#it just becomes 'uve said this 7 times now can we find something else to talk about'

[red-dyed-sarumane]

one thing about me is i have very serious somewhat arbitrary opinions for things of and relating to aru sekai series & u will be hearing them

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Whenever Danny went to the past and was seen by others, the moment he came back to the present there were these weird threads sticking to him.  they didn't seem to do anything and nothing bad was happening - heck he felt stronger every time he saw new ones actually.  Still, he was curious as to what they were.

It started when Danny first came back from the Infinimap event. He felt the tug and pull of something on his core, some kind of… tingling? He wasn’t sure how to explain it. But among the whole ‘the Infinite Realms both do and do not exist at every feasible and non-feasible point in space and time across the whole multiverse’ revelation it wasn’t exactly something that Danny was focusing on. Instead, he was making sure Sam and Tucker’s heads didn’t explode with jokes to distract them. “Thanks for eating your veggies for the first time in your whole life, Tuck.”

Tucker rolled his eyes and elbowed him in his ribs. “Yeah, you owe me for that. I’ll take all your best copies of videogames.”

“How about you name three videogames and I’ll get them for you,” Sam countered. “You really did save our butts back there. And so did you, Danny.”

“Yeah yeah, who else is gonna do it if I don’t?” They laughed, there was ribbing, and the day went on.

After that, however, Danny found himself stumbling through natural portals more and more often whenever he went into the Zone. they lead to the past, often, and he found himself helping people out as much as he could before another portal could be found and he could find his way back to the Fenton Portal or at least to Frostbite or Dora or wherever he’d been planning to go. Tucker and Sam, of course, got caught up in it too. That wasn’t even the weirdest part though.

Every time Danny returned to the present day after a time-traveling shenanigan he felt stronger. As soon as he set foot on Earth, blue and silver threads of light reached out from him into the world, pulsing with energy, and Danny felt less tired, less weighed down by everything. He’d explained it to Sam and Tucker and saw that he even had these threads leading to them, though the strands leading to them were different. Tucker’s was golden and silver and UV orange, while Sam’s was green and silver and black. There was even one leading back to Jazz, violet and white and blurple. Sam said Blurple wasn’t a color, but Danny said that she couldn’t see in Ultra Violet so she didn’t get to name the colors in the spectrum. She bought a blacklight soon after.

The oddest thing, however, was when he saw people in the street walking to the Nasty Burger or to the library or park that the strings connected to. Usually, the blue ones, though sometimes it was the silver ones. When he passed by one such person, a guy in black pants and white jacket with sunglasses on, Danny reached out to wrap his fingers around that thread between them and narrowed his eyes when it felt like a tangible thing. So he pulled on it. The man stumbled a bit, lifting his sunglasses to look around - mostly up at the sky - and Danny snickered. Once he was a distance away from the man he started tugging on the other strings, gently at first but then he got curious. One of the blue threads held an extra green sparkle to it, and Danny weighed his choices and options carefully, making the most educa- he yanked on the glowing green invisible string coming from his core out into the world to see what happened.

The air in front of him twisted, light shifting around until it was purple and green and everything in between and a guy with pale green skin, oily purple hair and bright green eyes fell through the portal, floating over the sidewalk in an outfit befitting the 70s more than it did the millennium. The portal hovered open behind him and everyone on the sidewalk stopped, staring at the ghost, who was staring at Danny slackjawed and wide-eyed. “I’m gonna ask that you please go back into the Realms, I really don’t wanna deal with this right now.” More gazes shifted to Danny for that but really, he had to try to solve his problems with words at least once or twice, right?

The ghost looked down at the thread between them - wonderful, ghosts could see that, that was just fanfreakintastic - and then back up at Danny. Then he nodded, seemingly in shock, and floated backwards into the portal from whence he came. It snapped closed behind him and Danny blinked a couple of times. “I didn’t think asking nicely would work. I’ll have to tell Mom about that.” Now, Danny simply had to perform the task of becoming metaphorically invisible instead of literally. This proved difficult, however, as everyone ID’d him as The Fenton Kid pretty easily. He pulled out his phone, dialed Tucker, and ignored the stares best he could.

After the mishap in the streets, Danny noticed a new thread form in real-time, blue and sharply visible, as though daring him not to see it. When he got to school the next day, he saw that it lead back to Dash fucking Baxter of all people - who was showing off something as usual. When the trio made it through enough of the crowd to see what Dash had done that connected Danny to him like that, they saw a tattoo of Danny’s DP symbol inked onto reddish-pink raw skin. Danny let out a hum and wrapped his fingers around that string, tugging gently and watching as the tattoo glowed bright enough for everyone to see it. “Holy shit, I just felt that. It’s like Phantom pulled on me!”

“Whoa, dude! What if like, wearing Phantom’s symbol connects you to him somehow?” Oh, how Danny hated that Kwan was so much smarter than Dash and yet so easily lead by him. “Oh, hey, maybe you can like, pull back?”

“Perhaps if I get a tattoo myself then my ghost boy will always know where I am so that he can find me for a date!”

Danny would’ve paid any mind to the rest of the chatter around Dash had he not been floored by a tug from the other side of this newfound and unwanted connection. Warmth appreciation caution excitement echoed like words in a cave, searching for someone to hear but not close enough to truly communicate. Danny took a deep breath, holding onto Tucker’s shoulder for support, and carefully pulled his attention away from Dash trying to get it. “Save me.”

“They’re gonna start a cult,” Sam said with poorly concealed mirth. “Oh my gosh, this is going to spiral disastrously out of control and it’ll be hilarious.”

“Sam, I’m about to have a bunch of jock thoughts beamed into my head, and you’re laughing at me.” He sighed, rolling his eyes. “With my luck, they’ll try and make an official religion around me.”

Tucker snorted and shook his head, tapping away at his PDA. “Ya know what’d be really funny? What if all those extra threads are like, cults that worship you?” Tucker laughed at the idea, and Danny did too for a moment, elbowing him gently in the side. Sam, however, was not laughing, and once Danny noticed that he stopped laughing as well.

“Sam?”

“You said that you first saw these threads when we went time traveling around, right?”

“Yeah, every time we go to the past and someone sees us do stuff there’s more weird strings. They don’t pop up when we come back and didn’t get caught though.”

“So when you and Vlad fought over Rome and burned it down, and fought in that one temple and near destroyed it…”

“Oh, holy shit. Hold on Sam, I gotta check.” Tucker tapped away at his PDA at speeds that Sam informed Danny were not normal. He wanted to pretend he didn’t understand what they were getting at, revel in the bliss of ignorance and all that, but he was getting less oblivious these days - he was he swore.

“Guys, the cult joke isn’t going too far now, is it?” Tucker hummed at him, and Sam started walking toward class, dragging them both behind her. “Guys, this isn’t funny anymore!” Honestly, Danny had every right to be whiny about this. He fought eldritch abominations every day, he didn’t need to have a cult to deal with too.

“Wow, that’s a lotta results. You’ve been seen in the past by a lot of people - me n Sam too. Maybe that ghost you summoned was like, one of your cultists who died?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Sam half sang. “Someone’s gotta hold a seance and ask a ghost a question.”

“Sam, please, we’ve asked enough ghosts enough questions without dragging them here from their afterlives.” His friends were laughing at him now, which lead to yet pettier whines. “What would I even do about this if I have a cult?”

[complexion-me]

Interview : Dr Will Kirby, Dermatologist

Dr Will Kirby is a board-certified dermatologist and the Chief Medical Officer for the nation's leading aesthetic dermatology group, LaserAway.

1) Who/what inspired you to become a dermatologist?

From a very early age I was attracted to science because, for as long as I can remember, I’ve had a lifelong love affair with nature. But I was a late bloomer in the field of medicine and didn’t become a dermatologist until later in life. See, I wanted a career that allowed me to work with my hands as well as my brain and it took me a while for me to realize that specialization in dermatology would allow me to be both technical and cerebral. To wit, I’ve always incorporated artistry into everything I’ve ever done so I’m very fortunate that my life journey has led me to the field of aesthetic dermatology specifically. But there is a misconception that when someone is considered an expert in his or her field, their rise was preceded by a bolt of inspiration but that is just not always the case; While some passions are erupt spontaneously through an inspirational moment, others just evolve slowly and grow over time…and the latter was certainly true for me.

2) Laseraway is the biggest aesthetic dermatology group in the nation. Could you tell us what someone who visits a Laseraway clinic can expect?

You don’t became the nation’s leader in aesthetic dermatology by accident. We take a tremendous amount of pride in customer service and offer only the highest quality, cutting-edge technology. With 13 board certified dermatologists and more than 450 allied health care professionals, our medical acumen is unparalleled and when you add in a commitment to patient safety, you having the winning recipe for the highest level of patient satisfaction. To answer the question, from the time a patient enters a LaserAway clinic until the time they leave, they can expect the absolute best care in the aesthetic dermatology industry.

3) Tell us a bit about the selection process when you’re thinking about offering a particular procedure at your clinics?

It is important to note that aesthetic dermatology is a nuanced business and that with injectable aesthetic treatment and energy-based device procedure hyperbole is ubiquitous while quality, reproduceable results are rare. As such, our vetting process is detailed and thorough. That said, we leave no stone unturned meaning we try absolutely everything but LaserAway never offers fad treatments, trendy procedures, or jumps on the bandwagon. Any patient visiting us rests assured that they are getting gold-standard treatments from the best injectables and devices available.

4) Your skin looks amazing! Could you walk us through your skincare routine?

