No more cover-ups

Nothing that a few products and procedures (and sit-ups) can’t take care of to still enjoy the sun this summer.

Varicose Veins

These unsightly, bluish veins in the leg can present a real problem for those of us who want to enjoy the best of summer’s fashion — from beachwear to crop pants and mini-skirts. Varicose veins occur when the walls of the veins or the valves are weak. Blood is supposed to flow through the veins and to the heart, but when a valve in a vein becomes damaged, blood pools, flows backward, and puts pressure on vein walls – causing bulging, painful varicose veins.

The good news is that now there are more options than ever to remove them, including a new procedure called radio frequency closure that treats varicose veins by heating them, causing the tissue to shrink and the vein to close. Unlike vein stripping, it is minimally invasive — you can go out in shorts the same day, rather than needing a two-week recovery.

To perform this procedure, the doctor first maps the vein and numbs the area with a local anaesthestic. The doctor then nicks the skin behind the knee and threads into the vein, a small tube called a catheter that delivers radio-frequency energy to the vein wall, causing the vein to contract and seal shut. Once this happens, nearby healthy veins take over.

Another option for varicose vein removal is called sclerotherapy, or injection therapy. During this procedure, a special solution is injected into the vein to force it to close. Some doctors are also using lasers to get rid of varicose veins.

“There is no scarring from any of these procedures,” he says. “We do this literally every day, and veins are gone for good. Women with road maps on legs, who never wore a bathing suit or shorts, now go to the beach regularly. It’s a really common problem, and now we can get rid of them, which is great.”

Wrinkles and stretch marks

A laser, called the N-lite, can take away wrinkles, tighten skin, and maybe even eliminate stretch marks.

“It’s very cutting edge,” Katz says. “It’s not a one-shot deal, but there is no down time. Women can come in on their lunch break, and after a few sessions, they’ll look a lot better.”

The N-lite stimulates cells beneath the surface to produce more collagen, which restores the support structure of the skin and enhances the contours of the upper layer of the skin. Collagen smoothes out wrinkles and stretch marks.

‘Back-ne’

If you are prone to acne on your face, back, or anywhere else, choose oil-free, non-comedogenic sunscreens because they won’t block or clog your pores, causing blackheads.

“Wear 100% cotton if you break out because it will absorb the perspiration that is known to make acne worse,” he says. Also, he says, change clothes frequently so sweat doesn’t irritate skin.

Ingrown hairs

“No question about it,” says Bruce Katz, MD, director of the JUVA Skin and Laser Centre and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, “laser is the answer.”

With laser hair removal, you don’t get these pesky, painful ingrown hairs that come with waxing and shaving, especially in the bikini area, he says. “Shaving or waxing takes the hairs off the surface, making it more likely that they will grow beneath the surface, but laser zaps the hair at its root – stopping it from growing inside and out,” he says.

Stomach

The best way to get washboard abs is to do stomach crunches three separate ways, says Lewis G Maharam, MD, a sports medicine specialist in New York and the president of the New York chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine.

The first way is to have your knees bent, feet on the floor, and pull up about three-quarters of the way, he says. Then, with both feet on the ground, put both knees on the left side and do a crunch coming straight up. Then do that same exercise with your knees tilted to the right. “The more you do, the better your stomach will look,” he says.

Arms

“Low weight/high repetition,” Maharam says. “Do 50 bicep and tricep curls per arm per day to tighten muscles and prevent hanging flab,” he says. Any weight will do.

Here’s how: For a bicep curl, bend your elbows to lift the weight to shoulder height. Then lower to starting position with extended, but not locked, elbows. For tricep curls, start sitting with your elbows pointing to the sky, and the weights behind your head, then slowly lift them until your arms are straight, then lower them.

Diet

Don’t fall for fad diets and all their promises. Even if they do work, the quick results are not sustainable.

Instead, avoid drinking any unnecessary calories from fruit juices and sugary sodas.

“Choose non-caloric beverages and increase physical activity by five minutes a day,” he says. “These two quick things can cut hundreds of calories per day while upping the amount of calories we burn,” he says. The result? A thinner, leaner you.

Cellulite

Have cottage cheese thighs or dimpling on your butt? You are not alone. As many as 80%-85% of all women (and very few men) have cellulite. Caused by genetic predisposition, hormonal changes, and weight gain, cellulite refers to ordinary fat deposits interlaced with fibrous tissue bands, giving cellulite its dimpled appearance.

In the future, gene therapy and/or hormonal treatments may be options for treatment. Until then, Katz suggests endermologie, a nonsurgical treatment using rollers and gentle suctioning to deep massage the affected areas over a series of sessions, with ultrasound or sound waves. “The ultrasound helps break up the fibrous bands that cause the cellulite,” he says. “In combination, we see better results that last longer.”

Toes and feet

Start with a proper pedicure. Make sure nails are cut straight and across. Push your cuticles back, but don’t cut them. Soak your feet, use pumice on the heel, and then apply a lanolin cream.

If you want to wear nail polish, use base coat and a bleaching agent. Take breaks to give your nails time to aerate, so if you go to the beach on the weekend, keep your polish off for at least two days per week.

You may wish to bring your own sterilised equipment when you go for a pedicure. And before you dip your feet in a pre-pedicure footbath, drop a capful of betadine solution or household bleach into the footbath to kill the fungi that can cause infection.

Look for fungus or thickened nails. Look for topical antifungals containing tea tree oil, an herbal antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral agent that thins out the nail.

What about calluses?

These are hard, yellow discoloured skin around heels, and there’s a new, exciting treatment for them that can make the foot look far better and feel better. It involves using ultrasound along with a copper cream that smoothes out heel fissures or cracks. The cream is applied at home after the initial appointment, she says. This can be used in tandem with a new non-invasive laser called Cool Touch that promotes collagen growth and clears up cracks, she says. This way your heels can look great in sandals you throw on for a springtime get-together.

Levine also suggests natural herbal salts with tea tree and mineral oil to rid heels of calluses. “We also do microdermabrasion on the foot for calluses and to soften skin on foot and heel,” she says. Microdermabrasion involves “sanding” the skin with small microscopic crystals made of aluminium oxide. A special high-powered instrument passes the crystals over the surface of the skin and then removes them quickly to “buff” superficial skin irregularities.

Levine also suggests a bronzer for the lower leg and foot. “It makes legs look thinner and [covers up] unsightly veins in this area,” she says.

Breasts

Women interested in increasing their breast size by a cup or so without surgery may want to try the BRAVA Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, an external vacuum bra that may help breasts increase in size when worn 16 hours a day for 10 weeks.

The bra pulls the breast tissue, almost like a vacuum. Talk to your doctor if you are interested to make sure that it is right for you.

Hair removal

The newest lasers are permanent in terms of hair reduction, and can successfully treat darker skin, whereas before the best candidate was someone with fairer skin.

Here’s how they work: Lasers create heat to eliminate unwanted hair. When the light from the laser comes into contact with the hair, the hair’s pigment absorbs the light and turns it into heat. That heat destroys the surrounding hair follicle.

Since the laser only removes hair in its growth phase, it generally takes several treatments to get rid of all the unwanted hair. Areas routinely treated with a laser include the bikini region for women, legs, underarms, breasts, stomach, arm and face, including the upper lip, cheeks and around the neck.

It takes anywhere from three to five treatments, and prices vary per treatment for the upper lip, legs and. Laser is less time-consuming than other removal method, including waxing and electrolysis.