverse this oral problem. In case water supplies have insufficient fluoride levels (less than 0.7mg/l), your child’s pediatric dentist may advise you to contact the authorities for action.

Illness in the Child

According to scientists, there is a relationship between the immune system and tooth decay, albeit minimal. Immune cells called neutrophils are at the center of this, as they attack bacteria leading to the release of acids that demineralize the teeth. The dissolution of the enamel signals the start of tooth decay. When the child falls sick, the antimicrobial effect of the saliva reduces, thus accelerating tooth decay.

Using a Milk Bottle Overnight

Tooth decay in young children is mostly caused by their suckling on a bottle overnight. Decay is specifically caused by the sugar in their milk. As the sugar or lactose makes contact with the teeth for an extended period of time, tooth decay ensues. Saliva flow does not help in this instance because it is already too low.

There are many ways you can wean your young child off baby bottles. You can try going slowly by watering down the milk, offering a comfortable substitute, or even asking them to go cold turkey. It will be for the best.

CONCLUSION:

People of all ages are suffering from dental caries. While the prevalence of the problem may not be as high with adults, the issue still lingers in children.

Indeed, a pediatric dentist will explain that these disparities are evident when children avoid sugary foods. But the genetic connection, oral hygiene, lack of fluoride, and habit of drinking from a bottle overnight are some of the issues that need to be addressed to prevent tooth decay from spreading.

It is no secret that the modern world can be draining. With an ever-increasing set of responsibilities being put on our shoulders, it is not a surprise that people feel tired easily and sometimes lack focus on what they are doing. This can also leave people in a constant exhausted and weak state that affects both their physical and mental health negatively.

The reasons above are only one of the many factors that contribute to the rise of alternative healing therapies. One of these is energy healing, which is rooted in the belief that the energy of the human body is capable of healing and restoring the body back to a healthy state. With enough training and practice, an individual becomes better at reducing stress and anxiety levels as well as remove toxins from the body before they develop into diseases.

Here are some of the different types of energy healing therapies to try out:

Reiki Healing

Reiki healing traces its roots to ancient Japan and is based on the belief that there is a universal energy that flows through all living beings. A Reiki practitioner — or Master — will open the blockages that are currently preventing the individual from receiving this energy, and will transfer the universal energy to the person to restore balance and health. 

Reiki has three levels that differ on how attuned the Master becomes to universal energy. A Level 1 practitioner is able to practise Reiki healing on themselves, while Level 2 Reiki (with careful training) is geared towards practising healing on others. Lastly, Level 3 allows the practitioner to teach Reiki healing to others, and brings the person one step closer to the level of Reiki master.

Pranic Healing

Pranic healing is rooted in the Hindu philosophical belief that a universal ‘life force’ exists, known as the ‘prana,’ which sustains all living beings. The prana can be channelled and used to treat various ailments and diseases in the body. 

By identifying breaks and imbalances in the energy flow in the body, pranic healing can help heal physical ailments as well as prevent any further damage to the body. It can also help alleviate mental health conditions such as anxiety, stress, and depression. Hence, pranic healing is typically used in conjunction with traditional medicine to improve recovery and overall well-being.

Qi Gong

Qi gong is guided by the belief that people can work to harness universal energy and guide this throughout the body to achieve healing. Much of this takes place through a series of different standing movements and specialised breathing techniques, which — together with a calm and mindful mental state during exercises — help focus one’s vision inward. This then helps a person improve their potential by balancing and guiding the energy forces both within and outside the body, thus helping to facilitate relaxation and improved immune and healing functions. 

Energy healing can be useful for those who are seeking relief from certain ailments that have been plaguing them. However, its applications are not just limited to these, and anyone can benefit from energy healing through improved focus and calmness that is sure to come in handy, especially given the highly stressful world that we live in today.

If you deal with your clients' hair every day, then you probably have heard about thinning shears, which you can use to create layers. You might already know how to use them, but this article will tell you how you can properly handle this type of scissors.

Do Not Use Them on Clients with Already Thin Hair

This is usually a no-brainer. But we are mentioning it anyway. Thinning shears are typically used for curly and thick hair types and not for thin hair. This type of scissors can add texture to the hair. Plus, it can easily make the layers look like they are well-blended.

If your client requests for thinner hair and the hairstyle that they prefer has lots of layers, then you can use thinning shears for that. However, you must let your clients know about the outcome and that you will be using this type of scissors on their hair.

Avoid Using Them on Wet Hair

Before using thinning shears on your client's hair, you have to blow-dry their hair. Thinning shears are not supposed to be used on wet hair, as hair that's just been washed is a lot more prone to breakage and damage. You will have to gently pull on your client's hair when cutting it, and the shears can cause damage to the hair and even cause split ends if not used the right way.

Brush the Hair

It is a must to brush the client's hair before actually proceeding to it. Whether you are dealing with curly or straight hair, you have to brush it first so that you will know which sections you need to cut first.

However, some curly-haired clients do not like having their hair brushed. If this is the case, let them know that this is just temporary and that you will wash their hair after the cut and style it the way they want it to be styled.

