Tanning beds achieve their effect by emitting ultraviolet radiation. Most tanning beds utilize a mixture of 95% UVA and 5% UVB. The best tanning beds incorporate phospor blends which allow the UV light emitted to closely mirror the spectrum of light which emanates from the sun. This produces a tanning effect which parallels that which is received from time spent on the beach. Tanning beds come in two main varieties — commercial beds which can be found at your local tanning salon, and home tanning beds which can be used within the privacy of your own home. Tanning booths are also becoming increasingly popular. These function in the same way as tanning beds, however, the user stands up within the booth as opposed to being prone within a bed. Many feel that a booth allows for a more even tan as compared to a bed, but others still swear by the results attained while using traditional tanning beds.

The presence of tanning beds in America dates back to 1978, and since then they have hugely grown in popularity. The cost of home tanning beds have now come down to under $2000, and this is spurring many to go this route which saves frequent tanners significant money over the life of ownership as compared to tanning salon fees. Whether you use commercial tanning beds found in salons or your own home tanning bed, it is important to remember the old adage that everything is ok within moderation.

Excessive use of tanning beds has been tied to several adverse health effects mostly relating to your skin. However, many view the use of tanning beds as a proactive step to prevent the ill effects of potential sunburns arising from your first few sessions on the beach during your trip. Studies have shown that even one bad sunburn can lead to future ill effects, and the use of tanning beds to provide for a baseline tan can serve to reduce the odds of a bad sunburn occurring during your trip. Additionally, no one wants to make their initial impression at the beach while wearing a microbikini on a pale body. When used right, tanning beds can help you look your best no matter how small your bikini.

In most instances, a good offense is the best defense against stretch marks.  Studies have shown that over 80% of pregnant women develop stretchmarks consequent to their pregnancy.  The use of cocoa butter and aloe vera while pregnant can serve as a good way to combat the development of stretch marks.  Specially formulated stretch mark creams can be used during pregnancy as well to help keep collagen healthy as your skin necessarily contracts.  Furthermore, good hydration during pregnancy is a necessary component within the fight against stretch marks.  If your body maintains sufficient moisture levels, then your collagen will have a better chance of keeping in tact preventing the unsightly discolorations typically associated with stretch marks.

When they are unable to be proactively prevented, there are several avenues for the treatment of stretch marks.  Options include surgical procedures, micro dermbrasion, radio frequency treatment and stretch mark creams.  Out of these choices, stretch mark cream is the cheapest, least painful and easiest to use way to banish existing stretch marks.  Women can use stretch mark cream within the privacy of their own home, and millions have used the most popular creams without any significant adverse effects.  If stretch marks are causing that cute microbikini to stay in its drawer, then stretch mark cream can be the quickest solution allowing for the confidence to wear even the smallest of bikinis once again.

Depilatories can serve as an alternative to shaving for hair removal, and they ordinarily come in the form of creams or powders. These hair removal products seek to eliminate body hair utilizing chemicals which dissolve body hair. Depilatories can most often be used at home, and they are relatively inexpensive and generally painless. However, as with shaving, the use of depilatories for hair removal only produces results which last for a day or two. Techniques which seek to pluck the hairs from your body are longer lasting, and these can include waxing, tweezing, threading and sugaring. These methods are able to be done at home and produce longer lasting hair removal results when compared to both shaving and depilatories. However, many of these techniques can be painful, and if not done properly can result in discoloration and/or infections.

The most popular longer lasting option for hair removal is electrolysis. This procedure has the best track record for producing solid and long lasting hair removal results, and its safety has been quantified after use by millions of women. However, electrolysis can be expensive, time consuming and for some women be uncomfortable and painful. Professionally administered laser hair removal procedures are not painful, but they are more expensive and do not have the success rates associated with electrolysis. As we each have our own hair growth patterns and hair density, there is no one sized fits all approach to hair removal. Trial and error often leads to the best path, and if one method doesn’t work you are always able to try another. Odds are high that at least one of these methods will help achieve the smooth and elegant skin most conducive to becoming the center of attention in your microbikini.

Summer is quickly approaching, and many of us are shopping for this season’s hot microbikini sure to put everyone’s attention on the beach squarely where it belongs — on you. However, those donning especially small bikinis have to be assiduous when it comes to hair removal, especially in the most intimate areas. Razor stubble, bumps and missed hairs serve as big detractors from your otherwise hot body — women who desire to really make a splash at the beach or pool turn to the effectiveness of bikini area laser hair removal. When it comes to this safe and common procedure, there are several factors to keep in mind. First, and most important, laser hair removal can only be performed by a qualified and licensed practitioner in your area.

