From vape-able oils and edible gummies to topical salves and smokable flowers, CBD seems to be everywhere you look. It does not have psychoactive effects and thus is often seen as a “safe” option for managing pain and other concerns—but CBD users still need to understand how it can affect the body when it comes to having plastic surgery, as it can potentially compromise your safety and results.

To clear up any misconceptions you may have around the use of CBD, board certified Fairfax plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Hess is answering your top 5 questions about CBD and plastic surgery.

1. What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 100 cannabinoids found naturally within the Cannabis sativa plant. Unlike cannabis’ sister cannabinoid, THC, CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning there is no “high” or altered state associated with its use. While numerous studies suggest that CBD can improve a range of ailments including epilepsy, insomnia, and mental health disorders, research on CBD is still in its infancy, and the development and promotion of CBD products have far outpaced medical studies on the drug.

2. Is CBD safe to use before and after plastic surgery?

While CBD does appear to have potential benefits for some people due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, I advise my patients not to use CBD products in any manner in the weeks before or after undergoing plastic surgery. There are many reasons for this:

• CBD is not regulated by the federal government, except for a prescription drug approved to treat seizures. In fact, the FDA states that limited data on CBD indicates “real risks that need to be considered.”
• CBD may contain potentially harmful contaminants. Since CBD is most often derived from commercially-farmed hemp plants that have been exposed to a range of pesticides and herbicides, many products routinely test positive for potentially-harmful chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria, and fungi. (In 2018, the FDA found that many synthetic cannabinoid products had been contaminated with an ingredient used in rat poison.)
• CBD is known to cause tiredness, diarrhea, and weight gain. Since your body will already be working overtime after your surgery, these symptoms will only place more strain on your body, potentially affecting your recovery and results.
• CBD can have a mild blood-thinning effect that could potentially inhibit blood clotting during and after surgery, resulting in unwanted bleeding.
• It is very difficult to verify the potency of CBD products. In a 2017 Dutch study, 18 out of the 46 CBD products sampled contained less than 0.1% CBD. Additionally, 26 out of the 46 samples had THC levels greater than 1%, with one sample containing as much as 57.5%.

I advise my patients not to use CBD products in any manner before or after undergoing plastic surgery.

3. How long before my plastic surgery should I quit using CBD? When can I resume using it?

CBD has a half-life of 1-2 days, meaning it takes about 2-4 days for the drug to fully leave the body. Airing on the side of caution, I suggest patients cease taking any CBD products at least 2 weeks before undergoing plastic surgery, along with any vitamins, supplements, nicotine, and blood-thinning medications. If you are concerned about withdrawal symptoms from stopping CBD, you should consult your primary doctor prior to doing so; he or she may help you taper off it or recommend additional support.

You should cease taking all CBD products at least 2 weeks prior to surgery, and wait to resume them until you are off all prescription medications.

If you choose to continue using CBD after your surgery, I encourage you to wait until you are finished taking all prescription painkillers and antibiotics, as CBD can interact with these medications (more about this below).

4. Is marijuana safe to use before & after plastic surgery?

Many people incorrectly assume that marijuana is safe to use before and after plastic surgery because it is legally used medicinally and even recreationally in some states. The truth is, marijuana can have a variety of undesirable effects on the body, which can affect your surgery and recovery. Here are a few:

• Marijuana affects the central nervous system, therefore regular marijuana users may need larger amounts of anesthesia (up to 3 times as much). Larger amounts of anesthesia can lead to issues like low blood pressure and delayed awakening from anesthesia.
• Marijuana is a vasodilator, meaning it has a dilating, or widening, effect on blood vessels, raising your resting heart rate and making the heart pump harder. In fact, research suggests the risk of heart attack is several times higher in the hour after smoking marijuana. Some sources claim that CBD may have similar effects on the cardiovascular system.
• Marijuana may increase pain. Although marijuana has been shown to reduce chronic pain in some patients, a recent study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists found that patients undergoing surgery who regularly used marijuana reported greater levels of pain and needed 58% more opioids per day than patients who did not regularly use marijuana.

For the above reasons, it is critical that you stop using marijuana in all forms at least 2 weeks before surgery and inform your plastic surgeon about your use. Similar to CBD usage, I recommend you do not resume using marijuana until you are off all prescription medications and antibiotics.

What about delta-8 and other THC-like products?

Delta-8 THC is another cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that is legally available in certain states. Unlike CBD, delta-8 has psychoactive and intoxicating effects similar to THC.

Delta-8 is also not approved or regulated by the FDA. It has been known to cause adverse reactions like vomiting and hallucinations, and often contains added chemicals needed to convert other cannabinoids into delta-8 THC. We recommend patients treat delta-8 THC and other THC-like products similar to marijuana and follow the above recommendations for ceasing and resuming their usage.