I detect no lies - my Skin does look amazing and I fully acknowledge that fact! LOL. But you, or anyone else reading this interview, can have amazing skin too! There isn’t some sort of special potion that I have that's unavailable to the population! I just use good quality products very, very consistently and I supplement them with energy-based device treatments at LaserAway!

So allow me to lay out my simple skincare routine:

In the evening I wash my face with a gentle wash and warm water. It really doesn’t matter what wash you choose and anyone who tell you differently is misleading you. Washes just simply don’t matter much as they aren’t in contact with your skin long.

After letting my face air dry or after drying it with a hair dryer on the cool setting I apply a pearl sized amount of My Hero. It's a retinol serum that increases surface cell turnover. See, human adult skin cell turn over takes, on average, one to two months to completely replenish itself and retinols speed this process up but I still remind everyone that you have to use retinol products for a minimum of eight weeks before you start seeing a result. If you are consistent then your skin will eventually look smoother, softer, and more supple with the use of a nightly retinol.

Each morning I gently cleanse my skin with either cleansing wipe or again with a wash.

I then apply a sun protection product with a minimum of an SPF 30 rating. If I’m going to the beach then I use an outdoor product  like a SunScreen Stick from SkinBetter but if I’m just going to work I use something like Alastin HydraTint. 

And now please allow me please loudly emphasize two points:

A) Most people use way too many products! So, If you haven’t used a product that you in own in the past six months them you should discard it! Only purchase products you need and love and don’t purchase every single thing you see!

B) You can spend a lot of money on good products or a small amount of money on good products! So, don’t think you have to break the bank to get the right products in your bathroom!

5) You’ve recently launched your very own line of skincare. What made you formulate your own range and how does it differ to what’s currently available in the market?

Like many dermatology practices, we used to curate products from a variety of different skincare companies and offer them for sale to our patients. But that was a source of extreme frustration for us because while we really, really liked many of the products, we simply didn't love any of them for our patient population. See, we listened to our patients: We recognized that they were our best advocates and that their number one priority when selecting products to purchase and take home was the ability to maintain their excellent in-clinic treatments results longer. As the leading aesthetic dermatology group we eventually acknowledged that we needed to carve out the time and money to create a skincare line that was formulated with the goal of complementing our in-clinic services. And thus, after many years of patient focus groups, skincare research and laborious testing, LaserAway Beauty was born!  So, to answer to more concisely answer your question, there are many, many great skincare products available in the market but laserAway Beauty Products the single best choice for patients already receiving energy-based device delivered aesthetic dermatology treatments… and that's the differentiator in this saturated skincare market!

6) What are some of the in-office treatments you get on a frequent basis?

I am the least hypocritical dermatologist you’ll ever meet! See, I practice what I preach and in the interest of full transparency, I get an IPL (intense puled light) treatment every six months and I typically get a Clear + Brilliant every two months and alternate with a Fire & Ice Laser Facial every two months as well.

7) What kind of patients do you turn away, if any?

The bane of any aesthetic dermatology practice is the patient with unrealistic expectations. Any reasonable person recognizes improving skin fitness it takes time, energy, emotion, and a commitment. But we live in a society of instant gratification and the truth is that some patients aren’t going to be satisfied because they want impossible results. When we realize someone isn’t going to be a good fit we provide them with appropriate education and polity, but quickly, turn them away.

8) In regards to the future of dermatology, what are you most excited about?

If you ask me to predict the future, I’ll politely ask you to review the past. See, the word ‘doctor’ is derived from the Latin word ‘docēre’ which means “to teach”. So, while I am a board certified dermatologist, I’m more importantly a teacher and my job is to educate. Mentoring is a time-honoured tradition that many in the field of aesthetic dermatology seem to have forgotten but I strongly suspect that the future of dermatology will see a return to the placing a premium on education and that's why I train not only dermatology residents, but registered nurses, physicians assistants, and nurse practitioners. To get more granular, I’m of course predicting that our field will continue to evolve from a technical standpoint but I also strongly believe that we’ll also see a return to mentorship so future clinicians will have a well-balanced, more individualized aesthetic educational foundation upon which they can grow personally and professionally.

9) For someone who’s on a budget, what are your tips for great skin?

If you were trying to improve your athletic fitness level, you wouldn't start off by buying the most expensive athletic shoes, immediately running a marathon, and then expect to wake up the day after with the perfect body. Well, the same analogy applies to skin fitness. See, improving your skin or maintaining already great skin doesn't have to be expensive but it does take a commitment and patience. I always implement a hierarchal approach utilizing the least expensive and most effective options coupled with education and encouragement. We know that UV exposure is awful for your skin so start by immediately committing to strict  sun avoidance on the face via a wide-brimmed hat, sun glasses, and a daily SPF product. At night simply start using a retinol product. It really is that simple. Start with those two easy, inexpensive concepts and then slowly educate yourself and expand to more exotic offerings from there!

10) Can you leave us with some words of wisdom? What else should we know?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t bow down to my teammates. While our clinicians are the best in the business, our legal, human resources, service/tech, marketing, patient outreach, sales, and executive teams all kick ass too. LaserAway makes this look real, real easy but our company is the amalgamation of the best individuals in the dermatology industry and you will not find a group of more intelligent, ethical, hardworking, dynamic individuals. Life is too short to work with people you don’t love and I’m of the strong opinion that the main reason that LaserAway is supremely successful is because of our corporate culture! I jump out of bed every morning excited to see what Team LaserAway will accomplish!

Credits

https://www.laseraway.com/

https://www.instagram.com/LaserAway

https://www.instagram.com/drwillkirby1

https://twitter.com/DrWillKirby

[peripateticjess-blog]

Places I’ve lived before: NEW PLYMOUTH NZ.

As someone who was brought into the world here, I’ll always be completely biased to this beautiful space! Where else can you go for a half hour drive to the Mountain and then decide - hmmm, well actually I think I’d rather be at the beach! Although you might not find snow the same day you’d be able to find a lux summer beach trip. You can certainly find a whole lot to do in this little city!

In the mention of mountains, the giant that towers this land is Mt Taranaki, also known as Egmont. Taranaki is dormant stratosvolcano, which could be word enough to keep you wary as they can be known to blow with very little warning - and with dramatic edge, similar to Mt St Helens. Growing up near Taranaki I remember whispers of eruption scares, and warnings even through the newspapers, but more than this I remember family day trips, school visits, and energizing hikes through the local bush to new places never seen! Although dangerous and potentially temperamental, Taranaki to it’s locals feels more like a warm mother watching over her children - keeping these towns together as one, beneath her. I’d recommend checking out the Pouakai Crossing, Wilkies Pools, and Dawson Falls.

Lying within the suburban walls near the city center, we have one of New Plymouth’s main attraction, and the NZ Monopoly Board’s finest estate, Pukekura Park.

What was originally as a recreational area in 1876 - has now flourished into 52 hectares of blooming life, including the main park, a FREE Zoo, a lake to row boats on, fountains to gaze upon, a cafe, even a full event venue - The Bowl of Brooklands, with the capacity to hold up to 15000 for events such as WOMAD & even artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Elton John. As well as this, New Plymouth hosts an annual Christmas in the park which brings the opening of the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS.

The festival is an installation of lights with different designs and themes. Sometimes they light the fountain so that the water changes colour. Sometimes they hung a “sleeping giant”, who you could hear snoring and farting while the fairies laughed. My favourite will always be the neon UV  lights that made you glow! There was always a wave of disappointment when you realized that you had forgotten to put on something white, as to do so would see yourself becoming apart of the exhibit. This event is usually held from mid December to Early February.

As a child I was totally in awe! You can’t wait to spend time with your family and friends among the twinkly lights and fun activities they plan for you! Of course over time they have changed and we have said goodbye to beloved characters and displays, but I still remember them! The trips to this park are implanted in my childhood, and even though as I got older I definitely took this place for granted, my love rekindled and continues to do so every time I revisit.

Another part of this park I would always recommend visiting is definitely the FREE Brooklands Zoo I mentioned earlier. I remember countless visits here including family picnics, school trips, this is where my dad used to claim he “found me”, at the monkey enclosure at the zoo! Near the zoo, you can also find some beautiful gardens and historic pieces to this park.

Just a 5 minute drive from the park, you’ll find yourself at the New Plymouth Windwand - An art piece created by NZ Artist Len Lye. Installed in 1999 as a celebration of the forthcoming millennium, this has since been an Icon for New Plymouth. The windwand has caught it’self on the stretch of land known as “The Foreshore” by locals. This piece of lands spans 12.7km, from the New Plymouth Port, and Ngamotu Beach, all the way through to the town of Bellblock on the outskirts of New Plymouth City.

Along this walkway you can find the local swimming center, the city center of town, which hosts popular places such as Centre City the mall, Puke Ariki a free museum and connected library, and the Govett Brewester Art Gallery with it’s recent renovation pictured left, really makes it a focus point of art within the city itself.

Moving on from the city back onto the path, you’ll find yourself at East End Beach,  featuring a great place to park your car and finish your takeaway lunch, or picnic as you watch the sea, located next to a playground, a skate park, and even a rollerskating rink, open to the public every friday night 7-9pm and only cost $5-$7 to hire your skates, and make most of your 2 hours! Just a little further out from this beach you can find Fitzroy Beach - a great place for surfing!!

Towards the end of this path is the ever popular Te Rewa Rewa Bridge, the connecting point from New Plymouth into the Bell Block region. A perfect spot for taking photos, to head here by car head through Lake Rotomanu!

