The NipTuck Coach

My Silver Hair Transformation Complete! 2020

The day final arrived!!

Archer Salon, San Francisco. Gari James is the owner and Colorist Extraordinaire

2020 certainly was a year full of challenges. When we started shelter in place in March, 2020, I had just moved and Covid-19 entered our lives. The last time I saw my colorist, Gari at Archer Salon in San Francisco was February, 2020. I was planning to go once we moved- at the end of March for my 8 week color touch-up. Well, we all know what happened next…

Shut down of all hair and nail salons. So, I waited it out, thinking that everything would open back up fairly quickly! Who would have thought…….

Finally on November 5 after months and months of anticipation, the day came for my color transition from my grown out faded red hair and stripped white roots to silver-grey. I honestly was not how my hair would look. I was both excited and nervous too, as I knew my color would need to be bleached. I’ve read so many horror stories about hair damage after bleaching. Plus my previous colorist told me that I would have to cut my hair to really transition to grey the right way. I had contemplated going grey before…

Would going grey make me look older or at least my age!!? Over 60.

I was the only one in the hair salon that day. Gari and his assistant gave me the VIP Covid safe treatment, which included a private parking spot right in front of the salon.. huge since the salon is on a (once) busy street in Union Square, a black paper mask, and a pair comfy velvet booties. The process took about 9 hours. My hair was bleached and checked in stages. The good news- I was told that my red lifted much more easily than Gari thought it would. I was happy about that too.

The time actually went by quickly. It was nice to catch up… I was getting really excited to see the outcome.

Once the my hair was bleached then Gari deposited different color glosses and toners, plus Olaplex to minimize any damage.

I was thrilled to see my transformation and absolutely loved the outcome. The color looked gorgeous and I felt younger and lighter.. go figure. I sent some photos to my husband… who even now is not quite sure he likes it.

Experimenting with different make-up shades and colors is fun. I can now wear colors that I could not as a red-head. I get lots of compliments too!! Except my husband is still debating!

It’s been 12 weeks since my color change.. and I continue to love the look. The salons are shut down again, but that’s Ok. On Gari’s advise I bought, Mr. Smith Blond to minimize any yellowing and Guy-Tang Color 10A to use as a gloss every 8 weeks or so.

I’d love to go just a tiny bit more silver.

There is some breakage, but I’ve been taking care of my hair by continuing using Olaplex No. 0, No. 3, No. 6 Plus weekly shampooing with Mr. Smith. Blond.

I get lots of compliments too!!

By the end of 2021 all my true color should be revealed!!

Happy New Year!!

Filling Eye Hollows with Dermal Fillers: What Are The Risks?

Deep hollows under your eyes can make you look tired and dull.

HA fillers can fill your hollows for a refreshed and more youthful look.

Filling eye hollows is a delicate business and there are risks. The biggest risk is bruising, lumps, overfilling and swelling. In some cases if not done properly it can actually make your lower eye area look worse. Today there are more hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers in the aesthetic tool box and techniques for treating this delicate area have improved.

I’ve read many posts online about patients who have had fillers and are experiencing puffiness, lumps, bruising, swelling and a baggy look after the injections. Others have good results. I’ve also experienced good and bad results. Please choose your injector wisely. This is a very difficult area to treat.

Performing “tear trough” treatments to the hollow area under the eyes requires meticulous technique. When done correctly the results are very satisfying. The most important factor is to go to an injector who is has a lot of experience in this area.

Below are some guidelines to consider before you jump into filling your eye hollows (tear trough).

Parts of this post was originally written in 20o9 when I had my tear troughs treated for the first time.

A business colleague had her tear trough area filled by a local plastic surgeon in San Francisco, CA . I was very impressed with her results and decided to fill my eye hollows, for a more youthful look. At the time there were only two HA fillers on the market Juvederm and Restylane. Although both fillers were very similar Juvederm tends to create more puffiness in the eye area than Restylane, as it absorbs more water. My surgeon choose Juvederm which surprised me because Restylane was the preferred filler for this area. However, I trusted his judgement.

Afterwards I very bruised, swollen and lumpy. I waited patiently a couple of weeks hoping it would resolve. The bruising diminished but the puffiness persisted. I looked like I had been punched in the face and knew that OI needed a correction. Fortunately HA fillers can easily be dissolved with hyaluronidase. (more…)

Considering Plastic Surgery: Questions to Ask

Are you considering plastic surgery ?

Do your own research do not rely on websites, Yelp, or choose a surgeon because they have the most You Tube videos.

Here are the Top Questions to ask your surgeon.

1. What is the surgeon’s credentials and what certified boards to they belong to? The official site is The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, www.plasticsurgery.org The American Board of Plastic Surgery www.abplsurg.org There are additionally local boards that surgeons belong to in the city where they practice. Fellowships and training are also important information and should be taken into consideration as well as teaching positions, and published articles in peer reviewed literature rather than mass market books.

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