Body by Sona with Kathie Turner

Yes- The POWER of YES!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 04:33:00 +0000

Austin Texas, September 2007

The Power of YES ~ where you were born to go.

Yes~ is to simply cooperate with what is meant for us.
When we are in agreement with ourselves.

Never abandon your talent or forsake your dreams.
From the most inner voice that- from childhood said - YES.

Yes is the perfect harmony in tone, appearance and performance.

Yes is the natural state of flow without being contrived, it is.

YES, include Kathie in your next gathering.

What I did on my Summer Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:17:00 +0000

(Remember this annual assignment?)

What I did on my Summer Vacation
by Kathie Turner

Simple times, family camping and visits to the farm....We fought over who got to collect the eggs. One summer we cleaned chickens. (That will be appreciated only by those who have actually cleaned chickens!) We saw everything from Disney World to Hoover Dam, the Black Hills and I remember Paul Bunion. I got fools gold and sea shells. Blankets over the clothes line to make tents in the rain while we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Were your summers this great?

************************************************************************************

Assignment: Summer Vacation 2007
Self Improvement with Class

Regress. Enroll now!

Back to school and everyone seems to have the healthy glow of a warm summer suntan and I am as pale as a ghost. Without the mask of parched skin I see the age spots on my hands, blue veins etched across my legs and love handles muffin’d across the top of my hip-hugger,~~ you’ve got to be kidding me,~~ jeans.

Am I feeling healthy? One summer out of the sun to see what's really happening has been great. Besides, I had the right attitude when I saw this picture! Way too much of a good thing.

SCORCHED!

Sign me up and lay out the curriculum. I go back to school and learn all I can about how aging elements have conspired to take me down. Education is key, use every advance in medicine, cosmetics, nutrition and the Big Guns~ laser light technology!

Time and gravity make a worthy opponent, play to win and give up nothing. But at what cost?

I am told no less than 5 times a week I look like Michelle Pfeiffer. I am flattered yes, yes, yes... and by now I can finish the sentence. That many people can’t tell the same lie so it must be at least somewhat true. All the same I am keeping this low key, dollars to donuts, she’s not often told how much she looks like Kathie Turner.
We’ll be fine if she is satisfied to be Cat Women and leaves me to be, well, Kat.

Michelle Pfeiffer, "Cat Women"...... Kathie Turner, not

Actually I love that all the advantages Michelle and other stars have are available to all of us!

When I was working in the broadcast news business I would see in the trades, primary network anchors out for “Plastics.” Who cares, it is a matter of maintenance. Some can budget more than others but from a bright healthy smile to glowing skin we take every advantage available. No different than staying in shape and manicured. This is just more a long term investment. Anywhere from several months to permanent benefits. It is smart and we feel better when we are at our best.

I remember my parents seeing famous people I grew up with on TV and commenting, "he's getting up there." Now we generally comment on how great people look and how we are not like our surrendered parents' generation with frumpy middle-aged resignation.

I am the spokesperson, storyteller, been-there-done-that girl so I must have first hand knowledge. I of course do this for you.

At the moment my legs are between laser hair removal, spider vein removal and fat dissolve. My face has been zapped with laser treatments for the rejuvenation of collagen and even hair removal for the now errant strays that have sprouted like timbers across my chin. I am, in short, a Grandma. Dang!

The good news is I know my limits. I will not wear a bikini. You are welcome.

Fear not my aging friends.
Dress code is optional!
Some of you have gone too far now…

In fact, the object for me now is discretion.

Notice all the on lookers have a bit of a tummy. Now this is where the “law of extremes” comes into play. If you stand next to someone outrageous you will draw no particular attention. This Grandma is a Super Star with cameras popping at her every step.

Back to the story!
What I did over Summer Vacation!

Day One
Attack Enemy #1. Wrinkles, lines I am not fine with.
Botox.
Some call it the “11’s.” Those nasty furrowed lines between your brows that make us look like we are scowling, unhappy or have a negative attitude. Also, around the eyes, because every time we use those muscles we further deepen the wrinkles.

Blow them out with BOTOX. Almost immediate gratification. Takes 5-10 minutes, improves gradually over the first 3 days of injection and lasts for months. I go in every 3-4 months or when I start to see the need.

People won’t know why you look like you’re happy. They’ll guess you lost weight, you’re in love or business must be great!

Sona occasionally has a Botox Saturday set up to be efficient and fit into your busy “to do list.” If you want to be informed on the schedule send an e-mail to Houston@sonamedspa.com asking to be added to our e-newsletter distribution list.

Restylane: A first for me but it makes the maintenance list without a doubt.
I did it in the upper lip to balance to the size of my lower lip. Turns out to be a double blessing. It minimized the little lines I installed while smoking all those years. I kicked it long ago but not without some lasting reminders of my stupidity. (Scroll down for a Restylane story you may want to read.) Sometimes people call this filler. If you can’t imagine what I mean, look in the mirror and see if you have any little lines that you would like to just plump up and fill in.