If it’s beaches you’re after, New Plymouth is FILLED with them. Some of the notable spots include Ngamotu Beach, which is a lovely family beach connected to the port, therefore accessible from the foreshore mentioned earlier. This was a great place to spend a summers day with ocean waves not too intense like the surfing beaches north of the city, there’s a playground for children, and even the occasional visit from the local ice cream truck. Ngamotu is quite a small beach, with the exclusion of the connected port, so if open wide spaces is what you’re looking for, Back Beach is the place for you. Back Beach is on the outskirts of the city and is considered a much more secluded beach. This spot is another great place for surfing, long romantic walks, and can be used for swimming but with caution as there are no lifeguards, or surfing clubs on this beach, and caution for the sharks that can sometimes be found in the deep waters, and around the islands.  Another great thing to do while you’re in the area is climb the mighty Paritutu Rock, this can be quite a daunting climb for those who are afraid of heights, as a portion of it is climbing on rock, with your only support being a secure chain leading to the top of the Mount. It’s a great view for those who can stomach it, and with only 15-20 minutes from the ground till the top, it’s a rewarding adventure rather than an exhausting one!

A few other cool things to do in the region include berry picking, go bowling, or play glow in the dark mini golf, indulge in some historic sights, where the Maori land wars took place, see the clock tower across from the art gallery, get close and personal with the islands on Chaddy’s Charters, attend the paid zoo to see some Lions at Puakai Zoo, or even grab a bite at our favourite all you can eat restaurants Sunworld for the lighter pocket, or Marbles if you’re feeling a little more luxurious. There are some absolute gems in this city, and like I said earlier I may indeed be very biased but I think New Plymouth should definitely be on your list of things to do to find out yourself.

[herboponics]

Container Farming | The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Container farms are a big term that describes a few different kinds of farms out there. The majority of container farms are built inside of used freight containers. There are some companies that are building customized containers that are more like prefabricated buildings or grow rooms then they are a shipping container.

So that's an important thing to understand and to know. This is kind of a hard topic for us. Historically, we've kind of shied away from it because you had customers in the space. But we think it's time to have this conversation because we've seen a lot of farmers failing in the space and we need to be honest about what indoor farming is, and what indoor farming isn't, in order to really see this industry grow and serve communities and serve this country and our food supply the way we know it can.

Good Container Farming

Container farms have risen in popularity because they are compact, they're contained. You ship them in, you drop them in place, they hook them up and you can get growing. And so that has led to widespread adoption and a lot of people using these to kind of get businesses started. They're great because they are contained and because are modular. That is, they can be outfitted or manufactured somewhere else then shipped to the site and dropped in place. That's really convenient for some people. They're also small and compact. So whereas you used to have to go out and find a warehouse space that's a certain size or something like that, now you can drop one of these behind a restaurant. So outside, right behind a restaurant, it's compact, it's convenient, it fits in a lot of different places. And that also makes it a fairly convenient deal for folks.

Containers are also readily available. So, historically, everyone's thought about cheap spaces being the best space.

Bad And The Ugly Container Farming

They are inexpensive. You can find used shipping containers all over the place. There are entire companies that specialize in trying to sell used shipping containers because there's a huge supply of them. When a refrigerated unit breaks down, when the refrigeration unit goes out, it's actually cheaper for the company to scrap the container itself than fix the refrigeration unit. And for that reason, we end up with tons and tons of used refrigeration units or refrigerated containers on the market all over the world.

So another great thing about these, and this kind of has to do with the modular, is that the form factor is ideal for shipping. So if you wanna manufacture these somewhere and ship them somewhere else, long distances on a container boat, everything, the infrastructure, is all there to deal with it. Now it does beg the question of why you wanna ship a farm across the world. But it can be said that these are very, very easy to move from one place to another. Everyone knows how to do it. You can get almost any shipping company in the world to come pick a farm up and move it. If you're a farmer and you move a lot or if you have a need to move your farm for some reason, that can be a very convenient thing for you.

The other great thing about containers is that there are a lot of companies getting into the space, diving in, and doing this type of work. So over time, we're gonna see a lot more value-focused companies kind of come to the space, farmer-centric companies coming to the space, competing with each other and driving costs down, driving pricing down for everyone. And I think that's almost always a great thing. So that's the good. Those are some of the good aspects of this. Let's dig into some of the bad and some of the ugly and a lot of these kind of cross reference each other. So some of the good things also kind of have some bad sides to them and so we just wanna kind of dig into this and understand better the constraints of container farming versus something else.

So the first big drawback is that containers weren't designed to grow plants, containers were designed to move products all over the globe really, really efficiently on boats, planes, trains, automobiles, whatever. Containers are designed for that specific purpose. They're not a general purpose product, they are a very specific, specialized product. And they're very, very good at what they do.

So here at Bright Agrotech, we believe that intent informs design. That is, as a designer, you always start at square one and you try to design something that is pointing toward this specific outcome. And that's very easy to do when you start at square one. It's much harder to do when you take a product that's designed for something entirely different and modify it in a way that it allows you to do a very specialized thing. And so this is one drawback of containers. They do require a lot of work to make them work as a plant-growing environment. And even then, it will never be ideal. It will always be a bit of a compromise because, again, these are designed for shipping products, not necessarily for growing plants.

As a result of that, environmental controls in containers can be very difficult. Now, let's be clear here. There are kind of two types of containers out there. One is the custom side which is growing very rapidly. On that side, you have companies like Modular Farms who is that they're building out these things that almost look more like prefabricated buildings and containers, they're all custom-made for growing. That's a very different situation from growing inside of a cramped, used shipping container. That's a totally different scenario if you've ever kind of stepped inside the two different form factors. With that being said, environmental controls can be really tough. Some of that has to do with layout. But humidity control, because it is such a tight space, applying enough heat or enough light that you're not gonna overwhelm your facility with heat. And basically going through all of the different growing processes, you become more and more limited as you consider growing inside of say a shipping container versus a dedicated container or a facility that's designed for growing.

So the other difficulty with containers, and this is primarily shipping containers at this point, if you're getting a brand new container, this isn't going to be a problem. If you're getting a brand new container it might be in really good shape but what we've seen is a lot of farmers end up seeing their containers, their used shipping containers, deteriorate very quickly. Even so far as we've had some farmers who have had their container condemned.

So the city has basically come in and condemned it, they couldn't farm in it, they couldn't use it because the roof was collapsing. These containers live a rough life. They're transported all over the world and they're hit with saltwater and wind and UV light and sun just constantly around the clock. Sometimes for decades. And so it's just really important to understand how that affects the structure of the container itself. By the time these things are sold off, they're not sold off because they're usable anymore as a shipping container, as a freight container, right? They're sold off because they're at the end of their lifespan. So consider very carefully, inspect very carefully, any used shipping container-type farm that is built inside of that type of a product. There have been a lot of farmers that have paid the price for all of those years on the open ocean.

Light And Heat & Light And Layout

Shipping containers are pretty tight. Most of the time they're about 8 1/2 feet wide and about 7 1/2 feet... No 7 1 /2 feet wide and 8 1/2 feet tall and so what that means is that you're pretty condensed. You have to grow in a pretty condensed space. Now, horizontal, there's a lot of horizontal systems out there that are pretty decent. There are some vertical systems out there that are pretty decent. My favorite layout is actually very similar to a zip farm. So basically where you have corridors with lights down the corridors, towers back-to-back in the middle and towers along the walls. And it gives you lots of air circulation within that growing environment and keeps those plants really healthy. There are other layouts where towers are closer together, facing each other, plants are kind of growing into each other. And in those layouts, you have to use much lower-powered lights. What does that mean? Well there's a linear relationship between the light that we put into an environment and the biomass or the output.

So as we As we put light into the environment, we see biomass over here and as the light increases, we see biomass increase in an almost linear way. What does that mean? It means if we double our light, we're gonna double our biomass within the same time period for most crops and within a certain range. What does that mean? Well that means that when you condense, when you have these really tight aisles, you end up with plants that can't quite... You can't dump as much light into them because you have this heat problem that starts to arise. And because also, with LEDs, your heat generation is a function of the wattage that you put in. So if you double up on lights, you double up on heat. Typically. And so this kind of becomes a problem in setups that are super, super dense. It's one of the reasons why spreading things out and giving more space, more room for air circulation allows you to put more lights in, more efficient HVAC, more efficient air conditioning, and allows you to grow a lot more plant material per square foot or per tower. Simply because you're able to apply more light.

So the next area that you need to think really hard about before you purchase a container farm is the idea of people in the environment. Now there's two things here, one is just accessed. So the ability to go in and to see your plants, to be able to monitor growth, monitor pests visually, and just keep your eyes on things really easily. In this regard, I would recommend visiting a variety of the container farms out there. There's a number of companies, they've got lots of customers kind of all over the place. Or you can go to the headquarters, whatever.

And you can visit actual farms and just kind of see how you respond to them. Shipping containers, for me, are a bit too tight. They feel very claustrophobic. And putting all the environmental issues aside, just working inside of that type of an environment doesn't always feel awesome. So make sure you try it out before you commit to it. Because you're gonna be spending quite a bit of time in there on a weekly basis. Consider how you can access the plants as well. So not just your own psychology, your own mental health working in this tight, cramped space. But being able to walk up and down aisles and check on plants becomes a really important thing. Both from a plant health and management standpoint as well as just kind of an enjoyment standpoint.

Cost Of A Farm

The cost of a farm, my caveat is that cheap is never cheap. So when it comes to container farms, a lot of folks really start to dig into containers because they're very inexpensive, they're cheap, they're really cheap structures.

