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How Long Should I Wait? Injectables, Massage & More: What You Need to Know About Aftercare

Your Guide to Looking and Feeling Good, Including Lip Filler Aftercare

At the US Wellness Collective, we know that looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. Many clients come to us with multiple needs, including facials, massage and advanced skin care such as dermal fillers and injectables. But how long should you wait between different types of treatments? And what about aftercare for certain treatments? To help you figure it all out, we’ll be answering some frequently asked questions about massage, Injectables and dermal fillers in this article. 

 

How Long Should I Wait to Get a Massage After Getting Injectables or Dermal Fillers?

Injectables can be used to help you look younger, but it can also be used to treat migraines, muscle disorders and even excessive sweating. If you are also wanting a relaxing massage, there are some things you should consider. For the first few hours after receiving injectables or dermal filler injections, you want to avoid touching, compressing, disrupting or sleeping on the injection sites. You also need to wait several days before you can have someone therapeutically touch or massage your face. 

 

It is possible to receive a body massage immediately after your injectables treatments. However, you don’t want to put pressure on your face even on a padded cradle on the massage table. Let your masseuse know about your injectables or dermal fillers; a well trained professional will suggest a different position to ensure you don’t put any pressure on the injection sites. 

 

How Long Should I Wait to Get a Facial After Injectables or Dermal Filler Injections?

Your face will be a bit sensitive after getting injectables, so it is a good idea to refrain from other forms of skin manipulation right after the procedure. This includes facials, microdermabrasion, electrolysis and laser hair removal. When making an appointment for any type of skincare post-injection or dermal filler, let your care provider know when you had your last injectable or dermal filler treatment to make sure that your appointment is booked appropriately.

 

My Lips are Swollen after Getting a Filler. Should I Massage Them?

It’s not uncommon to have some small bruising and swelling after getting lip filler. A skilled and knowledgeable practitioner will inform you at your appointment of the appropriate aftercare. However, here are a few top Dos and Don’ts of lip filler aftercare:

  • Do use an ice pack to reduce swelling
  • Do drink plenty of water
  • Do stick to foods that are easy to eat
  • Do avoid excessive salt for 24 hours after
  • Do avoid kissing or massaging your lips directly after the procedure and possibly up to 24 hours if it is your first lip filler injection
  • Do be gentle with your skin while washing for 24 hours
  • Don’t use exfoliators or harsh cleaning brushes for 24 hours
  • Don’t have a facial massage for at least two weeks
  • Don’t drink through a straw for 24 hours after
  • Don’t drink alcohol for at least 24 hours after
  • Don’t exercise excessively for at least 24 hours

 

Look and Feel Great Today!

Are you ready to look and feel your best? At the US Wellness Collective, we take a holistic approach that treats mind and body. Our experts are ready to customize your experience and know the dos and don’ts of multiple types of treatments, ensuring you don’t risk infection or alter how the treatment looks. Contact us today to learn what treatments are right for you or to book your next appointment. 

Ways to Support Your Immune System

6 Tips for Boosting your Immune System

Cold and flu season is just around the corner. Here are 6 of our favorite tips to help boost your immune system!

Wash Your Hands Properly

The recent pandemic made many realize just how important proper and frequent handwashing is to our health. This is your first line of defense against getting sick and can help keep your immune system from having to battle more infection than it needs to, so keep up with good hand washing hygiene. 

Eat a Healthy Diet

Eat a diet that is high in antioxidants. This includes fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and legumes. Antioxidants help decrease inflammation. Inflammation can suppress your immune system. Plus, the fiber in plant foods keeps your gut healthy, which can also help improve your immune system. Research shows that healthy gut bacteria can help your immune cells differentiate between normal cells and invading organisms. Be sure to also include fruits and veggies that are rich in vitamin C, which may help reduce the duration of the common cold. 

Also boost your intake of healthy fats, like those in olive oil, chia seeds and salmon. These healthy fats also have anti-inflammatory properties that may help your body fight off illness and even help with chronic illness such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 

Fermented foods can also help keep your gut healthy with their beneficial probiotics. These foods include yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and natto. If eating fermented foods isn’t your thing, then take probiotic supplements instead. 

Limit added sugars which can lead to being overweight or obese. Obesity can negatively affect your immune system, not to mention that foods with added sugars don’t give your body the nutrients and energy it needs to get through the day or fight off an illness if you do get sick. 

Hydrate!

Hydration is important to all of our bodily functions, including our immune system and the systems that support it. Dehydration can cause headaches and negatively affect your digestive, heart and kidney functions. Drink plenty of water and limit drinks with added sugar. A general rule is drink when you are thirsty and stop when you are no longer thirsty. You may need more fluids if you exercise intensely, work outside or live in a hot climate. For older adults, it is important to note that as we age, our bodies do not signal thirst adequately, so they will need to drink regularly, even if they do not feel thirsty. 

