Six Steps To A Bootylicious Behind

A round perky derrière can make any ordinary dress look couture and transcend a regular pair of skinny jeans to object of envy. “Brazillian Butt” a beauty benchmark celebrating the country’s gravity-defying bundas showcased in teeny bikinis is on every girls must-have beauty wish-list. If you think this supernatural phenomenon is all coz of lucky genes you’re very wrong. These curves are the direct byproduct of the country’s sun-and-sport culture, which emphasizes on regular workouts and diligent skincare.

Here’s a foolproof blueprint for a bootylicious behind even if you don’t carry the Brazilian genes.

1) First & Foremost - Exercise

If your bottom is too flabby then its time to officially shake that booty. Start exercise on regular basis to tone up the muscles and optimize the shape of your bum. Walking gets great results, providing it is done on a daily basis.

Here is a simple tried and tested exercise protocol that can enhance your butt shape if practiced regularly. 

2) Let’s Get You All Smooth Bummed - Off With The Orange-peel

Cellulite makes skin look uneven. Effects of aging, hormones and unhealthy lifestyle make the collagen bundles that connect your skin to the underlying fat become weak. Fat starts to protrude in some areas leading to a dimpled orange peel appearance. Unfortunately exercise can’t solve this problem entirely. To smoothen and strengthen the skin and get rid of orange-peel effect without affecting the buttocks’ shape doctors usually combine Carboxy Therapy treatments with Multipolar Radiofrequency treatements. By increasing oxygen flow to the cells, carboxy therapy galvanizes cell exchange and encourages the elimination of fat pads peeping through the damage collagen fibers. Radiofrequency enhances the skin’s surface by making the collagen bundles stronger and plumping the dermis. It usually requires 5 to 6 sessions performed once a week to see good results.

3) Stretch Marks

These white stripes represent scars in your skin. While undergoing growth spurt during puberty or with weight gain your skin gets stretched to accommodate for size change. If your skin doesn’t have enough elasticity, collagen and elastin bundles break and the crack is filled with white scar tissue. A combination of Carboxy Therapy along with Micro-needling and Fractional CO2 Laser treatments can work wonders in erasing the stretch marks. The idea is to replace old damaged skin with new healthy skin which is plump with collagen and elastin. By boosting oxygen flow to the cells, carboxy therapy encourages cell regeneration. Micro-needling, which involves injecting the skin using different sized micro-needles, stimulates fibroblast induction. Fractional CO2 laser physically removes the scar tissue with micro beams and replaces it with fresh healthy skin.

4) Plump Up For A Shape Change

To improve the shape of buttocks, we can use injections of Fat taken from your own body or synthetic injections like Macrolane ® which are composed of highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid. These two are the most effective methods to add volume and create a rounder shape for the buttocks. Fat is natural filler and can be harvested from patients own body especially from lower back and thigh areas to create a tiny waist and slim thighs that contrast with a rounder bum in a more flattering way. One session plus a touch up 4-6 weeks after the first session gives long-term results that last 3-5 years. When opting for Macrolane ® injections you have to keep in mind that usually a large quantity of product is required to create an attractive shape (the cost can be quite high). After the injection session patients must avoid sitting or sleeping on their back for 7-14 days, so as not to displace the injected product. Top-up sessions are required every 18 to 24 months. Procedure is considered uncomfortable even painful in some cases depending on your pain threshold.

5) Lift That Butt Up

Radiofrequency devices can help to lift and tighten the skin around the buttock area. They also help to slim down and create better contour for your behind. To achieve good results 5-10 sessions are needed which should be scheduled 7-15 days apart.

Tensor threads and tissue inducers can also be used to lift the buttocks (that are not very bulky), but the success rate is questionable in most cases. Using special vectors specialized Prolene 2.0 threads can be injected by a specialist under local anesthetic. You get 10-15% results immediately but the final results become apparent in 3 to 6 months. These threads are 100% biodegradable and within year or two they are fully reabsorbed hence they need top up every 1-2 year.

6) Tone Up And Slim Down

If your buttock area is too large, there is nothing better than HIFU or focused ultrasounds to reshape it. Focused ultrasound beams destroy excess fat while improving the skin tone. Usually three sessions are required, with a month in between. Cryolipolysis, meanwhile, is great for the fat that lurks in the fold under your buttock. It works by freezing and thus destroying the fat cells. Cryolipo cannot be used on the whole bum, as it works best on small, well-defined areas.

This six-step approach to fix the skin, subcutaneous tissue, fat and muscles delivers best looking and shapely bums that anyone can ever wish for. First step towards a perfect behind is awaiting you – Get Moving!

