In this article, I want to cover a topic that I’ve wanted to speak to for a long time- plastic surgery. I must confess that this is an area I gave little attention to in the past as I have been in my ‘prime’ for a good number of years being young with good skin and a curvaceous body. However, I have just turned 38 and with the increase of years have also come some things I hate to admit have shocked me to the core. These include:

*Weight gain that appears to take place just by LOOKING at fattening foods (I swear it’s true!)

*Gray hairs- at first manageable- all I had to do was use my trusty eyebrow tweezers and problem solved. Now, however, I risk going bald if I were to continue this practise.

*Breasts that have started to mimic the shape of pancakes and have definitely taken a downward turn (you know what I mean)

*Lines around my eyes and the skin surrounding my eyes staying in one place once I apply make-up for longer than I would like. It’s like watching a snail slowly migrate back into its shell once the cover-up is blended in.

*And horror of horrors-chin hairs!  No, I’m not kidding…and not the blond wispy things no one notices-these little buggers are thick and black and have the amazing ability to grow roughly half an inch overnight!

Add to this the countless stories I hear from clients and girlfriends about “getting work done” on their bodies. These range from groups of women, whom upon the dawn of their 50th birthday, get a face-lift, Botox injections in the face to reduce wrinkles, breast implants, to tummy tucks. I sit there trying to wipe the look of horror off of my face as I do my best to impart an attitude of empowerment and acceptance regardless of what choices women make in their lives.

I was at my local library recently and glanced along the shelves and found a new book out by Joan Rivers, the Queen of plastic surgery, which is a “guidebook” to getting plastic surgery. It was titled, “Men are Stupid and they Like Big Boobs”. She is 75 years old and has had so much plastic surgery that she looks somewhat cartoon-like and anything but natural. She doesn’t even look like a younger version of herself- she looks strange and almost doll-like and scarily unreal. Anyway, the book was co-written with some top cosmetic surgeons and boasts all of the “wonderful” advances available to women who want to change the way they look through plastic surgery. I particularly loved the part where she’s talking about one procedure and under “risks” she casually writes, “death”. Then without missing a beat, she’s onto describing the next “wonderful” procedure!

I don’t know about you, but I think DEATH is a pretty big risk!  It reminds me of the author who died a few years ago from liposuction- yikes. I don’t want to come off as being all fanatical and judgmental, because I truly believe that women are in charge of their bodies and it’s not my place to tell someone what to do with her body.

However, I do believe that the current obsession we have with looking younger (one writer calls the times we are living in, “age deceleration”- i.e., “forty is the new thirty” and so on) is a recent and ultimately, dangerous focus. Never before in human history have people been so terrified of getting old. It’s also true that we have never had such a long lifespan so perhaps this is a contributing factor as well.

My grandparents never considered plastic surgery and my 86-year-old grandmother is completely perplexed with this newfound obsession younger generations have with looking young for as long as they possibly can. I think that there are many factors at play here; most notably, the fear of death.

I know I’m terrified of dying and getting old. But I’m working through it. I want to be courageous enough to face getting older head-on without going under the knife or injecting poisonous substances in my body to appear younger. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to more gray hair, my body shape changing, and those lovely hairs on my chinny-chin-chin, but I’m going to do my best to ‘go natural’ and grow old gracefully. I am more than my body and so are you. Let’s all remember that.

Esther Kane, MSW, Registered Clinical Counsellor, is the author the book and audio program, “It’s Not About the Food: A  Woman’s Guide To Making Peace with Food and Our Bodies” (www.endyoureatingdisorder.com) and “Dump That Chump”(www.dumpthatchump.com), and “What Your Mama Can’t or Won’t Teach You”(www.guidebooktowomanhood.com).  Sign up for her free monthly e-zine, Women’s Community Counsellor, to uplift and inspire women at: http://www.estherkane.com.

This article is excerpted from the Fall 2009 Issue of WE Magazine for Women. To read the current issue (PDF) visit: http://wemagazineforwomen.com/pdfs/fall2009.pdf or http://www.rsszine.com/samples/Fall2009/ (Turning Page)

       Paul and Marie Gaglioti

As owner of Dieci Lifestyle Spa and Dieci Colori cosmetics and skincare, Marie Gaglioti is a formidable entrepreneur in the beauty industry.  Marie, along with her husband Paul, opened Dieci Lifestyle Spa in 1995 with over 20 years of experience in the beauty industry. Being a makeup artist herself, Marie wanted to share her wealth of knowledge by creating a make-up line, Dieci Colori, in 2003.  Marie and Paul established Dieci Lifestyle Spa and continue to work together to manage the spa while being mentors to the staff.

When Marie’s clients brought her makeup and were unsure how to use it, she knew she had an obligation to help them. After being pushed by her number one supporter Paul Gaglioti, she created a cosmetics and skincare line of her own that could be used at home without a full makeup lesson. Marie drew on her love of the Italian culture as inspiration and made the Dieci Colori line with her clients in mind. She created products that are rich in mineral pigment, hypoallergenic and formulated for a variety of skin types and age groups from the young to the young at heart.

Marie is in charge of a full staff comprised of makeup artists, hair stylists, and spa specialists all of whom Marie has personally specially trained and educated with Dieci Colori and Dieci Lifestyle Spa methods and techniques.  In addition to successfully running a full service salon and spa, Marie frequently gives back to the community through various charities.  As a ‘thank you’ to the nurses at a local medical center, Marie gave the group a complimentary makeup lesson and even provided one lucky nurse with a complete beauty makeover!  Most recently, Marie has donated her services and merchandise at a shopping expo, to help raise funds for Jersey Battered Women’s Service.

