Topical Vitamin C Reverses the Signs of Aging

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Over the years, exposure to the sun and environmental pollutants accelerates the aging of your skin. Collagen, the substance that provides structure to your skin is degraded and triggers oxidative stress which makes the skin look lax, wrinkly, saggy and dull. Vitamin C helps reverse this process. It is an essential component in your body's production of collagen and it is a potent antioxidant that rejuvenates sun damaged, aged skin.

Everyone knows that Vitamin C is important for your overall health. For decades, Vitamin C has been touted to ward off the common cold by boosting the immune system. However, very little Vitamin C reaches the skin when orally ingested. Therefore topical Vitamin C provides one of the most effective ways to boost collagen production and slow its breakdown. Topical Vitamin C is 20 times more effective at rejuvenating your skin than taking it orally. Vitamin C also protects the skin from free radicals which accelerates the aging process.

Obagi offers three strengths of Vitamin C.....10%, 15% and 20%. A few drops daily will rapidly improve the appearance of your skin. Obagi's Vitamin C stays stable throughout the use of your bottle, unlike other topical Vitamin C serums. However, it is not oily. Whether your skin is normal, oily or combination, and to some extent your age, determines the strength you need. We are here to help you choose the correct one.  I consider Obagi's topical Vitamin C a crucial part of my daily skincare regimen.

Stop by and see us and let us get you started on good skin rejuvenation! Remember we are in our new, convenient location at 10310 West Markham, Suite 202, Little Rock. 

501-228-6237

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) Treatments.....What can they do for me?

At Sei Bella we use the Accelawave IPL (intense pulsed light) device. IPL uses multiple wavelengths of light to treat sun damage, brown pigmentation (melasma), age spots, broken blood vessels and spider veins. IPL can be used on the hands, neck, face, chest and legs. It is non-invasive and is tailored to suit each individual's needs. IPL can also be used to permanently reduce hair growth and works best on darker, coarser hair such as in the armpits or on the upper lip.

When the pulses of light hit the skin, you may feel a slight stinging, like a mild rubber band pop. Treatments usually take 20 -30 minutes, and most people need three to six treatments done about 3-4 weeks apart. 8 to 10 treatments may be required to remove hair because of  the growth cycle of the hair follicles.

You can apply makeup after your treatment and return to work if you desire. The skin may be red for 2 hrs up to 2-3 days, depending on your skin type.

It is very important that the area to be treated is not tan or sunburned from either the sun or a tanning bed prior to the IPL treatment.  Sunscreen is essential after the procedure, as well as a good skincare regimen.

With IPL you can turn back the hands of time, but you will need a maintenance treatment once or twice a year after your series of treatments. How often you need a maintenance treatment depends on your skincare regimen, use of sunscreen, and hormone use.

IPL is similar to laser, but they are not the same! IPL's technology utilizes a broad spectrum of light ranging from 500-1200 nm. Filters are used to filter out lower frequencies and narrow this spectrum to target specific structures in the skin. Although lasers are often much more powerful, they can also be more painful and have a longer recovery period.  With IPL a cooling device is used to protect the skin coming in contact with the pulsed light. Lasers use a high-powered, direct beam of intense coherent light on a single wavelength targeting a single condition. Laser treatments are usually more expensive. IPL can not get rid of tattoos. 

IPL is safest and most effective on lighter skin. IPL treatments on dark skinned individuals are not usually recommended because the pulses of light absorb into all melanin containing cells, not just the ones intended for treatment. 

Dermatological conditions that can be treated with IPL include:

  • sun damage resulting in dark spots
  • poikiloderma on the chest  (looks like tiny red hives)
  • rosacea
  • acne
  • overactive sweat glands
  • broken capillaries
  • freckles, birth marks (these will lighten, but will come back)
  • melasma (caused by birth control pills, pregnancy or hormone replacement therapy)
  • actinic keratosis
  • photorejuvenation

You can also enhance your IPL with a couple of things I personally use. First, after a series of IPL treatments you should consider a medical grade facial peel. This treats the outer epidermis of your skin to remove any remaining superficial pigment or unevenness in skin tone as well as diminishing fine lines. Another product I love is Obagi C-Clarifying serum or C-Therapy night cream. They both contain 4% hydroquinone. These products both block tyrosinase which is needed to make melanin which in turn causes the dark spots. These are great maintenance products.

Our special for April 2015 is 4 IPL treatments for $300. Give us a call today! 501-228-6237

Sei Bella's New Office!

We are blessed to be up and running in our new office space at 10310 West Markham, Suite 202. We have expanded to a much larger space that is newly remodeled. Lots of parking, and easy access. Within the next week we will be be featuring artwork by Steve and Vivian Griffith whose work can be found in galleries across the U.S. Below is a picture of our new waiting room....all set up and ready for Griffith masterpieces!

I owe a special thanks to my good friend Richelle Daniel who decorated the office for me, and a thank you to family and office staff who worked so hard to get us from bare bones to up and running in 1 1/2 days!

Come see us! We'd love to give you a tour, and look forward to hosting seminars, Botox parties, and other events in our new event room!   501-228-6237

Contrave and HCG for Weight LOss

Losing weight is one of the hardest things in the world to do. Well, let's face it, if you're a guy it's much easier than it is for us girls. We all lead busy lives, eat fast food, and think we're too tired to exercise when we get home. Plus no one really watches their portion sizes with meals. Let's face it, life is stressful! Food is used for comfort and it tastes good!

What we all need is a lifestyle change! So many of us yo-yo up and down with our weight. At Sei Bella  we have come up with a plan to help you focus on good eating habits, modest exercise and medication to help you get over the hump and help with those cravings. 