Exercise Regularly

Moderate exercise can help boost your immune system. Regular, moderate exercise can help reduce inflammation and help immune cells regenerate regularly. Studies have also shown that moderate exercise can boost the effectiveness of vaccines in people with compromised immune systems. Examples of moderate exercise include brisk walking, steady bicycling, jogging, swimming and light hiking. Avoid prolonged, intense exercise during cold and flu season or if you are immunocompromised as this type of exercise can actually suppress your immune system.

 Practice Self-Care

Stress can drag down your immune system so manage your stress levels by practicing self-care. Remember that everyone should have a unique self-care regimen.  It should be whatever you find helpful, but some ideas to help you manage stress include meditation, yoga, journaling, practicing mindfulness, getting a massage or having fun with a hobby!

Get Adequate Sleep

Sleep is good for your body and your immune system. Several things happen during sleep that help your immune system and your body. During sleep, your levels of cortisol decrease. Cortisol is called the stress hormone. If you aren’t getting enough adequate sleep, it can leave you feeling stressed out, which can suppress your immune system. 

Also while you sleep, your body releases a type of protein called cytokines. These small proteins help your body fight inflammation, infection and even trauma caused by injuries. 

Boost Your Immune System with IV Infusion Therapy

Give your immune system a boost with IV Infusion Therapy. This treatment delivers nutrients and vitamins directly to your body through the bloodstream, which allows your body to take advantage of these nutrients in their most potent form. This is because IV infusion bypasses the digestive system, which reduces the potency of nutrients and vitamins as it metabolizes them. IV infusion therapy also helps keep your body hydrated.

At the US Wellness Collective, we offer several types of IV infusion therapy that can help boost your immune system including: 

  • Immunity IV: boosts your immune system with premium-quality compounds, improves your healing time and reduces the duration of an illness when you do get sick.
  • Meyr’s Cocktail: contains premium-quality compounds that help improve immunity by reducing inflammation that can otherwise suppress your immune system.
  • Jet Lag IV: contains premium-quality compounds that detoxes your system and boosts your immune system by reducing inflammation. 

 

Call (720) 445-5228 to book your appointment today! 

The Benefits of Massage with Hot Stone

What is Massage with Hot Stone, What are the Benefits and When to Skip It

Massage therapy is known for inducing feelings of deep relaxation, but it does more than just pampering your senses! Massage has a variety of benefits, including reducing muscle tension, improving your circulation and flexibility, reducing stress hormones and helping increase joint mobility, just to name a few!

 

There are many different types of massage therapy and techniques that you can add on, such as deep tissue, myofascial release, reflexology, cupping and more. Today we will dive into hot stone massage therapy.

 

What is Massage with Hot Stone?

Getting a massage with hot stones is a delightful, warm treatment that uses heated stones to rub away tension. These flat stones are usually made of a type of volcanic rock because they retain heat well, and are heated in water to between 130 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. During your massage, the stones are placed on specific areas of your body, such as along your spine, on your stomach, chest, face, palms and even on your feet and toes. Your massage therapist may also hold the heated stones as they massage your body using Swedish massage techniques. This allows them access to deeper muscle layers. Sometimes cold stones are also used after hot stones to help calm any engorged blood vessels and to soothe skin. 

 

What are the Benefits of Massage with Hot Stone?

There are several benefits to massage therapy with hot stone. Some of these fall under the general benefits of massage therapy, but some are specific to hot stone itself. We’ll take a look at all of the benefits.

 

Improves Circulation & Promotes Oxygen Flow

Message generally helps promote better circulation; however, hot stone kicks that into overdrive! This is because heat dilates capillaries, bringing fresh blood to the area. This helps to flush away lactic acid while bringing healing nutrients, oxygen and new tissue building blocks to the areas treated, promoting healing and faster recovery. 

 

Reduces Muscle Tension & Pain

Again, massage generally promotes the reduction of muscle tension and pain. Hot stones act like a primer, with the heat helping to loosen up and relax your muscles even more. This gives the massage therapist the ability to access deeper layers of muscle and tissue, giving you greater reduction in muscle tension and pain. This is especially helpful for working out random kinks or even for those who live with chronic pain. 

 

Reduces Stress & Anxiety + Improves Mood

The heat emanating from the stones doesn’t just help ease your muscles but can get you feeling super zen. Think of it this way, when your body is relaxed, your mind can relax. In fact, the placement of hot stones is key. They are placed at specific pressure points to help relieve tension as well as to elevate your mood. Moreover, the manipulation of your muscles during massage can help release endorphins, which improves your mood. And when you feel better, you are able to combat stress and anxiety better!