The Laser Hair Removal. Now that I have had this a second time I am appreciating the process. It all falls out after about 2 weeks and then as our hair growth cycles, it will emerge again. That is why 5 treatments are required to make it permanent. The second time they took a reading with the Chroma-tester it revealed a much lighter skin tone. That is because I have stayed out of the sun- really. I can’t believe how seriously I have taken my commitment to turn my body over for a solid year.

Now here is a tip if you go to this length, or just don’t care about these things until you have to go somewhere and have wimpy looking white legs. There is a product, (Sue Devitt, Liquid Gold Coast - Oil Free- Bronzing Glow) you can buy at Sephora and it is like make-up for your body, not your face. It goes on like a golden rich liquid and gives you a fabulous tanned look. The draw-back is that while they say it won’t rub off and soil your clothes,…. It does.
But it washed out and so I recommend using it with caution and the right outfit.

OTHER… Hair Removal. Well as Noel Halgreen says, they can remove hair anywhere you shave. That may be a back, chest, arms, under arms or the bikini area. I can tell you that the bikini area is great because it eliminates shaving a tender area and the little bumps and even ingrown hair. But of course it has to be darker than the surrounding skin and that means people with blond or gray hair will not be candidates. I have 2 tips. Make sure you stay out of the sun for at least 2 weeks if not longer before you do it and do it before you are gray!

The laser facial treatment- I have now had 3 treatments and I am pretty much done with that but it will be up to 6 months before the full results can be a seen. If the collagen is rebuilding as I am told it will, I will consider that the best thing rivaling Botox for top billing. It is deeper and that is good but at the same time if you can stop the muscles from those repetitive moves you stop perpetuating the wrinkles. Perfect marriage, one repairs the damage and the other arrests the cause.

Spider Vein removal. I can’t wait! I have only had one treatment. My legs aren’t great but if I can wear shorts and skirts without pantyhose it will be the first time in many years. That’s half the reason I like to have some tan, just to minimize the spider veins. The first treatment has broken down the deep purple color of the largest cluster and I think the second one will take a bigger step towards my goal. They are timed so the blood in the zapped veins can be absorbed and dissipate.

It's late I am tired and way past the days of the all-nighter. Well, anyway it's time for the news. The rest of the story will wait. It is after all a process.

By the way- I will have an assignment for you soon. Get ready.

"Lust, Liberation, and Fat"

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 19:03:00 +0000

I just spent a week with my parents in Omaha and timed the trip around my son Brandon’s band, The Steed, touring the Midwest. My 81-year-old mother, or my son’s Hip Grandma Bunny, went to listen to the Rock Alternative and loved it. She dances to Polka music in the kitchen every morning… are you developing a picture here? She is, by the way, bored with magazines these days as they all seem to talk about looking young, bla, bla, bla and I think, “wow, that must be true”. I will feel the same way when I get to my 80’s, but for now I will try to stay healthy and diligent with sunscreens and good practices…

I mentioned I was going to have the LipoDissolve procedure this week and she gave me the anticipated… “Why, you don’t have any fat?” In truth, I don’t have enough of an issue to worry about, and many don’t, but there is always that area that you just can’t target easily. Anyway, I need to describe these treatments and I do have some dreaded areas of irritation. I am honestly irritated, first by own lack of discipline, and then of course there is time and gravity. But take a look at the legs… it was just a mere 20 years ago. Where are they now? Drat!

So… I was raised Catholic, went to church 6 days a week and my mother was married by 4 priests and a Bishop. (Yes, I have lots of childhood material….) Now she is watching, nearly round the clock, the Catholic TV Station. Did you know they had one?

It’s Bishop Sheen in an old black and white show from the 50s. I am drawn in by his casual manner and humor. He sets everything up, lays it out and ties in genuine humor. Just when you forgot who he was… he hits it out of the park with “LUST“. He was talking about how we blow through life with little regard for the season and then later lust for our youth. His brilliance is timeless, and so is his message. This is before cosmetic surgeries and procedures, Botox and Retin-A products. Doesn’t matter, our sense of loss is timeless and universal. To “Look & Feel Young” is priceless. There you have it; it’s all about how you feel.

I get together with my great friend Jeannie talking about aging parents, I lament; the loss of awareness and faculties seems unfair. To work at being better all your life and then in these years things start slipping. She always says the right thing. “It’s not about how we are in our old age, it’s about the legacy we’ve created”.

Then she laughs and says, ”Finally, after all these years, I can find my cheekbones, I feel liberated!” My mother in her 80’s, liberated from the superficial and Jeannie finds her cheekbones…

Jeannie has lost over 100 lbs., more than once. The rest of the conversation wrapped around all the cosmetic stuff - what works and where to focus etc… I tell her what I am about to tell you, “Fat can be dissolved with the right cocktail injection.”