Section the Hair

Never cut your client's hair all at once, as this will most likely give you a crooked output. Always try to section thin parts of the hair and work on each section for a couple of minutes. Start by thinning minimal units of the hair, and once you're all done, have a final look and see if you want to thin some parts out further.

Again, you want to work section by section so that you will not make any mistake. You should remember that it's better to work on it little by little than make mistakes that might anger your client.

With all that said, you should always treat your client's hair as if it's your own. Always do an interview first and see what type of hairstyle they like. If they have an inspiration or peg for it, then ask to see a picture so that you have a basis of what look they prefer. If you need more information, you can find other reliable sources online. Be sure to practice a lot if you want to be better at hairstyling.

Moving into a new house can be exciting. It can also come with challenges that need to be dealt with. Primary among these is the issue of furnishing your new house. Moving itself can be expensive. It entails expenses such as rent movers, renting a moving van, buying new fixtures and household products, and taking a day off work to move. If you are moving into an unfurnished apartment, you face the added problem of having to furnish your house. Having to furnish a whole home from scratch can be expensive. Here are some ways you can keep the costs down:

Look for deals online

There are many websites that can help you choose the best furniture for your range. If you have a set budget, your best option is to order your furniture online. Many websites will allow you to check how the furniture will look in your home even before you buy it. You can upload a photo and use their technology to model your room. 

There are also different types of discounts and deals available. You can buy sofas for sale online for much cheaper than in the showroom. With one quick search, you can find out about all ongoing offers and avail of any discounts. There are groups and forums where people often sell their old furniture. If you manage to join one of these groups, you will gain access to a lot of high-quality, well-maintained finds.

Go flea market hunting

Your next best alternative is to visit the flea market. You will find that there are many good options to choose from. However, you need to have a sharp eye. It can be easy to end up purchasing poor-quality or faulty furniture from secondhand shops and flea markets. Watch out for major problems such as bed bugs and fleas. On the bright side, if you know how to shop for it, you will be able to decorate your room in an eclectic, flea-market style. Most of the time, the price is much lower than a regular store. You can even run across antiques at these stores.

Talk to your friends and family

While you will not always think of this option, asking your friends and family for help can be an easy solution. We often end up cramming our apartment with too many things. If you ask your friends whether they would like to get rid of something, you would be surprised to see how many people jump at the opportunity. If you are lucky, you can get these free of charge or for a small fee. They will enjoy the added benefit of not having to go through the process of selling or getting rid of it all by themselves.

There are many ways to enjoy cost savings when buying furniture. These are some of the easiest ways out there. Before you hit the store and splurge, try out one of these options. You may be surprised by just how much you end up saving.

We all dream of having a happy and healthy family. While this could mean a loud and messy house, nothing beats the joy that comes with knowing that your loved ones are in excellent health. But all these are easier said than done. Do you wonder what you can do today to start taking better care of your loved ones? Here are some of the smartest moves that you need to follow:

Find a doctor for the whole family

Every family needs a primary caregiver. If you don’t have one just yet, then what you need is a family medical doctor in Lehi. They specialize in providing care to patients no matter their age or gender. They can oversee your family’s preventive care and diagnose conditions other doctors may find hard to track. They can manage chronic illnesses and even coordinate with other healthcare providers on your behalf.

Keep everyone physically active

It is easy to take exercise for granted, especially if you have kids to take care of and a house to keep clean. However, staying active is one way to keep all members of the family happy and healthy. So make it a point to allot enough time for exercise. Find activities that your family will be willing to engage in. This can be walking your dogs to a nearby park, playing outdoor sports, or even going for a bike ride.

Encourage a healthy diet

These days, you can buy meals that you can reheat in the microwave. Fast food is available with just a ring on the phone. However, all these habits are not enough to provide your family with the right kind of nutrients they need. As early as now, encourage healthy eating habits. Keep the family engage in buying, prepping, and cooking meals. Avoid junk food and don’t use food as a way to reward or punish the kids. There are many ways to help a picky eater eat more healthy food.

Be your family’s number one fan

Imagine if everyone in your family has a go-to person who makes them feel safe and valued. Be your family’s number one fan by providing the necessary support they need. Help them deal with their stress and be understanding of their needs. Be ready to listen to their woes and offer advice as needed. Making them feel valued will encourage them, boost their confidence, and push them to their limits.

Support your family’s mental health

One thing many families take for granted is taking care of each member’s mental health. This can be a challenging role, but it is never impossible to support mental health. Encourage everyone to be kind, respectful, and sensitive to other’s feelings. Set a good example for your kids and make them understand that mental health matters. Set realistic goals for each member, be it personally, academically, or professionally.

Taking care of your family is not just about providing them with hot meals and a roof above their heads. You also need to make sure that each member is happy and healthy, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. By keeping this list in mind, you can secure your family’s happiness and health.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 19.7 million people suffer from substance abuse. A report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that between 40% and 60% of these people relapse after their treatment. Are you worried about relapsing?

If you want to minimize episodes of relapse, recovering addicts need to receive care services after undergoing a formal substance abuse treatment program.