You can get them a lot of different places and you can get them very inexpensively. Well, in my experience, cheap is not always the best way to go. I've gone cheap a number of times and it's typically bit me. Now you can make do with cheap but what you're doing there is you're transferring a lot of your CAPEX, or your initial capital expense, out into the future in the form of operational expenses. It means you're gonna have to do more work down the road to keep everything on the rails rather than spending more money on something that's a little bit different upfront that requires less maintenance in the long run. This is my biggest concern with shipping containers, used shipping containers as a whole, are that they typically are well-used and they don't stand up really well in the long-term compared to something that's dedicated and designed for growing.

So the next idea is the idea of comparative output. Now, this is the idea that your output isn't just judged on the basis of your output and what the market will absorb. But it's also based on the output of people around you. This space will be more competitive over time and so it's important to understand how you stack up against your competitors. It also introduces this idea of dollars of CAPEX versus per pound of output. This is a really important thing to understand because this is kind of a fundamental metric, there are lots of them out there.

But the idea is that there are some numbers that just become crystal clear that tell you whether or not you're spending your money on the front end wisely. This number here. How many pounds on an annual basis your farm will produce. Not heads, don't talk about heads of lettuce, don't talk about numbers. Anything but this number. Pounds of output. That is the most truthful thing that you can focus on at the beginning because most customers ultimately won't be purchasing on a head basis. Not if you're trying to sell them teeny, tiny little heads. You need to be selling them something that is a market equivalent? 

Now some growers can go out and get great pricing right now. And that's fine but you have to be thinking ahead to what a more competitive market looks like and be preparing for that. So know this number, put this together. If your farm costs $90,000 and will put out 2000, 2000 pounds per year, but you have an opportunity to buy something that costs, let's say 150% this. What is that? That would be like $135,000. Right? But it puts out 4000 pounds per year. This is probably a better investment, right? I mean, you still have to understand OPEX, this is overly simplified. But this is going to be a better investment than this.

So know your numbers really well and be thinking really hard about this number here and make sure you're centering in every single conversation on pounds of output. If you're a producer, that is critical, critical, critical. I don't care where you're at, I don't care what you're growing with, whether you're in a warehouse, whether you're in a greenhouse, whether you're in the field, or whether you're in a container of some kind. Pounds of output is the only thing that matters in respect to the dollars in CAPEX and OPEX.

For more information visit our site https://herboponics.com/

[vancejhiller]

Interview : Dr Will Kirby, Dermatologist

Dr Will Kirby is a board-certified dermatologist and the Chief Medical Officer for the nation’s leading aesthetic dermatology group, LaserAway.

1) Who/what inspired you to become a dermatologist?

From a very early age I was attracted to science because, for as long as I can remember, I’ve had a lifelong love affair with nature. But I was a late bloomer in the field of medicine and didn’t become a dermatologist until later in life. See, I wanted a career that allowed me to work with my hands as well as my brain and it took me a while for me to realize that specialization in dermatology would allow me to be both technical and cerebral. To wit, I’ve always incorporated artistry into everything I’ve ever done so I’m very fortunate that my life journey has led me to the field of aesthetic dermatology specifically. But there is a misconception that when someone is considered an expert in his or her field, their rise was preceded by a bolt of inspiration but that is just not always the case; While some passions are erupt spontaneously through an inspirational moment, others just evolve slowly and grow over time…and the latter was certainly true for me.

2) Laseraway is the biggest aesthetic dermatology group in the nation. Could you tell us what someone who visits a Laseraway clinic can expect?

You don’t became the nation’s leader in aesthetic dermatology by accident. We take a tremendous amount of pride in customer service and offer only the highest quality, cutting-edge technology. With 13 board certified dermatologists and more than 450 allied health care professionals, our medical acumen is unparalleled and when you add in a commitment to patient safety, you having the winning recipe for the highest level of patient satisfaction. To answer the question, from the time a patient enters a LaserAway clinic until the time they leave, they can expect the absolute best care in the aesthetic dermatology industry.

3) Tell us a bit about the selection process when you’re thinking about offering a particular procedure at your clinics?

It is important to note that aesthetic dermatology is a nuanced business and that with injectable aesthetic treatment and energy-based device procedure hyperbole is ubiquitous while quality, reproduceable results are rare. As such, our vetting process is detailed and thorough. That said, we leave no stone unturned meaning we try absolutely everything but LaserAway never offers fad treatments, trendy procedures, or jumps on the bandwagon. Any patient visiting us rests assured that they are getting gold-standard treatments from the best injectables and devices available.

4) Your skin looks amazing! Could you walk us through your skincare routine?

I detect no lies - my Skin does look amazing and I fully acknowledge that fact! LOL. But you, or anyone else reading this interview, can have amazing skin too! There isn’t some sort of special potion that I have that’s unavailable to the population! I just use good quality products very, very consistently and I supplement them with energy-based device treatments at LaserAway!

So allow me to lay out my simple skincare routine:

In the evening I wash my face with a gentle wash and warm water. It really doesn’t matter what wash you choose and anyone who tell you differently is misleading you. Washes just simply don’t matter much as they aren’t in contact with your skin long.

After letting my face air dry or after drying it with a hair dryer on the cool setting I apply a pearl sized amount of My Hero. It’s a retinol serum that increases surface cell turnover. See, human adult skin cell turn over takes, on average, one to two months to completely replenish itself and retinols speed this process up but I still remind everyone that you have to use retinol products for a minimum of eight weeks before you start seeing a result. If you are consistent then your skin will eventually look smoother, softer, and more supple with the use of a nightly retinol.

Each morning I gently cleanse my skin with either cleansing wipe or again with a wash.

I then apply a sun protection product with a minimum of an SPF 30 rating. If I’m going to the beach then I use an outdoor product  like a SunScreen Stick from SkinBetter but if I’m just going to work I use something like Alastin Hyratint.

And now please allow me please loudly emphasize two points:

A) Most people use way too many products! So, If you haven’t used a product that you in own in the past six months them you should discard it! Only purchase products you need and love and don’t purchase every single thing you see!

B) You can spend a lot of money on good products or a small amount of money on good products! So, don’t think you have to break the bank to get the right products in your bathroom!

5) You’ve recently launched your very own line of skincare. What made you formulate your own range and how does it differ to what’s currently available in the market?

Like many dermatology practices, we used to curate products from a variety of different skincare companies and offer them for sale to our patients. But that was a source of extreme frustration for us because while we really, really liked many of the products, we simply didn’t love any of them for our patient population. See, we listened to our patients: We recognized that they were our best advocates and that their number one priority when selecting products to purchase and take home was the ability to maintain their excellent in-clinic treatments results longer. As the leading aesthetic dermatology group we eventually acknowledged that we needed to carve out the time and money to create a skincare line that was formulated with the goal of complementing our in-clinic services. And thus, after many years of patient focus groups, skincare research and laborious testing, LaserAway Beauty was born!  So, to answer to more concisely answer your question, there are many, many great skincare products available in the market but laserAway Beauty Products the single best choice for patients already receiving energy-based device delivered aesthetic dermatology treatments… and that’s the differentiator in this saturated skincare market!

6) What are some of the in-office treatments you get on a frequent basis?

I am the least hypocritical dermatologist you’ll ever meet! See, I practice what I preach and in the interest of full transparency, I get an IPL (intense puled light) treatment every six months and I typically get a Clear + Brilliant every two months and alternate with a Fire & Ice Laser Facial every two months as well.

7) What kind of patients do you turn away, if any?

The bane of any aesthetic dermatology practice is the patient with unrealistic expectations. Any reasonable person recognizes improving skin fitness it takes time, energy, emotion, and a commitment. But we live in a society of instant gratification and the truth is that some patients aren’t going to be satisfied because they want impossible results. When we realize someone isn’t going to be a good fit we provide them with appropriate education and polity, but quickly, turn them away.

8) In regards to the future of dermatology, what are you most excited about?

If you ask me to predict the future, I’ll politely ask you to review the past. See, the word ‘doctor’ is derived from the Latin word ‘docēre’ which means “to teach”. So, while I am a board certified dermatologist, I’m more importantly a teacher and my job is to educate. Mentoring is a time-honoured tradition that many in the field of aesthetic dermatology seem to have forgotten but I strongly suspect that the future of dermatology will see a return to the placing a premium on education and that’s why I train not only dermatology residents, but registered nurses, physicians assistants, and nurse practitioners. To get more granular, I’m of course predicting that our field will continue to evolve from a technical standpoint but I also strongly believe that we’ll also see a return to mentorship so future clinicians will have a well-balanced, more individualized aesthetic educational foundation upon which they can grow personally and professionally.

9) For someone who’s on a budget, what are your tips for great skin?

If you were trying to improve your athletic fitness level, you wouldn’t start off by buying the most expensive athletic shoes, immediately running a marathon, and then expect to wake up the day after with the perfect body. Well, the same analogy applies to skin fitness. See, improving your skin or maintaining already great skin doesn’t have to be expensive but it does take a commitment and patience. I always implement a hierarchal approach utilizing the least expensive and most effective options coupled with education and encouragement. We know that UV exposure is awful for your skin so start by immediately committing to strict  sun avoidance on the face via a wide-brimmed hat, sun glasses, and a daily SPF product. At night simply start using a retinol product. It really is that simple. Start with those two easy, inexpensive concepts and then slowly educate yourself and expand to more exotic offerings from there!

10) Can you leave us with some words of wisdom? What else should we know?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t bow down to my teammates. While our clinicians are the best in the business, our legal, human resources, service/tech, marketing, patient outreach, sales, and executive teams all kick ass too. LaserAway makes this look real, real easy but our company is the amalgamation of the best individuals in the dermatology industry and you will not find a group of more intelligent, ethical, hardworking, dynamic individuals. Life is too short to work with people you don’t love and I’m of the strong opinion that the main reason that LaserAway is supremely successful is because of our corporate culture! I jump out of bed every morning excited to see what Team LaserAway will accomplish!