Jeannie has another 30 lbs. to go, and I have a few inches.

Go in to Sōna MedSpa for a consultation. They identify the areas to make sure you have enough fat to work with, describe the treatment and how to prepare. For me, it is the upper inside of the thighs, tummy and the infamous “saddlebags”. Do you believe I am revealing this to you? I shudder as I type.

Now, they will tell you it is 6 times on 2-week intervals, and it hurts. It is good that they tell you, so you can make a better decision with no surprises.

Remember - No alcohol before you go, because it thins the blood.

Bring in a restrictive garment to wear out of the office. They recommend Spanx, but Top Drawer Lingerie, (Up Town Park between Woodway and Post Oak,) has it, as well as a product they say is better -The Body Wrap -so that’s what I take with me. Very cool, seamless flow, not your mama’s girdle! You will need that because it is going to bloat or swell in the area that is treated, and this helps with the “comfort” in the first 48 hours.

When you go in for the treatment, they will weigh you, not that it is a weight loss treatment, but just to monitor every aspect of this. They’ll mark off the area with a white soft pencil and they’ll take “before” pictures.

You pop up on the bed and they will give you the injections (shots) in a grid- type formation, about 1/2 inch apart. Now, that’s a lot of shots, yes…but it goes pretty fast, though. They will pinch the skin to pull it up for the shot and that also reduces some of the smarts of the needle. I found the more fat, the less it hurts. As they go closer to the area nearing the hipbone with less fat it seemed a little more intense.

Finished, after pictures, girdled and out the door with instructions not to take a hot bath for 48 hours. Cool showers at first. You will bloat and bruise for several days.

Drink lots of water. They like FIJI, because it has silica that helps the fat bond and leave the body more efficiently. They give you a sample of 1% Hydrocortisone and of course you likely have something at home - not Neosporin, but Polysporin is recommended for the tiny needle injections, if you want, as an antibiotic-type topical.

As I leave the office the girls at the front desk all chime in with where they did it and how it works. One says, “You will be miserable for a couple of days and have some bruising.” But, she says, it’s so worth it. Now after 2 treatments she has lost 3 inches. She is ecstatic! If I haven’t told you before, I love these ladies. All of them are just fun, smart and caring.

I come home, ready to just be in terrible shape, wishing I had been better about keeping in shape. I’ll never eat another donut, I resolve to get serious. I toss the chocolate and pull out my list of resolutions.

I took Tylenol PM and went to bed. I Woke up with some, but not that much, swelling. It looks like a cake when you take it out of the oven, kind of higher in the center. It is just rounded fullness in the area of injections. It doesn’t hurt unless I tap or hit that area and the bruising is quite minimal. Everybody is different, but for the first 24 hours I can tell you it is the actually experience, and after that it is just one more little thing in life to go through in order to get there.

Relieved, I put away the resolution list until ‘08 and think about what to wear tonight that is a bit more forgiving.

My nurse is 25, funny, beautiful and bright, just married 3 months. She came to Sōna after working in the Pediatric ICU. This is a much happier place, as you would imagine. We laugh and crack up basically through the whole thing. I am a bit of a baby but make fun of myself and anyone standing outside the door would wonder what’s so funny in there.

Now as if it were not enough that I share my fat story, I will even share the pictures when we can see the before and after…. Liberation! That’s if the shame of it all isn’t too much to BARE.

Sorry, But Sometimes Age Does Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:41:00 +0000

I went in to the Galleria area Sōna MedSpa for a quick 15-minute procedure. It was my second time to have laser hair removal on my facial areas. The desire to remove hair has lead many women to waxing, tweezers, and well, shaving with razors.

The procedure, gets rid of the hair with laser treatments that targets the hair follicle and disables it with a simple zap of laser light.

Treatments are done in timed intervals to catch the growth pattern of hair for a permanent result.

Get Ready-
1. Avoid Retine-A products for at least 2 weeks before you go in for most laser procedures so keep that in mind when you schedule.
2. Tell them if you are on medications when you schedule to determine your timing eligibility.
3. Stay out of the sun and away from tanning beds for two weeks before your treatments. Even spray and lotion tanning are off limits. The laser light looks for melanin in your skin and tanning increases the amount of melanin in your skin.
4. Shave the area before you go in or you can do it there.

The Nurse-
1. Like a photographer, they will use a small light meter instrument called a "chromotester" to read the color tone of your skin to calibrate the settings for your procedure and to make sure that the melanin in your skin meet the requirments for a safe laser treatment.
2. Applies a clear, cool gel used for ultra sounds to allow the instrument to flow smoothly across your skin during the procedure.
3. Provides goggles for both of you.
4. Apply a hose of cold air and the laser to the desired area. The cold air is worse then the laser-so how bad is that? She will also use a pop-cycle stick or tongue depressor to cover your nose so cold air doesn’t spray you.