5. Can CBD interact with any other medications?

Yes. According to the FDA, taking CBD with other medications may increase or decrease their efficacy due to CBD’s effects on liver enzymes. This may include herbal supplements, OTC drugs like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, anesthesia, psychiatric drugs, painkillers, antibiotics, and all other prescription drugs.

Discuss your CBD use with your plastic surgeon during your personal consultation

Before undergoing any plastic surgery procedure, it is important that you discuss any substances and medications you are using or have recently used with your plastic surgeon. This is not to shame you or make you feel uncomfortable, but rather to ensure your surgeon and anesthesiologist have the information they need to maintain your safety and comfort during your procedure. Schedule a judgment-free consultation with Fairfax plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher L. Hess to begin your journey towards a smooth plastic surgery and recovery.

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Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. If you’re a woman, you have a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in your lifetime. At our Fairfax practice, board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Hess has helped many women reconstruct their breasts following mastectomy—an experience that has led him to explore the causes of breast cancer. In this month’s blog, Dr. Hess examines one such risk factor: alcohol.

Does alcohol provide any health benefits?

For decades, the popular rhetoric surrounding drinking has been that a drink or two a day won’t hurt you, and may even provide some health benefits. This notion stemmed from “the French paradox”—clinical observations showing that while the French drank lots of wine and ate a diet rich in saturated fat, they still had lower rates of heart disease than Americans.

Proponents of this pro-alcohol message also claim that moderate alcohol consumption can reduce one’s risk of diabetes, lower inflammation, and even extend lifespan.

Even just one drink per day may increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

But while the “glass or two a day” message may have been the norm even just a few years ago, an increasing amount of government officials and medical professionals are now suggesting that even moderate drinking can increase one’s risk of developing health issues, including liver disease, depression, and—you guessed it—breast cancer.

Does alcohol increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer?

The science clearly shows that drinking alcohol increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer:

• More than 100 observational studies have consistently found an increased risk of breast cancer associated with alcohol intake.
• A recent meta-data study published in The Lancet concluded that the optimal number of drinks to consume per day to minimize overall health risks is zero. It also found that levels of alcohol previously thought to be relatively harmless are now linked to a shorter lifespan.
• The World Health Organization warns that a woman’s risk of breast cancer increases by 50% when drinking 4 glasses of wine per day, and by 130% when drinking 8 glasses per day.

In addition to breast cancer, alcohol can increase a woman’s risk of developing head, neck, liver, esophageal, and colorectal cancers.

How can alcohol cause breast cancer?

There are a few ways alcohol is thought to cause breast cancer in women:

• When alcohol is metabolized in the body, it produces acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product and probable carcinogen. While acetaldehyde’s effects on the liver are widely documented (sclerosis and fatty liver disease, to name a few), it can also damage breast cells and tissues
• Alcohol can increase estrogen in women, a hormone associated with the risk of breast cancer.
• Alcohol can increase the amount of folic acid in a woman’s system, which can lead to increased breast cancer risk.

Is red wine healthy?

But wait—isn’t wine healthier than other types of alcohol? The evidence here is mixed:

• Wine (via the skin and seeds of grapes used to make it) contains a naturally occurring antioxidant called resveratrol, which may protect your cells from damage that could lead to cancer. However, whether or not resveratrol can protect women against breast cancer is still unknown.
• Numerous studies have found a correlation between drinking a glass of red wine a day and a reduced risk of heart disease.

What about drinking a glass a day?

What about drinking just a glass or two a day? Unfortunately, there is no lower threshold for alcohol consumption when it comes to avoiding breast cancer, meaning that any amount of alcohol increases its risk. The good news is that this same relationship applies in reverse: any reduction in alcohol consumption reduces a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

To drink or not to drink? Our takeaway.

While the potential health benefits of alcohol remain to be proven, its damaging effects are well documented. Accordingly, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans committee continues to lower the number of daily drinks considered to be “safe” for both men and women (currently one drink for women and two drinks for men).

Ultimately, if you choose to drink, we suggest you do so in moderation and on occasion. If you drink regularly, remember that making the effort to reduce your consumption can notably reduce your chances of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Trust Fairfax plastic surgeon Dr. Hess with your breast surgery

Whether you’re seeking breast reconstruction following a mastectomy or you’re interested in reshaping or enhancing your breasts, board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher L. Hess has the skill and experience necessary to help you achieve beautiful breast results. Find out why Dr. Hess has been named a Top Plastic Surgeon by Northern VA Mag for 8 years—contact us online or call (703) 752-6608 to schedule your Fairfax breast surgery consultation today.

The post Can Alcohol Cause Breast Cancer? A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Weighs In. appeared first on Dr. Hess.

Meditation has long been used by cultures around the world to help focus the mind and promote relaxation. And while the mental effects of meditation have been enjoyed for decades, researchers have recently been exploring how it can affect the body. In this post, we’ll explore how meditation can improve your skin and help you build confidence.

But first, how does meditation work?