Credits

https://www.laseraway.com/

https://www.instagram.com/LaserAway

https://www.instagram.com/drwillkirby1

https://twitter.com/DrWillKirby

Interview : Dr Will Kirby, Dermatologist -- read full story here: https://complexion-me.tumblr.com/post/612348549329567744

[blueyesandleatherjacket]

Ghost of you, 6/?

Volume: 1.

Number of parts: 6/?.

Pairings: Human!Nine x Rose; Human!Ten x Jack; Clara Oswald x Olivia Baxter (OC).

Synopsis: "Despite the fact he knew he was done, he was fighting against the virus. He didn’t want to lose that already lost fight and he was clinging to the memories of his friends, to the memories of the wife he loved so much. His change lasted longer than it should have because he was struggling."

A/N: I've started writing this fiction last year after I had a particularly weird dream (as usual) and after I wrote the prologue, I've put it aside to work on other stuff. I've gone back to it not so long ago and decided that it would be the fiction I would post next, after not posting anything for a while. I must have watched I am legend and Game of thrones way too much to come out with something like this but I hope you will like it. I am not a scientist, nor did I have a particular knowledge of sciences. I do my researches on the internet like everyone to make sure everything is as close to the reality as possible. I have a literature degree only. Writing is what I do and it makes me explore next fields, and learn new things.

“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” - Kahlil Gibran.

CHAPTER 6:

Second day of October 2017. Day 1746 since the infection. Maxence Spitz video log. Take 2. What I’ve feared finally occurred on this day. We’ve been wandering in the town all day, knowing we wouldn’t see anyone. The lightwalkers don’t come out anymore, they’re all remaining hidden behind solid closed doors and blinds, hoping it will protect them against the virus, against the madness. The virus has mutated again and people have gone violent. The town is ravaged by fires and vandalism. It will become harder to restock the centre of researches with food and supplies. You have to find that cure in the days to come or you will all die from hunger and God knows what else if you have that chance of not being infected. Now, it’s either you find that cure, or you let the world fall into this madness. Or you let the world destroy itself until there’s nothing left. Humanity was a plague and Mother Nature is making us all paid. The nightwalkers came out while the night was falling. They were already out while it was still twilight outside. They are less bothered by the light now. They are cleverer than we thought they were. They knew we were coming. They set up a trap for us and we’ve run straight into it. One of them bit my neck, here. Xavier died to take me away from them. Allegro killed some. Adam ran away with Louise and Danny. It’s a chance. In normal circumstances, they would have been punished for this, but I don’t blame them. I would have run away if I’ve had the time to. This is my last words as your leader. I’ve sent Emily away with the rest of the team and ordered her to put the whole building in lockdown to protect all of you. I’ve named Tegan Smith as my successor and Jack Harkness as his second in command. I trust them both to the cure you are desperately looking for. I feel it, the noctiagus. It’s spreading in my body. It’s in my veins, burning every single nerve inside me. You probably can’t see it well but I know it. My eyes have turned black. Allegro has stayed with me. He locked me into the room of this sort of bunker we have found so I could record this last video for you. I’m gonna film my whole change into a nightwalker so you can have as many leads as possible for your researches. I’ve asked Allegro to lock me in the crate and to bring me back to the lab. I’ll be the living specimen I was supposed to catch. Jack has sacrificed Peggy for his new lead. I’ve been sacrificed for this mission and I’m giving you myself for your researches. I’m sorry this had to end like this. I believe in all of you. You’ll find that cure without me. No matter the time it will take. Goodbye. The rest of the video was just hours of the agony Maxence had gone through. Despite the fact he knew he was done, he was fighting against the virus. He didn’t want to lose that already lost fight and he was clinging to the memories of his friends, to the memories of the wife he loved so much. His change lasted longer than it should have because he was struggling. He still fought Allegro when the captain of the team came to lock him in the crate but the pain he was in prevented him from winning once again. He was locked in the crate with his camera to continue his long agony until he was brought to the building three days later. The battery of the camera had died some time ago but it had held on long enough to film the entire change, to see Maxence turning into a nightwalker because of a mission he was given. Rory and Mickey had managed to go to the cages unnoticed despite this hour of the day. Everyone should be out in the labs to work but no one was there. The tension was though. It was the calm before the storm. It was too quiet for something not to happen later, for the storm not to rage when the tension would reach its climax. In a way, it was good for the two men. They could work without the glances of everyone on their backs. They unlocked the airlock and went through it to the first cage. They entered the code and the door slid open for the two men to come in with the crate. They put it down on the ground. Their prisoner had calmed down now that they had reached a room lighted with UV lights. All along the walk, he had been kicking against the plastic and groaning loudly to protest. Or to express his pain. The two men looked at each other, wondering what they should do now that they had taken him to the cage. They couldn’t leave him inside the crate. They had to free him. But what if he attacked them? Rory glanced inside the crate. His boss had his eyes closed and his translucent skin was red on his face. Intolerance to the light they said. No wonder why he was protesting if it was burning him. He seemed inoffensive, almost dead. Some people were dying from the virus. Was he…? No, he was breathing. Slowly, too slowly, but he was breathing. Someone would connect him to the system to check his vital signs 24/7. He was their Guinea pig until the day he would either die or heal. Heal being the better option. Rory knelt down and dialled a code on the keyboard of the casing that was on the crate’s side. There were a couple seconds of wait before it beeped positively. The lid was unlocked with a click and Mickey stepped back when his colleague opened the crate. Rory took a step backward. Maxence didn’t move at first. The two men were on alert. They couldn’t keep their eyes off their boss but they really should leave this place. Mickey was opening the door when Maxence blinked and sat up in his crate. Rory felt like he was watching the ghost of a man he once knew as the tall man was extracting himself from the crate. He made no move to attack any of the men present with him in the cage. Instead, he tilted his head on the side to observe Rory, as if it was the first time he ever saw him. But he remained still, not trying to charge like Peggy had done with Jack. Before the situation could go wrong, Rory grabbed the empty crate he closed, never taking his eyes off Maxence, and dragged it toward Mickey who had finally opened the door. They locked the cage, walked through the airlock. They left the crate in the airlock, just in case, and left the pressurised sterilised place before they removed the upper part of their suits. “There was this woman I’ve always been in love with,” started Rory, standing in front of Maxence’s cage. “She was called Amy. It was short for Amelia. Amelia Pond. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. We were seven when I’ve told her that I’d marry her when we would be adults.” “She said you were crazy, slapped you and ran away?” “Pretty much. But I’ve never given up.” “And so? Has she given in?” “Unfortunately too late,” murmured the man. “I was asking her to marry me when I noticed her eyes. She used to have the most beautiful green eyes I’ve seen in my life and that night, they were gone. I could see nothing else but a dark empty void. She didn’t even know she was infected.” “I’m sorry, mate.” “I did my duty. I reported her to the authorities. They have a list of all the infected people. Of the ones that were reported anyway. I don’t know where she is now. I just hope she will hold on until a cure is found.” They both kept silent but their thought was the same as they watched Maxence wandering around his new place: they had lost their best asset to this war against inhumanity. Sure they had some of the most brilliant minds here, but they were all related to Maxence in their own ways and seeing him in this condition would upset them enough to influence their work. Rory had found the strength of leaving his Amelia behind for this cure, would Rose and all the team find that strength too? “Who’s gonna be in charge now?” “Maxence must have thought about this possibility. He has chosen someone he can rely on.” “Like his own wife?” “I don’t think he’d be biased. My mind would be on Jack.” “T is brilliant too.” “Yeah, but he’s not strong enough for this responsibility. Colin could be.” “Certainly not!” exclaimed Mickey, horrified at the thought of Colin Appleton as a leader. “He’s too much of a sociopath to be given any responsibility.” “Anyway, it’s not like we have an opinion to express on the matter.” Whoever had been chosen for this heavy responsibility of leader, both Mickey and Rory would have to do with that. They were giving orders to their own teams but they had to obey to the leader of the place which once had been Maxence. The two men left the room and walked back to their duty.

