Although the majority of treatments provided in The SHAW Center Spa demand little to no downtime, more invasive procedures such as breast augmentations and face lifts require more rest and relaxation.  It’s essential to understand and be prepared for recovery post procedure in order to remain comfortable and obtain optimal results. 
            Requirements for recovery vary from each procedure, considering each part of your body heals at different rates among other factors.  Recovery is one of the most important periods throughout a plastic surgery procedure since there are a few risks for complications such as infection, incision splitting and escalated swelling.  Patients have a tendency to overlook their recovery period and focus on their results, which can leave them unprepared for how they will look and feel during their recovery process. 
            Ensuring that you’re healthy prior to your procedure will help you in the long run and aid in speeding up your recovery.  Eating properly and getting plenty of rest for the weeks leading up to your appointment is key.  Follow guidelines that Dr. Shaw has instructed and remember to stop using any medications or supplements indicated to prevent unwarranted bleeding and/or swelling. 
            During your consultation feel free to consult Dr. Shaw with any questions or hesitations you have about your recovery such as how much pain to expect and how long it will take to fully recover and to refrain from certain activities. 
            Once you have a full understanding of what to expect from your procedure and how much down time is required, plan your procedure at a convenient time for friends, family and work in order to properly recover.  Confirm that someone will be accessible to help you go to the bathroom, take your medications, prepare ice compresses and other daily needs for the first 24 to 48 hours after your procedure.  It’s crucial to stick to a balanced diet and drink an abundance of fluids post procedure in order to receive nutrients and help your body heal properly. 
            Keep in mind that every procedure has different requirements during their recovery period.  Contact The SHAW Center at (480) 767-1900 for any questions and concerns about a procedure or to schedule a consultation. 
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            It’s no secret that the holidays tend to be the season of socializing and eating, which can lead to weight gain.  Although it can be tough to say no to a second serving or walk past the dessert display, prevent the excess pounds by utilizing some of our tips and tricks to get you through the holiday season and come out on top.
            Everyone knows that portion control is key in your daily diet and the holidays are no different.  Although decadent desserts and bread rolls at parties and Thanksgiving dinner will most likely taunt you, don’t completely deprive yourself.  If you know that you’ll be aiming for a piece of pie after dinner or a bread roll with your meal, ensure that the majority of your dinner consists of vegetables to make up for it.  If you load up on vegetables during dinner, you’ll probably be pretty full and eat less for dessert as well.
            If you have friends or family that are visiting whom you haven’t seen in a while, use alternative methods to catch up opposed to going to lunch or dinner together.  Opt for a hike or some type of exercise, possibly a walk to a neighborhood coffee spot that’s near you.  Speaking of remaining active, we understand that the holidays can be a busy time of year that leaves little time in your day for a work out.  Even if you have 20-30 minutes for a quick activity, push yourself during your work out to make it worth your while. 
            Your holidays will more often than not be centered around cocktails, which can add excessive calories on top of food consumption.  If your favorite drink is high in calories, indulge in one and then swap out high caloric mixers with something slimmer such as club soda or tonic water.  It’s not a bad idea to drink a glass of water in between each cocktail in order to remain hydrated and avoid cravings.
            Between gift giving and hosting friends and families, the holidays can be a stressful time.  Make sure to set time aside for yourself for some pampering such as a bubble bath, personal face mask, painting your nails or all the above.  This will help keep your stress levels down and you can opt for “me” time over baking or snacking on things.     
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Fitness bands have been hot on the market with designers like Tory Burch and Rebecca Minkoff jumping on the fit wagon.  Since they’ve become so popular there are many out there to choose from with various tracking abilities.  We’ve weighed the pros and cons of some of the most sought-after bands to find the best one for you.
Basis B1 Band: First off, the stainless steel band on this tracker gives it an edge that doesn’t make it look like a standard band.  Aside from its sleek look, this band features a built-in heart rate monitor.  The app accompanying this device motivates you to enhance yourself through “Habits,” and slowly increases your goals as you meet each one.  Although this band collects and demonstrates an array of data, automatically keeps track of your sleep and measures your heart rate, some users complain that it’s a tad bulky and its shortfall is that it doesn’t feature an alarm clock.   