Sweat Or Not To Sweat: Antiperspirant Ingredients Linked With Breast Cancer

October is breast cancer awareness month. In addition to joining the parade for hot fuchsia or pinky pink for show of support, it’s an ideal time to learn about the precautionary steps we can take to prevent it. One common but controversial risk factor that has been a subject of debate between scientific circles, environmental protection groups and cosmeceutical industry for the last decade or so happens to be a very common ingredient in our personal hygiene products: aluminum chloride.

Aluminum salts are used as an active ingredient in most antiperspirants and deodorants that control sweating and associated body odor. When applied to the skin they dissolve into the sweat and block the sweat gland ducts. This blockage reduces the amount of moisture on the skin’s surface.

Scientific Research Linking Aluminum Salts To Breast Cancer

A study conducted in 2005 brought the hairy fact into limelight, that constant application of antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride or aluminum chlorhydrate could be related to an increase in breast cancer cells because of the compounds' ability to mimic estrogen in the body.

After this research was published the scientific community agreed on the conclusion that more follow through studies were needed to fully understand the long-term effects of aluminum exposure near breast tissue.

The investigative work that followed since has provided conflicting results and has been inconclusive at its best.

The lack of strong data backed by conclusive results lead most cancer societies across the world to agree on the conclusion that there is no good evidence that aluminum salts in deodorants could increase the risk of cancer in animals or humans.

New Light On The Subject

Recently scientists from University of Geneva have again confirmed the fact that a link between breast cancer and aluminum chloride salts used in the deodorants does exist indeed. 

This new research has been published in the September 2016 issue of International Journal of Cancer. During this study scientists looked at isolated human mammary cells and later in test mice. They observed that long-term exposure to the chemical not only spurred on cancer tumors but also their proliferation throughout the body.

Conclusion: Long-term exposure of aluminum salts leads to very aggressive growth of breast tumors with ability to metastasize or spread.

The Controversial Debate

This recent study has again heated up the debate that aluminum salts can be triggers to breast cancer.

Dr. Andre-Pascal Sappino one of the co-authors of the study strongly advises, "I think we should avoid all deodorants containing aluminum salts." admitting that his recommendations will likely trigger major industry backlash. "Now the fight will begin. They will act like the tobacco industry and say that proof in human beings is lacking."

Representing the critics of the study, Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, has advised the media to view and interpret this study with caution. Her chief argument being, this particular research is bringing charges against aluminum salts solely by studying their effect on mice tissue. Previous research done on human breast tissue has rendered inconclusive results.

Bottom Line

Study authors and environmental safety groups are appealing to masses to stop using deodorants and antiperspirants that contain these chemicals. Critics are advising to ignore the study and continue life as usual with dry armpits and antiperspirants in your toiletry bags, claiming that the evidence is weak and should not be taken seriously.

Common sense dictates - Where there is smoke there’s fire. The study might have been done on mice but a carcinogen is a carcinogen. Sweating and body odor can be managed by other means, which are not implicated as cancer triggers. Why should you take the risk of exposing yourself to a detrimental chemical, if you could avoid it?

Life can go on normally without use antiperspirants hence lets make it so.

Risk Free Options

Practicing good hygiene is the best alternative. Sweat is odorless bad smell is generated when bacteria growing in the armpits break down the acids in the sweat. Wash the area with soap and water 2-3 per day to avoid growth of bacteria and odor. Shave armpits regularly and keep the area as clean and dry as possible.

Avoid foods that tend to make you sweat more, such as hot peppers or other spicy foods, might also contribute to body odor. The aroma of foods such as onions or garlic can be carried in the sweat, making you smell bad. Drinks with caffeine or alcohol may also cause you to sweat more.

Look for natural and aluminum salt free products. As a general rule, deodorants tend to be less problematic than antiperspirants, as they work by neutralizing the smell of your sweat and by antiseptic action against bacteria, rather than by preventing sweating. There are many brands of aluminum-free deodorants on the market, which could be used as safe alternatives.

"Crystal" deodorant stones are a popular natural deodorant alternative often used by health-conscious shoppers looking to avoid aluminum. They contain potassium or ammonium alums. These are natural mineral salts made up of molecules that are too large to be absorbed by your skin. They form a protective layer on your skin that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. These deodorants are recommended by many cancer treatment centers, but while these may be a better alternative to most antiperspirants and deodorants on the market, they are not completely aluminum-free.

Botox to the rescue– If excessive sweating is a major problem small and controlled doses of Botox can be injected in the armpits to prevent sweating.

Take Home Message

The most important step to prevent breast cancer is to understand what you can do to reduce your risk. Breast cancer prevention starts with healthy habits — such as limiting alcohol, avoiding smoking, eating healthy, staying physically active, avoiding exposure to estrogens, radiation and environmental pollution.

If possible avoid all chemicals linked with cancer with or without big medical proof. You loose nothing by playing it safe and removing harmful chemicals from your life - Better safe than sorry!