x

Rose, my dear Rosie, my so beloved wife… Before you start cursing me and swearing that you’ll slaughter me as soon as you can get a hold of me, know that I haven’t chosen to go on that suicide mission. I always refuse the members of my team to go outside for any reason. I do that to protect them. This rule applies to you and to me as well. But I’ve gotten this call after the situation in London got worse. The government wants answers and someone has to go and get them outside. The responsibility falls upon me. It is a direct order from the Prime Minister and I can’t disobey it no matter I hate it. I never meant to lie to you but I didn’t want you to worry about me being outside. My focus would have been troubled and it is important for me not to worry about anything during this mission. My only focus has to be on catching this living human specimen. I don’t need to tell you how terrified I am right now. You can see it on my face, in my body language, in my eyes. You’ve always been good at reading me like an open book. My Rosie, I know you don’t want to hear these words but I have to tell you all of this now, through this video. Just in case I wouldn’t come back. Just for you to know. First of all, it’s really not against you but I name Tegan Smith as the substitute leader of the team. You and Jack will be his seconds in command. I trust the three of you the most. All the signed papers are in the last drawer of my desk. You won’t have any problem with everyone. I’ve planned it all. Just in case. Second, well, this part is only for you. My dear Rosie. The woman of my life. If it’s the last time I ever get to speak to you, I want you to know how sorry I am. I wish I had found this cure years ago so we could have gone back to our little life, so I could have given you the children you’ve always wanted. I’m sorry for failing my mission, for having myself infected, for giving up on you. It is all against my will. Just know that I will forever love you. I’ve promised you. I’ve promised to live you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. I’ve promised to love you until the end and if I lose myself, if I get infected, I’ll hold on to the strength of my love for you to survive in the jungle of nightwalkers. If I never make it back to the lab, don’t forget me but, please, do not mourn me too long. Build yourself a new life and be happy as much as possible. I’m asking you a lot, I know that, but I don’t want you to grieve forever. As hard as it is, please, live on and remember me. I love you. Rose didn’t know how many times she had watched his video. Enough to have her eyes burning as if she had washed them with methylated spirit. She had cried all of the tears she had in her. Her head hurt but she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen that was displaying the last images of her husband. She would never see him again. He was somewhere, outside, in the middle of the nightwalkers. He was probably one of them too. It broke her heart to think about him that way. She pressed pause and the image stilled. She observed his face, his blue eyes, remembered his voice. Her fingers touched him through the screen. The window was cold but she was feeling the warmth of his skin through her memories. That was what made her take this decision. She left Maxence’s office and locked it behind her. She hid the key in her office and ran to the equipment room. If Maxence couldn’t go back to her, she would go and get him. She found a black combat dress that suited her and pulled it on without waiting. She was lacing her boots when she heard a noise that drew her attention. She turned around but saw no one. She could still hear the noise though. Someone crying. She followed the sound, trying to be as discreet as the boots were allowing her to. At the very bottom of the room, huddled in a corner, she found Adam, Maxence’s assistant. He was still wearing his combat dress. Had he been hiding there since Liv freed him from the tent? The young man was very upset and was hiding for the others not to see how shaken he was. Sure that if his own friends saw him like this, they would make fun of him though they had no idea what he had seen outside. “Adam?” The young assistant hiccuped and raised his head to see who had found him in here when he thought no one would. He wasn’t relieved at all to see Rose. How could he face her when he had seen her husband be killed right in front of him? “Miss Rose?” His voice let her know that he had been crying for a while but she made no comment as she knelt down. He sniffled and wiped away his eyes and nose with the sleeve of his combat dress. “Have you been hiding there for three days?” “Where can I go? Mister Maxence…” “I know. I’m going out to get him back.” “What?” Adam’s eyes grew big as he looked at Rose. “No. Don’t go outside. Don’t. They’ll kill you!” “Adam.” She was determinate. She would go outside and bring her husband back. “This place can’t work without him. He recruited us all. He’s the cornerstone of this building. If he’s gone, everything collapses. I have to find him.” “I’m sorry, miss Rose. I’m really sorry.” Adam broke down again and hid his face in his knees. He couldn’t hide this from her. He had been part of a secret mission and he wasn’t supposed to talk to anybody else but Maxence and since the boss would never be back, he couldn’t talk to anyone. But he couldn’t hide this from Rose. “We fell into a trap,” he murmured between two sobs. “It was the end of the day and we hadn’t found any clue of where the nightwalkers were hiding during the day. We wanted to find one and take it by surprise to bring it back here. It was the safest way to do it but…” He sobbed harder, reliving the scene again and again. “We haven’t found anything and we were coming back to safety. But there was this kid crying in the middle of the street. And mister Maxence… you know how he is. He knew we only had a couple of minutes to go to the van but wanted to help this kid. He told us to stand still and went over the kid.” He stopped speaking. The tears and panic were suffocating him. However, Rose needed to know more. Adam was delivering her the truth. She was afraid but she needed to hear it. She put her hands on his shoulders and shook Adam lightly. “What happened Adam? Tell me. What has happened to Maxence?” “The nightwalkers, they are cleverer than we thought and… they can come out earlier. The sun wasn’t down yet and they were already lurking in the shadows.” “Faster, Adam!” “The kid was infected. None of us had noticed it. When mister Maxence picked him up, the kid bit his neck brutally. The guards, they tried to intervene but the nightwalkers were surrounding mister Maxence. He yelled to us to run away, to go back to the building as more infected were attacking him. He had no chance. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Rose’s heart sank. She had wanted the truth and she had it. Her husband would never be back. He was infected. Going after him would be useless. He wouldn’t recognise her. His brain was dead. Her knight was dead and there was nothing she could do to save him. Finding the cure? They had no chance without Maxence, and the antidote they had synthesised showed no results so far. Jack was keeping them updated but Peggy’s condition hadn’t improved or gotten worse over the last three days. The results weren’t official as Maxence hadn’t confirmed them although everyone knew that Jack was a trustworthy and brilliant man. It meant that even if she could find her husband out there, she had no way to bring him back to her. She was alone to face the rest of her life and that’s an idea she couldn’t bear. Body and mind entirely numb, she stood up and left the room. She wandered in the building like a ghost. She didn’t want to see anyone, didn’t want to talk with anyone. She had had a little hope that Maxence could be alive and it had just been crushed down. Screw this man and his will of saving everyone! It had cost him his life and it was shattering her into pieces. The pain in her heart was such that she fell to her knees in the middle of the corridor she was walking in and she yelled to the top of her lungs and she cried over the loss of her only love.

x

Colin was unhappy. He had been told that Martha had been absent just for a couple of days because she had a cold and couldn’t work. Whenever you were sick, you had to stop working until you fully recovered. It was to avoid any sort of contamination of the possible antidote, to avoid the virus they were working on to grow stronger by mixing with another one as simple as a cold. It meant that Martha Jones would be back to work soon and that Colin would have to leave her lab to go back to the stuff maintenance. He was working on a cure of his own in a free lab. He had noticed the flaws in Rose and Clara’s work and was fixing it whenever he got time but he couldn’t test it on Peggy. Jack wouldn’t let him close to his precious pig. Colin had to find another Guinea pig. They didn’t have any animal left in the basement. All the rats were gone, the monkeys hadn’t survived. But Maxence was bringing a living specimen in. This was getting interesting. The tests were all done and the quarantine was over. It meant the specimen was between their walls. Colin headed to the underground labs where were the cages set for the human specimens. He needed to see it by himself. He needed to see if that dumbass Maxence had had the courage of going out to get this nightwalker. Obviously he had since one of the cages had been activated. The uv lights were on and the rest of the room was in the dark. The scientist walked to see the face of the infected that had been brought inside. He couldn’t help the smirk when he realised it was Maxence himself. That idiot had gotten infected. It would be a great pleasure to work on him. Colin knocked on the door to get his boss attention. Maxence out of the game, it made him the leader of the place. They had been recruited almost at the same time. It made him more legitimate to the job of leader than any other of his colleagues. He smirked wilder. Maxence walked to the glass wall Colin was standing in front of. With the last results of the tests, the man knew that the noctiagus was turning the infected into complete idiots and he expected Maxence to try and walk to him despite the invisible wall between them. However, even in his stupidity, Maxence seemed to remain clever. He stopped a few centimetres away from the wall and tilted his head on the side as if he was trying to remember who was the man before him. He really looked like the idiot of the village. He knocked on the wall to respond the scientist, his hand covered in dry blood because he had hurt himself by hitting the crate repeatedly. His face was covered in red marks that were turning into small white blisters, almost invisible on his translucent skin. He could die of an infection if it wasn’t taken care of. How ironic would that be? Surviving outside and dying from a tiny skin infection? Oh, how much Colin would laugh at that! “I really like how the wheel is turning right now, dear friend.” His voice was pernicious. He appreciated the show before him and couldn’t hide it, nor could he hide his nastiness. “You, in this cage and me, in your place. If you expected to have a special treatment because everyone is your friend out there, you’re wrong. You’ve humiliated me by pushing me away and you’re gonna pay for that. Do you hear me, idiot? Your life is gonna be hell from now on.” To prove his point, Colin reached for the control panel of the cage and pressed a couple buttons, changing the settings. The uv lights were replaced by normal lights. Maxence’s reaction to this change was immediate. His pale skin turned to red and he threw himself to the ground where he crawled under the camp bed to protect himself from the sudden burn he was suffering from. Poor creature was harmless at the moment and Colin was enjoying this more than he should be. It was a human being he was torturing after all. Even if he didn’t consider nightwalkers to be human beings, they still were. When he heard footsteps coming his way, he faked a panicked expression while he tried to bring the settings back to their normal state. He knew them by heart but it was more funny to see Maxence crawling like a worm to avoid the light. “What are you doing here?” Jack’s voice was so cold that everyone else would have frozen in fear but not Colin. He kept faking the panic and played his part. He was good at it but he needed the right audience. With Jack, it could not work. Especially since the argument they had had earlier. “I was passing by and I saw him turning as red as a beetroot. There has been a bug in the system and I can’t get the right settings back.” Colin stepped back when Jack approached the control panel and let him put the settings back to normal. Maxence was relieved when the uv lights were back and his whole body collapsed to the floor, welcoming the coldness of it with great pleasure. “Briefing. In five. Better be there, Appleton. I don’t wanna see you around this cage again or I’ll put you inside with him.” “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “Bet on it.” Jack pointed to the closest exit of the room and Colin followed this direction. For now, he was obeying. In a few, they would all obey him. He couldn’t wait. He headed to the conference room where most of the team was already gathered. The briefing was as brief as the name was telling. They were just informed that a living specimen was brought back by Allegro. They didn’t give names. Only the persons who would work on the specimen would have his real identity. The others would just work by a number. There also was another information that filled Colin with rage. As Maxence was declared dead outside, a new leader had been designed. Tegan Smith. Fucking poofta Tegan Smith had been picked by Maxence before he went away on that mission. And Tegan Smith would have Jack as his second. He was so enraged at this decision that he chose to leave the room before the end of the briefing.

