Age and gravity work together day in and day out to pull the skin on our face downward. As the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to disintegrate, we begin to lose the vital protein fibers to fight against these two extremely powerful forces. As a result we struggle with jowls and wrinkles around the chin and neck. As technology and medical knowledge continues to improve, it’s no wonder that getting a face lift has become more appealing.

Since the first attempts in the early 1900s, face lifts have come a long way. At first, face lifts consisted of pulling back the skin, removing excess tissue, and then closing the incision. In the 1970s, doctors found that the muscles and deeper tissues under the skin needed to be repositioned as well as the upper layer to create long-lasting results.

Modern face lifts have a much shorter and less traumatic recovery time than they used to in previous decades. There is less bruising, swelling and pain, and patients can usually return to daily tasks after a few weeks. There is also the option of a mini face lift (http://www.vfhcinc.com/aesthetic.html) which was developed by Dr. Scarborough and Dr. Bisaccia of the Ohio Center for Dermatology.

The mini lift can restore the jaw, cheeks, neck and chin to a more youthful state. The procedure takes about and hour and a half which includes local anestheia and patients can go home on the same day. Recovery time is on average a week. The average age of a mini face lift patient is around 50-55 when gravity and age really begin to take a toll on the face.

Though face lift surgery has become more popular and safe, it is not the only option for achieving that tight youthful look and definition we all want to preserve or correct. And with the average face lift cost falling between $7,000 and 9,000, cheaper options are available.

“Facercise” founded by Carol Maggio of Rodondo Beach is the natural alternative to face lifts and plastic surgery. Various face exercises repeated twice a day tone the muscles in the face with special attention to the neck and chin area. Students in one of her facercise class programs saw results within five days. There are different versions of facercises including faceworks developed in the UK and face yoga which follow similar skin tightening exercise techniques.

Anti-wrinkle, facial toning creams, and microdermabrasion (http://www.vfhcinc.com/procedures.html) are other alternatives. An experienced dermatologist can recommend top quality brands with a variety of prices. Even if the most effective cream is expensive, you will still be saving thousands compared to a face lift.

It would be wise to try natural methods before resorting to surgery due to the down time, cost, and the question of whether the results will be as you envisioned. Speaking to an experienced plastic surgeon during a consultation to voice your concerns and ask questions about the procedure is crucial before making a decision to get a face lift.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in aesthetic medicine, beauty treatments such as microdermabrasion, and weight loss programs. For more information on a mini face lift, please visit http://www.vfhcinc.com/.

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All right, this is just plain… distressing. If you’re at all squeamish about parasites, read on at your own risk. Researchers at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde will try to understand why auto immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis are so rare in countries where parasitic worm infections are common and whether this may lead to new effective arthritis treatments.

Yes, that’s right. Parasitic worms living inside the bodies of populations from tropical regions without causing them any trouble at all. And perhaps, strangely, providing some benefit. Which leaves you to wonder if Mother Nature doesn’t know just exactly what she’s doing after all…

The scientific community is well aware of an inverse relationship between worm infections and diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, type-1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Countries where people are naturally infected with this particular parasite seem to have lower rates of these conditions than those countries where this type of infection doesn’t occur or has been eradicated.

Luckily for the squeamish among us, it’s not the actual parasitic filarial nematode worm that the Scots scientists are wanting to put into our bodies, it’s a large molecule they secrete known as ES-62. This substance is found in the bloodstream of parasite infected people in the tropics, and seems to provide some protective benefit against the inflammation the worms should be causing in their human hosts. The good news is that ES-62 has no known adverse effects, leaving the body perfectly able to fight off other infections.

“ES-62 appears to act like a ‘thermostat’ to effectively turn down disease-causing inflammation while leaving essential defense mechanisms intact to fight infection and cancer,” according to Iain McInnes, a member of the research team and Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Glasgow. “This property also makes ES-62 a unique tool for scientists to identifying how such disease-causing inflammation occurs.”

The team is going to try and produce a synthetic (again… whew!) version of the ES-62 molecule from the worms in an effort to come up with an anti inflammatory therapy that works effectively for auto immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, type-1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The three-year study is being funded by the UK’s Arthritis Research Campaign.

Earlier work has also shown ES-62 to have real potential as a therapy for allergies too.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a potentially crippling joint disease that comes as a result of your immune system attacking itself. Inflammation in the joints and internal organs is the result and is an incredibly painful condition.

At present there is no cure for this severely debilitating condition, but there is lots of research currently underway, and various arthritis treatment options are available that help take down the painful inflammation and keep joint damage to a minimum. One such treatment has recently hit the headlines – a drug called Tocilizumab (which will be sold under the brand name RoActemra). This works in conjunction with another arthritis drug Methotrexate and works to halt symptoms.

Over 14,000 people have joined Kirsten’s popular (and sometimes controversial) Daily Health Bulletin, so why not join them and stay up to date with the latest on arthritis treatment and general health news daily.

You also get 5 comprehensive health reports free when you join - giving you all you need to treat common ailments, lose weight, look younger and feel healthier.

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