Category: Articles

Sufferers of serious social anxiety will already be aware of the impact that it has on their daily lives and personal relationships. With social anxiety often causing sufferers to be unable to create and maintain new friendships, romantic relationships, or attend and enjoy social events such as parties, those who have social anxiety will often find themselves feeling confined and reclusive without necessarily wanting to be.

Social anxiety sufferers who are wanting to change and better their lives through the development of friendships and social experiences may have tried previously and found themselves ‘failing’ due to a feeling of panic. Overcoming an anxiety-controlled life is not an easily process, but there are some ways that can help individuals start becoming a more confident and less anxious person in social situations.

Take it One Step at a Time

There is often a conflict over what is the best way to overcome social anxiety without professional help, with some arguing that throwing a socially anxious person into a situation where they experience feelings of extreme anxiety and panic being the best cure. This is not the case though as it can actually lead to an individual becoming even more reluctant to be part of social situations.

In reality, those trying to overcome anxiety alone should take it one step at a time and begin with an increase of attendance of situations that they feel less anxious about. A situation such as a trip to the cinema could be a low pressure experience for someone suffering from social anxiety as it require minimal talk so could be a great starting point to the improvement of confidence and reduction of anxiety.

Trick Yourself into Confidence

When slowly introducing new social experiences, or increasing social activity, a person suffering from anxiety can help trick themselves into confidence by practicing a number of techniques. Spending time creating mantras that can be repeated to oneself to help improve confidence is a great way to help an individual trick themselves into feeling confidence and actually really helps boost confidence.

A simple mantra can consist of basic sentences that are tailored and should include statements such as ‘I am confident’, ‘I am interesting’, and ‘I am a nice person’ to be repeated to oneself in front of a mirror to help increase an individual’s belief in themselves and their abilities.

Try Hypnotherapy

As social anxiety is not always easy to solve, sufferers may want to consider how professional services such as hypnotherapy can help. A professional hypnotherapist can help eliminate some of the feelings of anxiety, discover the reason why an individual feels anxious in particular situations as well as teaching coping techniques.

Attending a hypnotherapy for anxiety session, such as the one offered here, means that an individual receives an instant boost in their confidence that will help them begin to attend and enjoy the social situations that they want to, rather than feel restricted in what they do.

Regardless of how an individual decides to combat their social anxiety, it is important to do so in a way that creates happiness and comfort within oneself rather than punishment and dislike, as negative feelings towards oneself will only further feelings of anxiety and low self-worth.

Beth Stubbings thinks that although the journey to feeling confident and comfortable in social situations can be difficult it is definately worth in as it vastly improves an individual’s quality of life. She would recommend Fix My Mind to those considering hypnotherapy for anxiety.

Everyone wants their teeth to be white forever. That means you will have to be careful because it’s easy to ruin them by eating certain things. You don’t want end up in the dentist’s chair having your teeth ripped from your mouth because you spent many years slowly destroying them.

It’s time you found out what food and drink is most likely to cause you the most trouble. In future you should think very carefully about what you put in your mouth. You only get one set of teeth and if you want to buy new ones they are very expensive.

Dreaded dried fruit

You might think dried fruit is healthy because it’s just fruit, but it’s terrible for your teeth. Think about how much sugar is contained in fruit. When it’s dried it is nice and sticky, so when you eat it a lot of sugar is going to be sticking to your teeth. It will also help to feed the bacteria inside your mouth which can lead to erosion.

Hard candy

I’m guessing you already knew hard candy wasn’t the best type of food in the world for your teeth. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that solid sugar is going to mess your mouth up. The sugar will stick to your teeth and it will take ages to dissolve because the candy is so hard. If you do eat any you should brush your teeth after you’ve finished.

Any kind of popcorn

It’s not even the type of popcorn you eat that causes problems. You might love sweet popcorn and it’s not great for your teeth, but as soon as you brush them the sugar will disappear. The real problem is the kernels that get stuck in between your teeth and inside your gums. If you don’t get rid of them when you floss you will end up with cavities because of the buildup of bacteria.