x

Rose hadn’t gone to the briefing. She already knew what would be told. It was Jack who had found her crying and yelling in that corridor and he had only confirmed Adam’s words. Maxence was infected, but he hadn’t been left in the streets. Allegro had brought him back, on his order, and he was now locked inside a cage downstairs. Of course she had wanted to see him and when she was in front of this cage, she broke again at the sight of her dear husband, huddled on the floor, badly burnt by the lights. She had no tears left now and she was alone with a man who used to be hers. And she was angry. Very angry. So, when Maxence looked up at her – he was checking if it wasn’t that cruel guy again – she burst out. “What the hell has gone through that stupid mind of yours to go outside and not tell me? Do you have any idea of what has gone through my mind when I couldn’t find you? Do you know how worried I’ve been when the lockdown was pronounced? When you didn’t come out of this tent? Have you even thought of me, Maxence, when you obeyed that fucking order? If you had, you would have told me! That’s your fault all of this! If you weren’t so clever, you wouldn’t have been the leader and they would have sent someone else! What am I gonna now without you? Have you thought about the lives you were sacrificing when you didn’t check if that kid was infected? A kid in the middle of a street while night is falling. Even Adam knew it was a trap! And you’ve fallen into it head first. What now? Hm? How are we supposed to do without you?” She wanted to break again but she didn’t have that strength into her anymore. If she was selfish, she would have gotten into that cage and let him infect her but he needed her to find a cure now that he was in here. She was watching him, his burnt skin, the bite in his neck not looking nice, as he walked to the glass door to face her. He needed her cares and she couldn’t get close to him like she normally would. Did he even know who she was anymore? A knock on the glass pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up at her husband who was staring at her, his hand on the glass wall. He pointed to it, to make her understand what he expected her to do. It surprised her. Nightwalkers weren’t known to take decisions or to interact with lightwalkers. Everyone thought they couldn’t but they were cleverer than expected. Rose placed her hand over Maxence’s on the glass wall and remembered the warmth of it against hers. She sniffled and he smiled to her. At that moment, Rose forgot everything. She couldn’t see the burns, the bite, the translucent skin. She only saw her husband and his smile. He was infected but somehow he hadn’t lost himself and knew who she was. He was making her understand that he was still there despite the virus eating him out. “Oh, Maxence, what have we done to end up like this?” she murmured. Maxence couldn’t hear her since she hadn’t pressed the intercom button. He acted like he had understood though. Rose closed her eyes briefly, her hand still over his. He knocked on the wall again. It sounded like a song. Their song. She pressed the button, quietly hummed it along his knocking so he could hear it. Her watch was ticking the seconds away but time wasn’t existing anymore for her. She was just taking advantage of this moment and making sure she would remember it later when he wouldn’t be himself anymore. She had no idea how long he would hold on to his identity, how long he would remember her and their relationship. So she kept humming the song to the rhythm of his knocking and when she couldn’t hum it anymore, she just moved her lips silently as she recited the lyrics again and again. “I’ll be back in five.” She suddenly ran out of the room. This wall was already too much for her so she pulled out a hazmat suit, borrowed a complete first aid kit and ran back to the lab. She went through the airlock and came into the cage. Maxence turned around to face her. Her latex gloved hand found his burnt cheek and he leant into her touch, much to her rapture. She didn’t care that he wasn’t her Maxence anymore – even if her heart was aching at the loss – a part of him was still there and that part needed her. So, she was gonna take care of him like she had always done and she didn’t mind what the others would say to her…

To be continued...

Ghost of you © | 2017 - 2018 | Tous droits réservés.

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In the next chapter:

There was no one in his office when Jack arrived there. The lights were off. Tegan wasn’t there. He must have chosen to hide somewhere so no one would see him being completely hysterical with anxiety. Jack wondered why Maxence had chosen Tegan as his successor. He must have known that Tegan didn’t have the shoulders for this. He was a great man with a great intelligence but he wasn’t very authoritarian. How would he be obeyed? Good thing Maxence had thought about Jack and Rose to help him deal with it. Naming Tegan was showing him a huge proof of confidence and maybe that was what Tegan needed to get some maturity. But first, Jack had to find him and force him out of his shocked condition. Where was he hiding?

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Drinking Water To Raise Your Health.

Is it possible to improve your health by simply drinking more water? What are the health benefits of drinking water ? To many people, this may seem a simplistic answer to a complex question: How can doing something so simple produce such noticable & quick results? Surely there must be some deep scientific & comlex way to improving health. The body, after all, is a very complex organism and scientists and health professionals have, over the centuries, espoused numerous ways of improving health, from specially fomulated foods & diets to drugs designed to fight obesity and reduce fat etc. What seems to have been largely ignored, until recent times, is that by merely increasing our water intake, a noticeable improvement can be made to people's mental & physical well-being. A simple experiment at a school in the north of England has shown improved behaviour of its pupils by encouraging them to drink water instead of carbonated drinks full of sugar. They installed water fountains dispensing free chilled drinking water in the canteens and staffroom of the 700 pupil school. Below is an extract from the findings: " Remarkable Results from drinking Water Trial" In less than 2 weeks from installation the atmosphere changed Pupils were calmer in the corridors, and there was less "up the wall behaviour" at the end of the day. Concentration and the ability to learn improved Drinking water regularly keeps the brain active Drinking water re-hydrates the brain rather than dehydrating it like carbonated soft drinks & caffeine (tea/coffee) There was resistance at first, but now they happily drink water everyday and derive huge benefits. Dehydration. This word often conjours up an image of someone crawling in the desert, hovering vultures, with a shimmering mirage of an oasis on the distant horizon; but in reality, most of us are "dehydrated" to some degree. You don't have to live in desert conditions to feel the effects of dehydration. Medical opinion differs on what percentage of water loss constitutes dehydration but research has shown that the body loses water from different parts at different rates e.g. the body cells (the basic building block of the body and its powerhouse, the Mytochondrion) lose around 66% water, 26% from extracellular fluid and only 8% from blood tissue (see 1) below). As the internal cell structure loses the most water, this consequently has the most drastic effect on our health, causing reduced imunity to disease, lethargy, constipation, increased blood pressure as the body's drought management programs try to force more water into the cells. Other symptoms are increased likelyhood of kidney & urinary tract infections. The brain too, being 85% water, cannot tolerate even a 5% level of dehydration without impaired function. It is better to let the body get rid of a slight excess of water than to suffer the effects of a shortfall and have it ration and allocate water to vital organs of the body to the detriment of non-vital functions. Childrens' Health. Children are more suceptible to dehydration, having a lower body mass than adults and as they generally tend to exercise more in the school playgrounds etc. than adults, consequently, they lose more water. Enlightened teachers are increasingly concerned about the proliferation of soft drink vending machines in schools and are starting to have them replaced by water dispensers. Dr. Trevor Brocklebank of Leeds University medical school states that children who drank little or no water at school are likely to have kidney or urinary tract infections. He said, "I found that 50% of school children drank no water at school. It's desperately important that they start drinking more water." Schools that are aware of this problem now tend to encourage pupils to take a bottle of water into classes and to drink as often as they like. The BBC has information concerning the positive effects of encouraging children to drink more water, around 1.75 lt per day for a 10 year old. One study reported by the Mail (May 10th 2005) sites a week-long study involving 45 children, aged 11-14, who were split into two groups. Half drank only filtered water, while the other half drank their usual soft or caffeinated drinks. After a week, the water drinkers reported better than normal concentration levels, from 9% before the experiment to 82% at the end, a ninefold increase. They also reported feeling more energetic, alert and exhibited calmer behaviour. Of the other half, who drank their usual fizzy drinks, or nothing, half said they felt less alert than at the start of the study and only 5% said they felt alert at the end of the day. How much teaching time is wasted in our schools due to unresponsive or unattentive pupils? General Health. Not so long ago it was thought, and taught at medical schools, that water was merely a carrier of nutrients, and had no metabolic role in bodily functions. This has now been proved not to be the case. For those interested in further research I can recommend the excellent work done by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj (Batmanghelidj F. M.D. Your Body's Many Cries for Water; Global Health Solutions, Inc) See 1) at the bottom of the page. Bad breath is a classic sign that you need to boost your water intake. Saliva helps cleanse the teeth of bacteria and keeps the tongue hydrated. Lack of water dries the mouth, leads to furry tongue and prevents bacteria from being washed away, all of which can cause halitosis. When you have had a little too much alcohol the night before, you will have noticed a furry tongue the next day - a classic sign of dehydration. Alas, Hair-of-the-Dog will only delay the final reckoning! Alcohol depletes or prevents efficient absorbtion of just about every vitamin & mineral too so, if you must drink, it is highly recommended that you take a good quality organic vitamin & mineral supplement afterwards, along with plenty of filtered water. Be a Filter - or Buy a Filter! Our tap water is safe to drink....well, up to a point. The Daily Telegraph reported in Aug. 2004 that the Environment Agency had found Prozac in drinking water. At least it would have a soothing effect on us while we read our high water bills! Who likes the taste of chlorine with their tea or coffee? Have you also ever noticed a "TCP" taste with your cup of tea/coffee? This is probably due to the close proximity of a washing machine connected close to the kitchen sink and Phenol from the rubber hose being "sucked" back while the cold water tap is filling your kettle! In East Anglia, where I live, my cat would not drink tap water until I fitted an activated compressed carbon block filter unit, with UV light, to the cold tap. Animals seem to be more discerning than us humans! Chlorine depletes a very important anti-oxidant vitamin E from the body, increasing the risk of cell damage by free radicals. Chlorine also reacts with organic matter in water to produce Trihalomethanes, such a chloroform, which is a cancer causing chemical (see 5) below). The Environment Agency provide a water quality testing service that can check for organic/non-organic contaminents, minerals & metals and anything else that might find its way into our water; maybe the fact that they have these testing procedures shows just what can be found in our tap water! The Canadian Government has some interesting findings about the toxic effects of chlorine - see ref 6) Then there is the long running controversy concerning the benefits, or otherwise, of adding fluoride to our water. std test at home Some researchers say it does more harm than good. Further information concerning reports by Bassin, and Cohn and their findings of increased bone cancer in young boys (see references 2 & 3 below) can be found at the link below. CONCLUSIONS Most of the evidence on the body's requirements for water and how damaging just slight dehydration can be are pretty conclusive. If you are still not convinced that you need to drink about 2 lts of filtered water daily, then please examine all the evidence available on the Web; I have yet to see anyone extoling the virtues of drinking LESS water! You can replace a depleted filter but you can't replace yourself! References:- 1) Batmanghelidj F. M.D. Pain: A Need For Paradigm Change; Anticancer Research, Vol. 7, No. 5 B, PP. 971-990, Sept.- Oct. 1987; full article posted on www.watercure.com 2). Bassin EB. (2001). Association Between Fluoride in Drinking Water During Growth and Development and the Incidence of Ostosarcoma for Children and Adolescents. Doctoral Thesis, Harvard School of Dental Medicine 3). Cohn PD. (1992). A Brief Report On The Association Of Drinking Water Fluoridation And The Incidence of Osteosarcoma Among Young Males. New Jersey Department of Health Environ. Health Service: 1- 17. 4) http://www.health-report.co.uk/fluoriide_bone_cancer.htm 5) Drinking Water and Health, Vol. 2. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. 1980. 6) http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hecs-sesc/water/chlorinated_water.htm About The Author: http://www.trekking-hiking-outdoors.co.uk/article-8-dehydration.html

