More than Looks: Medical Aesthetic Procedures Benefit Your Brain and Body
In my career as a physician, I have had the privilege to witness the profound effect medical interventions have in improving cognitive and physical well being. From managing patient safety in the operating room as an Anesthesiologist, to helping patients with back pain regain their functionality as a Pain Management physician (where I began my journey as a skilled injector), to leading aesthetic treatment trainings across the US, I have learned that the best medicine is one which offers holistic benefit to the patient.
That is why my medical office offers an individualized approach. I want each client that walks through my door not only to look their best, but also feel their best.
Health begins on the inside. Our treatments are specifically tailored to benefit both physical and mental wellbeing for you to live your best life.
Here are 5 reasons why medical aesthetic treatments can help your mental well being:
Positive Self-Perception Rewires Your Brain
Recent research has shown that our perception of our appearance can impact our brain’s neural pathways rate of brain-aging, therefore influencing our choices, behaviors, and emotions.
Similar to our skin, the structures of the brain unfortunately change with age, which can lead to cognition and mood changes. Professor and researcher, Jeanyung Chey, studied how individuals that “feel younger” may combat this effect. In a population of 68 healthy older adults, those who reported feeling younger than their biological age were more likely to score higher on cognitive testing, and reported less depressive symptoms. On brain scans, these individuals also had increased gray matter, an area of the brain that declines with age and is associated with overall brain health, as compared to the control group who felt “old.”
These findings illustrate similar results of a small but groundbreaking study on “the power of mindset” conducted in the 1980s, commonly referred to as the “counterclockwise study.” Conducted by Harvard Psychologist Ellen Langer, 8 men, all in their 70s, spent a week in a converted monastery in New Hampshire. The residence had been staged to look straight out of 1959. From the music and news playing on the vintage radio, clothing in their drawers, furniture around the home, and even their own 1959 self-portraits, the men were supposed to feel as though they had traveled back in time. There were no mirrors, but unlike the control group that had spent a week at the same residence, these men were encouraged to “make the deliberate psychological attempt to imagine they were their 22 year old younger selves.” At the end of the week, the results were astounding. The men had improved dexterity, better posture, and significantly better sight and hearing compared to their baseline assessments. By simply perceiving themselves as younger, their bodies embodied their mindset.
The science is screaming: We have the power to take control of our own wellbeing!
The way we think about ourselves greatly influences the way our brain not only ages, but impacts our choices and behaviors on a daily basis. Aesthetic treatments actively help reverse signs of aging and reduce factors that may be negatively altering your perception of yourself.
From dermal fillers, microlaser peels, thread lifts and more, the wide array of treatments we offer can be tailored to your needs by our skilled staff to improve the way you think and feel in your own skin.
Self Esteem is Linked to Quality of Life
It is no surprise that many people seek out medical aesthetic treatments for the sole reason of improving their appearance. There is nothing wrong with that! Although aesthetic work has been negatively portrayed in the media when celebrities undergo excessive or poorly done cosmetic procedures, the science points to many benefits of improving a person’s sense of self-esteem.
In a 2020 cross-sectional study of 360 women, (aged 18-89), the participants were surveyed with questions regarding their attractiveness and life satisfaction. The results showed that perceived attractiveness acted as a predictor of life satisfaction in women.
Nathaniel Branden, Ph.D, wrote about the importance of self perception in his book, The Power of Self Esteem. According to his research, self perception, or the way we think about ourselves, dictates attitude, emotion, and decision making. His reasoning is the baseline behind why you may find yourself “dressing to impress” for important life events or work meetings. Unlike just feeling good in an outfit, however, aesthetic treatments can significantly impact your overall perception of yourself. A 2021 study found that in 35 subjects, quality of social functioning and psychological well being improved after receiving aesthetic treatments including dermal filler and neurotoxin such as Botox. Our treatments work to improve your self esteem for long lasting benefits.
Benefit Your Mental Health & Balance Stress
Stress is now deemed by the scientific community as the “silent killer.” The treatment options you will receive at my “medspa” medical office will not only make you look good on the outside, they work at the biochemical level protecting your mental health and warding off depression.