How does meditation work?

When we meditate, our brains stop processing information as actively as they normally would. As a result, a few things happen:

• Our frontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, planning, emotions, and self-awareness—becomes less stimulated, which can give us a feeling of detachment.
• Our parietal lobe—the part of the brain that processes sensory information and orients us in time and space—is deactivated, which can cause time to feel like it’s slowing down or speeding up.

Both of these neurological effects can cause a significant reduction in stress and anxiety when we meditate. With that in mind, here are 3 ways meditation can improve your physical appearance and boost your confidence:

1. Protect your skin from acne, wrinkles, & more

Meditation can improve skin’s appearance by treating the underlying causes of stress that are responsible for many common skincare concerns, such as premature aging, under-eye bags, acne, and redness.

• Meditation can prevent skin aging. According to researchers, meditation can protect your telomeres (the protective caps at the ends of your chromosomes), which in turn can increase your resistance to skin cell aging. An Experimental Dermatology study reported that lab mice with longer telomeres were more likely to experience faster wound healing and less likely to develop skin ulcers.
• Meditation may reduce dark under-eye circles. Meditation may be able to reduce the appearance of dark under-eye circles by increasing oxygen flow in the body. Since we tend to breathe more deeply when we meditate, this introduces more oxygen and nutrients to the skin, which increases blood flow and boosts cellular health.
• Meditation can improve complexion. Stress affects the skin’s protective outer barrier, reducing its ability to retain moisture and repair itself, and can lead to issues like acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema. It also turns out that our skin gets itchy when we’re stressed because our body sends nerve signals that cause us to itch. If we respond by scratching or picking, this creates even more swelling and redness. By reducing our stress level, we can prevent skin flare ups and itching.

2. Improve your posture & increase confidence

Meditation can help you improve your posture and increase your confidence.

• Meditation can improve your posture. Most guided meditations suggest you sit or stand up tall with your shoulders back & down and chest out. This erect position naturally encourages you to engage your core. Over time, assuming this meditation position can strengthen your back, shoulders, and core, and help you appear taller, more confident, and more relaxed.
• Meditation can increase your confidence. Tapping into the present moment can help you feel more grounded and at ease with yourself and the world. And because our frontal cortex and parietal lobe are less active during meditation, we become less concerned with our egos. While this may sound counterintuitive to increasing your self-confidence, think about it this way: our egos are incredibly sensitive, so when you are able to deactivate yours, you are less attached to the way others perceive you and whether or not you are “good enough.” Turning off the ego-mind can allow you to simply be you without assigning terms like “good” and “bad” to your identity.Not only is self-confidence good for our emotional and mental wellbeing, but research has found that confidence is a character trait most people find attractive. So this benefit of meditation actually creates a positive feedback loop where having increased confidence can increase your attractiveness, which can, in turn, reinforce your self-confidence.

3. Maintain a healthy weight

Meditation can improve skin’s appearance by treating the underlying causes of stress that are responsible for many common skincare concerns.

When you have a stressful day, are you more likely to grab a bowl of ice cream or cook up a batch of brown rice and broccoli? Don’t feel bad—most people choose the ice cream. This is because we often make food choices based on our current emotional state rather than our physical needs.

Meditation can help you make better decisions around food by increasing your awareness of your body and your emotions. In fact, research has shown that meditation may be able to help those with obesity and eating disorders control their eating patterns and make healthier food choices. The idea is twofold:

1. By becoming more aware of your body, you’ll want to nourish it with healthy foods; and
2. By becoming more grounded, you’ll be able to regulate your emotions and choose food that is more aligned with “feeling good.”

Start your meditation practice with an app

We know that starting a meditation practice can be daunting; the idea of sitting in silence with your own thoughts for even just a few minutes makes some of us feel like running for the hills. Instead of going it alone, we recommend using a meditation app like Headspace or Insight Timer to get started. These apps offer guided meditations for relieving stress, improving sleep, increasing self-confidence, and more. They also help you log your meditations so you can stay consistent with your practice.

Improve your appearance with Fairfax plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Hess

While meditation may be able to improve your appearance by preventing or even reversing some of the physical effects of stress, it’s not able to help with all aesthetic concerns. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Hess can help your skin look rested and bright with non-surgical treatments like Botox, facial fillers, chemical peels, and more at his state-of-the-art Fairfax practice. Contact Dr. Hess online or call 703.752.6608 to schedule your consultation today.

The post Can Meditation Actually Improve Your Appearance? appeared first on Dr. Hess.

Maybe it’s the warmer weather, longer days, or being fully vaccinated—or a combo of all three—but spring has us ready to get out of the house and have some fun! Thankfully, Fairfax has a robust restaurant and retail scene we can all get behind. If you’re looking for ways to hit the town and make new memories with friends or family this season, this list of ideas can help get you started.

