Are you looking for a natural way to improve your skin? I've recently become aware of the dangerous chemicals added to the skin care products on the shelves and I have vowed not to put those in my body! Anyone else with me?

Let's, instead, do what we can to naturally enhance our beauty starting with the skin.

Skin is the largest organ of the body and does the following:

• Regulates temperature
  
• Protects us from bacteria & viruses
• Detoxes us via sloughing off of dead skin and sweating
• Absorbs moisture as well as sunlight for the synthesis of Vitamin D
• Produces melanin to protect from overexposure to the sun
• Produces collagen and elastin to heal from injury and remain flexible

It's that last bullet point up there that's got everyone talking these days. By 2015, the anti-aging industry is projected to reach $291 billion worldwide (according to CNN in an article here).

I don't know about you, but I'd rather not pump money into anti-aging gimmicks that claim to do miracles while injecting chemicals through every pore on my face. Let's instead look at the potent, beauty-enhancing compounds found in natural sources.

Naturally Beautiful from the Inside Out

"You are what you eat." We have all heard that saying. It's become so common, in fact, that it's almost a "wallflower" in our mind; something we've heard so many times that we don't notice it anymore. Well, we should and we must!

Eating whole foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds) in their natural state is one of the very best ways we can have beautiful skin and a healthy body. Why? Because our bodies were made to take in all of the anti-oxidants, enzymes, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and so on that nature has provided to us. As Hippocrates so wisely said hundreds of years ago, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

Here are 5 of the top anti-aging "superfoods", according to a recent post on Dr. Oz's website:

1. Blueberries
2. Beans
3. Blood Oranges
4. Carrots
5. Brazil Nuts

Another anti-aging benefit of healthy eating is getting anti-oxidants into your cells. These powerful compounds can reverse disease and the signs of aging simply by removing "free radicals", or cells that contain damages DNA. Free radicals enter our system through a variety of means, including pollution in the air, drinking water, shower water, products that we use on our skin/hair, and via processed foods (dead foods).

Free radicals damage organs, glands, and other functional systems in the body, including damage to collagen and elastin in the skin. If you want to look better, believe it or not, eating better is how to get there.

Hydration is Essential

Staying hydrated is not only good for restoring balance to the skin, but it provides the body with a way to properly digest and absorb all of the nutrition from your food. When food is properly absorbed, the body and your skin get the benefits.

According to the Mayo Clinic, even mild dehydration can cause the following problems:

1. Dry Skin
2. Headache
3. Constipation
4. Dizziness

Remember the functions of the skin that we spoke about earlier? Dry skin can lead to a build-up of dead skin cells which block the skin from being able to slough off cells at a healthy rate. This can lead to the skin being unable to cleanse the body properly.

We also talked about water playing a key role in digestion and nutrient absorption. When it comes to anti-aging, getting nutrition to all of the right places is key. When we don't drink enough, the bowels cannot function properly, the body cannot rid itself of toxins fast enough, and our system becomes overloaded with waste by-products. The skin will appear dry, sallow, you may have acne, and you'll look older because dehydrated skin = fine lines (especially around the eye area). Case-in-point: DRINK ENOUGH WATER!

Look Your Best at Any Age

No matter what kind of lifestyle you've led up to this point, it's never too late to start eating whole foods, drinking enough water, and using products that are chemical-free.

If your old ways of living have "made their mark" on your appearance, it's the perfect time to do something about it. Dr. Emmanuel Asare and his team offer options for enhancing natural beauty and reducing the signs of aging such as Botox and wrinkle fillers, fat transfer to the face, and stem cell skin therapy as well as facial plastic surgery procedures.

As you probably already know, SmartLipo differs from traditional liposuction in many ways. Some differences include the use of local instead of general anesthetic, extremely minimal scarring, and laser-assisted melting of unwanted fatty tissue. Yet another advantage of SmartLipo is that the laser can actually stimulate collagen production to help skin retract and repair itself after surgery, resulting in less unattractive loose skin.

Many patients have legitimate concerns about how their skin will react to liposculpture. As with any weight loss, particularly rapid weight loss, sagging and an overstretched appearance can occur. SmartLipo's ability to stimulate collagen can help prevent this problem, but there are many simple steps you can take before and after laser fat removal to help improve your skin's elasticity and ability to heal itself. As an added bonus, most of these tips are essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general.

4 Steps to Getting Better Skin Right Now

1. Drink lots of water

When skin is dehydrated, it has a harder time adapting to sudden changes. Skin is an organ, and all organs need plenty of water to function properly. Drinking enough water is crucial to your overall health, and aids in weight loss as well.

2. Protect your skin

Chemicals can dry skin out, so be sure to use plenty of natural moisturizers. Products such as shea or cocoa butter can help improve the look, feel, and health of your skin. Protect your skin from the sun by wearing clothing that covers sensitive skin and using sunscreen. Avoid harsh soap, overly hot water, and other irritants.

3. Eat the right foods

You hear this tip everywhere. Why? Because good food makes you feel good, and nourishes your body properly, so it can look and work its best. Foods such as nuts, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, brown rice, flax, and beans can help give your skin the health it needs to bounce back after SmartLipo.

4. Exercise!

Getting your blood pumping can help bring nutrients to your skin that are essential for improving skin elasticity.

