Visiting "My Family" in California

I am visiting "my family" in California before I leave for the International Congress of Anti-Aging Medicine in Orlando tomorrow night. Tonight the boys and girls staged for us a fabulous show of "Grease." They were so cute!! But why do these kids know all the songs? That movie was made when I was in highschool...

Brain Aging?

Finally, we got to meet. Today I had dinner with Dr. Satoe Matsubayashi of Ginza Naika Clinic, a famous anti-aging doctor and a specialist on brain aging (I need serious advice cuz I can’t remember names any more…). We have been going back and forth by e-mail for weeks, trying to set a date which would suit both of our busy schedules. We are of the same age; she, an anti-aging medical specialist and I, an avid experimenter and we share information on our trials and errors. Me: “I am exhausted. I am juggling two jobs at the same time and working like a mule. I gained four kilograms in two months and my face is breaking out. Help me…” Doctor sighs, “My conclusion is there is no short cut, you have to lead a healthy lifestyle and exercise. There is no magical anti-aging formula.” Me:”I know that!! If I can, I’d be going to yoga every night. But I come home after ten and am absolutely exhausted and the only human thing I can do is to wash my face, so don’t expect me to go to the kitchen and cook vegetables. It is unthinkable. I went to the hair salon last week and the young guy who massages shoulders was horrified by how steel hard my shoulder muscles were! He was shocked and he told me that if your blood circulation is poor in your shoulders, less blood goes to your brain and your brain starts to slow down. I cannot afford that in my job. Is that true?” Doctor: “No.” Me: (Phew…) “Glad you confirmed that for me, cuz I was seriously getting worried…” The conversation went on for a couple of hours and I went home satisfied with all the specific advice she gave me and the name of products she recommended…until I got home. My nagging worries about my brain deteriorating from poor blood circulation was confirmed…When I tried to remember the products she recommended, I could not remember a thing!!! Aaaah, this is too scary…I can’t handle it. I am going to bed.

Enlarged Pores and Aging

I think Japanese women are obsessed with enlarged pores. When you read women’s beauty magazines, you are amazed by the number of pore-erasing products that are featured every month. Together with whitening, pore care is definitely a national obsession here.
I must admit I have been tackling with enlarged pores for years myself. I even went to a dermatologist in desperate need of a solution, but all he gave me was a soap with AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid). I have been using that soap for several months but my pores still look larger than life!
So what has caused my pores to enlarge? Is it because I'm aging? One cause seems to be hereditary, so the doctor told me. Fortunately, my skin never goes dry but because of the excess oil, the pores seem to be more noticeable. Sun damage and aging seem to be another big cause. Aging and sun exposure make the epidermis thicken and cells tend to collect around pores, making “rings” that cause pores to stand out. That is why a lot of pore-care products exfoliate (like that AHA soap) so that the naturally shed dead skin cells won't gather around the rim and make pores become visible. These pores start to look even bigger when plugged with dirt, and becoming black heads.
So, recently, I experimented with a new pore-care product out in the market called CUTINA. It is a medicated gel product that you massage your face with and later rinse off or wipe off with cotton. It is supposed to remove dead skin cells and minimize your pores. And here is my review after using it for a week:
• Unplugging debris and dead skin cells: Very Good, no skin irritation like many exfoliating products.
• Eliminating bacteria: Cannot tell??
• Reducing excessive oiliness: Extremely Effective
• Removing blackheads: Seems to be less noticeable
• Closing Pores: Very Good
• Hydrating: Very Good, with no sticky after-feel.
So far, quite impressed with the visible results I have seen with Cutina. Will continue for a few more weeks but I plan to also try a similar product from Kathy’s Choice "Acid Lotion" to compare. Will report later…In the meantime, Cutina is worth trying.

Nabe Party

You will be shocked to hear how old these girls are...(Marina and Noriko, sorry you weren't in the pic!)Anyway, so why aren't they aging since I last saw them in highschool? Perhaps it's because they all enjoy their lives? So a certain conclusion was reached, especially between me, K and S, which was "who cares what people think...we only live once so we might as well enjoy it!" It sounds pretty trite but it's actually quite a profound piece of wisdom, I think...Anyway, they reminded me of how I was even more frighteningly carefree in college. (I am relieved to know that since then, I have assimilated a bit into civilized society.) Even these girls could not believe that I happily wore my milk-bottle-bottom glasses with a crack in the right lens and cellophane-tape mended in the center to school everyday. (But K, I still find your pool story to be far, far, far more unbelievable!!)We'll have our next get together at my house warming soon, I promise!