The newest weight loss medication available is called Contrave. This is a combination of buproprion, also known by it's brand name Wellbutrin, and naltrexone. These medications both help with the craving for foods and your appetite but they are not stimulants and are not controlled substances. Contrave is also indicated for long term use, unlike other weight loss medications. Buproprion alone helps with cravings and is marketed as Zyban for smoking cessation.

In addition to the Contrave, you can also add HCG drops and we will instruct you on a modified HCG diet. HCG helps to preferentially burn belly fat. HCG drops are available by prescription from a couple local pharmacies, and it is dosed under the tongue twice a day.

Often people understand what they are supposed to do when they are IN the office, but once they LEAVE the office, they don't know what to shop for at the grocery store. To help, we have developed a grocery list for you, some sample diet plans and a "goody bag" to show you some of the foods we are talking about.

One of the biggest benefits of this program is the free scale you receive from Takeda for enrolling in their ScaleDown program. This electronic scale has a value of $100 and will sync with your phone to send you text messages when you weigh. Takeda also has a very nice discount card for you to use on the Contrave. 

Give us a call today to schedule your appointment. Our goal is to help you make a lifestyle change to keep the weight off!  501-228-6237

Iodine for Fibrocystic Breast Disease

Many women suffer from fibrocystic breast disease (FBD). What exactly is fibrocystic breast disease (FBD)? A breast cyst is a cavity that forms when glands and connective tissue dilate and block mammary (milk) ducts. The normal architecture of the breast is disrupted. Eventually these cysts become hard, nodular and painful. Cutting caffeine and salt out of the diet will help some, as well as taking Vitamins E and A. Some doctors--but not I--even recommend taking birth control pills for FBD.  There has been a 30-fold increase in the incidence of breast cysts between 1928 and 1973.

The connection between low iodine and FBD has been studied for almost 100 years. m Every cell in our body depends on iodine to function correctly. This is especially true of glandular tissue such as breasts, ovaries, uterus, adrenals, prostate, pancreas, and thyroid. These glands can not produce optimum levels of hormones without iodine. Iodine actually reverses the changes in breast tissue that occur with fibrocystic breast disease.

Other than painful breasts you may experience some of the symptoms mentioned above, primarily due to the effects of iodine deficiency on the thyroid and adrenal glands.  Moat studies on iodine show that doses of 10-60 mg per day are effective for treating fibrocystic breast disease. This holds true for other glands and tissues that require iodine. 

The general public believes that eating iodized salt will supply all the iodine they need, but this is just not true. Within two weeks of opening a box of salt, the iodine is pretty much gone. If you use salt on when cooking or salt your food, you are much better off using real sea salt. I recommend an iodine supplement. I personally take Iodine Plus 12.5 mg that we carry at Sei Bella. It contains Potassium Iodide and free iodine, as well as zinc and selenium. The cost is only $49 for 180 capsules. That's a 6 month supply and well worth it!!

Recently there has been increased concern that iodine deficiency can be a contributing factor for breast cancer. As shown below, areas proven to have iodine deficiency have an increased incidence of breast cancer.

Call us today or stop by to get your Iodine plus supplement....501-228-6237

 

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Hypothyroidism

Are you fatigued? Have you had your thyroid checked but told it was normal? You could have subclinical hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) or low B12. Dr. Trussell can evaluate your labwork, explain them to you and best of all help you feel better! There are many different forms of thyroid medication. Did you know there are even gluten free thyroid medications for those that have gluten allergy or sensitivity? And supplements are available to help your thyroid work better. Call today for your consult! Start feeling like yourself again. 501-228-6237

Frequently Asked Questions About BioTE


When significant health safety concerns arose in 2002 for women using synthetic hormone replacement therapies, millions stopped taking it...up to 70%. Many, many have made the switch to bio-identical hormones which have long been preferred in Japan, France and other European countries. BioTE bio-identical hormones are plant based and IDENTICAL to the ones we produce in our bodies. BioTE pellets are about the size of a grain of rice, and implanted in the upper buttock with a painless in office procedure done by Dr. Trussell who has been pelleted 4 times herself!

Below are the some of the questions Dr. Trussell gets asked most often in her seminars, So read on and learn more.....It's the first step to balancing your hormones and feeling better!

How often will I need pellets?
Women usually need them every 4-6 months. Men usually every 5-6 months... An average of 2-3 times per year.

How long will it take for the pellets to get into my system and work?
24-72 hours. Optimal effect occurs three weeks after insertion.

I have no libido- what will this do for that, if anything?.
Good hormone balance will greatly improve your libido; the addition of testosterone in pellet form will change everything for the better!

I get horrible headaches-will they help me?
Yes!! We have had great success, especially with women who have menstrual migraines, and new migraines that appear after age 35.

Does testosterone cause prostate cancer?
No. Metabolites of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and estrone, cause prostate enlargement and contribute to prostate cancer. Estrone increases and testosterone decreases as men age and as they gain belly fat. Testosterone pellets are the ONLY replacement that reverses that trend.

What if I have prostate enlargement already?
Testosterone pellets will make it better, if you do not convert it to dihydrotestosterone. We can prevent that with two supplements......DIM and saw palmetto.

Are there any side effects and/or complications?
There are very few side effects, if any, and they are very mild, much less than with traditional synthetic hormones.

Do I need to take other medications?
If you still have a uterus, you will need to be on a natural progesterone tablet at night, too, called Prometrium. Even women who have had hysterectomies like Prometrium because it helps them sleep. Dr. Trussell will also evaluate other labs such as thyroid, B12 and Vitamin D to name a few. If these are out of balance, she will prescribe you a medication to balance these as well.

Now that you've learned a little more about BioTE, your next step is to call for an appointment with Dr. Trussell!   501-228-6237

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