Self Care + Beauty: Smoothing into Swim Season

Smoothing into Swim Season

AT-HOME WAXING TIPS

By Shelley Galbreath

Warm summer sun, beach getaways and long afternoons at the pool, all have one thing in common – more skin and less clothing. We’ve likely been living in swimsuits the past few weeks, which means unwanted hair must go. Many women opt for the smooth, long-lasting results that come from salon waxing treatments. Covid, however, has caused women to look for alternatives to in-salon treatments. Here are some over-the-counter products to help give you a smooth transition into swimsuit season.

• Sally Hansen Ouch Relief Strips for Body

Bikini Wax - This is one of the easiest, fastest, and most painless ways to wax your bikini line.

First, the wax pre-treatment soothes the skin and uses the Sally Hansen’s new Pain Relief technology, which is a healthy dose of the mild anesthetic benzocaine, to numb the skin.

The pre-waxed cloth can be cut to any desired size, and the flexible material fits to any type of curve to ensure it grabs every stray hair.

• Sally Hansen Extra Strength Brazilian

Shaping Kit and Bikini Wax - This extra strength waxing kit is dermatologist and salon-tested and gets rid of any need for strips, with results lasting up to eight weeks.

The formulated wax decreases the amount of hair that grows back and helps relax and soften hair at the root. The kit includes extra strength Brazilian bikini wax, three reusable easy-glide spatulas, a mirror that provides you the best angle for no mistakes, tiny scissors for expert trimming, and Azulene finishing oil for the soothing finish. • Nad’s Brazilian & Bikini Wax - This kit requires no strips, and the hard wax formula has been specifically designed for removing coarse hair from sensitive areas like your bikini line. The product lasts for two to three bikini waxes or one full Brazilian wax and includes post-wax oil wipes for a clean finish and layer of moisturizing oils.

• GiGi Professional Brazilian Bikini Wax -

This is an ideal kit for beginners and experienced waxers alike. It comes with a specialized

Brazilian bikini wax formulated with shea butter and almond oil. There’s also oil to ensure the best prep for your skin, as well as spatulas of varying sizes for the best application possible.

• Relaxnwax No Scream Cream - While local spas do not recommend at-home waxing,

Shirley Williams from Southwest Hair & Day

Spa recommends and sells this product to all her patients before waxing because of its numbing abilities. Relaxnwax No Scream Cream contains benzocaine, which absorbs deeper and lasts longer than traditional numbing creams, reducing pain up to 70%. “We also offer waxing services from head to toe…eyebrows, face, under arms, bikini, Brazilian, full leg, partial leg and back waxes,” Williams said.

If you are looking for a cutting-edge treatment with even less pain, Lauren Eickhoff from ASPIRE Plastic Surgery said laser hair removal treatments scheduled every 4 to 6 weeks are a permanent solution for hair removal.

“These treatments work well for legs, underarm, bikini, chin, upper lip and back, and are much less painful and irritating than other hair removal methods, such as shaving or waxing,” she said.

Maintaining your bikini line, especially during swimsuit season, requires constant maintenance. Thankfully, these waxing kits can help you get smooth summer-ready skin from the confines of your home, or a visit to a local spa can have you beach ready in no time. a

Resource: ASPIRE Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa, aspireplasticsurgery.com Southwest Hair & Day Spa, southwesthairspa.com

DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

GASTROINTESTINAL SUPPORT

G.I. Go is a combination of ginger (Zingiber officinale) and artichoke leaf extract (Cynara cardunculus L.) delivered at a clinically proven dose to restore gastric motility. This distinctive blend of bioactives promotes contractions in the migrating motor complex, helping to restore proper motility, which ensures the steady flow of food particles and bacteria through the small intestine. In addition, it provides support for improved digestion and relief from gas, bloating and associated GI discomfort.

Overview

Motility in the GI tract describes the movement of food and other substances through the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and eventually out of the body. In between meals, the migrating motor complex (MMC) is a cycle of peristatic movement that acts as an inter-digestive housekeeper of the GI tract. The MMC facilitates transport of indigestible substances and bacteria from the stomach and small intestine into the colon, inhibiting the backward migration of colonic bacteria and an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. It has been shown that motility impairment typically results in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).1 MMC activity varies widely across individuals, and can become impaired for several reasons, including stress, medications, sluggish thyroid function4 and even autoimmunity associated with cytolethal distending toxins.

When it comes to the most sensitive patients with SIBO or multiple symptoms of GI discomfort, it is important to choose a proven solution that stimulates motility yet is gentle and effective. Clinical studies on the standardized combination of ginger and artichoke extracts in G.I. Go have demonstrated a unique ability to stimulate gastric motility and relieve temporary GI discomfort.

Artichoke Leaf Extract (Cynara cardunculus L.) Artichoke leaf (Cynara cardunculus L.) has been used for centuries to stimulate bile secretion and enhance overall liver function which help to restore gut motility and improve digestion.6,7 Cynaropicrin, the bitter compound found in artichoke leaf extract, along with other polyphenols, such as caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids, have antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential and contribute to the alleviation of an impressive range of GI symptoms.8,9 In fact, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the combined supplementation with artichoke (100 mg) and ginger extract (20 mg), twice per day before lunch and dinner for 14 days, was shown to improve occasional acid indigestion.10 Artichoke has been said to complement the therapeutic effects of ginger as the former acts on the small intestine while the latter, on the stomach.

Ginger Root Extract (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) The therapeutic applications of ginger root (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) are vast and well-documented by both human and animal data. The therapeutic effects of ginger root reach far beyond its well-recognized role in alleviating nausea and vomiting and include its role as a carminative, spasmolytic, and as a digestive stimulatory agent. For example, compared with placebo, supplementation with a combination of ginger root extract (20 mg) and artichoke leaf extract (100 mg) resulted in a -24% difference in the after-meal gastric area, indicating improved gastric emptying. Additional human studies corroborate this finding showing ginger supplementation stimulates antral contractions in the stomach and consequently accelerates gastric emptying compared to placebo. Preclinical studies suggest the active components in ginger; namely, [6]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, [10]-gingerol and [6]-shogaol, may affect gastrointestinal motility through interaction with serotonergic receptors. Additional human data (using the same 120 mg extract described above) suggest additional gastrointestinal benefits for the combination including improved nausea, epigastric fullness and bloating after four weeks of daily supplementation before lunch and dinner. Ginger has also shown to help maintain microbial balance. Supplementation with 3 g/day of ginger for four weeks has been shown to remove unwanted organisms in gastric area and improve occasional acid indigestion with symptoms of gastric fullness, early satiety, nausea, belching, and gastric discomfort.

Clinical Applications • Stimulates Gastric Motility and Emptying • Promotes Cleansing of the Gut • Supports Microbial Balance in the GI Tract

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