Although the experience of visiting a medspa and receiving treatments such as Hydrafacial or SkinTyte can help reduce your cortisol levels and stimulate your parasympathetic (rest and relaxing) nervous system, they also maintain a positive mental state. The parasympathetic nervous system is incredibly important in battling the stress hormone cortisol that brings inflammation and stunts the release of other beneficial hormones. A 2021 study of 331 online participants aged 45-65 showed that depression was highest in those with body dissatisfaction and age anxiety.
According to the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, self image is a major factor in measuring body stress. Negative thoughts about our bodies and our appearance have more impact on our health than people realize. Although nobody is perfect, and I never promised perfection, our treatments can help you achieve comfort, positivity, and happiness by building from the beauty every individual comes with to my office.
Combat Modern Lifestyle & Medications
It’s an uphill battle to prevent premature aging, but MedSpa treatments are geared towards reversing this damage to increase health and reduce risk of disease.
UV damage, smoking, an unhealthy diet, alcohol, poor sleep, chronic stress, and a sedentary lifestyle have all been identified as epigenetic modifiers, which can lead to increase in diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurodegenerative disease. We know that our internal environment is almost always reflected externally by our skin.
This has been seen in comparing the appearance of identical twins over periods of time. In 186 pairs of identical twins from Ohio, smoking, alcohol consumption, and sun exposure accelerated aging. In fact, every 20 years of smoking resulted in a perceived 2.5 years older appearance as compared to the other twin.
Other lifestyle factors, like medication use and relationship status may also weigh into the age of your skin. Studies have shown that those on hormone replacement therapy or birth control actually may have decelerated skin aging, as estrogen is protective from oxidative stress, skin thinning, and decreased elasticity which can lead to wrinkles. Those who have also faced considerable psychological stress such as divorce or loss of a loved one, may show it on their skin.
Thankfully, treatments such as injections of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) dermal fillers, neuromodulators (Botox, Dysport, Xeomin) microneedling, laser therapies, facials, and my arsenal of medical grade skincare products can alleviate the signs of disease and aging skin. Additionally, they offer the neurological benefits previously talked about to reduce stress and increase self perception.
Reduce Pain, Inflammation, & Improve Disease Outcome
The significance Medical Spas have in preventing accelerated aging, maintaining health and wellness, and even combating the consequences of disease cannot be ignored.
One study at the European Institute of Oncology looked at how aesthetics may offer relief to the undesirable side effects of cancer treatment. 100 breast cancer patients received aesthetic treatments including filler and Botox. They were compared to a control group of 70 breast cancer patients who did not receive aesthetic treatments. Researchers assessed both groups with a quality of life index and a distress thermometer. Twenty-eight days after receiving their aesthetic treatment, the experimental group had improved quality of life and decreased stress. The control group did not improve from their baseline scores.
In addition to providing aesthetic outcomes, therapies such as PRP/ Platelet Rich Plasma Injections and lasers can be used to accelerate wound healing and to reduce the appearance of scar tissue. I have helped patients reduce their pain of surgical scar tissue with injections of neuromodulators (Botox) and steroids into the scar. If you are suffering from painful surgical scars or scars you would like to reduce the appearance of, I may be able to help you feel and look better too.
Patients who have radiation tattoos that they wish to have removed may be able to have them removed for free through a service provided by the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) called New Beginnings Tattoo Removal Program. For more information visit aslms.org.
Let us help your inner beauty shine through so you can embody your healthiest self.
In all my medical experience, I never get over the satisfying feeling of having my patients looking in the mirror after a treatment and saying “Wow!” I am honored to help my patients feel good about how they see themselves inside and out. I not only see the positive physical transformation, but also the deep-rooted mental and emotional benefits that aesthetic treatments provide. My patient’s positive energy emanates from them and makes others around them feel good too, including me!
Call 1-201-505-1020 to schedule an appointment with one of our skilled providers.