below the belt

› By Angelique Anacleto

As we do our clothes to strut skimpy swimwear, health, hairiness and attractiveness of private parts come into focus. These top tips keep your personal zone in tip-top shape.

Our Medical Guru Says

Dr. Armando Rojas, FACOG Genesis Women’s Center, Inverness

ISSUE: female incontinence

RECOMMENDATION: frequent bathroom breaks, kegel exercises

“As a preventive measure, it’s important to take urinary bathroom breaks every two or three hours, even if you don’t feel like it. That can pay dividends down the road. A lot of my patients are women who work demanding jobs that don’t always allow for bathroom breaks and properly emptying their bladders during a shift, like nursing. Over time, a bladder gets stretched from holding in year after year. Later, with loss of estrogen and menopausal aging, muscle tone lessens and can lead to incontinence.

“Kegel exercises are not a cure-all but are also helpful incontinence prevention. Every woman should do kegels. They’re healthy to do now, if you decide to have children in the future or to prevent bladder problems later in life.”

Kegels, Continued…

Speaking of kegels, specially designed weights to firmly squeeze and hold in the vagina claim to fortify the pelvic floor and increase sexual sensitivity. Gynecologists warn against inserting porous stones, which can breed bacteria, cause toxic shock syndrome or even get stuck. Instead, simply contract and release muscle walls for an increasing period of time and frequency. BTW, health experts dismiss Gwyneth Paltrow’s love a air with vaginal steaming as having zero medical e ect.

The beauty industry continues hawking waxing services and removal products galore. Go au naturel? You decide.

Colonoscopies For All

The sooner, the better. Colonoscopies used to primarily highlight screenings for men. But since both sexes are at risk for developing precancerous polyps, testing for normal-risk women is equally encouraged at age 50. Such polyps, or adenomas, can develop in 30 percent of males and 20 percent of females. African-Americans are at a higher risk and should begin screening earlier, around age 45.

Sit Out Cellulite

Temporarily reduce the appearance of lumpy cellulite while sitting atop SweetCheeks Massage Mats. These portable mats for work, home or driving feature 454 pyramid-shaped nodules that produce a deep, gentle massage to increase circulation. Use for 30 minutes a day to stimulate a smoother, perkier backside. sweetcheeksproducts.com, $119

Pubic Predicament

Fashions come, fashions go. Some declare pubic hair is back. If that’s true, researchers have noted more hair means less incidence of sexually transmitted infections, like herpes, HPV and syphilis. But they also theorize that highly manicured individuals could simply be more sexually active. Either way, the beauty industry continues hawking waxing services and removal products galore. Go au naturel? You decide.