Sour citrus fruits

Lemons and oranges taste great, but they are full of acid and sugar. That doesn’t mean you can’t eat them because you only need to rinse your mouth out with water once you’re done. The people who will suffer the most are the ones who like to bite on slices of lemons or oranges. You are literally bathing your teeth in a bath of acid which can’t be too good for them.

Sugary soda

This is another one you know you shouldn’t be touching with a 10ft bargepole, but you do because you’re addicted to it. That is the only way to explain why someone would enjoy drinking a bottle of sugar. If you’re going to keep drinking it you should definitely use a straw and you won’t end up with lots on your teeth.

Alcoholic drinks

Alcohol is not good for you because of the effect it has on your mouth. You stop producing enough salvia which is what helps wash away food particles in the first place. It’s alright to drink on a night out, but just remember to drink water in between each beer or wine. Alcoholics are going to end up with the most trouble because their mouth will always be dryer than usual.

Starchy food

Can you guess what the problem is with food like potato chips and white bread? It can get stuck inside your teeth easily. It needs to be taken out once you’ve finished your meal otherwise it’s going to feed the bacteria that makes up plaque. You should always have some tooth floss lying around and it will take you a few minutes to clean your teeth after each meal.

Today’s guest author is Dr. Diana Hall, a dentist based in Australia. She is well versed with the new laser dentistry techniques. She is an avid blogger and shares valuable tips on dental care and hygiene in her articles.

A lot of people seem to think exercise is a young person’s game, but it’s simply not true and should be doing everything within your power to stay as healthy as possible no matter what age you are. There are actually a few very good reasons why you must keep exercising even if you don’t want a cover model body anymore. We’re going to take a look at them today and I hope some of these reasons convince you to start moving more from now on.

Thrive in old age

Once you reach a certain age the body begins to go downhill. Maybe you’ve already started to experience it at the moment, but once you start exercising you will begin to see something magical happening. Instead of slowing down the aging process it can even wind back the clock in some cases. It means you will be able to thrive in old age, whereas at the moment you might only be able to survive. You don’t want to get to the stage where you can’t even walk without help.

Fight off diseases

If you stay healthy it will also mean your body finds it easier to fight off horrible diseases. Some medicine and a little rest might mean they don’t stick around, but do you really want to fight diseases in the first place? You won’t even be hit by most of them if your body can stop them from becoming a problem. Life isn’t fun when you’re always sick because you’ll be too weak to enjoy yourself and you will also be in pain on a constant basis.

Save lots of money

Unless you’re a millionaire with a huge savings account you will need a lot of money when you’re older. Even if you have the best insurance in the world you might need to pay for certain things. If you don’t get sick often you will have a lot more money because you won’t need to waste any on something that could easily have been prevented. When you retire you can use your money to enjoy yourself, or if you don’t spend everything you will have more money to leave to your family.

Your lovely family

I bet your family love you more than anything else in the world, so they will want you to be healthy when you’re older. If you aren’t in good health you won’t be able to throw the grand kids about and they’ll remember you as the old person who sat around watching TV all day. You might not even get to see them because you could be dead before they arrive. The only way you’ll be able to enjoy your family as much as possible when you get older is by staying fit and healthy.

Better mental health

People are afraid to admit they have anything wrong with their mind, but we’re slowly starting to realize it affects more and more of us on a daily basis. Suffering from mental health issues is just as horrible as suffering from physical health issues. If you have a healthy body you have a much better chance of keeping your mind healthy. It’s painful to watch someone losing their mental stability and I’m positive it’s not something you want to suffer from when you get older.

Worse than death

If you ask someone who is struggling with health in their old age they will tell you it’s worse than death. I bet they would do anything for the power to go back and change their life. Their opportunity has sailed away, but you still have control over your destiny so please do everything possible to stay healthy.