Takes about 5 minutes and you are done. You wipe off the jell and walk out the door with the list of after care instructions.

Are you ready? Don’t shave for a couple days. NO problem! Actually, it is common sense stuff like don’t exfoliate for a few days, etc.

So what is my point, my 51-year-old point about age does matter? Well, as we mature our hair often loses some of its "depth" (we go grey...). So, the laser is looking for melanin (which gives your hair color) and if your hair has lightened in color, the laser will not be effective on that hair follicle and you’re stuck with it.

What to Do? Go do this while you are young and avoid all the waxing, shaving, and tweezing and such. Wait and you will always deal with some of those pesky light-in-color and course-in-texture hairs.

These defining signs of time are not in themselves enough to take you down, but whiskers are for men and cats. I surrender.

See a video on laser hair removal at this link: Laser Hair Removal

Botox® is My Weapon of Choice!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:47:00 +0000

Photo by: J Heiliger Photography

I went in for Botox and I got to chatting with Cassie, my nurse for that appointment. They have gotten to know me head-to-toe. Their job is my treat, I figure that is how it came to be know as a "Treat-ment" for me. It feels pretty familiar now, they all know me by name and a bit about my family and what’s going on in my life etc.

So, I like the sense of belonging there, not just a curious outsider. I always look forward to these treatments because, well - I’m a girl. I would take this over shoe shopping, so why was I sitting there crying? I certainly have more fun with this they do, but when Cassie started talking to me about my brain aneurysm it turned my perspective into something almost painful. Cassie had read my history and was especially interested because her last position before coming to Sona MedSpa was with Hermann Hospital working in, you guessed it, the Neuro Trauma ICU.

It’s not that I don’t know they are nurses, I do, it’s just that I don’t think of them in such serious circumstance. It gave me a better appreciation for the level of education and training coming in with the injection. As we talked it took on a weighted tone of reality that generally ends far differently. I lived. She looked through my hair to see the line of scarring that stretches from the top of my ear to the back of my head. About an 8” incision that was stapled instead of stitched, for which I was dubbed “Zipper Head"; lovely.

I told Cassie how the aneurysm occurred, blew actually and the days of waiting for the right surgeon to be found and the hope that I would survive the days it took. After 11 days at St. Lukes I was Life-Flighted to Dallas where the day after Christmas they packed my body in ice and started in with a 4 hour window to actually lift the brain and clamp the burst blood vessel called a Basilar Tip.

The odds of anyone living through that were ridiculously small. Dr. Hunt Bacher and Duke Sampson had hands guided by prayer to work a miracle. Beyond that was a second aneurysm that was bulging but had not burst, there was no time to fix it. They wrapped cotton around it to build up scar tissue that would strengthen the vessel wall and hope for the best- The best has stretched into 16 years now.

So that is why I was crying, because I can. I should not be alive and I am. I have a wonderful life I am not always viewing life through the chance I was given to raise my kids. I never lose sight of how blessed I am but I tend to forget just how close I came to missing all of this. So Cassie quietly and knowingly looks at me kind of shaking her head and proceeds. Now, a few little pricks of the needle and I think Cassie has the hand of surgeon herself. I have stopped the muscles from moving the way they have for over 50 years resulting in deep furrows between my eyebrows and on my forehead. Even around my eyes- you know the laugh lines that lose their humor when we face them in the rear-view mirror in harsh sunlight while we are behind the wheel of an automobile....

Fight back! Botox is my most effective weapon against nature and time. For the next 3 or 4 months, I will be making the the same expressions I always have, but it will not produce as many lines- hence the truism, “Less is More!’ and sometimes tears are tied to deep feelings of gratitude.

Kathie Turner

"Kathie Doesn't Shave Anymore" - TV Commercial Now Airing

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:39:00 +0000

This is the second commercial now running in the Houston market, featuring Kathie Turner and her "on-screen" husband. We are curios about running an on-going story with Kathie and her "husband" in the future. We would welcome your ideas? For example, we could show Kathie as she and Ed visit the kids at college or plan a mini-getaway or on the Yacht with friends. Send your ideas to andy@MarketingDynamics.org

Signed,

Andy Valadez
Marketing Dynamics

Leg Shaving and the Archaic Nature of It

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 03:55:00 +0000

Photo: J. Heiliger Photography

Today I will share the saga of the dreaded leg hair. Not a big deal, this shaving your legs true, but all the same it leads to lots of issues we work around all our life. No I can’t wear that, I didn’t shave. Should I wax- no not enough of an advantage to warrant the time and yanking smarts of it all. So I shave- like I wrote in the commercial- 4 minutes, 4 times a week for 40 years so I can feel stubble in 4 hours (to be posted soon, see the current commercial below this article or in the TV directory).