Fitbit Flex: This relatively slim band tracks your steps, distance and calories burned throughout the day and records your sleep quality at night.  The band also wakes you up in the morning.  You can check the lights on the band throughout the day to see where you’re at in relation to your personal goal.  The major plus for this band is that Tory Burch collaborated with them to design a stylish pendant, a metal hinged bracelet and silicone printed bracelets.  Users report that some downsides include that it doesn’t track stationary exercise such as biking.     
Jawbone Up: This band is pretty slim in comparison to the majority, which makes it comfortable to wear at night in order to track your sleep.  The corresponding app demonstrates your sleep patterns as well as what time you were in heavy and light sleep and features an alarm that lightly vibrates when you’re in light sleep to wake you up.  The app also allows you to track your food and shows your amount of steps per day as well as when you were the most active. If you purchase the Bluetooth band, it will sync wirelessly.  The only cons people report are that it’s one of the priciest of all the bands, only works with iOS and there is no display on the physical band.
Moov: This is one of the more innovative bands and is rated as one of the best trackers for exercise.  Its 3D motion sensors and Siri-type voice train and mentor you through activities such as running, walking, and boxing workouts ensuring that you’re performing the exercise properly to reap the benefits.  This band can be placed almost anywhere on your body and the accompanying app allows you to save your workout information to reflect back on.  Although this band is easy to use, users report that there aren’t enough apps to track various exercises and it can only be used with iOS.
Nike+ FuelBand SE: The latest Nike+ FuelBand features enhanced battery life, allowing users to charge it about every 8 days.  Nike+ is the app that syncs with the band and has features such as the ability to group your friends in different categories, connects to your Facebook friends list, and reminders to help you remain active throughout the day.  This is another band that only works with iOS and users remark that the sleep-monitoring feature is useless.
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            Minor bruising is a typical expectation for several treatments such as Botox and fillers performed at The SHAW Center.  Fortunately, there are several precautions to take prior to a procedure in order to reduce bruising.  We also have some tips on things to do post procedure to aid in decreasing bruising as well.
            If you are one to bruise easily, avoid taking aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen, St. John’s Wort or high doses of vitamin E supplements for at least two weeks before your procedure.  These medications can potentially enhance bruising and bleeding at the injection site because they act as a blood thinner.
            Vitamin C is one of the most powerful vitamins out there that boosts immunity and healing.  We recommend taking 1,000 milligrams every day for three days prior to your procedure and then seven days following.  Bromelain is also an excellent homeopathic medication created to decrease facial bruising.  Take 1,000 miligrams of Bromelain supplements for five days after your procedure.  Pineapples are also an amazing source of bromelain.  Consuming pineapple helps digestion and minimizes inflammation.
            Arnica Montana pills also help avoid bruising prior to a procedure.  Take four pills under your tongue, twice a day for four days before your treatment.   
            Specific foods can contribute to blood becoming thicker and reduces the chance to leak from blood vessels.  Consume foods rich in Vitamin K like cabbage, spinach and kale.  On the other hand, certain liquids like red wine and green tea may result in thinner blood vessels and bruising.  Avoid consuming these before your procedure. 
           
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            About 1 in 8 U.S. women (approximately 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, according to www.breastcancer.org.  Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, it’s not only essential to become more conscious about it but to also educate yourself.  There are numerous myths out there about breast cancer and we’re here to help set some of the popular ones straight!    
A Double Mastectomy Will Save My Life If I Have Cancer in One Breast: Research has proven that double mastectomies don’t boost survival rates.  In fact, the chance of cancer spreading to the other breast is extremely low, approximately 1 percent or less.  A double mastectomy is a longer, vigorous procedure and holds higher risk than breast-sparing techniques.
Deodorant Can Cause Breast Cancer: This one is entirely false and there is no evidence to support it.  One reason why people may believe this is thanks to email blasts over ten years ago that alerted women that certain chemicals used in deodorant imitate estrogen, which then increases a woman’s breast cancer risk.
Wearing an Underwire Bra Causes Cancer: Some believe that underwire bras squeeze the lymphatic system in the breast, which then creates toxins to gather and eventually lead to breast cancer.  This is theory is simply not scientific.  The tightness and type of bra you wear doesn’t have any effect on your risk of breast cancer. 
All Breast Lumps Are Cancerous: When you discover a lump in your breast, you should immediately contact your doctor, however don’t panic and automatically assume it’s cancer.  “Roughly 80% of lumps in women’s breasts are caused by benign (noncancerous) changes, cysts, or other conditions,” according to www.health.com.  Although not all lumps are cancerous, discovering breast cancer early is advantageous. 