Use spring energy to get creative

Have all the colorful spring blooms got you in a creative mood? A gals night out with wine and painting might be the perfect isolation remedy—or you could channel your artistic energy into making culinary magic. Here are a few prime ways to bring out your inner artist:

• Take a culinary class. Ready to spruce up your kitchen game? Sign up for a cooking class with your S.O. or bestie at Workhouse Arts Center and elevate your pizza-making skills or learn basic cooking techniques.
• Paint your own pottery. Pottery painting is fun for the whole family, and Create Like Crazy has more options than ever for you to take home your next masterpiece. Grab your kids or BFF and sign up for an in-person or virtual class, or snag a take-home pottery kit and have it fired up when you’re finished painting!
• DIY wood painting. Are you and your gals looking for a fun alternative to the bar? Get your squad together and head over to Board and Brush for DIY sign making and wine drinking! Make a cute and welcoming wood sign for your home or customize your own wine glasses with your BFFs. Board and Brush also offers kids’ camps and family-friendly activities. Check out their events calendar to schedule your next DIY adventure.

 

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Take your partner out for a date night

Tired of takeout and Netflix? We don’t blame you. Mix up your next date night with these highly-rated Fairfax restaurants and bars.

• High Side. With 20 craft beer and four craft cider taps to choose from, High Side is our go-to spot for tasty drinks and hip ambiance. High Side also offers a full Asian street food menu featuring staples like steamed bao buns, plus modern twists like lemongrass fried chicken. High Side is currently open for indoor and outdoor seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Bollywood Bistro. If Bollywood movies and authentic Indian cuisine sounds like your idea of an unforgettable date night, you need to check out Bollywood Bistro! We know the D.C. area has a lot of amazing Indian food, but trust us when we say Bollywood Bistro should be at the top of your list. Choose from a full selection of wine, beer, and cocktails while indulging in biryanis, tandoori entrees, or vegetarian plates, all while enjoying vintage Bollywood films and music. Bollywood Bistro is currently open for indoor seating at a limited capacity. Or, if you’re not ready to eat out yet, they offer free local delivery.
• Epicure Cafe. We love Epicure Café for their innovative vision and creative spirit. Seamlessly blending live music, art, drinks, and inspired dishes, Epicure is a melting pot of diverse talent and flavors. Plus, they have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free Mediterranean-inspired dishes to please all dietary preferences. So grab a drink and a meal with your S.O. and kick back and enjoy the show! Or, head up to the rooftop garden for full service and sweeping views.

Nourish your body with healthy foods

With gym and indoor dining restrictions lifting in Virginia, many of us are eager to get back to our diet and exercise routines. Prepare for and recover from your next workout with these healthy offerings.

• Senberry. If you’ve never tried an açaí bowl, you’re in for a delicious treat. This healthy bowl combines fruit (namely the açaí berry) and a variety of add-ins like nut butters, granola, plant milks, cacao, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes. Not only do açaí bowls provide your body with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats, but they also satisfy sweet tooth cravings. Fairfax’s Senberry Bowls offers delicious açaí bowls and coffee drinks for all your pre- and post-workout needs.
• True Food Kitchen. From salads and bowls to plant-based pizza and pasta, True Food Kitchen is Fairfax’s go-to restaurant for healthy dining. Re-energize your body and mind with a nutrient-rich poke or quinoa bowl, or indulge in a vegan spinach & mushroom pizza, made with almond ricotta “cheese” and topped with sautéed spinach & mushrooms, caramelized onions, and garlic puree. Whether you’re an omnivore or plant-based eater, True Food Kitchen has organic, nutritious, locally sourced ingredients to please your stomach and taste buds.

 

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• Fairfax farmers’ markets. Shop an array of colorful veggies, homemade cheeses, and grass-fed meats with friends or family at Fairfax County farmers’ markets this spring! Shopping at farmers’ markets supports your health and local farmers, and allows your kids to better understand where their food comes from.

Have some family fun

We know the colder months were rough for many families; being stuck inside with few options for recreation and entertainment made us all a little stir-crazy. But with temperatures rising and more people feeling safe to socialize, your family may be ready to leave the house and try these fun activities.

• Cool down with a waterpark trip. What better way to celebrate warmer weather than at northern Virginia’s largest waterpark? Whether you want to entertain your little daredevil with the four-story slides of Pipeline Tower or meander down the lazy river with your partner, SplashDown Waterpark offers fun and refreshing options for the whole family.
• Make it a lake day. Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy some family fun at nearby Lake Accotink! Conveniently located just 30 minutes from Fairfax, Lake Accotink Park offers over 490 acres of woods, trails, campsites, and waterfront activities ripe for exploration. Your little ones can enjoy a campfire and s’mores every Friday night during Campfire Fridays, and choose from a variety of summer camps focused on nature, adventure, and mountain biking.

