By Mary Cunningham
When Lilly Pulitzer debuted her capsule collection for Target this spring, the allure of bold, bright bikinis, sun hats and beach cover-ups in the iconic designer’s coveted prints offered at unheard of affordable pricing was so compelling that the collection sold out in mere hours! I was left without day-glow preppy beachwear. Tragic, except for the fact that I already have too many beach accessories and bikinis and besides, why cover up?
Easier said than done, right? Most of us, (men and women alike) are at least somewhat insecure about baring it all at the beach or pool. So, what to do if the Lilly Pulitzer solution isn’t available? Perhaps a more long-term investment might be worth looking into.
Whatever you seek to cover, consider a more long-term fix instead of a fashionable but temporary beach cover-up.
Here are some suggestions for dealing with many common problem areas that might be holding you back from strutting your stuff confidently and soaking up the sun.
Gynecomastia: This is a medical condition that laypeople often refer to, (however cruelly) as “man-boobs” or “moobs” as it is characterized by overly large breasts. Men with gynecomastia are hesitant to take off their shirts in public. If diet and exercise haven’t solved the problem, then male breast reduction surgery may be the answer, as it can restore the chest to a normal male contour, addressing any abnormalities in the male breast, nipple or areola.
Belly fat: Liposuction is best used for removing unwanted pockets of fat. If your belly fat is localized and pronounced in one area disproportionate to the fat distribution in the rest of your body, lipo could remove the stubborn fat that has been resistant to diet and exercise. Liposuction is not a means of weight loss, it works best when the individual is close to ideal body weight.
Hairy legs: Dark hair on pale skin in particular might compel someone to seek a semi- permanent solution to eliminate it. To banish it from legs or anywhere else, laser hair removal is a long-term alternative to the repetitious upkeep of waxing or shaving. Lasers provide options for removing various types of hair textures on diverse skin pigments – the procedure isn’t just reserved for the pale and raven-haired, but it will not work on dark skin and on white or gray hair.
Spider veins: These are dilated blood vessels with a branching pattern commonly found on the thigh. Note – they are not the same as varicose veins. Laser vein treatments can erase spider veins from the skin by directing a focused beam of light onto the spider vein, coagulating the blood inside the vessel and thus erasing it. This is ideal for small spider veins.
Stretch marks: These are narrow streaks or lines on the surface of the skin caused by anything from pregnancy to aging and weight gain/loss over time. Intense pulsed light (IPL) technology /photorejuvenation can alleviate many skin woes, including stretch marks. The heat from the light heats up collagen beneath the skin which heals the shallow scaring of stretch marks.
While any of the “problem areas” above can create some anxiety during beach season, each has a relatively simple treatment option that is worth looking into so the only reason you’ll need a beach cover-up will be to show off your fashion sense, not to hide what you’ve got going on underneath.
