OH, NOSE, YOU DIDN’T! Q: I’ve always considered a nose job, but I’m afraid too many people will notice a change in my appearance and it will only make me more self-conscious. Is there a series of procedures you can have where your nose changes only slightly each month, so as to not be so noticeable? And, if so, is this expensive? Or could my nose fall off like Michael Jackson’s?
Freddy in St. Petersburg, FL
A: Depending on the specific issue, there may be a subtle and minimally invasive solution to your desire to alter the appearance of your nose that doesn’t involve surgery or major, noticeable changes. With the explosion in popularity of soft-tissue fillers (e.g. Restylane, Juvederm) certain areas of the nose can be injected to enhance its appearance. You can smooth out a bump or raise your dorsum (the slope of the nose). These procedures take 30 minutes to perform and involve minimal swelling after the procedure. The cost may be as little as $500. Unfortunately, just like you’ve seen an actress’s lips get bigger and then return to normal size, these results are temporary, usually lasting six to nine months. No, your nose will not fall off. In fact, your friends won’t be able to guess why you look different, only that you look more confident in yourself and your appearance, and that can only make you look better. -DR
THE WHEN OF WEIGHTS & CARDIO Q: I have the age-old fitness question to ask: Do you do your cardio before or after weight training? I’ve heard people argue for both sides in the past, but is there really a difference? Or should you break it up and do cardio in the morning and then weights later on in the day?
Mark in Orlando, FL
A: Ideally, if you can make the time, separating your cardio and weight training sessions will yield more efficient workouts. The main benefit of performing cardio and strength training separately is the prevention of fatigue. Naturally, the longer you do any strenuous physical activity, the more fatigued you will become. When you perform strength training and cardio in one workout, no matter which activity you do first, the second activity will suffer. So by doing weights or cardio in the morning and the other later in the day, your body will get time to recover and recuperate. This will allow you to perform your second workout with more intensity and vigor than if you combined the two in one workout. Also, it is completely up to you whether you do cardio or weights in the morning and the other later in the day. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that doing cardio in the morning is more beneficial than doing it at night. The same applies for strength training. With that being said, if you only have time to work out once during the day, it is more beneficial to perform strength training first and cardio second. The reason being, when you perform cardio first you use up a lot of energy stores that would help power your strength workout, thus making your strength training less efficient. The entire purpose of weight training is to gain strength and build muscle. So by doing cardio first—when only working out one time a day—you are working against yourself. -MD
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SUCK THAT FAT Q: I’ve dieted. I’ve exercised. I feel like I’ve done it all. And I’m running out of alternatives. A friend has suggested it, and now I’m thinking that maybe I should just suck the fat out.Is liposuction really effective? I’ve heard that if you get all the fat sucked out, you can still get fat again, but it can look worse because your fat will just grow bigger in other, odd places. Is this urban legend or truth?
Paul F. in Trenton, NJ
A: Liposuction is very effective at treating specific areas of excess fat, like those hard-to-lose love handles. It can improve an extra chin, and even get rid of “cankles” (fat ankles). It is not useful for general weight reduction. Also, liposuction needs to be part of an overall strategy including diet and exercise in order to improve your appearance. Postoperative nutrition is key. That means those late-night burrito runs will have to come to an end, or your rear end will just come back. It is true that fat will reaccumulate if diet and exercise habits don’t improve, but people tend to carry the majority of their fat in a particular part of the body, (e.g. midsection for men), so it is unlikely that fat will deposit in unusual places. So you may have heard just another urban lipo legend, although not as popular as the one that we make soap out of the fat that gets sucked out. -DR
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Comments (1)
... written by mystery???mystery,
October 15, 2009
NOOOOOsejob!!!!! Why would you even want to lose your birth right of a beautiful nose?