A rat on on a treadmill.. Do you remember the first time you shaved your legs? Did you ask your mom for permission or just go do it? I took this step at age 11 and I decided I would ease my way into it. Back in the day, we had the double blade that dropped into the razor and twisted the handle down to lock it in position. We used it until the blade dulled or rusted or whatever and we dropped in a new blade. The worst thing that could happen was for the handle loosening up and the blade to actually bounce - making little nicks up your shin or near your ankle. Toilet paper stuck to the forming scabs.

One look at a friend’s leg and you knew by the chop-chop-chop marks up her shin bone and you would cringe. So then back to my first time, I decided that I would shave just the bottoms of my legs, up to my knees. Nothing drastic. Again, I would just gradually ease into this so as not to startle anyone that knew me and actively watched for signs of change, like something really big- SHAVING.

I took out my partially shaved legs, sat there ready to be admired for my new mature appearance until the sun caught the hair on my knees like two balls of fuzz. You know how they trim plants on patios to be balls of vegetation atop a single trunk. I was like a moving topiary. The horror of it all. Somewhere between Gigit and Bridget Jones we go through these rights of passage with little dignity. Well it didn’t take long before it became a maintenance program and not the "Glam" I imagined it would be. But, “once you start, my mom said, you will never be able to stoppppp!”Ah ha! Now 40 years later, it will stop.

I signed up for the new Laser Hair Removal program at Sona MedSpa and bought back 4 minutes, 4 times a week for the next 40 years (40 years-It could happen). What can I tell you? First, “SAY YES!”, there are several important things to know and do. Don’t mess up on this and don’t put it off because the younger you are the more sense it makes. The darker the hair, the better the results. If your hair is gray the laser will not differentiate it from your skin tone and could miss it. So save yourself more years of shaving and do it NOW.

Along the same lines, get out of the sun OR the Tanning Beds so that your skin tone can be recognized as lighter then the hair you are aiming for. At least 2 weeks of NO tanning and NO spray or lotion tanners. It is the color we are trying to minimize and it doesn't matter if it comes from the sun or a bottle (again the lasers are color sensitive and are attracted to the pigment in the hair).

Now the next "2 WEEKS" issue is ANTIBIOTICS. I am not kidding about this one because we are very photosensitive when we are on antibiotics and the laser is a stream of light intensely focused on your skin. Even if you ended a round the week before it is still in your system and if you have a reaction your skin will puff up. Take me seriously because we have come to think of antibiotics as no big deal and commonly used without interaction considerations in most egards. Schedule around that and make sure you are complete in filling out your paperwork about any health issues or drugs being used. I don't know of anyone not being able to get these wonderful treatments, you just need to time it well.

The day you go in, you shave first. Don’t worry the laser picks it up and zaps it even if you don’t really see it. You pop up on the table and the nurse will mark your legs with a white soft chalk type marker to help guide her as she moves the laser back and forth like you would cutting the grass and not overlapping. She will apply the gel used when you get an ultrasound. Not sticky or greasy, just helps the laser glide right along and keep the skin cool.

So, now you put on the goggles and nurse does the same and she starts running the laser across your skin top to ankle front side then you roll over for the back side. Does it hurt? At the top of your legs you don’t feel much but as you get closer to the ankle it starts to smart. I was told it may be because there is less body fat in those areas. It feels like someone rapidly snapping a rubber band on your skin and then it is over. It is fast and then you simply wipe off the gel and you get up and go.

Now if you are doing this, you may also want to do the UNDER ARM and FACE. I did it around my upper lip and chin. Good bye wax- I will keep my tweezers for splinters. The BIKINI area! I can’t imagine not doing that because of the irritation bumps we get when we shave there. Nice to think about ending it all, isn’t it? They will give you a topical gel if you want it that helps numb the more sensitive area. You put it on for about 45 minutes, sit in the waiting room and it makes your skin feel cool and tingly. I did it and would recommend it because while I have nothing to compare it to, I liked it.

*If you think you want to do that you need to show up about an hour early to put it on. The schedule is tight so always be on time if not early and enjoy a cup of soothing tea while you wait. In the Bikini area, you decide how much you want to disappear from total to conservative. Your choice but I assure you they do it everyday all day and you will go from a second of akward to a life of freedom, Amen. So say "YES!".

The hair will, over the next couple of weeks, simply fall out. Nice.Then you will go back on a cycle of visits to repeat the process and catch the new hair growth that is cyclic in its growth pattern. Five specifically timed total visits in a year ends the new hair growth. You may also want to share the idea with the guys because it is a wonderful blessing to rid the neck line of the hair that rubs against the collar or as my friend Barbara claims it will stop her from shaving her husband’s back while he sleeps...

Sign your guy up NOW!