This article is authored by Christine Thomas, an intern at Serene Day Spa and Beauty, renowned providers of spa packages in Perth. Christine loves to knit for her little kids, Sam and Lily whenever she has time.

To relax after a hard day’s work or to reward one’s self after hitting the gym, many people turn to alcohol in its various forms: wine, beer, or mixed drinks. Alcohol has become a part of our lifestyle as a way to let loose, de-stress, and be social. For this reason, our body seems to a crave cold refreshing alcoholic beverage after a tough day.

But before you reach for that ice cold beer, you should consider the negative impact of alcohol on your health and fitness, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Keep in mind that drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking, can have negative effects on your weight loss. Binge drinking will not only result in possible legal problems, such as DUI charges, but it can also result in health and weight loss problems.

Want To Lose Weight? Ditch The Booze

Staying sober also has other benefits aside from staying out of legal trouble. It also helps you stay on track with your weight loss plan.

Alcohol contains empty calories and it does not have nutritional value. Instead, it is a toxin that can result in health complications if not consumed in moderation. Every gram of alcohol you consume counts for 7.1 calories, but since you burn up some of those, the total calorie per gram stored in your body is around 5.7. Keep in mind that your body cannot store alcohol; therefore, it must metabolize it immediately. Unfortunately, metabolizing alcoholic beverages can damage other metabolic process.

This means that your body won’t be able to metabolize the sugar and fat contained in the alcoholic drink efficiently. Binge drinking will cause your metabolism to slow down, contributing to weight gain. The empty calories found in the alcohol can also contribute to weight gain. To avoid gaining weight, the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine says you should limit your alcohol intake to two drinks per day.

Controlling the amount of alcohol you consume is not only beneficial for your weight loss. Those who avoid binge drinking live healthier lives because they are less likely to suffer from health complications, injuries, or get into an alcohol-related traffic accident, says Suhre Law & Associates.

Other negative effects of alcohol include:

Reduced Muscle Growth: Alcohol impairs protein synthesis, which is vital for the development of muscles. To avoid muscle loss, avoid drinking alcohol after a hard workout. Choose to drink water instead, and keep track of your alcohol intake.

Heart Health: There are instances wherein moderate alcohol intake can result in certain health benefits. Dr. Sanjay Gupta said in an interview for “Time” magazine that moderate drinking affects the body by increasing the levels of healthy cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. However, binge drinking is harmful to overall health and fitness. Moderation is the secret to a healthy lifestyle.

How To Cut Down On Alcohol

Curb Your Drinking Habits: You should control your drinking urges. You should set goals, such as avoid drinking when stressed or sad. If possible, try to limit alcohol intake by scheduling five alcohol-free days every week. During the days where you can drink alcohol, make sure to leave your car at home or assign a designated driver.

Don’t Drink Without Having Anything To Eat: You should have a full stomach before you start drinking. A full stomach slows down the alcohol absorption.

Hydrate By Drinking Water: You should quench your thirst with water. Otherwise, you will be drowning a full can of soft drinks or alcoholic beverages.

Do Other Things: If you are at a party and you are tempted to drink, you should do other things. For instance, you can hit the dance floor, volunteer to be in charge of the music, or play a game of pool. Doing so will prevent you from excessive drinking due to boredom or peer pressure.

This guest post is written by Kris Bennette a health enthusiast and blogger. In this article, she discusses the negative effects of alcohol intake to a person’s health and fitness.

Remember when you were younger and care free?  Sure, there might have been school work or boyfriend-girlfriend drama, but there was always a way you could kind to escape the troubles and find an open mind.  Unfortunately those days may currently seem long gone and far from returning.  Many of us have super tight schedules, heavy workloads, and even family issues to deal with.  All of life’s obstacles that gain momentum and snowball as we get older can often times caste a rather big shadow over the simple joys of life that we used to enjoy.