We are all unique when it comes to our skin color/tone, hair consistency and thickness — each woman requires a customized bikini laser removal regimen crafted to meet her individual needs. Only a trained professional can ensure your skin emerges from the procedure smooth and clean — without any adverse health impacts. So why choose laser hair removal for the areas of your body which become more visible when wearing a microbikini? When compared to other alternatives like waxing, depilatory creams or electrolysis — laser hair removal proves to exhibit superior efficacy in cleanly removing hair, and it is the most cost effective route in the long run. This is due to the fact that studies have quantified that those receiving laser hair removal — for as little as three treatments — experience a lifetime reduction in the rate and density of pubic hair growth. This obviously is a far preferable route when compared to incurring expense and pain during decades of waxing.

In addition to allowing you to look pristine in even the tiniest of bikinis, laser hair removal has been shown to be advantageous to your health. Many women experience folliculitis which is an infection and inflammation of the hair follicle. This condition often is a prelude to more serious lesions, but also to skin discoloration and splotches. Permanent reduction of pubic hair growth utilizing laser hair removal attenuates the risk of folliculitis while simultaneously serving its main purpose — making you look your sexiest in that new microbikini.

Tanning lotions produce results by facilitating the production of melanin — the component within the skin which produces a tan. Tanning lotions also increase the blood flow within your skin thus helping melanin to rise to the skin’s surface yielding the desired glowing tan effect. Many users of tanning lotion select the one which produces a tingling effect within the skin. This tingling is a result of increased blood flow, and it is a good sign that the tanning lotion will achieve its desired effect. Seeing that everyone’s skin is unique, a tanning lotion which works on one person may not work on another. Consequently, this “tingle test” serves as a good indicator of whether the given tanning lotion is a good match for your skin type.

Some tanning lotions now also include what are referred to as “bronzers”. These agents, most commonly dihydroxyacetone (DHA), work in combination with the UV ray source in order to multiply the resulting tanning effects. Some bronzing agents contain additional components meant to increase blood flow and are called “hot bronzers”. Others contain a cooling agent such as menthol and are termed “cool bronzers”. All good tanning lotions contain a moisturizing agent which helps combat the drying effects of exposure to UV rays. Tanning lotion can be used either outdoors or within the context of indoor tanning beds. Microbikinis obviously look best on an evenly tanned body, and those inclined to wear them often use tanning lotions to ensure the best tan possible.

Breast lift procedures can be divided into two main groups.  The first are termed full breast lifts, and a full breast lift procedure involves incisions around the areola and a full incision under the crease of the breast.  A full breast lift has the greatest odds of producing the desired breast shape, and it allows for maximum sculpting and breast elevation.  However, a full breast lift produces the most scarring — although skilled surgeons will be able to effectively hide these scars in most scenarios.

A modified breast lift seeks to avoid the level of scarring associated with a full breast lift, and it achieves this aim by utilizing fewer incisions.  However, without the same number of incisions as a full breast lift, the surgeon is limited in the amount of sculpting and elevation is not as pronounced in modified breast lift procedures when compared to a full breast lift.  The most popular current form of a modified breast lift is referred to as a concentric breast lift, and it seeks to achieve the same results of a full breast lift while keeping scars to a minimum.

Different women will experience varying results with each of these procedures — only a qualified professional can make the final determination of which breast lift procedure is best taking into account your personal anatomy and body shape. If sagging breasts are keeping you away from your favorite bikinis, then mastopexy could be your solution.  The procedure is quite safe, and the price for it has come significantly down from when breast lifts first become popularized.

Micro bikinis are very, very small versions of the bikini. They leave little to the imagination of those who can see it because it covers a bare minimum of the wearer’s body. Perhaps not even covering anything at all. The top and bottom of the bikini only covers the most sensitive part of the woman’s body. It barely covers the nipples, the buttocks and the crotch of the wearer. Similarly related to the g-string bikinis in terms of appearance, most micro-bikinis are made of string and very small pieces of cloth—usually triangular and teardrop shaped—which covers the nipples, the crotch and the buttocks. The aim is to conceal only the most erotic of women’s zones and nothing more.

Not only because of its very provocative form is the micro bikini only for a select few of the women’s population. The micro bikini is made only for those who are blessed in terms of physical assets. As the size and shape of this type of bikini is made with showing off the body in mind—only those who are daring enough to show what they have can wear the micro bikini.

The micro bikini is made for those who are utterly confident with their bodies as it exposes pretty much every nook and cranny of a woman’s sensuality. It is perfect for summer getaways in daring summer locations. This is made for those women who love to show off their curves and assets with the intention of getting a very even tan with minimal tan lines.

