Beauty & Wellness

Beautiful Teeth

Everyone knows that your smile can make or break a first impression. Luckily, Dr. Maria Yazji of Contemporary Orthodontics can help thanks to her years of experience creating winning smiles. Offerings include braces hidden behind the teeth and the Invisalign System that allows you to straighten your teeth without traditional braces or wires. In fact, Dr. Yazji is in the top 1% of Invisalign providers in the U.S.; 500 Brickell Ave., M-204; 786.220.7802; Secret-Braces.com.

Smart Food
We all know the rules for shedding those extra pounds — a fresh, balanced diet with moderate amounts of fat, carbs and sugar. While that’s all well and good, for the less culinary among us the challenge isn’t knowing how to eat. It’s figuring out what to eat. The Fresh Diet is happy to take care of that for you. They’ll ship properly portioned, balanced meals straight to your door. The best thing? They also taste great; TheFreshDiet.com.

Dark Circles
One of the most difficult cosmetic issues to treat is dark under-eye circles. The circles are the result of a variety of causes. The skin in this area is the thinnest on the body. This will sometimes allow the underlying muscle and blood vessels to be seen through the skin. The skin itself can also have excessive pigment which will give a darker appearance to this skin. Changes in the location of the fat around the eye can also be the reason for the dark circles. In some patients the fat will move forward causing “bags” under the eyes. These will cast a shadow over the skin, and create a “trough” under the fat pads which will look darker. In other patients, there can be a deficit of fat, either as an aging change, or from previous eyelid surgery where fat was removed. This will create a hollow look to the lower lid, and make it appear darker. Make-up can be used to improve the color in the lower lid, but at times with limited success. One of the newer ways to improve the shadowing is to inject a filler, such as Restylane, into the lower lid depression. This will smooth out the contour of the lid, and make it appear less dark. It will also help with any hollowing. Placing filler into the lower lids is extremely difficult, and should only be done by a physician who is skilled.

Dr. Martin specializes in eye, facial & neck rejuvenation, as well as laser & non-surgical treatments. A Harvard Medical School grad, he’s a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery; 305.444.5950; DrJohnMartin.com.

Medical Insanity
We’ve all put ourselves through some crazy things in the name of health: jogging, anyone? But even the wildest medical treatment you’ve ever had can’t hold a candle to these truly weird cures.

Sand Head
People of Egypt’s Siwa Oasis believe that burying themselves in the sand during the hottest time of day is a sure-fire way to cure what ails them — from rheumatism to impotency and everything in between.

 

 

 

Beer Cleanse
At the Beer Health Center, located in the Czech Republic, you can indulge in a beer-and-mineral-water hot bath or shower, which is reputed to have magical anti-aging properties. In this case, you can drink the bath water!

 

 

 

FishY Taste
Followers of the Bathini Gould brothers in India swallow live fish in an attempt to cure respiratory problems such as asthma and chronic bronchitis. Now all they’ll need to do is discover a cure for bad breath.