Stress can put a huge damper on yourself as well as your loved ones.  If you’re bogged down with big thoughts and decisions it can take a toll on your health and personality.  Having surmounted stress can lead to snippy attitudes, loss of sleep and appetite, and endless trains of unanswered thoughts and concerns that could possible get in your way of functioning day to day.  Do you ever wish you could resort back to the simple joys that would help you relieve this burden of worry?  Well these escapes still exist, you may have just forgotten about them.

Getting rid of stress is vital for the bettering of your life and daily function.  It can be some of the smallest things that you overlook which could calm your thoughts and mind, lower your blood pressure, and reduce that stress to a comforting and manageable level.  In fact, we’ve taken the time to compile this quick list of 5 easy things you can do next time you feel stressed:

1.  Read

Doesn’t matter what it is; a book, a magazine, a news article.  Reading can be thought provoking and insightful outside of the realm of whatever your mind is in.  IT will help you get to thinking and take your mind off of whatever is weighing it down.  Often times reading can also give you an alternative viewpoint or promote a different thought that can be applied to your current stressful situation which in turn might help you reach a solution.  People sometimes forget the books they meant to read years ago and will find that picking them up again can spark a whole new train of thought and invigorate a new mood in them.  There are many great benefits from reading, not just from an educational standpoint but a self awareness point as well.

2. Observe

From fish tanks to blowing leaves, many people tend to get so wrapped up in their stress that they forget to take in the natural beauty that surrounds us.  Often times stress is brought on by building up thoughts and piling many different concerns of complexity on top of one another.  By being able to step away from these serious thoughts and observe and reflect on something so simple as the way trees grow around parks or how concrete cracks and grooves in different areas we can calm our thoughts down and resort to a simpler form of understanding.  Whenever things get very complicated or difficult, many psychologists suggest finding a simple outlet with a simple answer to put your own stressful situation into perspective and build up from there.

3. Sleep

It may seem obvious, but often times stress is highly motivated by lack of rest.  When your body has minimal energy as it is, and it’s limits are continuously tested by responsibilities and expectations brought on by the day, it is no secret that at some point having little sleep will take it’s toll and make even the simplest of project seem like mountains.  Our bodies all require different amounts of sleep; some of us only 5 hours while others can’t function without nearly 10.  Whatever your body’s sleep number preference is, it is important to help it get the rest it’s telling you it needs before it takes it’s toll out on other aspects of your health, using sleep deprivation and stress as it’s vehicle.

4. Indulge

Sure, sometimes diets are necessary for health reasons and holding off from temptation is good for character building and to keep yourself from losing control. However, restricting yourself at all times can be too hard and sometimes even add to your stress.  This is why indulging in your comforts during your stressful period can be great for relieving some of that internal pressure.  Whether your vice is sweets or a quick cigarette, giving in just a little will help your mental relief go a long way.

5. Exert

In the last 5 years, prescription drugs for things like depression, high blood pressure, and anxiety, have all fallen dramatically in the UK as a result of a new technique that physicians are trying to help cure some of the internal qualms their patients are experiencing.  This new technique is the simple prescription of physical activity.  By suggesting and motivating their patients to get more exercise, whether it be simple yoga classes or long distance cardio routines, doctors have seen great improvements in health without the use of pharmaceuticals.  Next time you feel like stress has the best of you, make time for breaking a sweat and you might be amazed at how clear things are afterwards.

Zach C. writes for Carroll Troberman Criminal Defense, an Austin criminal defense law firm. Zach loves to keep his cool.

The holidays are a wonderful time of year, but they are also a time of major temptation when it comes to sweets and other indulgent foods! Just because you are surrounded by a sugar wonderland does not mean you cannot stay healthy this time of year. Here are eight ways to stay healthy and fit this holiday season.

1. Eat a Healthy Dinner Before Arriving at a Party

Eating a healthy dinner will help keep you from accidentally filling up on rich appetizers and sugary treats. Showing up to a party after having a meal will help you taste only small portions of the desserts or appetizers you want to try.