 

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• Escapology. Let the countdown begin! Escapology takes a fresh twist on escape rooms by offering private rooms with themes for all ages and interests, including wild west shootout, nuclear war, code-cracking, and treasure hunting. Families will have the opportunity to work together and solve complex puzzles, riddles, and more. Enjoy this indoor activity on a rainy day or to beat the northern Virginia heat!

Refresh your look this spring at our medspa

Before you hit the town this spring, let our expert aestheticians help you refresh your look. From custom peels, microdermabrasion, cosmetic injections, and more, our Medical Spa & Skincare center at Hess Plastic Surgery offers all the services you need to put your best face forward. Contact us online or call (703) 752-6608 to schedule your skincare consultation and evaluation.

The post Get Out and Support Your Local Fairfax Businesses This Spring appeared first on Dr. Hess.

Do you regularly indulge in a cup of coffee, tea, or soda to stay alert? If so, you’re not alone; research shows that roughly 90% of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis. But many of us drink multiple caffeinated beverages throughout the day, and the effects are less than desirable: jitters and anxiety, followed by headache, fatigue, and irritability.

If this routine sounds all too familiar to you, caffeine “microdosing” may be the solution to maintaining your energy levels without the unwanted side effects.

What is caffeine microdosing?

Caffeine microdosing refers to the practice of ingesting very small amounts of caffeine throughout the day in order to maintain peak energy and focus without any of the negative side effects of the drug. Here’s how caffeine microdosing is different from regular caffeine consumption: most people drink a large cup of coffee or a latte in the morning, experience a huge jolt of energy, then crash soon after, requiring an afternoon pick-me-up drink in order to get back to “baseline” functioning. Microdosing your caffeine allows you to avoid these energy fluctuations by remaining in a constant state of mild alertness.

Is caffeine microdosing really effective?

According to a recent Harvard Medical School study, researchers found that participants who consumed smaller amounts of caffeine more frequently were more productive, had better cognition, and experienced fewer “microsleeps” (essentially un-planned naps). These benefits were attributed to caffeine microdosing’s ability to counteract homeostatic sleep pressure—the tired feeling that naturally builds in our bodies throughout the day. Given this, caffeine microdosing may be especially useful for individuals who work long or overnight shifts, like nurses, EMTs, firefighters, and truck drivers.

How much caffeine should I microdose?

For most people, the ideal range of caffeine is somewhere between 50-100 mg, with jitters, anxiety, and sweating beginning around 140 mg of caffeine. If you’re interested in trying caffeine microdosing, try experimenting with consuming around 30-50 mg of caffeine (about half of an 8 oz coffee), then wait a few hours to see how your body reacts. If you feel fatigued after this period, try taking the same small dose again.

For most people, the ideal range of caffeine is somewhere between 50-100 mg.

If you begin to feel jittery or anxious soon after this second dose, try reducing your doses and/or frequency. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, so it’s important to really tune in to your body when you’re experimenting.

Not all caffeine is the same

Just like a cup of coffee or tea has a far different nutritional makeup than a sugar-laden energy drink, it matters what kind of caffeinated beverage you microdose.

Coffee is by far America’s favorite form of caffeine, with 62% of the population drinking the beverage every day. This may be a good thing considering regular coffee consumption can decrease one’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease. Coffee also contains vitamins B2, B3, and B5, plus essential nutrients like potassium and manganese. Just try to avoid coffee beverages with added sugar (flavored lattes are one common form), given sugar-sweetened beverages are proven to increase the risk of many serious health conditions.

Tea can also be an effective and healthy way to consume caffeine. Tea is naturally rich in L-theanine, which slows the body’s absorption of caffeine for a more gradual energy boost. This slower absorption rate is thought to be due to L-theanine having a slightly sedative effect, reducing anxiety and promoting calmness. Tea is also rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which have a detoxifying effect on the body and prevent the formation of free radicals, which can cause blood clots and cancer. For optimal results, avoid sweet tea, since added sugar greatly increases calories and is more likely to put you in an energy slump.

What are the health benefits of microdosing caffeine?

Consuming smaller amounts of caffeine can have the following health benefits, assuming that you are reducing your total daily caffeine consumption from pre-microdosing levels.

• Lower blood pressure
• Decrease anxiety
• Improve collagen synthesis for healthier skin
• Reduce stomach acid
• Reduce sugar and calorie intake, especially if you consume sweetened caffeinated beverages and switch to unsweetened black coffee or plain tea

Microdosing can help you taper off caffeine

Though it may not be your intention to quit caffeine, you may find that after consuming smaller amounts of the substance, you want to see how you would feel without it. Microdosing can be the “off-ramp” to help you safely taper off caffeine: since you’re already taking smaller doses, you can simply decrease the frequency of your caffeine doses until you’re no longer consuming any. Weaning yourself off caffeine this way is less painful than quitting “cold turkey,” as you can avoid headaches and any other potential effects of caffeine withdrawal.

How much caffeine am I drinking?