When I take a shower these days, I don’t know what to do because I am so used to the shaving ritual. How to spend this new found 4 minutes, 4 times a week, for the next 40 years? Shaving has ended, now that’s a good ending to this story.

Kathie Turner

"What's your secret?" - TV Commercial to begin airing 7/10

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:42:00 +0000

We just finished shooting this TV commercial to begin airing in the Houston market. Thank you to all who attened the shoot, we thought you would like to see a first peak. Kathie addresses a professional group and tells them her secret.

Postedy by Marketing Dynamics (blog partner)

BodyBySona.com Mentioned on CNN 650AM, Houston Business Show

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:48:00 +0000

Noel Halgreen, President of Sona Medspa and Andy Valadez of Marketing Dynamics talk about BodyBySona.com on the Houston Business Show with Kevin Price. Listen to the podcast here: BodyBySona.com (audio stream)

Posted by Marketing Dynamics (blog partner)

On Grandchildren, Children, Aging, and Health

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:28:00 +0000

Picture of me and Sasha here, pool side.

“We have the same tummy rolls, I have the discretion not to share them.”

This is my newest purpose, what else could possess me to board a plane aimed at El Paso? I am the Grandma Papparratzi and getting the picture is my joy. I have been video taping my grandbabies for almost 3 years and funny, I have never shared them with anyone… yet!

I am going to edit them to see the family evolve through the “Highlight Reel.” That is what we are doing with this year at Sona MedSpa. You will see – I hope, just the opposite though. We hope to see the appearance of time in reverse.

I look back at my own home movies and imagine knowing my parents when they were young to have a perspective kids never get with their own parents. Those pictures and movies are the only THINGS worth grabbing in a fire!

Picture of the kids with their eyes closed to say prayers.

Sasha is now included in prayer time at meals and you can see how important it makes her feel!

My Aliesha has little interest in material stuff and her faith and family put everything distantly behind that. The discussion of aging and maintaining youthful appearance is important, but not without perspective. She is 31 and I think back on how many times I told her not to furrow her brow or she would end up with those wrinkles. She thought I was crazy and obsessed looking young because of my job in front of a camera. But… now she brings a thoughtful discussion to the table.

She is obsessed with nutrition, exercise and naturally healthy products. She reads everything, listens to every expert and researches every claim. I don’t know where she came from! She is up and on the treadmill at about 5am and – well this will give you perspective. They don’t even own a micro-wave because it MAY—alter the foods value. So what is her take on this topic? As you might guess it starts with:

Proverbs 11:22 (from the Old Testament) –

“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout, is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

What a way to end a blog post. I have asked Aliesha to provide her thoughts and that will be on the next post.

BodyBySona.com Discussed on TV Show - "Movers and Shakers" Business Segment

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:07:00 +0000

The Houston Manufacturers show airs on the downtown cable network, Business Channel 11 on Phonoscope. The Houston Manufacturers show recently added a "Movers and Shakers" segment featuring business hot topics. Noel Halgreen (right of center), President of Sona Medspa Houston was part of the panel and discusses "Body by Sona" with Kathie Turner. See video clip here (fastforward to the middle of the stream): Innovations in Marketing

Blog posted by Marketing Dynamics (Blog Partner)

PART 1: A Mother-daughter Conversation at Estes Park, CO

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:20:00 +0000

The week has been a blur. I was sitting in a Mountain Micro Brewery in Estes Park, Colorado talking to my daughter Kristen (pictured above) about how the sun, cigarettes, (yes there were those days!) and time have saddled me with a price tag registered on every square inch of my exposed skin - aging on the installment plan. No it doesn’t hit you all at once, and when you are young, you think you will handle the signs of aging with dignity and grace. Wrong!

Laugh lines and the furrowed brows, over time, permanently mark our expressions. BOTOX® arrests muscle movements that created the lines. If maintained, it’s like throwing away the key.

Kristen is 26 and packing for the UK to spend the next few years doing things I would have loved to do. She is still so young I don’t know if she can picture herself at twice the age, but if she could, she would be hearing me clearly- while the days are long, time is running by. You just don’t see it until it shows up on a picture or in the harsh sunlight in your rear-view mirror, or worse- the triple threat of a 3-way mirror. So I was telling her, this week Sona MedSpa will start the laser treatments on my face and neck.

Bring it on!

BOTOX is a registered trade mark of Allergen, inc.

PART 2: A Mother-daughter Conversation at Estes Park, CO

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:14:00 +0000

Holding the Line
Pixel Laser Facial Treatment #1

Pixel Laser (the latest technology for skin re-surfacing and rejuventation)

I went in Wednesday morning, put on a robe and took off my make up. You can keep the eye makeup on because you are wearing protective glasses during the procedure and the laser is never near your eyes. If I had known what to expect I would have scheduled to go straight home, never mind the hair and wear something that goes on easy and not over the head.

