Over the past 10 years or so of my career and here at Joanna Vargas Skin Care, I have noticed that most women are concerned with a lot of the same issues. Cellulite is one of the most repeated concerns women have voiced. The word “cellulite” was first recorded in a French medical journal about 150 years ago. Cellulite was then believed to be a disease. Although the medical community has since abandoned that idea, most women I know would refute that conclusion.
One of the biggest misconceptions about cellulite is that it occurs due to weight gain. The truth is, even very thin women can and do have cellulite. All my thin clients with cellulite will attest to that. In fact, cellulite is actually a skin problem.Did any of you know that? I’m not sure that even some so-called experts know that. I’ll say it again: cellulite develops on a woman’s body because of her skin, NOT fat!

Cellulite is obviously not a simple one dimensional problem. There are various contributing factors, however, the main issues are found in the skin: its structure, elasticity and thickness. In women, the connective tissue lies up and down, parallel to itself, with fat cells lying below it. It actually has large spaces in between, which makes it very easy for fat cells below to push up towards the surface of the skin. Ironically, fat cells do not push toward the surface of the skin if you gain weight. In fact, it is only able to push up toward the surface when the thickness and elasticity of the skin are diminished. Then the fatty deposits are trapped within the connective tissue, causing the dimpled, puckered look we all despise. The cause of the loss of thickness and elasticity is collagen and elastin breaking down. Want to know why guys don’t have cellulite as much as women? Men’s connective tissue actually fits very close together in a criss-cross pattern, thus preventing the fat from pushing up towards the surface of the skin.

Elastin and collagen diminish with age in everyone. But external factors play a part as well. The environment, one’s diet, sun exposure and lifestyle also play a big part. How can we prevent the skin from losing elasticity and thickness? The body must be assisted in producing collagen and elastin. Nutritionally, one can eat a diet rich in foods we know aid the body in its production of these essential proteins. Eggs are rich in amino acids, which help produce collagen. Cucumber and spinach strengthen the skin with silica and lecithin respectively. Pineapple is anti-inflammatory, it helps fight water retention, and aids in the healing of damaged collagen fibers. Also its very high in vitamin C. Eat pears to detox from pollutants and stimulate the lymphatic system. Oranges are excellent sources of vitamin C and contain bioflavonoids, which help circulation and strengthen capillaries. Broccoli contains alpha lipoic acid, which helps prevent the destruction of collagen from sugar. You get the idea.

Externally, one can do a few things at home for the skin on the body. Exfoliation is essential- the slight abrasion will trigger the skin’s healing mechanism which helps the synthesis of collagen and elastin. Also using a hydrating cream to feed the skin all the nutrients it needs to replenish the damage that occurs from our environment. Therapeutically, there are many things we can do here in the salon that would be a tremendous help, so just ask me!
In handling cellulite or any other skin problem the best thing I can recommend is prevention from the start. Obviously we are all going to age, but there are so many wonderful things available to us to slow down the signs, why not take advantage of them?

Women are always complaining about how their husbands, boyfriends, or sons dress. Many wives claim that they have to tell their husbands what to wear or they will be embarrassed in front of people. Mothers often comment about the lack of appropriate clothing worn by their adult sons. Employers say that many of their male employees would be given more raises if their appearance at work improved. Maybe you are a man who has been embarrassed at work when someone points out that your socks don’t even match. Are you dressing in the dark or are you color blind? One suggestion is that you match your socks in a very brightly lit room. Perhaps you have several suits that you wear to work. If you have a black suit, for instance, you won’t have much problem with coordinating colors. Black goes with almost anything. However, if wear mostly blue or brown suits, it could seem a little more complicated to you.

With any color of suit, you should wear dark socks. You would wear black or brown with a brown suit. With navy blue, you would wear navy blue or black socks. Never wear white socks with a suit. Never wear colored t-shirts with a suit. If you wear a t-shirt underneath your white dress shirt, make sure it is a white one that won’t show. With a navy blue suit or pants, it is appropriate to wear a white dress shirt. You can also wear a light blue dress shirt, but it probably would not look good with a one that is navy, black or brown. When you are wearing a brown suit or pants, you can always wear a white dress shirt. However, you would not want to wear a brown shirt, or one that is navy or yellow. Pale blue or even black might be all right with this color. Ties that are worn should have colors in them that are similar to those that are in the suit or the shirt. Loud colors or patterns are not attractive. With a black suit or pants, a silver tie would look nice depending on the color of the shirt. Besides color coordination, there are a few other things that are important when trying to dress fashionably.

Here are 5 fashion tips including coordinating the colors of what you wear:

1. Color-coordinate clothing

2. Neatly press your suits, dress pants, dress shirts, and ties (consider taking them to your local dry cleaners if you don’t have time for this task).

3. Wear suits, pants, and shirts that fit properly (many men’s stores will assist you with this).

4. Have any buttons replaced, zippers repaired, holes mended (dry cleaners often offer this service).

5. Wash your under garments, jeans, socks and other casual clothing on a regular basis.

Hopefully, these 5 fashion tips will make your life a lot easier. Although it will cost you a little money at the dry cleaners, it will be worth it! Women in your life, including your mother and sisters, will be very impressed when they see the improvement. Who knows? Your next raise might be on its way!
One thing you want to be diligent about is making sure that you wash your under garments on a regular basis. It does no good to take your daily shower, put on deodorant, aftershave, and cologne if everything you wear isn’t clean!