Cancer Will Spread When Exposed to Air: Research demonstrates that surgery doesn’t cause or spread breast cancer.  One result from surgery is that your doctor can discover that the cancer has spread more than they previously thought. 
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            Not everyone’s body type is the same so why should your workouts be?  It’s necessary for certain body types to target different muscles in order to receive the best results for your body.  In honor of National Women’s Health and Fitness Day on September 24, we’ve broken down the best workouts for different body types.
Pear Shaped: Those of you that have a wider bottom than top can reap the benefits of this workout by toning your arms and shoulders as well as strengthening the rest of your body.  Try out the “Hundred on the Ball” from Women’s Health.  Lie on your back and place your arms by your sides.  Bend your knees at 90 degrees and place your calves on top of a fitness ball.  Lift your head and shoulders off the ground but ensure that your head, neck and shoulders are relaxed.  Breathe in and out 5 times and then rest your head.  Repeat 10 times for 1 rep.  While your head is off the ground, pulse your arms up and down with your palms facing down.  Repeat this for 10 reps with 100 breaths per rep.    
Athletic: If you have broad shoulders and a slender waist, try this alternative take to squats in order to strengthen your tummy and enhance your booty and thighs.  Start with your feet hip-width apart and place your arms in front of you.  Bend your knees so your body sits at a 45 to 90 degree angle ensuring that your knees are not over your toes.  As you return to a standing position, rotate your torso to the right along with your arms.  Bring your arms to the center for another squat and as you come up rotate to the left.  This is considered one rep; it’s recommended to do 10 to 12.  If you are seeking more of a challenge, do the same exercise while holding a medicine ball. 
Curvy: Women with a bust and hips that are larger than their waist are considered curvy and tend to lack overall muscle tone.  Utilize this workout to build muscle and tone arms and legs.  Begin in a side plank on your right side with your elbow on the floor right under your shoulder.  Place your right foot in front of your left.  Extend your left arm above your head so your bicep is directly above your ear with your palm facing the floor.  Point your arm towards the floor while simultaneously raising your hips.  Repeat this movement on your right side for 8 to 10 reps and then switch and repeat on your left side. 
Straight or Boyish Shaped: If you lack any sort of curves, help build a shape to your waist and sculpt your glutes with this workout.  Start with your feet hip-width apart.  Hold a set of dumbbells at your shoulders, bending your elbows out to the sides with your palms facing forward.  Take a large step forward with your right foot into a squatting position so your knees reach a 90-degree angle, make sure your knees don’t over extend and are aligned with your ankle.  Straighten your right leg and come to a stand and then bring your left knee forward in front of your hips so you are just standing on your right leg while holding the weights up to the ceiling.  Repeat this on your other leg and do 10 to 12 reps per leg.       
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            Although Vitamin C is commonly used to treat colds, this single most popular vitamin has other numerous health benefits as well.  Lee, one of our fabulous skin experts, shares that one of her favorite beauty secrets is achieving healthy, glowing skin from the power of Vitamin C.
            “Vitamin C is an antioxidant that slows the rate of free-radical damage – free radicals are unstable molecules that damage collagen and cause skin dryness, fine lines and wrinkles,” according to www.howstuffworks.com.  
            Vitamin C plays a crucial role in collagen production that not only helps give your skin firmness and strength but also makes it convenient to heal different types of wounds.  When taken orally, Vitamin C aids in faster and better healing for cuts, broken bones, burns, and recovery from surgical procedures.  
Applying Vitamin C topically can help shield your skin from free radical damage once exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays.  It can also reduce sunburn and prevent the outcome of long-term sun exposure, which can develop into skin cancer.  With that said, it’s not safe to apply Vitamin C and then bask in the sun, it mainly ensures that your skin is receiving enough antioxidants and helps keep your skin healthy and soft.
Bodies don’t naturally store Vitamin C and an abundant amount is flushed out through your kidneys, so your supply needs to be replenished every day.  Aside from multivitamins or vitamin C supplements, there are a wide variety of foods that will help get your daily dose such as citrus fruits, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, and tomatoes.  In order to enhance collagen production and fight free radicals, apply topical vitamin C to your skin.  “Look for a facial cleanser or moisturizer that contains the L-ascorbic acid form of vitamin C to ensure the vitamin penetrates your skin layers,” according to www.howstuffworks.com. 