So the first thing they did was sweep my face for the dead cells that we all have on the surface. She said it would feel like a kittens tongue as it sweeps over your skin - it did. Like a vacuum it pulled it up and took it away. It took just a minute.

Then she showed me the machine she would use and explained that she would go over my neck and face twice. I was surprised that it made a lot of noise but I think that was the hose she handed me. Not a vacuum, it was a serious flow of cold air (to offset the heat of the laser). She said if you need to, just put it on your face to cool it down. Once I realized it didn’t interfere with her job I just kept it on my face like an oscillating fan.

Now, I will admit that I was taken-aback and not prepared for the sting. I half-heard her remind me that it will burn like the combination of really bad sunburn and a nasty windstorm. It was more of the mental pictures I was thinking about that set my mind to racing, thinking “What are the lasers actually doing to my skin?”

She gave me glasses to protect my eyes and turned on the laser starting around my lower left jaw line. I didn’t know how long it would take, but I seriously hoped it would go fast… and it did. I could smell an odor as the laser moved across my skin between my nose and lip and it reminded me of the smell of teeth being drilled by the dentist.
I was glad she was talking to me to kind of keep me connected and at ease. She had a casual chatter that made me think it must be going ok. I thought to myself “How would I know?” I told her that it did hurt and she explained that it only lasts a few minutes. “In fact, by the time you get to the front desk the pain will be gone” she said. I was dubious, but welcomed that notion.

In a matter of 10-15 minutes she was done. I sat up on one elbow and asked if she would show me what the laser did. She put it on the top of my hand and turned it on for just a second or two. I saw smoke coming right off my skin (you don’t see that everyday)! Now, I understood the noise of the suction hose used to draw in the smell and smoke similar to the device a dentist’s uses.

Next she applied and ointment and advised that I go home and go to bed laying a bit more up-right instead of laying flat.

My face was deep red and I said I think I will attract a lot of attention. She advised that people leave here all the time looking like this and everyone is gets used to it!

So, there I was at the front desk, it didn’t hurt and no one paid the slightest attention. As I was driving home, I realized I was thinking about so many other things I had forgotten what we just did. If I had known that going in, I would have been far more relaxed about everything. We have all heard about hindsight being 20/20.

PART 3: A Mother-daughter Conversation at Estes Park, CO

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:54:00 +0000

After Care (Please see Part 2: A Mother-daughter Converstation at Estes Park, CO)

Kathie Turner with her daughter Kristin

She said to use a mild soap that night and not to be surprised that the water will sting… and it did, but not bad at all. It also stings when you spray perfume on the neck area (so don’t do that)!

The real redness was gone by that evening and the next day you couldn’t tell much of anything but I kept the ointment on. If you looked at my face with a magnifying glass you might have thought it looked like I fell asleep on a paper towel because of a perfect pattern of little dimple prints. You had to look really closely but it was pretty cool to see how uniform it was. It lasted four days.

Four days later and the skin looks good. It went through a stage I could feel a little toughness to it. Then it loosened up and I saw the first signs of the skin getting ready to peel. Keep in mind I have been wearing makeup from day 2 and NO ONE noticed I had done a thing!

I go back in 2 weeks for the same procedure and again 2 after that. Each time I am told it will be the same experience- I’m ready for it and I will show you both the before and after pictures and the video of the procedure (won’t that be cool).

She told me afterwards that I had a laser energy setting of 900. She added that 800 is the low end and if I had a lot of scarring from acne I may have had a setting of, say, 1400 and instead of passing over the face twice they would have also stopped and concentrated over the surface of the scarred skin.

By the way- this weekend I am in El Paso with my 31 year old daughter Alycia and she couldn’t stop asking about every thing under the topic of how to hold the line. If only I had known at 31 what I am learning just now.

HOLD THE LINE

YouTube Diary - Kathie Welcomes You to the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Thu, 24 May 2007 02:34:00 +0000

Kathie Turner talks about BodyBySona.com and her journey with Sona Medspa.

Sona MedSpa Featured on Great Day Houston 5/10/07

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Tue, 15 May 2007 12:51:00 +0000

Thought you would want to know about this. Click the links below to see the video stream features:

Laser Hair Removal Live (click to view)

Tattoo Removal Live (click to view)

Commentary on My First Visit to Sona MedSpa

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:42:00 +0000

Kathie Turner

By invitation, I went to check out the Sona MedSpa for my friend Andy Valadez who works in Marketing. Of course there was no arm-twisting involved, a cosmetic procedure in exchange for some feedback! Just the right enticement to find out about the treatments we see splashed all over Morning News and Talk Shows. The feedback went on for over 2 hours. We had a great time and when it was over we decided it had just begun.

So come with me….

It looked like a business office from the hall but once I walked in it was pretty Zen-like, the atmosphere was instantly calming with a water gurgling arrangement in a sophisticated setting. A nice, tasteful, home, office, clinic- not a beauty shop impression or a posh place where we all think to ourselves, I wonder what this is going to cost?

