Cupid's Best Picks For Valentine's Day!

In case you hadn't noticed, Valentine's Day has become quite the event. It's gone way beyond just sending a romantic card to someone or ordering a dozen roses. It's become a day where we make an effort to look our best for our Valentine and/or find a unique and perfect gift to give them.


With that in mind, BeautyInDC.com http://www.beautyindc.com/ has gone on a mission to round up some of the best the DC area has to offer. There are beauty treatments to make you feel red hot for that special someone, spa treatments you can enjoy as a couple or ideas for gifts that will make you unforgettable!


Events:

2/12 It's A Lovely Party at Body Elements http://www.body-elements.com/
This Valentine's Day celebration has something for everyone-from Flamenco dance to fashion, from jewelry shopping to wine tasting...No fees, just fun! All are invited (first-come, first-served), so grab your best girlfriends (or come meet new ones!) and share your love for all things lovely.


2/13 Fire and Ice Event at Rockledge Medspa in Bethesda
The Dermatology Center http://www.dermskin.com/ is helping you get ready for Valentine's Day like celebrities get ready for the red carpet--with an iS Clinical Fire and Ice Facial. This day only you'll get a special price of $99 (regularly $125) and 20% off the iS Clinical products you purchase.



Treatment:


Bikini Wax/Airbrush Tan
If you're being whisked away for a romantic getaway this is a great way to prepare, especially if it's somewhere tropical! Skin Beauty Lounge http://www.skinbeautylounge.com/ is offering a special on this combination package for just $90.



Product:

Neocutis Bio-restorative Serum
Let him think it's the glow of love when you're secret is really this new product from Neocutis http://www.neocutis.com/ that employs Processed Skin Cell Proteins or PSP's. In as little as 7 days you can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lines as well as tighten the skin's firmness and facial contours.



Couples Spa Specials:

Qi Spa Couples Massage
This spa in Georgetown www.qispadc.com probably has one of the largest menus of massages for couples to enjoy together on or near Valentine's Day. They're performed by two massage therapists in the same room on side by side tables. The most popular is the Karma Sutra Couples Massage which involves candlelight, melted candle massage oil, beautiful sensual music and lover's tea.




Parma's Complete Body Renewal Package for Two
This is a combination of treatments to enjoy with someone special in your life which can even be a mother, sister or friend. Included are a Rose Petal Foot Bath, Full Body Massage, Body Polish, and Rose & Champagne Treat for Two!! And best of all the package at Parma www.parmaspa.com normally costs $590 but for the month of February in honor of Valentine's day it's being offered for both people for a total of $199.



Unique Gifts:

UniqueValentineGift.com
A website www.uniquevalentinegift.com that absolutely lives up to it's name and has been endorsed by Cupid himself! It's a boutique dedicated to providing the finest gifts to men and women for all occasions of the heart. They've built relationships directly with the world's finest manufacturers so the gifts you receive and send to your friends, family, and loved ones are the highest quality products available. One that stands out is the Sweetest Day Message In A Bottle. It's a gift bottle filled with rose petals, Swarovski crystals and your very own message. Enter the site's Annual Valentine Love Letter contest and you might even win this gift or your choice among four options.

http://www.beautyindc.com/ is your local resource for information and deals on beauty services in the Washington Metro area.

Stubborn Fat Is History With Zeltiq

It's so unfair! Your alarm goes off every morning at 5am so you can hit the gym before work, you carefully watch every morsel that goes into your mouth, and yet you still have those saddle bags or a muffin top that undermine your confidence in clothes and a bathing suit.

Most of us would prefer to not have to go under the knife no matter how much we hate those areas of stubborn fat, so we certainly welcome a cool change that has arrived on the beauty scene.

It's called CoolSculpting by Zeltiq and The Dermatology Center www.dermskin.com in Rockville and Germantown (with a new location opening soon that you'll read about at the end of this blog!) is offering the procedure.

Denise West, Cosmetic Consultant for the practice and their companion Rockledge Medspa, answered BeautyInDC.com's question about the procedure and shares her own experience:

Q: What is Zeltiq and when was it introduced?

A: Zeltiq was founded by a group of Harvard Scientist’s and the FDA approved it in September 2010. It is a unique, patented, clinically proven procedure that involves freezing fat cells without damage to your skin. There’s no knife. No suction hoses. No needles. No lasers, even. After your treatment, you get on with your busy day.

Q: Who is a good candidate for the procedure?

A: The best candidates for the Zeltiq CoolSculpting procedure are people near their ideal body weight who eat well and exercise regularly and have pockets of fat that have not responded to a healthy lifestyle. They are seeking long-lasting spot reduction for this specific area of fat, but they are not considering a surgical procedure with its inherent expense, downtime, and safety risks.

Q: What happens during a treatment? Does it hurt or cause discomfort? Any downtime?