 

When to Skip a Hot Stone Massage

Heat isn’t always the best medicine. There is a reason why we apply ice to fresh injuries or acute inflammation. This is because increasing blood flow by applying heat can increase swelling. So if you have acute inflammation or a fresh injury, skip the hot stone massage and instead rest, apply ice and compression plus elevate your injury. And always follow your doctor’s orders. 

 

Feel the Relaxation of Hot Stone Massage with Our Expert Care

At the US Wellness Collective, we go the extra mile to help meet your unique massage therapy goals. That’s why we offer 100% customized massages, helping you get greater benefits from your session. Book your hot stone massage today by using our online booking tool or calling us at (720) 445-5228. 

 

How Cryoskin Can Help with Weight Management

The Benefits of Cryotoning

Cryoskin is changing the way we are looking at weight management, weight loss and plastic surgery. This non-invasive and effective treatment is used for slimming, toning and cellulite reduction. And unlike plastic surgery, it has little to no downtime after a procedure!

 

What is Cryoskin? 

Cryoskin is a trio of procedures: CryoToning, CryoSlimming and CryoFacial. All three use state-of-the-art technology to deliver very cold temperatures to the areas treated; however, each is used for different purposes. 

 

CryoToning: This treatment is specifically used to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Multiple areas can be treated in a single session. 

 

CryoSlimming: This treatment, also called CryoFat, is used to help with weight loss and management. One area is treated per session. 

 

CryoFacials: This treatment is like a non-surgical face lift, helping to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. 

 

How Can Cryoskin Help with Weight Management?

Let’s dive deeper into CryoSlimming, which is used for weight loss and management. During this procedure, sub-zero temperatures are delivered to the treated area. This freezes the fat cells, effectively killing them. These dead fat cells are then flushed out of the body through the urinary system. This process is called cryolipolysis. This means that CryoSlimming effectively reduces stubborn fat and keeps it off, helping you with your weight management goals. 

 

Why is Cryoskin Effective for Helping with Weight Management?

What makes Cryoskin so effective for helping with weight loss and management is that once fat cells are dead, they don’t come back. This means that your weight loss is permanent and the only way you would see an increase in weight after a procedure is if your body produces new fat cells. Cryoskin is also safer than plastic surgery and is generally painless. Because it is non-invasive, you don’t have to worry about needles, blades or infections. In fact, many celebrities use cryoskin to tone their skin and slim down. 

 

Who Should Use Cryoskin?

Not everyone is a good candidate for CryoSlimming. The best candidates for this procedure are those who are already close to their weight goal and are just having problems getting rid of stubborn fat. This means that CryoSlimming is not a replacement for a healthy diet and exercise. Also, once you have a CryoSlimming treatment, you should continue with your exercise regimen and diet so that your body does not produce new fat cells. 

 

A Holistic Approach to Weight Loss and Management

At the US Wellness Collective, we believe in a holistic approach to your health and wellness. That is why we offer Cryoskin as part of our weight loss and management services. Combined with the education of a Master’s degree in nursing, we have created a powerful approach to weight loss and management and our services include: 

  • Nutrition/Health management services
  • Weight Loss IV
  • LipoB IM Injections
  • Homeopathic Weight Loss
  • CryoFat

 

It’s time to live your best life! Book your consultation today to see how we can help you look and feel good! 

The Benefits of Lipotropic Injections

Plus What Lipotropic Injections are and What They are Used to Treat 

Summer is here and that has many thinking about losing weight and getting healthier. Weight loss is a journey for many, but there are things you can do to enhance your weight loss efforts through diet and exercise. One of those is Lipotropic injections, or Lipo-B. It is an ideal tool for those already working on losing weight but find that exercise and diet aren’t enough to break past a plateau in your efforts. 

What are Lipotropic Injections and What are the Benefits?

These injections are full of supplements and components that are used to help reduce excessive fats from specific areas of the body. It has been shown to aid in the removal of fats from the liver and boost your metabolism. In essence, it helps the body burn fat itself at an enhanced pace, giving you better weight loss results. There are several different varieties of lipotropic injections, but many contain a combination of B vitamins, such as B6 and B12, in addition to other compounds, hence the name, Lipo-B. 

How Often Should I Get Lipotropic Injections?

For weight loss, it is recommended that you receive lipotropic injections weekly or up to two times a week. It is important that you work with your practitioner to decide what is right for your treatment course. 

Some doctors also recommend lipotropic injections for those dealing with an overall deficiency in the B12 micronutrient. Our bodies do not produce this nutrient naturally, but it is needed to keep important functions in our bodies working properly. It is important to work with a doctor to decide how often you should receive these injections. 

Are there any Side Effects?