Here’s a list of the most popular caffeinated beverages in order of their caffeine content. You may be surprised by some of these!

Curious to see how much caffeine you may be consuming from your favorite name-brand caffeine products? Check out this list.

What are some methods of microdosing caffeine?

Caffeine microdosing can simply mean drinking your coffee more slowly throughout the day, or it can involve developing a completely new caffeine ritual. Here are some of our suggestions for trying caffeine microdosing.

• Start brewing partially-caffeinated coffee, using decaf and regular in your own desired proportion, such as ¼ regular coffee grounds to ¾ decaf.
• Slowly sip a small 8 oz cup of coffee in the morning (a coffee mug warmer can help!), then drink green tea throughout the rest of the day.
• Drink a half cup of coffee in the morning, then follow it up with another half cup in the afternoon.

Products that can help you microdose caffeine

If you’re looking for a fun new way to consume caffeine, try some of these low-dose caffeine products.

• Punch’d Caffeine Gummies are all-natural gummies infused with green coffee bean caffeine. Each gummy contains 10 mg of caffeine to help you keep track of your dosage. This option is also organic, low-glycemic, and provides an added dose of vitamin C.
• AHA Sparkling Water has a line of caffeine-infused sparkling waters. Each 12 oz can contains 30 mg of added caffeine with zero calories, sugar, or artificial flavors. Enjoy creative flavor combinations like Mango + Black Tea and Citrus + Green Tea.
• Tempo Sparkling Teas are naturally-flavored sparkling matcha, green, and black teas. Each 12 oz can of tea has 30-40 mg of caffeine and is organic and unsweetened. Tempo currently offers Raspberry Lime, Blackberry Lemon, and Ginger Turmeric flavors.

Moderate your caffeine intake

Limit your caffeine to 400 mg or less per day. Even though you’ll be consuming smaller amounts of caffeine, it can add up: remember to keep your overall daily caffeine intake to 400 mg of caffeine or less, as advised by the FDA. Some people may be more sensitive to caffeine than others, so if you think you have caffeine sensitivity, moderate your intake very carefully and reduce it accordingly.

Consult with your doctor. Some people may be at a heightened risk of high blood pressure or heart attack if they drink more than 200 mg of caffeine a day. If you fall into this category, consult with your doctor before changing your caffeine regimen. Pregnant women should also limit caffeine to 200 mg or less per day.

Don’t consume caffeine within 6-8 hours of your bedtime. Caffeine has a half-life of 5 hours, meaning if you consume 100 mg at 5 pm, you’ll still have 50mg in your system at 10 pm. While the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that you don’t consume caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime, if you have a typical overnight sleep schedule, it’s safest to cut off your caffeine intake by 2 pm. And, if you do drink caffeine later in your day, consider making it your smallest dose.

Enhance your look with Hess Plastic Surgery in Fairfax, VA

Optimizing lifestyle choices is important for feeling and looking good long-term, but if you want to look your best now, we have a full range of modern aesthetic treatments to help you look more vibrant. If you’re searching for ways to safely and effectively enhance your appearance, contact Dr. Hess’ Northern Virginia plastic surgery office online or call (703) 752-6608.

The post Can Caffeine Microdosing Help You Stay Focused Without the Jitters? appeared first on Dr. Hess.

Maintaining a youthful look is our area of expertise here at Hess Plastic Surgery, and in our work interacting with patients, we see a wide range in how people age. While visible aging will depend on your genetics and sun exposure levels, what you put into your body also plays a part. According to a recent study by Maira Bes-Rastrollo, PhD, ultra-processed foods may be accelerating your skin’s aging process.

What are ultra-processed foods?

Unlike whole and minimally-processed foods, ultra-processed foods typically have many added ingredients to make them taste good and last longer. They are often full of sugar, salt, fat, and/or artificial colors and preservatives. Common types of ultra-processed foods are:

• Frozen meals
• Soda
• Hot dogs and deli meat
• Fast food
• Shelf-stable pastries and sweets
• Chips

While an occasional indulgence isn’t likely to accelerate your aging process, if your diet is largely based on the above foods, consider starting to make swaps, lessening your intake of more processed choices in favor of simpler, whole foods.

Take care of your telomeres

Health experts found that eating ultra-processed foods can shorten the length of your DNA’s telomeres, making your skin cells more vulnerable to aging. An Experimental Dermatology study reported that lab mice with shortened telomeres were more likely to experience slow wound healing, skin ulcers, and even premature hair greying and hair loss.

If you’re eating a diet rich in ultra-processed foods, chances are your skin (and waist line) is showing it.

According to Dr. Bes-Rastrollo, common causes of telomere atrophy include oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which are associated with dehydration—and ultra-processed foods. Oxidative stress results in an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body, with a variety of results including impairing your immune system and making your skin look older.

