What summer leaves behind.

Summer is a beautiful time of year. The weather is warm and the days are long. We embrace outside activities with enthusiasm, and our daily routines go by the wayside – including our skin care regimens. It’s no wonder that when many of us see our reflection in the mirror this time of the year, our skin can look a bit haggard. 

Summer sun exposure can cause brown spots, freckling and blotchy discolorations. These pesky pigmentation issues are due to the skin’s barrier defense system. When our skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays and environmental hazards, it responds by sending melanin to the outer layers to protect it from burning. This results in what many refer to as age spots.

During the summer, many people apply sunscreen when they go outside. Unfortunately, some over-the-counter sunscreens protect only from UVB (burning). In addition, most people don’t apply an adequate amount every day, and most don’t reapply every 90 minutes.

It’s important to use a broad-spectrum (also called full-spectrum) sunscreen, which protects skin from both UVB (burning) rays and UVA (aging) rays. Choosing the best sun protection can be a challenge for individuals with sensitivities to ingredients and fragrances commonly found in sunscreens. “I’m one of those people,” says Susan Cross, ARNP. “I’ve made it a priority at Urban Effects Medspa to provide quality sun protection products and I’ve developed ‘Susan’s Sun Bar’ so our guests can experience them first-hand and learn which product is best for them and their family members.”

If you’re experiencing age spots and looking for options to enhance your appearance, first make sure you’re using a broad-spectrum sunscreen – and that you’re using the right amount and reapplying as needed. Next, contact Urban Effects Medspa for a VISIA skin analysis and skin consultation to determine the best treatment plan for you. Recommendations for skincare products, medications and/or laser treatments are based on each individual’s levels of severity, time availability, lifestyle and financial resources.

Contact Urban Effects Medspa today to schedule your complimentary VISIA skin analysis or stop by and visit our new Sun Bar to find the right sunscreen for you!

Urban Effects Medspa
www.urbaneffectsmedspa.com

Standing together, waiting for their picture to be snapped, are two boys wearing gleaming gold medals indicating their spectacular achievement. These aren’t the type of medals given to all participants. These are winners’ medals. They’re evidence of conquered fears, adversities overcome, and races won fair and square.

Like most children, they would rather be outside – playing with friends, making something out of sand and mud, catching bugs, or in this case, swimming.

Brooklyn, 11, and Zachary, 13, used to be fish out of water when it came to swimming in the deep end of the pool. Zachary wouldn’t let the water get up to his shoulders and Brooklyn refused to dive into the deep end of certain pools. Then they met Michelle, the adaptive aquatics trainer at Waukee’s YMCA and a lifelong swimmer with 25 years of coaching experience.

Unique Challenges

Brooklyn, with his sporty tennis shoes and athletic wear, was born with a lesion on the left side of his brain that makes his right upper body extremely weak. Epilepsy comes paired with the lesion. Zachary, with his sweet smile, has extremely low muscle tone as a result of living with Prader-Willi Syndrome. Both boys were in need of a unique aquatics program for therapeutic, health, wellness and youth development reasons.

Great Minds Think Alike

A little over three years ago, Michelle was in the beginning stages of organizing an adaptive aquatics program with Brian Longren, the aquatics program director at Waukee’s YMCA. It was at this time that Zachary’s mother, Edie, was looking for an alternative to group swimming lessons for her son.

“We knew if he [Zach] was enrolled in a regular swimming program, it wouldn’t work out,” Edie said. “We wanted some sort of program where he could safely learn.”

Brooklyn had also tried group lessons but they hadn’t worked well for his swimming development.

“Swimming with Michelle and experiencing the competition have helped Brooklyn take risks, improve his confidence and know that even though he has his differences, he is able to do amazing things,” said Brooklyn’s dad, Brandon.

The physical and cardiovascular exercise is also beneficial for the boys.

“Swimming is one of the best physical activities,” said Edie. “It helps with breathing, puts less stress on the joints than other activities and is a good activity for the
whole body.”

Swimming Buddies

At the Regional Special Olympics Spring Games held at the Indianola YMCA, Brooklyn placed first (and achieved personal bests) in his age division in both of his races – 25-yard freestyle and 25-yard backstroke. He advanced to the state competition where he again placed first and recorded personal bests in both events.

“I get nervous before a race, but when I win, it feels awesome,” said Brooklyn.

Zachary won the 25-yard backstroke in his age division at the Regional Special Olympics Spring Games. This qualified him to converge with nearly 3,000 other athletes at the Special Olympics State Summer Games in Ames. There, he swam to a first-place finish in his age division as well.

Although swimming is an individual sport, Michelle added that camaraderie is another benefit of swimming, noting that YMCA programs encourage teamwork and cheering for one another. “Friendships are built here,” she said.

A Bright Future Ahead

Next April at the regional Special Olympics meet in Indianola, look for the boys who are doing their best, competing with the rest – for it’s in these moments that their confidence grows bigger than all of the obstacles placed in front of them.

