Looking Fine in '09
Meet Our Makeover Winners!

By Catherine Censor
The WAG received so many deserving entrants to our “Looking Fine in ‘09” makeover contest that choosing just one winner proved impossible. Instead, our sponsors agreed to double the fun by selecting two readers for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Over the next few months, Lisa Ross and Kelley Sanders will benefit from the best expertise our region has to offer. Meet our winners and preview our sponsors’ plans for them.

Lisa Ross
Age: 41
Town: Chappaqua
Height: 5’4”, Weight: 176.4
Lisa’s sister, Laura, entered her in our makeover contest. She wrote: “2008 was a difficult/emotional year for her. A year ago, she separated from her husband resulting in a divorce. At this very same time, her two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, came down with an unknown illness that caused her to be hospitalized for weeks at a time…My sister managed to get through it all putting herself last…I know having a makeover would help her gain confidence and help her move forward.” And Lisa, who is now juggling care for her daughter with a job at Northern Westchester Hospital in the radiology department, is more than ready to embrace this opportunity. “This is the most exciting thing for me,” she says, tears streaming down her face. “This will help me turn my life around.”

Kelley Sanders
Age: 41
Town: Armonk
Height: 5’3”, Weight: 140
This mom of four loves being a full-time, busy parent but admits, “You lose yourself a little.” Upon meeting our cosmetic dentist, Dr. Magid, she realized, “I couldn’t remember the last time I went to a dentist. I used to go every six months but these kinds of things slide until one day you look in the mirror and ask, ‘How did this happen?’” Kelley is really looking forward to having regular routines for everything from exercise to skincare and hair care. “It’s exciting to have a plan,” she says. “I look forward to kicking off my fourth decade feeling good and confident. I think it’s important for me to be a role model for my kids and for them to know that taking care of oneself is important.”

Andrew Guida, Fitness Director, Saw Mill Club
The “Before”: Both women start their fitness programs with a number of challenges. Kelley is a mother of four with the youngest just eight months old. She has a thyroid condition for which she takes medication and although she ran the marathon ten years ago, today she is mostly inactive save for the occasional tennis game. Lisa has been sedentary since her teenage years. She has arthritis in one knee and has a weight loss goal of 50 lbs.

The Plan: To help both women burn calories and increase their cardiovascular health, they will be put on a program that includes three to five sessions of aerobic exercise each week. Under the close supervision of Saw Mill trainers, they will do resistance training two or three times a week. Fast-paced, goal-oriented small group training classes will round out their physical program. To ensure that they reach their goals, both women will be given a structured diet plan set by a registered dietician and will receive motivational support from their very own life coach. When schedules and timing permit, WAG’s two makeover winners will workout together, supporting each other and cheering their mutual progress.

Vasken Demirjian, owner of Vasken Demirjian Salon
Kelley’s “Before”: What I like about Kelley’s hair is the thickness, as an artist you can do a lot with her hair.

The Plan: Definitely we’ll start with a nice haircut that will accommodate her new body/face. We’ll probably keep the length past her shoulders. Perhaps we’ll do a keratin treatment on her, to make her hair less frizzy, and control the weight. Her eyebrows will need to be shaped to compliment her pretty eyes. As for the color, we can pretty much stay true to her natural tones, in this case a variety of browns/light browns with an accent of golden shades.

Lisa’s “Before”: Lisa’s hair is extremely fine, and lacks contrast. Her hair is too light.

The Plan: We have to wait until the final result of her other makeovers before deciding on a style for her. It has to be cohesive to her new body/face and shape. We’ll reserve judgment
but I can definitely see her with shorter hair, perhaps framing her face. Her hair should be a vital accessory for her, I am even thinking of making her color a little deeper/warmer (reddish tones) to correspond to her skin tone and her pretty eyes. Our team of colorists and stylists are excited to have the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of these lovely ladies.

Kenneth S. Magid, DDS, Advanced Dentistry of Westchester
Kelley’s “Before”: Kelley’s teeth are well formed with color that is somewhat yellow and dingy and smooth enamel. The major problems with her smile involve the dark areas on each side of her six front teeth that give her a narrow smile. We call those “dark buccal corridors” and they decrease the impact of her smile, making it look constricted.
The contour of her smile is uneven with one front tooth longer than the other and the gum line uneven.

The Plan: We will begin by Zoom bleaching Kelley’s teeth. If we get a great result, we can do something as simple as cosmetic contouring to slightly reshape her teeth and then use veneers on the teeth that are further back to widen her smile. If the bleached color does not provide the change she would like, we will use minimal prep veneers to change the color of the teeth and widen the smile. If we pursue that route, we will use a laser to even out the gum tissue.

Lisa’s “Before”: Lisa’s enamel was not formed properly resulting in a mottled appearance with white and brown areas over a less-than-flattering basic color. Lisa is missing a couple of upper teeth which will have to be corrected. There are a number of teeth out of position resulting in an uneven smile and making her two front teeth appear too prominent.

The Plan: To replace the missing teeth, we would use implants which have a much higher success rate than fixed bridges or removable prosthetics. They’re completely comfortable and don’t impact adjacent teeth. We will then use porcelain veneers to provide Lisa with beautiful color and natural shape and alignment of her other teeth.

David Palaia, MD, FACS, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, PC
In the next few weeks, I will consult with Kelley and Lisa to formulate a plan that achieves their aesthetic goals. Our office offers everything from prescription skincare with cosmeceuticals to injectable therapies such as Botox and wrinkle fillers to plastic surgery performed to the highest professional standards. Of course, both patients and doctors have the right to refuse treatment. Every procedure carries with it potential risks as well as rewards and patients should have a thorough understanding of these, as well as realistic expectations. Our treatment plans for Kelley and Lisa will therefore be a collaborative effort.

Photo credits: top to bottom: Lisa Ross by Chi Chi Ubina; Kelley Sanders by Chi Chi Ubina; Andrew Guida by Marianne Campolongo; Dr. Palaia by Marianne Campolongo