A: Zeltiq gently cools unwanted fat cells in the body through a process called Cryolipolysis to induce a natural, controlled elimination of fat cells. There is no pain or discomfort caused with the procedure. At the beginning of the procedure you will feel a firm tug or pulling sensation along with some intense cold. This soon dissipates and you are free to read a book, work on your laptop or even take a nap. Zeltiq is a completely non-invasive procedure and you may return to your normal routine immediately after receiving treatment. Some patients experience some mild redness, bruising, tingling or numbness in the treated area, but this is very temporary.

Q: When will someone see results and how many treatments are suggested?

A: On average, each Zeltiq procedure results in a 20% reduction of fat in the treated area, and patients can start to see results as soon as three weeks following treatment, with the most dramatic results occurring over a period of two to four months in most patients. Typically you will see a reduction of fat after only one treatment.

Q: Have there been success stories by people who have had the treatment?

A: Yes there have been many myself included as I was treated two months ago and no longer feel self-conscious in a bathing suit!

Q: What is approx cost of treatments?

A: The cost ranges from approximately $700.-$1400. per treatment area We also offer discounted package prices which our available through a complimentary consultation! The skinny is Zeltiq is a cool solution to stubborn fat that requires no surgery and no down time! So no need to wait any longer cool that fat away today! Contact us at 301-968-1200 or email denise.west@dermskin.com to talk to our cosmetic coordinator about Zeltiq.

Q: I understand you have some exciting news about The Dermatology Center?

A: We have a new office opening in DC! Our new location opens October 15th 2011. It will be located near Sibley Hospital on Loughboro Road, NW. See our website for more details- www.dermskin.com . This location will offer medical and cosmetic dermatology in an upscale and convenient location.

http://www.beautyindc.com/ is your local resource for information and deals on beauty services in the Washington Metro area.

The Gold Standard in Laser Hair Removal!

You may think that if you want to be hair free you're going to have to pay the price in terms of time commitment and discomfort. And you may even think, depending on your ethnicity, that the laser won't work on your type of skin.

That might have been the case with some of the laser hair removal systems on the market in the past. But there is a new, improved laser in town and it's addressing all of those previous concerns.

Rockledge Medspa at the Dermatology & Clinical Skin Care Center www.dermskin.com in Bethesda is now featuring the Duet, considered to be the most exciting innovation in laser hair removal in over 10 years. The Duet is especially efficient for large areas which now can take half the time or less than they did before. And of course the reduction in discomfort would be enough to win us over since we like to keep our suffering for beauty to a minimum!

This is the time of year to start the treatments so you'll be ready when shorts and beach weather are in full swing. With that in mind we spoke to Jennifer Whitman, a Physician's Assistant at the dermatology practice who also uses Duet to answer some of our basic questions about how it works:

Q: Can you tell us about the Duet laser hair removal system and what makes it better than some other systems?

A: This laser is different from other lasers for a few reasons. It uses a 810 nm wavelength which is the most specific wavelength to target hair pigment. It also is much less painful than other lasers because it uses a suction device to pick the skin up before the laser fires and this greatly reduces any discomfort. The suction device also improves the efficacy of the laser because it blanches any competing pigments in the the skin and brings the hair follicles closer to the laser.

Q: Who is a good candidate for laser hair removal with this system?

A: The laser can be used on more skin types than the majority of lasers currently in use. We can treat skin types I-IV. This includes very fair skin, European skin types, Hispanic, and East and South Asian Skin types. Although the Duet has been used in clinical trials on darker skin types (African Americas), our providers’ personal experiences with this laser have shown that some undesirable pigment disturbances have occurred with the Light Sheer, so we still treat darker skin with a Yag laser which has been very safe and effective. All hair lasers work by targeting brown pigment so none of the hair lasers can treat blond or white hairs because they lack pigment.

Q: How many sessions will it take for some of the most popular treatments like underarms, legs, bikini and back?

A: For underarms, bikini, arms, legs and back most patients will need an average of 6-8 treatments to achieve 80-90% reduction. Facial hair can require more treatments depending on ethnic background, genetics and hormonal factors.

Q: Are there any risks or side effects with this laser?

A: The Duet has very few side effects. There can be temporary redness, swelling, or discoloration of the treated areas.

Q: Is the hair removal permanent or will it require touch ups later on?

A: With enough treatments, the hair removal will be permanent. With every treatment, the patient has a permanent reduction in the amount of hairs, the coarseness of the hairs, and the rate that it re-grows. For all these reasons, this is a great option for people who are prone to ingrown hairs, “hair bumps” and discoloration from shaving, tweezing, and waxing. Recently we have seen a great increase in the number of male patients who are choosing laser hair removal of their facial hair as an alternative to daily shaving.

Q: What is the approximate cost for the most popular areas to be treated?

A: Cost of treatments varies according to size and location of areas treated so it is impossible to give a complete price list. Complimentary price consultations are available in our Med Spa.

Rockledge Medspa
6410 Rockledge Drive Suite #205
Bethesda, MD 20817
301-968-1200
www.dermskin.com

http://www.beautyindc.com/ is your local resource for information and deals on beauty services in the Washington Metro area.