Education

It’s hard to believe that Halloween is upon us.  I’m already feeling sad that some of the trees have lost all their leaves. The vivid fall colors paired with the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot, makes the briskness in the autumn air more bearable.

I don’t personally have any plans for Halloween this year, just a nice dinner to celebrate the completion of mid-terms, so I will be out and about on the 31st previewing all the elaborate costumes.  We’re quite lucky in North America to have a day where adults get to dress up and pretend to be someone or something else for a few hours.

For those of us who are not dressing up, we still may want to put on a “new face” and scare off any wrinkles that have started to settle in.  If these ghastly furrows have out-worn their welcome, don’t worry, there are several options with which you can banish them.

1. Injectables This is undoubtedly the quickest and easiest method to create a more youthful appearance. A few tiny injections of either botox or a hyaluronic acid-based filler can imbue youthfulness to your appearance for four to twelve months. And if you feel like having a plumper pout while you’re at it- why not? 
2. Cosmetic Acupuncture This approach to age prevention works beyond the instant gratification of  and helps to activate your body’s natural age-fighting battalion.  Minute needles are place along expression lines and areas of concern to bring blood flow and nourishment to the skin, and connective tissues. The tiny wounds inflicted by the needles encourages the formation of collagen- all the while, you’re stimulating points corresponding to the organs of your body. Ostensibly, you’re doing your whole body a favor with this treatment.
3. Photorejuvenation If the leopard look is not a part of your plan this Halloween and you’re looking to loose your spots, this treatment is for you. The side benefit to shedding those hyperpigmented cells is improved firmness and smoothing of fine lines.
4. Skin Tightening This treatment is like boot camp for your skin. Infrared light builds heat in the dermal tissues of the skin, causing new collagen to be formed. The result, smoothing out of wrinkles, expression lines and facial contours without the fright-factor of a face lift.

Don’t let aging process scare you into submission- with these weapons at you’re disposal, this Halloween will have more of a Casper the Friendly Ghost feel, than that of a terrifying tribulation.

The concept of a body wrap has always been an alluring and romantic ideal representation of ’spa’ to me. I envision entering the treatment as my usual (perhaps tired and stressed) self and exiting entirely renewed and refreshed. That is the very essence of detoxification. To purify and cleanse, not only physically, but mentally as well.

That being said, I think that the ‘body wrap’ is an oft misunderstood and unappreciated element of the spa. With a myriad of choices and fads to follow, it’s no wonder that spa-goers aren’t sure of what to partake in, let alone whether or not they really need it. The recent consumer trend seems to be moving away from the traditional “inch loss” and “cellulite reduction” marketing, as people are more educated about the reality of these ineffective methods. The trend is now moving towards supporting optimal health.

I think that in Vancouver, we’re fortunate to have a culture that has a health-based foundation which has led to more sophisticated choices for maintaining optimal health. So, like our Eurpean counterparts, we’re making detoxification a part of our lifestyle and not so much an aesthetic choice.

Why Detox?

Toxins accumulate in our bodies for many reasons. Stress, pollution, lack of exercise and poor nutrition create an accumulation of toxins that our body is unable to fully process without a little help. When we’re toxic we can experience fatigue, head aches, general aches and pains as well as mental sluggishness. Not to mention that we have more oxidative stress in our system.  This oxidative stress leads to the degradation of healthy cells in our body, which contributes to the aging process. And for a culture obsessed with age-prevention, detoxification programs offer us an opportunity to help our body defend itself from the aging process.

Ways to Detox

• infrared sauna therapy This technology has been around for over 42 years and is exceptional for eliminating toxins from the system by activating circulation and perspiration. It is purported that you can burn up to 600 calories in the sauna within a 30 minute session.  I’ve found that the sauna not only cleanses my body, but my mind as well.  I get deeply relaxed and I feel like endorphins have been released, giving me that post-work out euphoria.
• body treatments Ingredients like fresh sea weeds and glacial clay have a direct link to our blood plasma (ie: our skin recognizes them and invites them in) and have been proven to eliminate toxins while replenishing the body with nutrients such as minerals, vitamins and amino acids.  In addition to the health benefits of purifying our skin, these treatments also improve us on an aesthetic level. Smoothing away dry rough skin cells and hydrating the epidermis reveals fresh and youthful skin. I know that I always feel like a new person from head to toe after a body treatment.