2. Join a Gym

Even if you prefer to workout outside, a gym can be a saving grace in cold winter months. Avoid missing runs because it gets dark outside or becomes too icy and snowy to go out. Shop around for promotional deals that will allow you to purchase memberships for one or two months at a time.

3. Start a New Class

Avoid feeling humdrum this winter by mixing things up with a new class. Get a friend to sign up with you for a dance or pilates class that you’ve never tried, and stay motivated by getting excited about picking up a new skill.

4. Wear Your Running Shoes to the Mall

You’ve got both shopping and exercising to do, so why not kill two birds with one stone? Wear your gym shoes to the mall, and park a little further away than you normally do. Take the stairs when possible and power walk from store to store!

5. Look at Exercise as a Break Rather Than a Chore

Often, we stop exercising when we are on vacation because we feel that we deserve time off from it. Change the way you view exercise, so that it seems like more of a relief from the business of the season than yet another task.

6. Use Weights While You Watch Movies By the Fire

Who can resist staying in on a chilly snowy night? Cold weather and holiday time bring plenty of excuses to stay indoors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also exercise. Use free weights to get in arm reps while you watch a movie, and sneak in sit ups and planks on commercial breaks.

7. Go On An Active Vacation

If you’re headed out of town, try finding a destination that will allow you to get some physical activity in. Whether it’s skiing or sledding, there are plenty of winter activities that can help keep your heart rate and happiness levels up!

8. Play Outside

Whether you have kids, nieces or nephews, or even your own inner child around, there is always a good excuse to make a snow angel or build a snow man. Playing outside is a great way to sneak in some exercise, all while having a great time! Forget hitting the gym for a day, and instead hit someone with a perfectly packed snowball.

Teresa Thomas is a lifestyle and beauty blogger who specializes in promotion of tanning salons at Hollywood Tans http://www.hollywoodtans.com.

As the medical industry searches for answers on how to combat the fact that we are becoming continually more resistant to the drugs that we use the most; it may be that people start to look for alternative treatments in order to combat a variety of different issues.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines or CAMs are not a new thing though and in fact a few of these options are thousands of years old. However, it is only recently that enough research has been carried out on some of them though to prove their effectiveness and bring them into the public eye.

Here are four examples of alternative treatments and how they could help you with a wide array of problems.

Acupuncture –

This is perhaps the most widely used alternative treatment and can be traced back thousands of years to ancient China. The process involves small needles being inserted into around four hundred different and specific pressure points around the body. The Chinese believe that this helps to control the flow of qi (pronounced ‘chee’) around the body and can help with many aches and pains such as headaches and back trouble.

It has also been sanctioned by the World Health Organisation for use in the treatment of many respiratory and digestive disorders. If you are not great with needles, though, you can have a similar treatment carried out called acupressure which achieves the same results through massage and pressure to the aforementioned points.

Yoga –

Yoga may be a very popular form of recreation and a way of staying fit and supple but it is also used by a lot of people to aid stress and depression. Research suggests that regular participation of yoga can also help with high blood pressure, diabetes and can even decrease the inflammation experienced by sufferers of asthma.

In 2009 around 30 million people practised yoga but that figure has since boomed with it becoming a big business and sparking the creation of many other similar practises. Any participation of yoga should be used in tandem with treatment from your doctor and it’s always best to speak to them about how it can help you.

Hypnotherapy –

Hypnotherapy is another treatment that has had much research carried out into it in recent years which has proven its effectiveness when treating certain issues. One of the main studies included monitoring the brain of a patient to show that they were not just ‘acting out’ any effects that were occurring during the process.

The patient is put into a trance very similar to the one you experience when you are daydreaming, which then allows the hypnotherapist to gain access to the subconscious. Much of our learned behaviour is situated here and so this is the best way of changing it and un-learning anything we want to stop doing.