Need Some Lifting? Highly Recommended Ultrasonic Face Massager!

My time has been completely tied up with moving into my new home, getting new furnitures, starting a new company and going to the driving school to re-register my lost California driver’s license. Hence, I have not been able to update my blog. However, tonight I promised my friends I will write about my recent discovery—the ultimate ultrasonic face massager which I would recommend to anyone annoyed with their sagging face line. This is effective, I promise.
This is “the thing” that has helped my face from aging over the years. And tonight, when I met my friend K at a party, she was my living proof. I have not seen her for several years and she definitely does not look like she’s over forty and with a son at St. Mary’s. I asked her what she was doing to her face and she told me she was using the same ultrasonic face massager I have been totally dependent on for the past few years. So, everyone, it works!! Tonight looking at K, I was absolutely convinced.
This ultrasonic treatment strengthens your skin’s elasticity and lifts your face up instantly. The difference is scary. La Mente Aurora-ceutical is the name of this massaging product both K and I have been using. It is the best selling face massaging product in Japan right now. So this is how it works. The massager sends cyclic sonic waves of 5 MHz/second from its surface that travel deep into your skin through this gel that you apply onto your face. The machine emits micro-vibrations and frictional heat which penetrates into your skin to smooth out wrinkles and dissolve fat deposits. However, you don’t feel anything but the cold steel surface against your skin so don't worry, it is not painful. This results in visible slimming effect and your face looks clearly lifted up. It also stimulates your skin metabolism and revives the elasticity so the skin looks really tight after you use it for ten minutes. It’s not that expensive so do try if you’re too busy to go to facials! (or lazy like me)

An Enlightening Birthday with my two Osana-najimis

Who did I spend my birthday with? My two osana-najimis I've known for the longest time, G and A. G is a succesful lawyer striving to someday become the kind of carefree man who doesn't give a damn about what people think, and have the guts to do the most outrageous thing at a Chinese restaurant(The photos of G got censored so they're removed...). A is "the caring mother" and the only person in this world who will bawl me out for hours and I shall actually listen to.

Finding me depressed because of a particular painful incident, they left me with one memorable gift of "an intense session" to remind me of my self-centeredness. The "heated discussion" continued till this morning. G pointed out to me with the tone of the wise Yoda, that I am lucky to have friends who care deeply about my happiness. So guys, I may have sounded really stubborn and ungrateful, but I deeply appreciate what you had to say. So thanks, I am really lucky to have you both as my osana-najimis. I really mean it. And thank you for understanding and accepting me for who I am...the eldest child and the uncontrollable one.

FotoFacial RF Skin Treatment

So my best friend from kindergarten, A, is visiting from California. Before eating shabu-shabu, I took her to a dermatologist in Shinjuku. What is bothering us these days is our face line sagging and brown spots appearing. California sun is especially brutal to her aging skin. After much research, my recommendation to her was FotoFacial RF, a medical light system (Not Laser) that has incredibly positive effect to rejuvenate your skin. The system is often referred to at clinics as “Aurora.” FotoFacial RF combines two types of optical energy into your skin, IPL of Intense Pulsed Visible Light and energy with radio frequency (RF) which work synergistically to deliver satisfying and lasting results. This is how it works. The visible light energy or RF energy gets absorbed by the pigment in the skin’s surface and stimulates the production of collagen and elastin from within the dermis. This helps the skin to noticeably firm up. Also, the IPL light energy can also work on dark sun spots by stimulating the melanin to surface and eventually disappear after 3-4 days. 4-5 treatments would be sufficient to rid your brown spots and the treatment is usually administered every 4 weeks. So I took a photo of my friend’s skin after the treatment. Notice the melanin pigments appearing on the surface? These will disappear and your skin will look spotless and smooth after a few days. Will post her photo after a week so please look forward to it!
(A, don't forget to send me the picture!)