Dieci Lifestyle Spa creates profit through the many services available at the salon and spa, as well as through online sales on the Dieci Colori website.  Dieci Lifestyle Spa has a menu that offers 14 facial treatments, 11 massages, 8 body treatments, and 3 hydrotherapy tub therapies. The salon and spa has 40 hair and colour specialists, 4 manicurists, 4 massage therapists, 3 waxers, 3 estheticians, and 3 highly skilled makeup artists on staff.

Marie says one of the goals of Dieci Lifestyle Spa and Dieci Colori is for all of their clients to achieve that sense of personal satisfaction with their image through their treatments and services.  Marie believes the combination of a custom makeup line and the experts who will show you how to use it, is what sets Dieci Lifestyle Spa apart from other spas.

“Amore e baci” a Dieci Colori – in English, ‘With love and kisses from Dieci Colori.’

For more information visit www.diecicolori.com and  www.diecispa.com

Decisions, decisions…I am in my closet trying to decide what shoes I should wear for the activities that I will be doing today.  My footwear collection looks vastly different than it did as a child.  Like most other children growing up in the 1950’s, I owned only two pair.  One pair was for school and the other for church.  The shoes were purchased in September and had to last until Easter.  By summer, it was flip-flops or bare feet, except for that pair of patent leather, Sunday ones, which were beginning to get tight on my growing feet. 

It’s funny how history repeats itself.   Flip-flops have reinvented themselves and returned in an array of colors and styles and have once again found their way into my closet.  Only this time, they are on sassy platforms.  As I continue to survey the situation I notice that I have a certain proclivity for high heels. I feel a little guilty that a fitness specialist would treat her feet so badly, but I quickly ease the Eve syndrome by turning my attention toward my sneakers.  I justify the urge to purchase a new pair or two of sneakers by telling myself that “I exercise a lot”.  It’s time for some (as my friend Amy says), RETAIL THERAPY!

The problem is that it is getting harder and harder to find just the right sneakers for a specific activity.  Yup, I said for a specific activity.  Do you remember when Keds and P.F. Flyers were the only choices?  Well, things are different now.  Gym shoes are now called athletic shoes and the styles and selections can be mind boggling for the novice shopper.  If one doesn’t know a little bit about what they are shopping for, they might make a wrong choice and end up with aching feet and throbbing knees. 

Most athletic shoes are sport specific.  This means that if you are a runner, you need to buy running shoes that are designed specifically for flexion of the ankle.  To participate in an aerobic dance or step class wearing running shoes could do some serious damage to your knees.  To safely participate in those activities you would need to buy a studio shoe or a cross trainer, which are made for both lateral and forward/backward movements.  However, if you were playing basketball, volleyball, tennis or any other court sport, you would want to purchase a shoe to maximize speed and agility.  On another hand, take these same shoes to the soccer or baseball field and you could be in for a major fall.  And, can you imagine wearing those clunky aerobic shoes to go for a spin on your bike?  The handlebars are better left on the front of the bike as opposed to wrapped around your head!

When buying athletic shoes don’t be shy about asking the salesperson what type of shoe it is.  In sporting goods stores, most sales people are knowledgeable about the shoes the store sells.  The shoes should feel great on your feet the minute you get them laced up.  You should never have to break in a new pair of shoes before you actually wear them for the activity.  The exception to the rule is that you wouldn’t want to wear a brand new pair of shoes to run a marathon or another endurance activity or the result could be blisters.

Something else to consider is the brand name.  Just because a shoe is endorsed by a major league star doesn’t mean that it is the right one for your foot.  Try on different brands and see which one feels best to you.  A sneaker shouldn’t be quite so roomy as a dress shoe, because you don’t want your foot to slide around in it as you move through your workout or activity, putting you at risk for injury.

Orthopedic issues are a concern as well.  Some people have high arches, others flat feet.  Some are pigeon toed, others knock-kneed, while some are supinators or pronators.  Selecting a shoe that fits well and wears well is a great investment!  It pays to spend a little more for a shoe that performs.  Generally, a shoe will endure about 3-4 months of regular exercise.  I find that by rotating among two to three pairs of sneakers extends the life of each.  An athletic shoe will lose cushioning and support long before it looks worn.  If your knees begin to hurt check your shoes first and if that doesn’t remedy the problem, see a physician.

If you will excuse me, I think I will put on my high heels and go shopping for some snazzy new flip-flops.  I will probably grab a new pair of aerobic shoes while I’m at it.  See you at the mall!

Pam Archer is an accomplished public speaker, and a frequent radio and television guest.  She is an avid blogger and a newspaper columnist.

In addition to her event planning business, Pam has twenty years experience in the fitness industry.  Archer Fitness Consultants, Inc. umbrellas her videos, speaking appearances, personal training, and everything else she does in the fitness industry. She is also a contributing editor to WE Magazine for Women. To learn more about Pam visit http://www.pamelaseventdesign.com and http://www.idoweddings.wordpress.com

Do you have at least one garment in your closet that you never wear because it makes you look fat?  Maybe you take it out and try it on every now and then but it still doesn’t flatter. It doesn’t matter what you weigh you can easily make yourself look fat with the wrong clothes.

Learn these basic camouflage rules and you’ll never make the same mistake again.

1. Avoid anything stiff. A stiff garment forms a square box around you. It doesn’t fall into flattering loose folds but stands out on its own making even skinny people look large. Having a shape is important whatever your size.
 
2. The same goes for the large tents that we try to camouflage ourselves in. It doesn’t work we just look larger. Shape is needed. 

3. Other than in your accessories don’t wear anything shiny. Shiny is great for jewelry, bags, decorative motifs, scarves, but not for a whole garment. Shine reflects the light making you look bigger and showing every curve and bump.

To read the other Nine Ways, check out this month’s issue of WE Magazine for Women.