Hypnotherapy can be used to address phobias and bad habits, relieve stress, increase confidence and much more. There is a famous area in central London called Harley Street where many hypnotherapists have decided to base their practices.

Guided Imagery –

This is one of the newer alternative treatments that are being explored by doctors all over the world. The relevant research has proven that just the act of imagining an activity gives off the same brain signals as would occur if the action was actually being carried out. This has led to this treatment being used by stroke victims as they begin the rehabilitation of the parts of their body that have been affected and has also been use on also people suffering from post-traumatic stress.

There is hope that guided imagery could one day be used by cancer patients and by those suffering from different stress related disorders. The great thing is that there is no risk to using this treatment and it can be carried out by anyone, anywhere.

Chris Mayhew is interested in the way that alternative medicines and treatments have grown in popularity over the years. He would recommend hypnotherapy from Fix My Mind to anyone wanting help with phobias, bad habits or stress reduction.

If you’re like every other first-time mother, you have a million questions about how to fully prepare for your baby’s arrival. As a result, there are a million guides out there that tell you what to do! Some can get a bit technical and confusing, so if you’re looking for something a bit simpler, look no further.

Many women have no idea what to expect during their ultrasound visits, or even know what an ultrasound is—a test using radiology PACS software to produce a sound wave-generated image of your baby. In reality, you don’t need to worry too much about the technicalities: on your end, it’s actually pretty easy! Here is your short-and-sweet packing list for each of your three ultrasound visits.

First Trimester

• A big drink. Most doctors will request that you come with a full bladder. The more liquid you have in your system, the better the ultrasound image (you won’t need to worry about this for later visits).
• Comfy clothing. Do everything you can to keep relaxed; wear some of your most comfortable clothing and breathe deeply. Make sure you wear two pieces, as you will have to reveal your stomach and may be asked to remove your pants.
• Tissues. You might just be able to hear and see your baby’s heartbeat. I’d prepare myself for an emotional ride!
• A list of names. Bring along all the names you’ve picked out (if you haven’t already memorized them). If you’ve narrowed it down to one name per gender, even better: today you find out the sex of the baby!
• Extra cash. Most hospitals will give you the option of buying a picture of your baby during this visit! It’s printed on thermal paper, and makes a great addition to your scrapbook!
• Questions. No question is a stupid question during this visit. This examination will take more time, so feel free to ask about anything you want to know. Prompt the technician to point out all the baby’s organs, and ask about any possible diseases or defects you’re concerned about.
• A support system. When it’s this late in the game, you probably want someone to be there consistently as a support system. Whether it’s the baby’s father, a family member, or a close friend, ask someone to come with you to the examination. They can be there to help you ask questions, or just to hold your hand.
• Any concerns. If you’ve noticed any drastic physical changes, or if anything feels off, be prepared to bring them up. This third ultrasound isn’t always mandatory, but it’s the perfect time to get any last minute concerns addressed or cleared up.
• Your delivery kit. Many mothers work for months compiling their delivery kits, and a list of conditions they want to be met during the delivery. Now’s the time to discuss with your doctor what can be done that will go along with your wishes. Due to safety and other restrictions, not all of your conditions may be met. But having a discussion with your doctor and expressing your desires can help them become possible.

Second Trimester

• A list of names. Bring along all the names you’ve picked out (if you haven’t already memorized them). If you’ve narrowed it down to one name per gender, even better: today you find out the sex of the baby!
• Extra cash. Most hospitals will give you the option of buying a picture of your baby during this visit! It’s printed on thermal paper, and makes a great addition to your scrapbook!
• Questions. No question is a stupid question during this visit. This examination will take more time, so feel free to ask about anything you want to know. Prompt the technician to point out all the baby’s organs, and ask about any possible diseases or defects you’re concerned about.