Furthermore, when you eat too much sugar (or sugar-like substances including alcohol or white flour), your body enters a state of glycation in which sugar molecules bind themselves to protein and fat molecules like collagen and create free radical by-products called AGEs (advanced glycation end-products). The older you get, the less able your skin is to produce collagen and the more these AGEs can decrease your skin’s elasticity, making it appear loose.

In addition to making your skin look older, eating ultra-processed foods—especially those high in sugar—can also stimulate oil production in the skin, causing acne breakouts.

What you can do to avoid skin damage and promote skin health

Aside from avoiding ultra-processed foods, what can you do to improve your skin’s health?

• Diet. Remember, your skin is affected by what you put inside your body as well as by what it’s exposed to. One major way to help nourish your skin from the inside is by eating foods rich in antioxidants. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that subjects who ate vegetables, olive oil, fish, and legumes were less likely to experience skin wrinkling when exposed to extended periods of time in the sun than those who ate notable amounts of dairy, margarine, and sugar.
• Hydration. We mentioned earlier that dehydration can be associated with shortened telomeres, meaning duller skin. Dry skin is flaky and more prone to wrinkling. Your skin cells need water just like all other cells in your body, so drink up.
• Sun protection. If you know you’re going to be spending time in the sun, apply a high-SPF sunscreen. We also advocate for daily sunscreen use; there are now light, sophisticated formulas you won’t mind wearing. Also consider using a sun hat and wearing long layers to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

Ways to refresh your skin from the outside

If your skin is already showing signs of aging that you’d like to repair, consider looking into a skin resurfacing treatment. These treatments are a quick and easy way to make your skin look younger and more radiant. At Hess Plastic Surgery, we offer a number of skin renewal options to help your skin look its best:

• The Vi Peel® is a chemical peel that is effective for treatment of unwanted pigment changes caused by acne scarring and sun damage. We often recommend this peel for patients with age spots, freckles, melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (when your skin darkens after it’s been damaged). A Vi Peel® can tighten your pores, improve your skin’s texture, and smooth out uneven complexions.
• Microdermabrasion is a process of mechanically exfoliating the skin. At our office, this is performed using a device consisting of a diamond tip on a wand attached to a vacuum. The tip is passed over the skin and the vacuum removes the exfoliated skin cells, leaving you with fresher-looking skin.
• Chemical peels—also called chemexfoliations or derma peels—are acids that penetrate the skin at different depths, damaging old skin. The skin cells are no longer able to adhere to each other, causing the skin to peel. This stimulates the growth of new skin cells and collagen, leading to healthy new skin.

Schedule a consultation with our expert Fairfax, Virginia aesthetician today

While making healthy lifestyle choices will support your skin’s health and appearance, it’s perfectly understandable to want to look your best now, and we’re here to help. Contact us online or call 703-752-6608 to learn more about how we can increase your skin’s natural glow.

The post Are Ultra-Processed Foods Associated With Faster Aging? appeared first on Dr. Hess.

We were recently talking about our favorite things to do in Fairfax and NoVA outdoors and thought these ideas would help you get started!

Try an Outdoor Yoga Class

There’s nothing like yoga to help you decompress, tune into your body, and feel more grounded. Taking your yoga outdoors—and hearing birds chirp, feeling a gentle breeze, and smelling the fresh dewy air—can take your practice to a whole new level. There are several outdoor yoga classes near DC and Fairfax, many of them free! One of the most popular is the summer yoga series at National Harbor. Check it out!

 

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A post shared by National Harbor (@nationalharbor) on May 11, 2019 at 3:42am PDT

Join an Adult Summer Soccer League (or Dodgeball or Cornhole)

Whether you miss the days of soccer after school or have never played before in your life, there’s no time like the present to get (back) in the game. Team sports are a great way to make friends as well as work out your body. The FXA Sports Association has adult leagues for over 15 sports (yes, including cornhole), and many welcome social/beginner players. You can join a team or form your own. A lot of the summer leagues start up in early June, so get cracking! Here’s the link to FXA sports.

 

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A post shared by FXA Sports (@fxasports) on Apr 28, 2019 at 7:00am PDT

Challenge Yourself to Hike the Entire Fairfax CCT

The Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail, better known as the Fairfax “CCT” is a 41.5 mile point to point trail that transverses all of Fairfax County, connecting the Occoquan River in Laurel Hill with Great Falls Park. While it would be a great feat indeed to complete the entire trail in one day, it’s probably more feasible (and more fun) to break it up into chunks–and with several parking areas and road crossings along the way, it’s easy to “section hike.” Depending on your schedule and fitness level, you might try and hike the CCT over a long weekend, or do part of it every weekend in June. Here are some great tips and resources for hiking the Fairfax CCT.

 

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A post shared by Scott Tury (@stury) on Sep 19, 2017 at 9:31pm PDT

Learn to Kayak & then put your skills to use!