Apart from the physical demands of the micro bikini, the micro bikini also demands that the wearer get a bikini wax—a Brazilian wax, perhaps—in order to remove the hair in the pubic region so as to add to more appeal from the wearer. The woman would not obviously want hair from the nether region to be all over the place while she is wearing this provocative attire.

While the tankini and the one piece bathing suit suits pretty much every shape and size, the micro bikini is not for everyone. Such types of clothing have aroused several controversies as the micro bikini is next to being nude. As such, the micro bikini is banned from wholesome beaches where the aim is to keep the family atmosphere. This is because the micro bikini is very sexually suggestive, if not overtly sexual.

The micro bikini is only for those who are very liberated. Because the prospect of showing off all of your assets is not far from micro bikinis. And there is in fact nothing left for conservatism with this type of fashion. If you prefer the maximum of sex appeal with the minimum of coverage, then the micro bikini is definitely for you. Sensual and inviting, the micro bikini is something a women can wear outdoors and indoors—in private places if only to excite the imagination of your partner, if you know what we mean.

Cover-ups also offer an escape from the sun which is becoming more important as the suns rays are intensifying. When packing up for the beach, don’t forget to bring plenty of water and a cover-up so that you avoid dehydration and burning. Intermittent bouts of sun should be adhered to during the summer months in order to safeguard your skin. Premature aging does not look pretty. So be smart with the amount of exposure you subject your sensitive skin to.

When buying and wearing a bikini, don’t think of it as a bikini. Think of it as a pair of knickers and a bra. A pair of knickers and a bra that you are about to wear in public and be photographed in.

If you were told that tomorrow you had to go to work in nothing but your pants and the whole thing was to be captured on film, you’d spend a lot of time making sure you had on the most flattering option available. You would think big pants – not pretty little things with tiny weeny strips of material and pretty braids. You would think underwired bras which are the geniuses of lifting, separating and thrusting. Do the same amount of planning for your bikini. Just because your inhibitions have gone it doesn’t mean your cellulite will have.

Obviously you’re not going to spend your entire holiday standing up and admiring yourself in mirrors, so you need to work out what that bikini will look like in action.

1. Push your tummy out. Yes. We knew you were breathing in. But you can’t breathe in for a two-week holiday can you? Now imagine you’ve eaten pasta and ice cream every day and push it out some more. There. Maybe a sarong would be a good idea.

2. Turn away from the mirror and imagine picking up an object from the floor. Pause and look back mid-action. What does your behind look like? Is there anything showing that might frighten small children?

3. Wave frantically at an imaginary friend in the surf. Does anything pop out? Or flop out?

4. Jump up and down and pretend to play volleyball.

5. Lie on your back and writhe around on the floor as if you were snogging a fabulous holiday lover on a sun lounger. Check out the mirror to see how you look mid-wriggle.

6. Avoid novelty clasps. Men are simple creatures. Your bikini should be, too. He will be easily confused if presented with anything marginally more complex than a bra clasp. Pop your head out of the changing room curtain and if there’s a good-looking man around you can always invite him in to see what he thinks.

7. Beware of details like beading. They may look fabulous, but they can get caught on people, sun beds, seaweed or sea creatures. Models have beading on their swimsuits all the time, but they’re usually travelling with an entourage and working with a highly trained team from Vogue who can look out and check for dangers. Try it. Writhe around on the carpet and see if bits of your bikini get stuck to it. If you’re in a department store with a fish counter maybe pop down in your bikini and ask if you can practise brushing against the sea creatures in your cozzie and see if anything gets caught. Emerging from the sea with the entire cast of Finding Nemo clinging to your rear is not a good look.

8. Think of the tan lines. Even if a bikini is fabulous and you look really hot in it, stay clear if it’s got odd cutaway holes and weird straps and things. You might look good in it on holiday but it’s not practical to keep wearing the bikini in the office when you get home.

9. Throwing water over yourself will probably be frowned upon, even in the most understanding of department stores, but we do suggest that before taking your bikini on holiday you do a little extra research at home. Lie down in the bath and then quickly stand up in your bikini – does it fall down to your knees when wet? If you’re flat-chested and have gone for heavy padding, do the all-important lumps of material stay in place?

10. What will it look like when you emerge from the surf? Jump around in it a bit when it’s wet. Does it still hold in everything it was meant to hold in? Does it go see-through? Are you going to need extra waxing to wear this?

There are a lot of things to think about but don’t get paranoid and depressed about bikini purchasing. Nobody looks good in a bikini and those model pictures are all airbrushed anyway.

Alternatively, you could just go skiing instead.