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[complexion-me]

Interview : Dr Heidi Waldorf, Dermatologist

Dr Heidi A Waldorf, MD is a nationally and internationally respected expert and sought after lecturer in the field of Dermatology and Cosmetic Medicine, including skin rejuvenation, soft tissue augmentation, cosmetic use of botulinum toxin, noninvasive fat reduction, laser and other energy based device technology and cosmeceuticals.

Dr. Waldorf completed her undergraduate and medical education and training at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, after which she completed a fellowship in Mohs Micrographic Surgery, Laser Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery.  Former Director of Laser and Cosmetic Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for two decades, Dr Waldorf now sees patients exclusively at her private practice Waldorf Dermatology Aesthetics in Nanuet, NY.

1) Tell us a bit about your background. How did you choose dermatology as your speciality? 

My dad was not subtle in ‘suggesting’ I be a derm:  “pass the potatoes – have I told you that dermatology is a wonderful career”.  So if anything, I decided I would be anything but a dermatologist.  But it must be genetic – my dad, the derm, + my late mom, an artist before she became a lawyer = me, very visual and spatially oriented and good with my hands. Plus I love seeing patients of all ages and working with the tangible.  So despite going to medical school thinking I’d go into public policy (my college major was economics and I wrote my honors thesis on the tobacco industry), I decided on dermatology.  My subspecialty evolved as I went through training – first bench work research, then dermatologic surgery, then lasers and so on.  What is interesting is that most of what I do in practice today was not available when I came out of fellowship in 1995.  But it shows the importance of completing a residency and fellowship and becoming board certified in a core cosmetic field (dermatologic surgery, plastic surgery, facial plastics and oculoplastics).  Because of my background in skin pathophysiology and facial anatomy, I was able to grow with the field.  Aesthetics is my passion clinically and academically.  I spend the time lecturing, training and helping develop new treatments because I believe strongly that it can and should always be done safely, ethically and with a natural appearing outcome.

2) What do you feel are the most commonly made mistakes in skin care? How do you feel these can best be avoided?  

Too much – too often is a common mistake in skincare for everything except sunscreen (which people tend to use too little and too infrequently).  What I mean is people over use products thinking that more is better.  When scaley they exfoliate – they are smooth for a day then scaley again and exfoliate more and so on.  If they’d consulted a dermatologist, they’d have learned that exfoliation without moisturization doesn’t give longlasting results.  If skin doesn’t turn over normally itself – due to photodamage, use of a retinoid or dermatologic condition – then exfoliating physically or chemically is helpful.  But the only way to get at the root of the issue is to hydrate and seal in that moisture after exfoliating.  Retinoids are another common example.  Every dermatologist will tell you that there is more science on retinoids to treat aging and photoaging than any other category of ingredient.  However, they can irritate.  It is important to ease into use – twice a week to three times a week etc , start with lower rather than higher concentrations, and moisturize with it.  

3) Your skin’s always so glowy! Could you walk us through your skincare routine? 

My skincare routine is simple – because at 54, I still have no sun damage.  In the morning, I wash with Neostrata exfoliating foaming cleanser for my face and Dove body wash for my body in the shower.  Then I apply Caudalie body butter to my arms, legs and wherever else I feel dry on my body, Dermatopix intensive hand cream to my hands and  Caudalie premier cru crème riche, to my face and neck I follow with ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica sunscreen for face, neck, arms – whatever might be exposed.  During the summer months when I don’t need as much moisturization and have more of my arms and legs exposed, I often skip the caudalie moisturizers and just use the Eryfotona Actinica for my face and neck and Elta UV Lotion for my arms and legs.  At night, I apply Vaseline or bag balm to my lips and Dermatopix to my hands and feet.  I do nothing else – at most I will wipe my face with a pre-moistened towelette by Neutrogena, Simple or Garnier and apply some of the crème riche but most nights I don’t even wash my face.  I can do that because I don’t wear foundation and have no tendency for acne. I have My Pillow pillows that don’t fight against my face and use Illuminage and Slip pillowcases and eye masks  – Illuminage contains copper fibers which are antibacterial and rejenerative and Slip silk fabric keeps your face from sticking to it and forming sleep lines.

4) It’s said that pigmentation’s become the new wrinkle. What are your thoughts on the safety profile on hydroquinone? 

Hydroquinone is very safe when used in appropriate concentrations and for limited periods of time.  The limitation of hydroquinone is irritation from topical use and the inability to use during pregnancy, a time when many women develop hyperpigmentation.  As a dermatologist, pigmentation has always been a biggie for my practice – it goes hand in hand with wrinkling in photodamage and in patients with melasma.  

5) You recently mentioned Cysteamine's to be a new product on the market that's said to be a great option for treating melasma and pigment issues. Could you tell us more about how it works? 

Cysteamine is interesting because this active ingredient was actually discovered in the 1960’s at the same time as hydroquinone.  But there were manufacturing issues limiting its use until recently.  Like hydroquinone, cysteamine reduces melanin in the epidermis by blocking the process of melanogenesis.  The key advantage over hydroquinone is that it can be used during pregnancy without concern.  That allows patients to use it during a time when pigment is a particular concern.  I also find it useful for patients who have used hydroquinone (usually as part of the Kligman formula with a corticosteroid and retinoid) for months to years and plateau’d.  Switching to cysteamine allows them to get further meaningful improvement.  They can use it alone or alternate night with a retinoid or alpha hydroxy acid.  Note that using cysteamine does not remove the importance of sun protection which is always a critical part of any pigmentation treatment.

6) What has been the greatest difficulty you have encountered in starting and maintaining your own successful dermatology practice? In the skin care business? 

Time.  There’s never enough of it.  I love treating patients, working with my staff, lecturing at aesthetic dermatology and multispecialty meetings, consulting with industry to help develop new treatment protocols, reviewing papers for peer reviewed journals and doing my #heideas videos for the public and editorials for the journals I edit.  I love traveling for work and play.  And there’s the ‘life scut’ required to administer a practice and live a life, not to mention time with family, friends and myself.  Something’s gotta give.  After years of feeling overwhelmed I received a present from a friend - a ‘no’ button.  And that’s been the key to balance - learning to say ‘no’ to the things/experiences that aren’t necessary, enjoyable and/or that add to my life as a physician or person.

7) Are you loyal to any pro services or treatments?  

Yes. When someone or something works, I don’t see the need to switch.  Beth Minardi has colored my hair for over 20 years - before and after I lost it to chemotherapy (and she helped me get my wig!).  Sachiko Fukumoto has cut my hair for that same time.   Lysette Drumgold has done my blowouts and makeup for events for a decade. I do my own tox but filler is trickier.  There are only 4 or 5 people I’ve let do my filler when I can’t reach - we do it when I see them at meetings.  And my staff does my coolsculpting, emsculpt and thermage!

8) Lastly, for someone just starting to think about how to age gracefully, what is the best advice you can offer in terms of maintenance and prevention? 

I can’t  overemphasize my big 3: don’t smoke, don’t pick and DO protect against ultraviolet light!!!  And see a board certified cosmetic dermatologist who specializes in noninvasive rejuvenation and at the same time is specialty trained to recognize things that should not be treated aesthetically like malignancies.  This isn’t like getting a blow out or massage - avoid the groupon crowd and don’t doctor shop based on price.  Better to get less done but done well and safely.  And develop a relationship with that doctor that allows her to know your needs and what works for you over the long term.  Then you can grow old looking young together.

Credits

https://waldorfderm.com

https://www.instagram.com/drheidiwaldorf/

https://www.facebook.com/heidiwaldorfmd/