We’re lucky to have a slew of lakes, rivers, and other waterways near Fairfax, and if you haven’t yet taken advantage of them, why not start now? Most of the state and regional parks in the area, such as Pohick Bay Regional Park and Burke Lake offer canoe, kayak, and paddleboard (SUP) rentals at reasonable rates. If you don’t know where to begin, head to the Fairfax REI store–they offer dozens of classes and excursions for beginning boaters.

 

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Enroll in outdoor bootcamp

You don’t have to be in a gym to get in shape. If you want a killer workout under the sky, try one of Sarge Fitness’s outdoor bootcamps. Despite the name, “Sarge” won’t bark orders at you, but you will be challenged with military boot camp inspired high-intensity drills, obstacles, core conditioning, and body weight exercises. The goal is to progress your fitness from week to week–in the company of other motivated individuals. You can choose from several locations; check it out to find the most convenient for you (if you’re on the fence you can sign up for a free trial week).

 

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A post shared by Sergeant’s Fitness Concepts (@sargefitnessconcepts) on Sep 14, 2018 at 5:55am PDT

We hope you find something here you’re inspired to try. If so, snap a photo of the activity you chose and tag us @hessplasticsurgery when you post on Instagram. We’d be thrilled to see you enjoying the NoVA outdoors!

The post 5 Fun Ways to Take Your Workouts Outside In Northern Virginia appeared first on Dr. Hess.

Bryon Widner was a reformed white supremacist when he decided that facial tattoos were no longer a proper reflection of his identity. Looking like a thug wasn’t in line with his priorities: holding a job and doing his part to support his family.

He needed a solution, which he was fortunate to find through a group called the Southern Poverty Law Center. A donor who was moved by Widner’s story offered to help pay for his tattoo removal procedures.

Dr. Bruce Shack, a plastic surgeon and member of the ASPS, was the doctor who helped Widner remove the signs of his past.

Widner and his wife Julie found Dr. Shack to be the professional and caring physician they needed for such an arduous treatment process.

“He didn’t just see the tattoos; he saw me as a real human being,” Widner told reporters.

The Associated Press story provides details of his procedure:

On June 22, 2009, Widner lay on an operating table, his mind spinning with anxiety and hope. A nurse dabbed numbing gel all over his face. Shack towered over him in protective goggles and injected a local anesthetic. Then he started jabbing Widner’s skin, the laser making a staccato rat-tat-tat sound as it burned through his flesh.

Through 25 laser tattoo removal procedures, Dr. Shack was able to erase the ink from Widner’s face, giving him hope for a normal life. “Anyone who is prepared to put himself through this is bound to do something good with his life,” the doctor said.

The post Plastic Surgeon Performs Tattoo Removal for Reformed Skinhead appeared first on Dr. Hess.

Workforce projections for 2014 by the U.S. Department of Labor show that 15 of the 20 fastest growing occupations require significant science or mathematics training to successfully compete for a job.   According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional information technology (IT) jobs will increase 24% between 2006 and 2016.  However, as jobs requiring a solid background in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are growing – more students are choosing not to major in these areas.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

• Enrollment in undergraduate degree programs in computer sciences is more than 50 percent lower than it was five years ago.4
• In 2001, only 8% of all degrees awarded in the U.S. were in engineering, mathematics or the physical sciences.

“Jobs that traditionally offer the best pay and require the most education are growing the fastest. ”

—The American Diploma Project, Connecting Education Standards and Employment

• The U.S. ranks 20th internationally based on our share of graduate degrees awarded in engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
• By 2010, if current trends continue, more than 90 percent of all scientists and engineers will be living in Asia.

If students continue to pursue degrees and careers in fields other than STEM- related areas, the U.S. will find it difficult to compete in the global economy. Further, the U.S. will not be able to meet its future workforce needs. The U.S. needs 400,000 new graduates in STEM fields by 2015.   Microsoft reports that only 14% of students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in Washington state have the skills that they need.

I still found this hard to believe. After all my grandfather, father and brother are all engineers and my job is fully based on science.  But the truth is it is such a prevalent  problem that the National Science Foundation had taken the lead role in determining that if the need for people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is not met from within the country, we will suffer greatly.  So where do we start?  A little personal perspective is needed.

My son is a first grade student at a good Fairfax, County public school.  Every day I ask him how his day was and what he learned.  He talks about language arts, math, Spanish, PE, Art and, of course, recess.  What he doesn’t talk about is science.  Now I understand that science for a first grader is more or less learning “something” about plants and animals.  But when my son and I talk about basic scientific concepts, he gets them.  Not just because he’s smart but because seven-year-olds are sponges and can grasp Newton’s Laws if explained at their level.

So what’s the problem?  Well, the truth is that it’s directly related to my practice.  Lately I have been seeing more women in their 30’s with breast cancer.  And it got me thinking.  Are we seeing more breast cancer in younger women or are we just getting better at detecting it?  What are the reasons for why it occurs and is treatment any different?

The post What is STEM? appeared first on Dr. Hess.