Recall on accutane?. Could BOTOX be next? December 1, 2009 By Pamela Bond   Pamela Bond Skin Fitness Q & A Session   Question: As you know Accutane was recalled June 2009 for inflammatory bowel disease. Could the same thing happen with BOTOX?     Pamela Bond:   Everything has a side effect whether it is good or bad. Usually, when it comes to relying on the use of a drug as a solution to correct skin problems, I have never seen good results. You might see a quick fix but it usually comes back or creates other problems.   Accutane is generally prescribed as a medication to treat severe acne, however, it has even prescribed as a solution for moderate acne. Oftentimes people don't look into the possible side effects that taking such a drug can cause. Accutane is so potent that blood tests are generally required to check liver enzymes on a monthly basis. As a patient, you need to be more aware of potential side effects a drug like this can cause on the body, not just now but years from now. Unfortunately, people who used this drug years ago are coming forward with cases of inflammatory bowel disease and other intestinal problems.      Inflammatory Acne is a genetic disease and while it can be challenging you can minimize breakouts. It could be a time-consuming process but some of the ways you can see a difference are by controlling diet, taking supplements, and implementing a good skin care routine.  When selecting products for acne seek the advice of a Master Aesthetician that is well educated and experienced in acne.  Doctors claim that diet does not affect your skin. Everything and anything affects your body and every organ that keeps you alive. Diet wise, it's a good idea to stay away from salty foods because they can be a trigger as well as sushi, some shampoos, some laundry detergent, pool chemicals, Gatorade and Coca-Cola.   Since acne generally effects teens it can leave behind mental scars as well as physical and that's why in some extreme cases it's a good idea to look into the possibility of using antibiotics. But keep in mind that doctors generally treat acne and not the skin. Antibiotics are only a temporary solution and should be reserved only for severe cases. Patients can’t be lazy when caring for acne. Being compliant with your skin care is a must to control your breakouts; I know no one wants to hear this. For the past 20 years I have always warned against the use of drugs for skin and beauty care and with that said…I have no doubt that one-day you will hear the same for Botox. Don’t forget, Beauty beware! As a patient, you should ask ‘who has my best interest at hand’ before you indulge in a quick solution. As the Dalai Lama says, “ the easy way is the hard way and the hard way is the easy way”.  This is my mantra when I wake up for my 6 a.m. work out! Live and love your skin …P     Mistake #2, May I See Your ID Please? September 24th, 2009 By Pamela Bond   We all like to hear this at Happy Hour…how young it makes us feel. How would you feel about if you heard this at your next visit to your Aesthetician or even at the makeup counter?  More and more these days I find that women and Men are still using skin care that they used in high school? You have always been told to let go of your past, this is one time those words would serve you well.  The mistake here is using out dated products and still believing you have the same skin type/condition you had 20 years ago.    Your skin type/ condition changes over the years and so should your skin care. Here is a good example –you‘re still using acne products because you use to break out when you were younger. Twenty years later you are still using the same products but what you are not aware of is that acne and the cause changes over the years as well. And there are different types of acne, they should not be treated the same.  You still break out but your skin is dry now and you keep buying products for oily skin.   Let’s start off on the right foot…You must get your skin analyzed by a Professional not at the makeup counter. If you don’t know your type / condition you could be aging your skin quicker than thank you think. Once you know your correct type / condition chose the products that work with your type/condition. Skin care is advancing every day and keeping up with that will keep your skin UP. But not all skin care is the same. What you see is not what you may be getting. Yes I just opened up a can of worms and these worms need to be sorted out for you to get the most HONEST and real results that you pay and think you are getting…I’m going to have to keep you hanging  here …sorry. I have to run… time for my morning walk with Juniper …puppy bonding time. Also I need to think how in the shortest way to explain these can of worms… until next week…LIVE & LOVE YOUR SKIN…P Please join us for our Beauty Event     Your Fall could be Dangerous!!! September 23th, 2009 By Pamela Bond Join us for a colorful  "Fall" at Pamela Bond Skin Fitness and we will make you look Fabulously Dangerous.   