Third Trimester

• A support system. When it’s this late in the game, you probably want someone to be there consistently as a support system. Whether it’s the baby’s father, a family member, or a close friend, ask someone to come with you to the examination. They can be there to help you ask questions, or just to hold your hand.
• Any concerns. If you’ve noticed any drastic physical changes, or if anything feels off, be prepared to bring them up. This third ultrasound isn’t always mandatory, but it’s the perfect time to get any last minute concerns addressed or cleared up.
• Your delivery kit. Many mothers work for months compiling their delivery kits, and a list of conditions they want to be met during the delivery. Now’s the time to discuss with your doctor what can be done that will go along with your wishes. Due to safety and other restrictions, not all of your conditions may be met. But having a discussion with your doctor and expressing your desires can help them become possible.

This is the bare minimum of what you need to know for your ultrasound visits. There are plenty of other tests that can be important during your pregnancy, so if you have more questions be sure to do some external research. Make sure you feel as prepared as you can, and the rest will go smoothly.

Chris Miller is a professional writer, blogger, and English grammar enthusiast. Chris enjoys learning about new health products, procedures, and ideas. He works with companies like Novarad to spread the word about high-quality medical software.

Pregnancy can have a major impact on a woman’s body. All the changes caused during pregnancy due to fluctuating hormones can make it extremely difficult to regain her pre-pregnancy body through simple diet and exercise: oftentimes cosmetic surgery is the only route to a younger, toned body.

A mommy makeover takes all of the usual cosmetic surgeries desired after pregnancy and rolls them into one procedure to help clients save time and money. By getting a tummy tuck, breast enhancement, and liposuction all at the same time, women have less overall recovery time and more dramatic results.

Good candidates include women who are in good overall health, between the ages of 25 – 60, and not planning to have any more children.

Tummy Tuck

Most of the recovery time associated with a mommy makeover is due to the tummy tuck or abdominoplasty component. This is a surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the stomach area by removing excess skin and fat and tightening the muscles loosened by pregnancy. Often combined with liposuction for best results, there are three different types of tummy tucks commonly performed today:

• Traditional tummy tuck:
  A traditional tummy tuck requires an incision running from hip to hip which allows the surgeon access to all abdominal tissue. This is considered a major surgery with longer recovery time.
• Mini-Tummy Tuck:
  The mini-tummy tuck is for clients whose undesirable fat is located predominantly under the belly button. The shorter incision lines limit the amount of tissue that can be sculpted by the surgeon but also mean that this procedure has a shorter recovery time.
• Extended Tummy Tuck:
  Extended treatment extends to the sides and includes the areas known as the “love handles”. This procedure will have a slightly increased recovery time due to the larger incisions required.

Another benefit of this procedure is the ability to address stretch marks, stretched abdominal walls, and scars from C-sections at the same time.

Liposuction

When used in conjunction with the types of tummy tuck, liposuction can bring in the waistline and help to create more pleasing contours in the stomach region. It will remove excess fat packets that are resistant to exercise for a flatter, fitter tummy.

Breast Enhancement

Breast enhancement surgeries are employed as part of a mommy makeover procedure to repair the sagging of breast tissue caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy and breast feeding. Many clients decide to augment their breasts as part of this surgery to create a larger size or replace lost volume.

Women who desire a long-lasting solution can opt for a breast lift with leaves more scarring but reduces excess skin and remodels breast tissue for more dramatic results. Women who are happy with the position of their breasts and simply want to restore volume can instead choose less invasive methods such as autologous fat transfer injections.

Recovery

While no two patients will heal at the same rate, it is important to follow your surgeon’s after care instructions carefully. Younger patients in good health will likely experience shorter recovery times.

Surgery is performed under local anesthetic and patients will usually be released into the care of a family member or friend once they recover from the anesthetic. Once home it is important allow yourself several days of bed rest to recover. Immediately following the procedure you will likely experience pain, swelling, and discomfort which can be managed with over-the-counter pain medication. Your surgeon may also prescribe antibiotics to help prevent infection.

