For generations, well-meaning mothers, fathers and even grandparents have dispensed little nuggets of wisdom which are offered as a way to help a young person gain a little advantage over their contemporaries. One of these “bon mots” is a classic bit of self-help: “you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”
This advice is even more relevant for adults than it is to children and, for better or worse, the part of the body which leads to many first impressions is the face. It suggests age, health, vitality, attractiveness and beauty. While this might seem to be superficial – everyone knows it’s what’s “inside” that makes a person special – the fact remains that a person’s face is the primary source of any first impression.
So, what happens when one meets a new acquaintance and their face looks tired, gray and wrinkled? It may not be “fair,” but conclusions are consciously and subconsciously drawn which will affect the relationship – for better or worse.
In his best-selling book Blink, science writer, Malcolm Gladwell wrote about “thinking without thinking.” His contention is simple: a human’s “adaptive subconscious” is capable of making accurate judgements about very complicated issues – fear, love, trust – in the blink of an eye.
The health and wellness professionals at EVEXIAS Medical Centers understand the impact of facial appearance in establishing a first impression. Their state-of-the-art therapies have helped thousands of women and men to start off on the right foot, or face. Click here to make an appointment now.
About Face
What is it about the human face which makes it lose its shape as one becomes older? Terri DeNeui, a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner and founder of EVEXIAS Medical Centers is an expert on helping both genders improve the appearance of their face. She offered an explanation on the tendency of this “window to the soul” to sag over time.
“As we age, we lose fat pads and collagen,” she noted. “This causes the skin which was covering those fat pads to sag and droop.”
This can be a professional problem for those whose livelihood depends beautiful or handsome face – actors and actresses.
When the curtain goes up on the 2016 Academy Awards Show on February 28, 2016, the presenters and winners will receive the much-talked about Oscar “goodie bag”, this year valued at $200,000! In addition to trips to Israel, an aromatherapy steam generator and other luxury items, there is a special gift with a quirky name – a PRP Lift.
Smoothing out Those Wrinkles Using One’s Own Blood
This procedure with the colorful name, is performed by the clinical team at Hormonal Health, Wellness & Aesthetic Centers for both men and women to get a more healthy appearance. So, where did the procedure’s name – PRP – originate?
“Dr. Runnels, who is the physician who created these procedures, coined the phrase because they use the patient’s own blood,” Terri said. “The procedure uses certain parts of the blood to re-inject into the areas such as the face or bones and joints which need repair. The PRP Facelift is named as such because we are using parts of the patient’s own blood, specifically platelet-rich plasma.”
What are the advantages of using this platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for a patient wanting to smooth out facial wrinkles?
“There are a couple of approaches,” she said. “One is a PRP Facial ® , where the practitioner uses a tool to create tiny holes – just 4 millimeters – in your skin and it’s painless. Then the patient’s own PRP is ‘painted’ over the tiny holes and is absorbed into the skin. The platelets have many wonderful attributes – growth factors and stem cells – which, when they are released, create new cells and new collagen.”
“This creates what we call the “PRP Glow.” The face literally glows after this procedure. It looks like a toddler’s or baby’s skin. It is plump and full and it’s full of life.”
“The PRP Facelift ®, on the other hand, is used in combination with filler,” Terri noted. “Historically, collagen-based fillers were used to restore the volume that had been lost due to age. Fat transplants have had some success, but not enough. The collagen-based fillers have proven to increase the volume better and when the patient’s PRP is used in conjunction with these, the healing is much quicker. This procedure is taking the traditional methods we have used to restore volume to a whole other level of rejuvenation.”
What about side-effects?
“The beautiful thing about using someone’s own blood is that you just can’t mess it up,” she laughed. “We were trained that the PRP is going to go where it is needed. The body knows how to heal itself if we just give it the tools it needs.”
She also noted, “One challenge to this procedure involves some doctors using different modalities to extract the blood and they are not getting platelet rich plasmas. The developers have spent a great deal of time and money finding the correct tools to spin down this blood to get the most densely packed plasma and this is the method we use in our clinics. Not all PRP therapies are as effective as they can be.”
It’s all about the Glow
How does this procedure affect a first impression?
“It’s all about the glow,” Terri said. “After about two weeks, the patients see their skin glowing. They look vibrant and healthy. It’s a subtle shift to a more glowing, vibrant appearance and it lasts a long time.”
“The aging process continues,” she noted. “Patients can do this procedure once a month, once a quarter or once a year. It just depends on how hard they are on their skin and what they are taking into their bodies. Everything we put in our bodies is manifested through the skin. Those of us who take care of our skin can get a PRP Facial and it will probably last a year.”
What does your face say about you? What kind of first impressions are you making?
If you would like to find out more information about the PRP Facial and PRP Facelift, click here to join Terri and her wellness professionals at EVEXIAS Medical Centers (formerly Hormonal Health, Wellness and Aesthetic Centers). You can also reserve your slot for these no-obligation educational sessions via phone at 817.328.8376 (Southlake) or 469.402.1877 (Rockwall).