It is key that you work with a reputable practitioner when receiving these shots. Risks are low, but some ingredients in some of the varieties can lead to side effects such as anxiety, constipation, diarrhea, dry mouth, fatigue, increased heart rate and insomnia. If these side effects persist, it is important that you call your doctor. 

A Holistic Approach

When it comes to losing weight, there are many different aspects of your treatment plan when it comes to reaching your long-term goals. At the US Wellness Collective, we believe in taking a holistic approach to your health and wellness. Combined with the education of a Master’s degree in nursing, we are able to offer customized weight loss and nutrition/health programs designed with YOU in mind! Our weight loss services include:

  • Homeopathic weight loss
  • Nutrition/health management services
  • Weight loss IV
  • Lipo B IM Injections
  • Cryoskin Fat

Contact us today to book a consultation to learn more about our customized options to see which is best for you and your long-term goals. 

Real Talk: Removing the Stigma of Getting a Massage by a Male LMT

Taking on Societal Preconceptions around Massage Therapy and Gender

Preconceptions around gender abound in society. They are often formed around societal biases of what is considered traditionally feminine and traditionally masculine, including professions. For example, being an elementary teacher is traditionally considered a woman’s job and a construction manager that of a man. But it goes beyond what society thinks is a good job for the different genders; it’s also about society’s preconceptions about who they are more comfortable interacting with in these settings. All of this is certainly true for massage therapy as well. 

There is a lot of stigma surrounding the male licensed massage therapist (LMT). When booking a massage, a lot of people get flustered over the question as to whether they want a male or female massage therapist, and when pushed, the majority of people specifically request a female LMT. We understand–we really do! Getting a massage puts you in a pretty vulnerable state. However, this trepidation often stems from societal preconceptions of massage therapy and who society thinks it’s okay to be a massage therapist. In this article, we are going to dig into the stigmas surrounding male LMTs and then break down the barriers so you feel more comfortable getting a massage from someone of any gender. 

Issue #1: Vulnerability

When you get a massage, you are invariably in some state of disrobe, and that can put you in a vulnerable state. Not to mention that massage techniques are performed on bare skin. This can leave many clients feeling uncomfortable, and often believe the preconception that a woman LMT will be less threatening. This vulnerability can also bring up body image issues and many female clients may harbor fears that a male therapist might judge her physical appearance. 

Issue #2: The Psychology of Sex

Massage is generally extremely relaxing, but it can also border on sensual for some. Clients are often afraid of becoming aroused during a session. It’s important to understand that this is normal and has nothing to do with sex, but rather the physiology of what is happening to the body during a massage. Massage techniques move blood around the body very quickly and this can lead to sensations of arousal. A good massage therapist understands this and relies on their training to ignore it to help keep the patient at ease. 

We also can’t delve into the psychology of sex and massage therapy without addressing homophobia as well. Some male clients don’t like to be touched by another man, let alone while semi-naked. It stems from being in a vulnerable state and thoughts of perceived homosexuality. 

Issue #3: Nurturing vs Strength

Across the board, clients often seek out female LMTs for their “caring” touch. They also often see male LMTs as rougher and stronger. However, this is based on the preconceptions that women are nurturing, a role often associated with mothers, and that men are macho and rough. But if you’ve seen women athletes or a stay-at-home dad, you know these are just biases formed by society that have no true meaning. 

Breaking Down the Barriers

Now, let’s break down these three stigmas around male LMTs.

First, it’s important to remember that licensed massage therapists of any gender are professionals. Many chose this career to help people heal their bodies. Because of the semi-naked state clients are in, it makes everyone feel vulnerable while getting a massage. But a professional isn’t there to take advantage of you or judge you. They are there to help you heal. To help put you at ease, remember that spas have interviewed all their LMTs. And if you feel uncomfortable about a technique, speak up and set your boundaries. A professional LMT will respect your wishes and won’t judge you for it. If something inappropriate does happen, don’t be afraid to report it. Spas and wellness centers want you to feel comfortable, and that means being unafraid to go to higher ups with concerns. 

When it comes to both issues regarding the psychology of sex and massage therapy, keep in mind that massage has little to do with sexual attraction. Rather, massage therapy is about healing your body using relaxation and medical techniques. LMTs of any gender are professionals, and are not there to “feel you up.”

Finally, when it comes to who society thinks is nurturing and who is strong, understand that in massage, a woman LMT can perform a deep tissue massage as well as any male LMT. The same is true that male LMTs can be just as nurturing as the women in their profession. 

So set your preconceptions aside; they are often based on biases of gender norms, something that society has been working to break down for many years now. Know that male LMTs are professionals who can help you meet your massage therapy goals just as comfortably and as well as their female counterparts. So next time you call to book an appointment and the receptionist asks for your LMT gender preference, simply ask for the best person that will help you meet your massage therapy goals.