You should plan to take at least 1-2 weeks off from work and take it easy: your body will be tired and require lots of rest. Within approximately 3 weeks most swelling, redness, and bruising will have faded and movement should be less painful.

Limit physical activities for at least 6 weeks depending on your procedure and how fast you are healing, it will take most patients 1-2 months to return fully to their normal routine after a tummy tuck alone: combining procedures will likely extend your convalescence. Do not get impatient with yourself as you are healing, pushing yourself will only do more harm than good and is more likely to extend the healing process rather than shorten it.

Considerations

A mommy makeover is not recommended for any women who are planning, or even considering, having children in the future as there can be complications associated with the alterations done to the abdominal region during the tummy tuck portion of the procedure.

Also, women who are still breast feeding should not undergo serious surgeries or have breast enhancement procedures performed. It is best to wait 3-6 months after pregnancy and achieve your ideal weight before seeking cosmetic surgery of any kind.

The author of this article is Emma William who is a consultant plastic surgeon in Toronto, Canada. She mainly works with breast implants, breast lift and liposuction. Now on researching in other areas of plastic surgery.

I bet you wouldn’t eat your dinner off the floor, so it’s safe to say you don’t want the dentist sticking things in your mouth if they’re not clean. How do you know if the dentist looks after their surgery and all the equipment properly? We’re going to look at things you can watch out for from now on just so you can rest easy knowing you won’t pick up any germs when you go to have your teeth looked at.

Pay attention to the office

You can usually tell if people are clean because of the way their home looks. If someone had a beautiful spacious living room with no mess lying on the floor you could safely say their kitchen would be clean too. If they had dirty plates and cigarette stubs lying on their living room floor you probably wouldn’t eat anything if they tried to serve you food. If the dentist makes sure their office is clean and tidy there is a good chance they also look after all their equipment correctly too.

Look at the instruments

Unless you’re the first patient of the day there have been others lying in the chair before you walk into the room. Can you imagine what would happen if the dentist used instruments on the last guy and stuck them into your mouth without sterilizing them first? You would have a random stranger’s germs and who knows what else stuck in your mouth. The instruments should be inside a sealed bag to prove they’ve been sterilized, although the dentist could have removed them prior to you walking in.

Keep an eye on the gloves

You don’t become a dentist without years of intense training which means they are really switched on individuals. It’s very unlikely they would wear the same gloves with two patients unless something was seriously wrong, so that is not what you should be worried about. You should be worried about them laying gloves on a dirty surface and putting them back on again. Each pair of gloves that goes into your mouth should come fresh from the glove dispenser.

Autoclave validation

Even though a dentist is highly skilled they’re only as good as the equipment they use. If their equipment doesn’t work you will probably suffer. A dentist can have an envelope of bacteria sent in the post and they will put it into their sterilization machine before sending it back to a third-party company. They will then get a certificate telling them their machine is serviceable and if you ask to see it you will know all their instruments are being sterilized properly.

Don’t stop asking questions

I know it’s hard to speak when you have a pair of hands sticking in your mouth for most of your visit, but if you have any questions the dentist will be happy to answer you. They would rather your mind was at ease instead of racing at a thousand miles per hour while you were having work done. Whenever you don’t like the feel of something you just need to open your mouth. Sometimes a little reassurance will make you feel a lot better and the dentist won’t charge you extra for it.

It’s a scary place

A lot of people are scared of the dentist for many reasons. It’s usually got to do with pain, sharp things, money, and uncomfortable feelings. If you’re also scared your health might be at risk there is no way you will want to go back. When you skip the dentist you end up with horrible teeth and your life gets thrown upside down. All of that can easily be avoided by eliminating as many reasons to be scared of the dentist as possible.

The author of this post, Alex Perkins, is an intern at Advanced Dental Artistry, a dental clinic renowned for dental porcelain veneers. Alex loves to play and watch rugby with his friends.