              
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            Research indicates that there are two specific kinds of aging: aging created by genes we inherit (intrinsic) and aging caused due to environmental factors, such as exposure to the sun’s rays (extrinsic).  Our patients as well as our staff have been raving about EltaMD Sun Care in order to protect their skin from the brutal sun, especially in Arizona.
            Ultraviolet (UV) rays are components of the invisible energy that comes from the sun.  UVA (aging) rays account for 95% of our sun exposure.  These rays create skin aging and contribute to skin cancer.  UVA rays sneak into the skin layers, harming collagen and cells, which leads to wrinkling, hyperpigmentation and loss of elasticity.  UVB (burning) rays typically affect the outer layer of the skin. 
            EltaMD Sun Care products provide a variety of sunscreens that prevent sun damage safely and supply true broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection.  All of the products are composed of microfine transparent zinc oxide and are noncomedogenic, sensitivity-free, fragrance-free and paraben-free.  The products range from facial and body sunscreens from SPF 30 to 50 and each product is tailored to certain skin types such as those prone to acne, rosacea and hyperpigmentation.
            Dermatologists have discovered that the most powerful cosmeceutical that can prevent and reverse the signs of aging is sunscreen.  All of the EltaMD Sun Care products can help put a stop to signs of premature aging and protect against sun-related skin diseases when used daily.
            Contact the SHAW Center at (480) 767-1900 to find out more about the EltaMD Sun Care products that we carry!   
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            It is projected that one in every eight women runs the risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime.  There are multiple elements that take part in a woman’s risk such as lifestyle, hereditary and dietary factors.  “Breast cancer can be prevented as well as controlled by taking on healthy habits like reducing alcohol consumption, controlling weight, breast feeding, avoiding exposure to polluting and radical elements as well as following a healthy diet plan,” according to www.myhealthtips.com.  There are various “super” foods that can supposedly help fight breast cancer. 
 
Spinach: It’s enriched with numerous components, including carotenoids and zeaxanthin, which aid in removing unstable molecules from your body. 
Tomatoes: Tomatoes contain many beneficial properties.  Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes, allegedly helps prevent breast cancer development. 
Salmon: The different types of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutritional components found in salmon supposedly help prolong the growth of cancerous tumors.
Garlic: Sulfur compounds found in garlic can aid in accelerating the repair of DNA. 
Pomegranate Juice: One of the components in pomegranate juice is polyphenol, a form of ellagic acid that is known for its antioxidant attributes, which can allegedly hamper the emergence of cancer cells.

            Dr. Shaw performs many different types of breast procedures and revisions.  If you would like more information or to schedule a consultation, contact the SHAW Center at (480) 767-1900.
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         Now that summer’s here we’re sure you’ll find yourself exposing more skin than usual and if you can’t tone it, tan it!  There are so many bronzing products available now that are much safer than traditional tanning or going to a tanning salon.  One of our favorite sunless products is Quick Tan self tanner by Body Drench. 
            Quick Tan helps give you a desired instant summer glow with salon quality sunless tanning at home.  The Bronzing Spray has a 360-degree nozzle to ensure simple application and the tinted formulas make it easy to see where to put the product on.  Once applied, a natural tan will progress within 3-5 hours.  The SHAW Center carries Quick Tan bronzing spray in medium/dark.  For the best results, consider the following:
·      Use on clean, exfoliated skin
·      Shake well before use
·      Spray evenly over body holding the spray 10” away
·      Wash hands after application
·      Let your skin dry before putting on clothes
·      For a darker tan, use once a day until you attain desired color
·      To maintain your tan, apply once or twice a week
Another sunless tanning alternative are spray tans.  The FDA has backed DHA, the principal component in sunless tanning products, for over 40 years.  Although DHA is considered safe, if you are receiving a spray tan avoid spraying your face for various reasons.  Since the skin on your face is more sensitive than the rest of your body, spraying your face can clog your pores, which will most likely lead to blemishes and breakouts. DHA is recommended for external use only so you should avoid inhaling the product.  If you already have dark spots on your face, spraying your face will make them appear darker.  Once your spray tan begins to fade, it may fade unevenly on your face.  The best option to make your face tanner is to utilize bronzer.  Some of our favorite bronzers are Laguna by NARS and Smashbox Bronze Lights.
          If you have additional questions about Quick Tan or would like to purchase, contact the SHAW Center at (480) 767-1900.   
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