Waukee YMCA
www.dmymca.org

A relatively new trend in the spa industry, a medical spa (or “medspa”) is the fusion of a medical office and day spa – a perfect balance between clinical treatment and luxurious pampering.

As defined by the International SPA Association, a medical spa is an institution whose primary purpose is to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care in an environment that integrates spa services as well as conventional and complimentary therapies and treatments.

When visiting a medspa, guests can be pampered with traditional spa services – such as facials, peels and microdermabrasion, but also have the option of getting medical services like Botox, fillers, laser hair removal, and medical-grade skin therapies.

Urban Effects Medspa is operated under the full-time supervision of board-certified Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Susan Cross and managed by Janet Calhoun.

Take one step inside, and you’ll immediately notice the relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Their attention to detail is apparent – from their office décor to the way in which they design their treatments. A soothing, comforting ambiance helps to put their guests at ease to pursue knowledge and reach decisions concerning what some consider to be uncomfortable or elective medical procedures.

Urban Effects Medspa takes a comprehensive approach to caring for their guests before, during and after these treatments take place. Integrating her skill and experience in dermatology, endocrinology and facial plastic surgery, Susan designs optimal treatment plans to address her patients’ skin health and weight loss objectives.

A Medspa is also able to use prescription and clinical-grade products; therefore, the spa services show greater results. All product and treatment recommendations result from a skin analysis, medical health history and a personal consultation.

Susan and Janet actively participate in continuing education programs to further their product knowledge and to learn more about less invasive treatment therapies. “If you walk away with one pearl,” Susan says, “it’s one more than you had yesterday.”

Urban Effects Medspa
www.urbaneffectsmedspa.com

Meet Molly McGuinness, age 10. Molly enjoys singing, drawing, writing and being creative. Molly came to the Y Day Camp and Before and After School program in 2010, which is based out of Waukee Elementary School. According to her mother, Michelle Fidler, Molly has grown tremendously as a result of her participation in the Y program.

“Molly was diagnosed with high-functioning autism as a three-year-old,” says Michelle. “Molly struggles navigating social situations and making good choices. She has also struggled with some behavioral situations that sometimes organizations don’t always want to deal with. When I came to the Y and talked to Gretchen Stanger [Youth Development Director], I was blown away with the way she wanted to partner with me. She was committed to her growth and I really felt she had a stake in her future.”

YMCA programs focus on nurturing the potential of every child. Michelle feels that Cyndi Doerr, Site Supervisor for the program, and the other Y staff have created an environment which allows that to be true for Molly. “

The Y staff are patient. They help her by providing options for making positive choices. They give her guidance and empower her to make the right decisions. When she doesn’t, they provide appropriate consequences. I see her play out some of those choices at home, which she observes from the Y leaders,” says Michelle.

Michelle also shared that making friends can be difficult for Molly based on her social skills. “Molly comes home from camp and is excited to go because she can play with specific kids,” she says. “It means a lot to see her have friends and be excited about camp. One of those friends even came over for her birthday party outside of
the program.”

Molly will be a 5th grader at Vince Meyer Learning Center this fall and will continue to be involved in the program. “I feel we are very blessed to have the Y program,” says Michelle. “I think it has really helped her develop.”

The Y offers a broad range of youth programs that focus on healthy decision making, parental engagement, and character development.

Visit www.dmymca.org for more information or stop by the Y to get involved.

At the Y, strengthening our community is our cause. We do this through several focus areas: youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. There are also many cause-driven behaviors that help us make a positive impact in our community. One of those is collaboration. When people and/or organizations come together and collaborate for a common cause, we can achieve more.

Thanks to a partnership between the Y, Waukee Area Christian Services and Waukee Elementary, efforts are being made to help children in need to live healthier. Each week, volunteers from the Y meet at WACS, housed in the lower level of Westview Church, to pack 30+ healthy snack packs.
The packs are full of single-serving size healthy foods, including fresh fruits. They are placed in backpacks and go home with Waukee Elementary students that have been identified as having a need.

Waukee Elementary Guidance Counselor, Shanlyn Doll, who is also a Y board member, says the response from the children has been terrific. “Kids came back the first weekend and were so thankful for their snacks. One boy talked about rather than having to scrounge through the cupboard to find his lunch, he knew he could go right to his bag for something to eat.”

There is another collaborative effort of the “backpack variety” going on between the Y and Waukee Elementary. “Healthy Family Home Fun Packs” have been going home with one student per classroom each Friday this school year. The packs are filled with activities, games and information emphasizing family time over the weekend. The packs also encourage kids to get outside, eat healthy and sleep well.

The Y collaborates with many community organizations, including church, government, non-profit, and for-profit entities. We also encourage you to collaborate to achieve greater impact in your areas of focus.

This column originally appeared in the April/May 2014 issue of myWaukee.