It’s that time of the year again! The sun is out and temperatures are rising. While most of us enjoy the sunshine, the heat can act as a catalyst for dehydration and exhaustion. During these scorching summer months it is especially important to stay hydrated because your body loses water through sweating, exercising and other activities. Some medications can cause excess fluid loss, and heat and sun stroke are much more likely to occur in a state of dehydration.

You can prevent illnesses and improve your cellular health by simply drinking adequate amounts water. Did you know that consuming your body weight in water is optimal for cellular health? This should amount to one ounce of liquid per pound of weight, up to about 160 ounces.

Eating water filled fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and leafy greens, can be another strategy (a tasty one too!) to increase your hydration. Drinking plenty of water helps flush out toxins from the body, and without this fundamental fluid these toxins can build up and escape through skin pores. Thus, we see acne and other skin irritations such as eczema to occur more often. H20 is also believed to contribute to skin plumpness, thus eliminating annoying conditions such as circles or bags around your eyes.

Water composes 60% of our body-it’s one of our most basic and vital needs for our survival. So this summer, buy a fancy new water bottle to encourage yourself to drink more of this essential liquid, or perhaps switch out that next soda you pick up for an ice cold glass of H20.

Our everyday lives are filled with pressure, anxiety and worry. From moms, to students, to business professionals, stress has become a regular, daily occurrence that we are forced to live with. While a little stress is completely normal, too much of it can eventually lead to long term health issues which could have been preventable.

From the Adrenal gland, our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is vital in managing stress. Small increases in this production of cortisol will have positive effects on the body. Specifically, cortisol controls blood sugar levels needed for fuel, fat and protein metabolism for energy and cellular repair, immune system function and containing inflammation. In stressful situations, sometimes referred to as “fight or flight”, cortisol allows our bodies to move and respond quickly.

However, excess anxiety causes extremely high levels of cortisol to be produced on a continuous basis when our bodies constantly endure long periods of being on “high alert.” When too much cortisol is produced, this can result in the damaging of healthy tissues, thus causing fatigue to the human body. If your adrenal glands are fatigued then you likely feel tired, crave carbohydrates, gain weight around your middle, suffer recurrent illnesses and feel achy most of the time. Once the adrenals are fatigued, your sex hormones are affected, leading to premature and worsening menopause and andropause.

All of these ailments are triggered by STRESS! Don’t let stress affect your everyday health and energy. If you feel that you have chronic stress or are constantly exhausted, consult with Dr. Sarna at Paradise Medspa to learn about the Adrenal Recovery Program. This program is designed to help regain your adrenal functions with herbal and hormonal support.

The journey to find a long-term acne solution can often be difficult and time-consuming. It’s often frustrating to try out the various options-medications, pills, skin treatments-and many times the names and ingredients of these treatments only make things more confusing.

Microdermabrasion procedures are commonly used for those facing acne problems, but these treatments can be harsh on sensitive skin. Paradise Medspa now offers a much gentler and more effective alternative for your pesky acne problems, the SilkPeel. If you suffer from mild-to-moderate acne or feel as though your skin is dried out from the summer heat, consider what this innovative procedure can do for you.

So what makes it different? The SilkPeel does not use crystal particles that are commonly used in regular microdermabrasions; this leaves the skin feeling more smooth and moisturized after treatments. The SilkPeel uses a hydrating topical solution while exfoliating the skin to keep it moisturized and smooth. There is no downtime to this procedure and it usually takes less than 30 minutes, leaving you to return to normal activities immediately.

While your skin will certainly feel renewed after just one treatment, 4-6 treatments are recommended for best results. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen as well, in order to keep your renewed skin healthy and protected.

The weather is certainly heating up here in Arizona! Paradise now offers a FDA approved Botox treatment that aids in the management of extreme underarm sweating. The injection presents great outcomes to patients who excessively sweat during Arizona’s hot summer months.

The injection is given in a series through a very fine needle. The process takes 10 to 15 minutes, which is relatively quick for something that provides such great results! When Botox is injected under the arm, it blocks the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. The blockage ONLY occurs at the site where the injection is given, so sweating will continue in other parts of the body. However, patients do not typically report excessive sweating in other areas.

Once these injections become effective, patients report being able to stop carrying dress shields, stop carrying changes of clothing and switch to a regular deodorant instead of a prescription antiperspirant.

Botox injections under the arm are really great for the rising temperatures and will make the summer hassle-free!

Laser skin care has come a long way. In the “old days” (1980’s-1990’s) we routinely preformed laser resurfacing treatments for wrinkles and skin laxity with ablative CO2 lasers. These treatments were extremely painful and therefore required general anesthesia or deep sedation and resulted in months of downtime due to the extended healing process. That being said, the results were wonderful. We could achieve amazing transformations with only 1 treatment, albeit the patient didn’t want to leave the house to show off their fresh new face for 3-6 months! So the pendulum swang in the opposite direction - toward non-ablative, “fractional”, laser treatments that work to remodel collagen from the inside-out. These treatments allow patients to get smoother, tighter skin with less pain (only topical numbing agents required) and less downtime (typically 2-4 days of redness). The trade-off here is that most patients require 4-6 treatments spaced 6 weeks apart to achieve adequate results and for patients over the age of 50, less predictable results. So in walks the latest in laser technology….the Fractional CO2 Laser! Finally, a laser that offers an ablative option (aggressive, impressive results) combined with fractional technology (less downtime). These lasers typically yield maximum results in only 1-3 treatments with as little as 4 days downtime. At last! An answer for those of us suffering from skin laxity, wrinkles, and discoloration!

Paradise Medspa and Wellness proudly offers both the non-ablative fractional laser treatment as well as the latest in Fractional Co2 technology! For younger patients looking to improve the quality of their skin texture, treat mild-to-moderate wrinkles, skin laxity or acne scars or for those who can’t afford to take any time out of their schedule for the healing process, we recommend a series of Affirm Multiplex Laser treatments. For patients over the age of 50 who may have more significant sun damge or skin laxity, we recommend the new SmartSkin CO2 Laser. Two great options giving us the versitility to meet the skin care needs of any patient.