Complimentary Fall SENNA Makeup Application with a purchase of any new Fall Colors. Call for your appointment now 305 663 5775 or order on-line and receive 10% off. Offer expires 10/2     MIRROR Mirror on the wall mistake no. 3 tells it all? September 15th, 2009 By Pamela Bond   One of the worst things one can own is a magnifying mirror. Does it really tell the truth? This may not be a problem for you, for most it is and can cause not only damage to your skin also to yourself confidence.  I hear all the time “my eyes are not as good as they use to be.”  Then I would recommend that you cut your time down in the mirror and only focus on what needs to be.  If you are a compulsive picker this can be a very dangerous and damaging thing. Your mirror will pick up on things that will absolutely drive you crazy. Ask yourself “can anyone else see this? “ If not I would leave it alone or have your Master Aesthetician have a look at it before you go to town and cause more problems.   I always say “If you really have a good friend who needs a mirror “. Hotel mirrors…Oh my, I don’t even dare look into those…are you kidding! Not only is the lighting bad, it even talks back to me.  Not all mirror time has to be bad time…I always give myself a good talk each morning and when I am putting on my creams and things my mantra is” Pretty skin -pretty skin -pretty pretty -pretty skin”.  Try it, it works. Live and Love your skin…P   Anti-Aging vs. Healthy Skin (#4) September 8,2009 By Pamela Bond   No one knows what the perfect face is except you. Are your expectations helping or hurting your skin?  In a world where beauty seems to be everything, everything is not beautiful for your skin. We look for that magic cream. The procedure that will take spots, wrinkles and broken capillaries away. We buy and do anything that promises to stop the clock. This wanting causes us to over spend, over peel, over inject, over laser and over extract. Always seeking the latest, greatest anti-aging secret will never end until you change the direction you are looking.   The secret to ageless skin is healthy skin. Shifting your focus from anti-aging to healthy skin is ageless. Your concerns will shift and you will become aware of what your putting on your skin. You will question your ingredients because you care for yourself as a whole person.  You will not seek a quick fix, instead question how will this affect me 5, 10, 20 years from now?  You will seek the best in skin care and treatments and will understand why and what it will do for you now and your future from head to toe.   You will learn the benefits of eating healthy, exercise, mediation and doing the things you love. You will find ways to minimize stress and have “me” time on a daily bases. This to me is an ageless approach. What you do, eat and even think affects your skin. If one merely focuses only on anti-aging, I find people become crazed with what is out there and their choices may not be the healthiest. Wanting it all now and not questioning what happens later will only cause more work and money spent in the long run. By combining your skin care and holistic / clinical treatments with healthy life choices, soul rejuvenation and loving yourself is the best wrinkle cream in the world. Love the skin you are in...     5 Mistakes Women Make  With Their Skin (#5) August 31, 2009 By Pamela Bond   Are you doing the best you can for your skin?  In the next 5 weeks every Monday I will count down 5 mistakes women make with their skin and some simple skin fitness solutions? Skin care has advanced in many ways. Products are focused and ingredients are more active. Skin can become complicated due to excess stress, sun and using products that may have compromised your skin. If your Master Aesthetician is willing to work with you, stick with her. That tells me she is passionate and loves what she does.  Make sure she knows advance skin analysis. It determines your basic skin type and your common skin conditions.Your Dermatologist needs to know this too. They are not the same and it is the main key to right products for your skin and correct ingredients for your skin solution.    If you start to see a slight change in your skin such as a couple of breakouts, that  can be normal due to the energizing ingredients such as Alpha Lipoic Acid or the deep cleansing of your new cleanser.  Some slight flushing or texture shifting can be caused by oxygen producing Ergothione, or firming Algae Peptides (what your products don't have these ingredients…hmmmm you're missing out). This will pass but if it continues   don't panic and throw everything away or go to another Aesthetician. If the problem continues after 4-5 days stop your products call your Aesthetician and tell her what is happening.    You have to communicate; this is the only way you will make progress. If you really want the best results stick with it…and don't pop around on your products. Ingredients communicate they need 35 to 50 days to build a relationship with your skin. If you pop around you will only get gossipy skin. And if you don't see any changes with your skin let her know that as well. There is always a skin solution but it may take a couple tries to find it.  Join me next Monday to count down #4.