The Bottom Line:

Though some factors are out of your control (such as your age and current skin condition), you can make yourself a better candidate for surgery by taking care of your skin and giving it the best possible chance for success after surgery. Best of luck!

Gynecomastia, or male breast enlargement, is a condition that causes an embarrassing condition where the male breasts grow to much larger than normal and can even take on female-like characteristics.

For many decades now, men and teens with the condition have searched high and low for magic pills, exercises, and dietary changes that may give them the relief they are looking for so desperately.

Unfortunately, there are so many different ideas and theories out there that getting a reliable answer can prove nearly impossible these days, especially with the prospect of getting 7 million search results in Google!

According to the National Institutes of Health, gynecomastia can be caused by medications, hormones that occur at certain ages (especially in teens), or the use of illegal drugs such as bodybuilding steroids or marijuana.

In an article on Livestrong.com, there are several exercises described as being beneficial to reducing the signs of gynecomastia in male breasts. They describe exercises that work the upper, mid, and lower pectoral muscles as being the best types of exercises to get rid of man boobs.

So, will bench presses, decline push-ups, cable flys, or iso chest squeezes get rid of this life-altering condition? Many medical doctors say no.

When it comes to breast growth in men, the reason almost always is too much estrogen in the body. This can unfortunately be caused by a myriad of issues, but most commonly the reasons are as follows:

• Medications for another condition such as prostate enlargement, anxiety, as well as meds for kidney or liver failure.
• Steroids for bodybuilding.
• Marijuana, methadone, or meth-amphetamines.
• Lack of testosterone production (hormone imbalance).
• Chemotherapy.

Dr. Emmanuel Asare has been treating gynecomastia in bodybuilders, teens, and men for about a decade. In his experience as both a cosmetic physician and Board Certified Internist, whether or not the gynecomastia will go away on its own largely depends upon each individual patient.

In teens who have the condition, for example,  may have had the condition for at least a year before they come in to seek help. If their hormone levels check out and they are left with the physical remnants of a resolved case of gynecomastia, surgery is an excellent option.

In bodybuilders who have been taking steroids and now have an imbalance of estrogen vs testosterone, his first advice is to stop taking the steroids immediately and wait about 6 months. Doing exercises to "cure" the enlarged breasts will actually make them stand out more with each muscle-building chest exercise the athlete performs.

In men or teens who have no hormonal issues, are not on any medications, and have not taken steroids or illegal drugs, the most likely cause is what Dr. Asare describes as "pseudogynecomastia", or false gynecomastia.

In those cases, the enlarged breasts are due to too much body fat which can actually cause more estrogen to flow in the body than a person of normal body weight. In these cases only doe she recommend a diet (to lose weight) and weight training exercises, such as those mentioned above, to cure the condition.

For the very best, most expert care from a trusted surgeon with a decade of experience, call Dr. Asare today at 212.206.0023, 631.499.1831, or visit his website today at http://GynecomastiaNewYork.net.

One would think that plastic surgery and nutrition have absolutely nothing in common with each other. That couldn't be further from the truth! Here are two ways that they are interrelated.

Eating Well: A Two-Fold Benefit
When nutrition is optimal, the body works as it should. Hormones are in balance, excess weight is kept in check, and the internal functions of the body are working like a well-oiled machine.

A plant-based diet is truly the best way to optimal health in order to feed your body. For meat-eaters, it doesn't come naturally to switch the way they eat to exclude meat. Believe me, I still feel like a newbie sometimes. Best way to dive right in is to get a recipe book or cookbook (recipes are also easily found online) and try some out. Green leafy vegetables, colorful fruits and veggies, whole grains with complex carbs and protein (quinoa is a complete protein by the way) are wonderful to get your body healthy before surgery.

Benefit #2 of eating healthy is that your body weight will be normal and you'll be able to really spot trouble areas that are still hanging around due to genetics. We can't change our genes, but we CAN change the way they look when we wear them (a little scientific joke, there). The bottom line is that your body will look and feel its best with good food in it. You can be best prepared for plastic surgery so that afterward, you look even more fabulous!

What I mean is that with procedures such as laser liposuction, a Brazilian butt lift, or a breast augmentation, the areas of the body that simply "are the way they are" can be radically improved by the procedures mentioned. The added benefit of eating healthy prior to surgery is that you will have prepared your body to heal better, faster, and with fewer complications afterward.

For men with gynecomastia, for example, the condition of "man boobs" can be actually brought on by being overweight (called pseudogynecomastia) or can be a true case of gynecomastia caused by hormonal imbalance or a myriad of other reasons. Prescription drugs, illegal drugs, and kidney or liver disorders are just some of the "other" reasons why this condition can develop. The most common reason, however, is age-related hormone imbalance. It most often occurs in men over the age of 50 and in teens.

If you remember to eat well and get regular exercise, your body weight will stay in check and your internal functions such as hormonal balance will more than likely stay in check as well. When it doesn't, however, you can feel safe contacting a plastic surgeon to ask questions about what is physically happening to your body. In cases such as gynecomastia, often times they will run blood work for you to make sure everything is OK and possibly refer you to an internal medicine doctor for further exam.

To Optimal Health and Wellness,
Kim