Some Aesthetic Medicine procedures are performed under local anesthesia while some procedures don’t require anesthetics at all.The exciting field of Aesthetic Medicine is a new trend in modern medicine. Patients not only want to be in good health, they also want to enjoy life to the fullest, be fit and minimize the effects of normal aging. Indeed, patients are now requesting quick, non-invasive procedures with minor downtime and very little risk. As a general rule, the needle is increasingly replacing the scalpel.

This recent trend explains the current success of Aesthetic Medicine around the globe. These aesthetic procedures consist of:

• Injections of Neurotoxins and Dermal Fillers
• Chemical Peels
• Cosmetic Dermatology treatments
• Microdermabrasion
• Body Contouring and Treatment of Cellulite
• Nutrition
• Hair Transplant
• Hair Reduction
• Fat Grafting/Platelet Rich Plasma
• Laser and IPL
• Scar Management
• Venous Treatment
• Cosmetic Gynecology

WHAT IS WELLNESS?

Wellness is a modern word with ancient roots. The key tenets of wellness as both preventive and holistic can be traced back to ancient civilizations from the East (India, China) to the West (Greece, Rome). In 19th-century Europe and the United States, a variety of intellectual, religious and medical movements developed in parallel with conventional medicine. 

With their focus on holistic and natural approaches, self-healing and preventive care, these movements have provided a firm foundation for wellness today. Wellness-focused and holistic modalities have gained more visibility since the 1960s/1970s under the writings and thought leadership of an informal network of US physicians and thinkers (such as Halbert Dunn, Jack Travis, Don Ardell, Bill Hettler, and others). As these have evolved, proliferated, and gone mainstream, they have informed the healthy-living, self-help, self-care, fitness, nutrition, diet, and spiritual practices that have become a flourishing wellness movement in the 21st century.

Defining Wellness

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

There are two important aspects to this definition. First, wellness is not a passive or static state but rather an “active pursuit” that is associated with intentions, choices and actions as we work toward an optimal state of health and wellbeing. Second, wellness is linked to holistic health—that is, it extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions that should work in harmony.

Wellness is an individual pursuit—we have self-responsibility for our own choices, behaviors and lifestyles—but it is also significantly influenced by the physical, social and cultural environments in which we live.

Wellness is often confused with terms such as health, wellbeing and happiness. While there are common elements among them, wellness is distinguished by not referring to a static state of being (i.e., being happy, in good health, or a state of wellbeing). Rather, wellness is associated with an active process of being aware and making choices that lead toward an outcome of optimal holistic health and wellbeing.

Wellness Is Multidimensional

Wellness is about more than just physical health. Most models of wellness include at least 6 dimensions (and sometimes up to 9 or 12):

• Physical: A healthy body through exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc.
• Mental: Engagement with the world through learning, problem-solving, creativity, etc.
• Emotional: Being in touch with, aware of, accepting of, and able to express one’s feelings (and those of others).
• Spiritual: Our search for meaning and purpose in human existence.
• Social: Connecting with, interacting with, and contributing to other people and our communities.
• Environmental: A healthy physical environment free of hazards; awareness of the role we play in bettering rather than denigrating the natural environment

Wellness vs. Wellbeing

The terms “wellness,” “wellbeing,” and “happiness” have often been used together or interchangeably by business, researchers, and the media. This graphic outlines what they share in common, and how these terms differ in concept, usage and association.