Sober Living

Sober-living homes are only one of the options. You can find sober homes in Austin, where you should consider getting admitted if you feel you need more time to establish your coping mechanisms and habits before returning to your daily life. It is a place for people like you who need a transition from a treatment program to your normal life.

While you’re in the transition phase, a sober home can provide you with continued support so that you can learn how to become independent and remain substance-free in a community setup. Here are a few tips to help you find the right sober home:

Comfortable Amenities

At a minimum, a sober-living home should provide a place for you to sleep, whether in a private room, a shared room, or a dormitory with other residents. Typically, sober homes assign rooms to two residents at a time. Private rooms are considered an upscale amenity. Other upscale amenities include gyms, pools, a library, or an entertainment room.

Accommodating Staff and Residents

The ideal sober home has supportive, understanding, and generous residents. Recovering addicts who become friends with other residents they meet in sober homes are not unusual. On your first visit, try to interview a few residents to learn more about a sober home’s environment.

More importantly, a sober home must be staffed with social workers and medical professionals. In some cases, you might even find former addicts who have recovered and are now working in sober homes.

Staff and Peer Accountability

Recovering addicts often find it hard to decide for themselves. Sober homes should have strict accountability rules that keep residents from making bad decisions. Usually, accountability rules are enforced by staff and fellow residents. It’s a way of looking after your fellow residents while helping them learn decision-making skills, which will be necessary once they go out into the real world.

A Safe Location

A sober-living home should be located in a secure area, near nature but not too far from the conveniences of urban life. It should be isolated from busy places but still close to where your family and friends live so that they can visit you.

Affordable Cost

Unlike state-run halfway houses, sober-living homes are privately-owned, not receiving a single cent from government funding. They are not free. Aside from the monthly cost, you might be charged for groceries, utilities, and rent. However, sober living homes provide better care and amenities, and a longer stay for its residents.

Finding a place that can help you slowly return to your healthy life can be exciting. However, please remember that besides the things mentioned above, you should visit a sober-living home, interview its residents, and have long talks with its staff and manager before you finally decide to live there temporarily. Evaluate the environment and the people as a whole.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a general term for disorders involving the chronic swelling of the digestive tract, which can cause permanent damage. IBD occurs in either of two ways: ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

Ulcerative colitis causes chronic inflammation and ulcers in the innermost lining of the rectum and large intestine. Crohn’s disease, on the other hand, is the swelling of the lining of the GI tract, which can spread to other parts of the body, such as the mouth and anus. Both disorders cause abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue.

Undetermined Causes

Despite active research, scientists and medical experts still can’t pinpoint the factors that cause IBD. This is a problem because until they determine what the cause is, they won’t be able to develop a cure for the disease. But IBD treatment plans are available for those who need to manage the symptoms of their condition.

One possible cause is immune system malfunction. Scholars suspect that as the immune system tries to ward off pathogens and viruses, an abnormal response causes it to attack the cells in the digestive tract as well.

The medical community also believes that factors like lifestyle and heredity increase the risk for IBD.

Genetic Makeup as a Factor of IBD

At first, scholars suspected that IBD runs in families. But the evidence was weak because it wasn’t a parent-to-child transfer, which is the common indication of inherited conditions. But recently, medical experts have confirmed that there is a genetic component to IBD.

More than 200 genetic variations in the DNA code has an association with IBD. And this figure continues to rise as molecular biotechnology evolves each day. An article in the Journal of Autoimmunity studied identical twins to determine the weight of genetic factors in IBD. The researchers found that identical twins have 10 times the risk for Crohn’s disease compared to non-identical twins, and four times the risk for ulcerative colitis.

This finding means that although IBD isn’t necessarily passed down from parent to child, genetic makeup still has a contributing factor to the disease. Scientists have yet to find what triggers these genes to cause IBD. They’re pointing to external factors, such as environment, diet, or lifestyle, that may be triggering the disorder.

External Factors of IBD

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says IBD affects some subpopulations more than others. For one, ulcerative colitis has a slightly higher occurrence in males and Crohn’s disease is more common in females.

The CDC also states IBD is more frequent in people of Caucasian and Ashkenazic Jewish descent than other racial groups. Although this needs more thorough exploration, the trends in reported cases on certain ethnic and racial minorities and geographic regions support the claim.

The concentration of IBD cases in certain subpopulations suggest that the shared lifestyle, diet, environment, or other external factors in these areas may be triggering the disorder.

An article in The Lancet highlights the evolution of IBD across the globe. It reveals that the incidences of the disorder have increased in newly industrialized countries as they become more and westernized. This puts industrialization and the Western lifestyle under the spotlight as culprits for rising IBD rates.

Diet seems to be the most crucial factor in IBD cases. Western diet is characterized by food rich in animal protein and low in fiber. It’s also associated with reduced gut microbial biodiversity, which increases the risk for IBD and other chronic diseases. New studies show that IBD therapy focused on replacing Western diets with a plant-based one is more successful than methods used in earlier research.

Plenty of the claims about the causes of IBD are still initial conclusions. But these open new opportunities for exploration and unearth relevant information regarding the disorder. As the medical community continues to study IBD, affected patients are closer to receiving better treatments for their conditions.