They popped out and invited me back for a consultation. The lady I talked with was – well a girl. I have daughters her age so she seemed young. She was extremely knowledgeable and had worked in the company for sometime making it all second nature. The conversation was fast and thorough, covering a lot of ground and answering all my questions. I kept looking at her skin thinking it was like a child’s porcelain doll. I stopped to think about how our skin changes so gradually that we don’t notice it happening until we look back over a longer period of time. I really wondered sitting there IF YOU REALLY COULD repair some of what time and nature have done.

I had a great overview of the procedures- but I won’t go into that now. I will tell what we ended up doing though. When I met with my nurse I decided I wanted to do something that I would have never considered on my own. I took her advice.

They are all nurses, making me feel confident in their skills and knowledge. They are so practiced in these procedures, the effectiveness of each one and best results for the desired outcome that they just talk practically about what you should expect and what they would do if they were making the choice for themselves. I never had the feeling that they felt the need to make me feel good, appeal to my vanity- more sharing the knowledge so you could really make a good decision about what you wanted to do.

OK- so the decision was to do two things. First was just a small amount of Botox to update me from an earlier treatment a couple months before. The real deal was Restylane injections for a slightly fuller upper lip. Nothing on the bottom and the amount would be so small that no one would notice- accept me and once I did it I would likely want to do it again she said.

So I settled back in the chair with the functionality of a dentist’s chair and the style a high-end spa.

The injection was done after a numbing of the area and then a simple little stream of Restylane was perfectly streamed in along the edge of my upper lip. I could feel the needle kind of slip along the line of the lip and that was it. Pain, if there was I don’t remember it. That was several weeks ago now and I have literally forgotten. I will try to do this from now on immediately so I don’t leave anything out!

She told me that it would look a little over done for a couple days but within the first week it would settle into what I would like for several months. I am glad she told me because even though no one knew I had done it and no one asked if I had done anything, I could tell. I was speaking the next night in front of hundreds of people and I thought I might have to tell them all what I had done and had fun with it but no one noticed anything. Too bad, a missed opportunity!
I could see the first few days that it really brought a balance to my lips because my lower lip is fuller then the upper lip. I could feel the presence of the Restylane there but it was more an awareness then an anything else. The funniest thing was the inability to pucker up and let’s say whistle. I found out when I was having a bowl of soup and instead on my mouth closing on the spoon and sipping the soup my lip just kind of bounced along the spoon and made a funny noise. I tried and I could not make my lip rest on the spoon normally. Of course that only lasted a couple days but it was funny.

After a week it had settled into a better appearance and balance. Will I do it again? Without question, she was right. This is not something I would have had much curiosity about and now I know it is going to be maintained.

Glad I did it!

Welcome to the Blog and My World!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathie Turner) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:03:00 +0000

I am Kathie Turner - spokesperson, for Sona Medspa. More then talk about what they do, I’ll show you! The idea of a Blog is pretty new school for me, but I think I am up for it. In fact, I have to be, because this is going to be an extremely revealing and personal experience. With twenty years in TV News, I know the difference between telling the story and being part of it. So, join me and let me turn your curiosity to interest and support for say . . . the next 12 months.
The marketing groups’ profile said- “Kathie Turner is a media personality, professional speaker, mother, grandmother, woman business owner, entrepreneur, realist and mentor”. Really? I am sitting in my office and see all the life photos, but I know it’s what happens between the titles and on the way to our goals that make the better story. There are the journeys and why we take them. It is time for a new one.

Sona Medspa is my client and an amazing company. I have agreed to document the year with them, my thoughts, YouTube video diaries, photos, and other features. Can you relate to this? I thought I would handle the superficial side of aging with grace and dignity - I was wrong. What do we do about what life throws at us?

I am 51. Actually, after nearly dying in 1991 from a ruptured Basilar Tip Aneurysm, I celebrate all birthdays as the "Blessed Days" that I have been given with my kids and now grand kids. My priorities are straight and in order.

My point of view on the laser/light technology is- “use it!”. It’s not too late and much of it prevents further aging damage or at least slows the process. I think we will all be convinced with the evidence of before and after pictures and motivated to change our personal habits and incorporate this technology into our own body maintenance. I wish I had started earlier, but for the 20-, 30- and 40- something’s ... take a lesson and get smart. Our kids will know better because of our experience and knowledge - hopefully.

You will read what I really think and see what really happens over the next 12 months. Facing the future is going to be fun-let’s go!

Kathie Turner
Sona Medspa Spokesperson\Blog Personality

"The Power of Yes" - After major setbacks, the encouragement to claim a joyful life.

Book Kathie Turner at your next event in the Houston market by calling Andy Valadez at 713.560.3348. Other markets available in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio.