sexiest figure

Actors barely get to talk about things other than denying their hook-ups and then denying delivering bad films.

At the recently held Longines launch event in Mumbai, Ash however transformed herself from an actor into the Miss World she used to be few years ago!

She obviously spoke about hubby Abhishek and her Bachchan family but what she also commented upon was the ongoing ‘global economic crisis’!

Shedding weight and being roaring fit is not an easy task at any age, especially when you are 40!

Having said that, certain 40-over celebrities can put any 20-year-old to shame with their fitness levels, and not to mention their sexy bods.

Not only are they slim the healthy way, but they are fit despite all the physical changes their body is going through.

And what are these changes? Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach Amit Sharma says, "After the age of 30 a woman's body undergoes certain changes, she faces a change in her body structure, hot flushes, mood swings, growing hair in her upper lip and starts feeling less attractive."

And yet, these beauties still manage to look so hot.

We let you in on the fitness mantras of celebrities over 40 years of age who are fit as a fiddle. Also, you get tips from experts on what you can do at home.

Whatever she wore at the sets of the series of the hit sitcom 'Sex and the City' was a worldwide fashion rage.

She can carry off anything from a figure hugging outfit, a tube dress, skimpy attire to casuals with great aplomb all thanks to her well toned body. You only have to see the latest movie 'Sex and the City' to believe it.


Her fitness mantra

* Walks instead of taking a cab

* Eats small portions of food

* Eats a high protein low-carb diet

Expert Advice

* In case you do not have the time to exercise for 45 minutes a stretch due to your schedules, you can break it up into exercising 15 minutes thrice a day, advices Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach Amit Sharma. Studies prove that this is just as effective as a continuous 45-minute workout.

* While a high protein, low carb diet always works for weight loss, do not follow any diet fad blindly. Nutritionist Shweta Shahaney says, "Everybody has a different body type, what may work for a celebrity might not necessarily work for you. It is advisable to seek the guidance of a dietician."

* Another thing you have to remember according to her is that at the age of 40 your body is preparing to fight menopause, so it is essential that you have all of your nutrients and micro nutrients.


She rocked the 80s with her pop music. 20 years later she is still in the groove.

Check her out in her latest single, 4 minutes, with Justin Timberlake. Dancing with someone half her age, certainly deserves some accolades. And she is over 40!


Her fitness mantra

* To prevent bulking up of muscles, she changes her routine. She mixes up various types of cardio training along with various types of crunches and weight lifting with her dancing.

* Avoids diary food, processed food and spices.

Expert advice

* Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach Amit Sharma says that weight training is essential for woman at this age. They are the only form of exercise that can prevent and reduce the risk osteoporosis. Calcium can be stored in the body, only till a particular age. After that the bones start becoming brittle.

* Nutritionist Shweta Shahaney elaborates that at this age you should not shy away from taking calcium supplements. Your daily calcium intake might not be able to meet the requirement. You can consult a doctor or nutritionist for the right dosage.


She makes the list at 35 in FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world list. Even after the birth of her child, she is not far away from the sculpted body she had when she emerged out of the water wearing a skimpy bikini in the Bond movie Die Another Day.


Her post pregnancy fitness mantra

* She works out for 60 minutes, five days a week. Her fitness program includes cardio, strength training that focus on the abdomen and leg. Her cardio activity is divided in to three parts - on the elliptical, kickboxing and stairs or hill climb.

* Includes lots of veggies in her diet along with lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and a lot of water.

Expert advice

* Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach Amit Sharma says that you should include cardiovascular exercises in your daily routine as it improves the heart and lungs functioning and also gets more oxygen into the blood. This is especially important at this age. According to reports from AP, as we age, the pumping capacity of the heart decreases, causing an increase in the resting heart rate. The body's ability to process oxygen efficiently decreases by one to two per cent each year after the age of 40.

* And here's another fact of the matter! Veggies and fruits are most important in your diet. Nutritionist Shweta Shahaney says that no matter what age, veggies and fruits are a sure shot way to lose weight and keep fit. Also keeping in mind that your body is preparing for menopause, you need to have veggies and fruits which will provide you with a lot of nutrients.


One of the original supermodels, her beauty and well toned body has made her grace the cover of many magazines, get major ad campaigns and roles in movies and TV. She has managed to remain fit all these years even after having two kids!


Her fitness mantra

* Follows the Zone diet which involves eating small portions at regular intervals, and having a ratio of 40 per cent carbohydrates, 30 per cent proteins and 30 percent fat.

* Has a fitness regime of 20 minutes of cardiovascular and 40 minutes of free weights. Also incorporates yoga in her daily routine.

Expert advice

* According to Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach Amit Sharma, as you age, your body loses twice the amount of muscle mass that it used to. This is one of the reasons for the decrease in the metabolic rate. Once again weight training comes to the rescue!

* A very simple and easy way to increase your metabolism is to have a cold glass of water, according to Amit. Try to have 500 ml to a liter of water once you get up in the morning. Drink at least 3 liters of water a day.


Being in front of the camera since infancy, the world has more or less watched her grow up. She has always remained fit and off late we have seen how her masculine appearance has toned down. What's her secret?


Her fitness mantra

* Whenever possible, she tries to do any physical activity for an hour everyday, it can be anything from spinning to hiking.

* She avoids weights for it can end up making her look bulky. She keeps her muscles toned with yoga.

Expert advice

So how can you manage to do all the forms of exercises without hurting your body? Fitness Trainer and Wellness Coach Amit Sharma gives you a schedule:

* Weight training 3 to 4 times a week.

* Cardiovascular exercises two times a week for 45 minutes.

* Stretching exercises 10 to 15 minutes before your weight training and cardiovascular exercise.

source:ibnlive.in.com

They are a natural skin condition, but nobody likes them: stretch marks. And in this segment of Wrinkle Free Friday, doctors give us advice about how to fix a very common complaint about the skin on the body. Sooner or later they will affect just about all of us.

"Ninety percent of us have stretch marks on us somewhere, so it's not even a disease, it's just a common marker of human beings," says Metairie dermatologic surgeon Dr. Bill Coleman.

Any fast growing skin is susceptible: hips, thighs, buttocks and breasts of maturing teenagers, the belly of an expectant mom, the chest and upper arms of a body builder and the body of anyone who gains weight. And something you have no control over, they tend to be hereditary.

"If when your mother was pregnant she got a lot of stretch marks, the chances are good you will have the same problem," says Dr. Mary Lupo, a dermatologist in New Orleans.

So what are these unattractive lines?

"A stretch mark is basically a rupture in the skin. Think of a fabric that's torn and the little elastic fibers pull back. That's what happens to your skin," adds Dr. Coleman.

The doctors agree. The only way to try to prevent them is by not gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy or puberty.

"You can rub all the cocoa butter in the world on your tummy and that's not going to stop you from getting stretch marks necessarily," says Metairie dermatologist Dr. Patricia Farris.

"All of this these myriad of creams that are being sold to treat stretch marks, they do not remove stretch marks and that's the bottom line on that and I don't care if they cost $10 or $100. It doesn't make any difference. It doesn't work," says LSU Health Sciences Center dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth McBurney, who practices in New Orleans and Slidell.

But there is something that makes stretch marks worse, taking steroids for legitimate medical reasons or illegally.

"A very common scenario we see is men who come in and tell us 'Look how great I look,' and they show us their big muscles and on top of them are these huge stretch marks and then they have acne too from taking the steroids and they are going bald and on balance they don't look very good," adds Dr. Coleman.

So how can you get rid of stretch marks?

Dermatologists say there's good news and bad. The good news is the prescription tretinoin cream, called Retin A, that is used for acne and wrinkles, can make a difference.

"If you come in while the stretch marks are still red you've got a very good chance, maybe as high as 70 percent with topical treatments alone getting results and that will save you a lot of money," says Dr. Lupo.

"I think the best time to treat a stretch mark is when it's early young stretch mark as we call them those are the red stretch marks. We like things that generate collagen alpha hydroxys and particularly tretinoin, Retin A, has been shown to improve stretch marks even when used alone," says Dr. Farris.

But doctors caution these creams should not be used during pregnancy.

The other good news is that doctors are starting to see some results with lights and lasers. One is that non-ablative Fraxel laser that's been used on the face that heats up but doesn't burn the skin.

"When they are in that early stage I do think that certain laser procedures help and I usually use a combination. I like the IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) because I think that does the best job in taking the red out and then you can generate new collagen with the non-ablative fractional lasers," adds Dr. Farris.

"If your stretch marks are red or slightly brown, they, and the reason they are because they are usually newly formed and they have an inflammatory reaction underneath the skins surface that causes them to be red, with those, those are probably the only situation in which I think the lasers make a significant difference," adds Dr. McBurney.

Most of the doctors agree treating them early will give best results, while the older ones are there to stay.

But dermatologist Dr. Mary Lupo says she is seeing some results treating the older ones.

"Once the stretch marks have that silvery or white color the only thing that I have found that has been successful is the Fraxel Restore Laser. This is a non-ablative laser. There's no down time to the procedure. It can be used on all skin types," says Dr. Lupo.

But five or six treatments are needed, which can get costly. So while there is help, doctors say the bad news is they have nothing in their arsenals to make them invisible.

"The Fraxel treatment shows promise but it still is not going to completely remove it. It is going to improve it maybe about 30 percent, 40 percent," says LSU Health Sciences Center plastic surgeon Dr. Kamran Khoobehi.

“All of the lasers that are out there now a days, including the Fraxel Restore, are all going to be good at getting the red out but not the white so you still have a white stretch mark, you still have a little valley there in the skin and that has not changed. We need a way to weld the skin back together. We just don't have it right now," says Dr. Coleman.

Doctors say it can be very embarrassing for teens to have stretch marks and they should be treated as soon as they get them.

Doctors also say one trick to covering up the older light stretch marks is to temporarily cover them with a bronzer.

source:wwltv.com

* "It is very important to follow a sensible food plan that suits your body constitution. Some people might be allergic to milk and milk products, others might take well to non-veg food. So you have to eat according to what your body needs.

* Exercise regularly, ideally in the morning. Go to sleep latest by 10 and wake up by at least seven the next morning."

* "To achieve anything, you must have a positive and strong state of mind. Work towards that first. Then comes time management. Eat your meals at the right time. Don't eat breakfast at 12 in the afternoon. Eat smaller, frequent meals in an adequate portion size.

* Have well-balanced meals that consist of carbs, proteins and multi-nutrients. Exercise at least 4-5 days a week. Keep yourself active… walk, swim, do yoga."

* "The body reacts in two ways… If you eat a lot, you put on weight and if you eat too less then again, you put on weight.

* To avoid this, eat smaller, more frequent meals probably every three to four hours. Don't fill yourself to the brim. Eat healthy and be physically active."

* Along with the food plan, you need to exercise regularly. It could be just a 40 minute walk in the evening."

* "The first and most important thing to do is to get into an absolute detox and cleansing program. Regulate your lifestyle… correct your eating, drinking, sleeping and exercise habits.

Cosmetic surgery patients who think facial fillers are a magical antidote to aging must be better informed of possible risks, government health advisers said Tuesday.

A panel of independent advisers urged the Food and Drug Administration to revise information for consumers and doctors — called the product label — to include the risk of long lasting reactions such as bumps under the skin, blotches and scars.

"This is almost a no-brainer," said panel member Dr. Michael Bigby, a Harvard Medical School dermatologist. "The current label is not adequate." The panel of doctors other experts unanimously agreed on the need for more safety studies.

The gel-like fillers have become immensely popular with baby boomers. Injected into the face, they smooth away wrinkles. Most patients get a couple of touchups a year, at a cost that can easily exceed $1,000 each.

Manufacturers and plastic surgeons say fillers have an excellent safety record. But Tuesday's FDA hearing raised questions about unapproved uses, untrained technicians giving injections, and a lack of long-term safety data. It was a first step as the FDA considers whether to regulate fillers more closely.

Plastic surgeons pledged to help find a new consensus on how to track safety, improve training and provide clearer information to consumers. "We feel it's time for medicine to step up and take the lead," said Dr. Richard D'Amico of New Jersey, representing the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Women, and some men, are drawn to fillers by the promise of youthful good looks for less cost and trouble than a face lift. It's also a boost for deflated middle-age egos.

Different from Botox, which is derived from a toxin that acts on facial muscles, wrinkle fillers are like the biological equivalent of a bit of spackle, except they're injected. They include such products as Juvederm, made by Allergan, Inc., and Restylane, from Medicis Aesthetics Holdings.

FDA officials are concerned that fillers are being used for purposes they were never tested nor approved for, not just erasing wrinkles.These include plumping the lips, cheeks and breasts.

"The trouble is that once this material is in the hands of physicians, there's really not much control over how it's used and where it's placed," said Dr. Scott Spear, a Washington plastic surgeon. "That creates the potential for a certain amount of mischief.

"But the good news is that, by and large, these are very safe materials," Spear added. "They have a very healthy risk profile."

The FDA also has questions how darker-skinned patients fare with the beauty treatments. More black, Latino and Asian patients are trying plastic surgery, and some information suggests they may be susceptible to unsightly blotches and other complications.

Plastic surgeons performed some 1.5 million cosmetic surgery procedures with fillers last year alone.

The FDA presented data on 823 patients who suffered serious reactions after treatment with fillers between 2003 and this September. Nearly all were women, and the most common age group was 50- to 60-year-olds.

Although no deaths were reported, the complications were troublesome enough that 638 of the patients required follow-up medical treatment.

"Patients don't want to get rid of wrinkles and end up with large bumps on the face instead," said consumer activist Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women & Families.

Most cases reported to the FDA involved complications that could be foreseen, such as swelling and redness. But there were also "serious and unexpected" reactions, including facial, lip and eye paralysis, disfigurement, vision problems and some severe allergic reactions.

Nineteen patients went to the emergency room with life-threatening allergic reactions. Twelve developed infections that required hospitalization.

Some problems reported to the FDA may be due to unapproved or "off-label" use of fillers. For example, the FDA does not recommend them for plumping the lips, but some doctors see no problem with that.

Another challenge is the sheer variety of fillers. Most are eventually absorbed into the body, but one type contains tiny, round, smooth plastic particles that the body does not absorb. Some are made from natural substances and others are not. That means they may react differently in the body.

"Some of these products don't have a lot of adverse events and some do," said Zuckerman. "How are we going to help patients make decisions without more information?"

Keen to lose weight, but no time to hit Weight loss the gym?

"It often happens that we end up missing on time to indulge in calorie-burning in an anticipation of triggering off a full-on fitness regime," says fitness exert Kiran Swahney.

So, why not dig out occasions some where in the course of the day and cash in some real time to burn the fat. We recommend you 20 physical and foodie alterations for weight loss... embrace them and staying fit won't be a long cherished dream any more!

"On foot is a stylish way to exercise as its easy, versatile, kind to your joints and doesn't require conjuring too much of paraphernalia. So involve walking as much as you can in your routine." says L.Balasubramaniam, Technogym Olympic Master Trainer.

1. Get up and walk around your office or home: This should happen at least every two hours for 5 minutes. This brisk five-minute walk every two hours will give you an extra 20-minute walk by the end of the day without making any special efforts.

2. Wash something thoroughly once a week: Be it the floor, a couple of windows, the shower stall, bathroom tiles or your car...anything that makes you don your cleaning gloves and exert some pressure on your hands and elbows burns nearly four calories for every minute spent on cleaning. A washing session of 30 minutes and you've worked off nearly 120 calories.

3. Drop a movie for an active date: Yes, it's a weekend and you're planning to spend time with your love. Why not head to the local park rather than sit idle in a movie hall? This will not only give you a chance of walking hand in hand, but will also avoid the calories that a large bucket of butter popcorns holds in. What's more? Explore other active dating ideas like cycling together; enjoying a tennis match or a swimming championship...even losing to your love will be fun here!

4. Take a walk before dinner: Yes, you are reading it right! Walking post dinner helps in digestion and burning calories, walking before gorging on your favourite dinner cuts down on your appetite. "Twenty minutes of walking reduces appetite and increases sensations of fullness as effectively as a light meal," informs Balasubramaniam.

5. Make the most of your TV time: This one is for the cricket crazy men and soap obsessed women who spend hours being a couch potato. Now make the most out of the commercial breaks to burn some calories and tone-up your body with the following set of exercises:
• As the break starts, do 25 jumping jacks.
• Then jog on the spot for the count of 30.
• Do 25 abdominal crunches.
• Lastly, get on the floor and place your feet up on your coffee table and do 25 hip lifts. By the time the break ends, you would have burnt a major chunk of calories.

6. Kiss your partner passionately: Lock your lips in passion at least 10 times a day. Not only it will keep your love life buzzing, but every minute spent kissing will burn 6.4 calories. Ten minutes a day of kissing can burn approximately 23,000 calories in a year...that's the power of love!

More lifestyle and food variations to help you shed the flab.

source:timesofindia

Radiant, luscious, gorgeous – these are just some of the words that come to mind while describing the skin of our favourite Hindi film actresses.

We got celebrity skin specialist Dr Aparna Santhanam, who heads the medical services at Kaya Skin Clinic in Mumbai, tell us some of their skin secrets.

Aishwarya Rai makes sure her skin regimen is never affected.

Rated one of the most beautiful women in the world by Hello! magazine, this blue-eyed stunner is naturally beautiful. No matter how grueling the shooting schedule, Ash makes sure her skin regimen is never affected.

Ash's secret: People close to her reveal that Ash is a water freak – she drinks at least eight glasses each day, if not more. A self-confessed naturalist, Ash also relies on natural products from the kitchen – cucumber to soothe her skin, gramflour to exfoliate and milk and yogurt to moisturise.

Dr Santhanam's tip: Sleep your way to a gorgeous, glowing skin.

Lack of sleep is the cause of most skin problems, dark circles, dull skin, pimples, you name it. Your skin thrives on oxygen, which it gets during sleep. So hit the bed at the first opportunity you get and catch up on some zzzzs.

The current heartthrob of the Hindi film industry (and actor Saif Ali Khan's, too), Kareena Kapoor is one of the luckiest stars -- she has inherited generations of peaches-and-cream complexion, a trademark of the Kapoor dynasty.

Kareena has lost oodles of weight and has acquired a natural blush, only possible with a regular exercise routine (and love, perhaps!). Kareena has often talked about her love for chocolate wraps, which is a known antioxidant to stop the skin from ageing.

Dr Santhanam's tip: A tiring session of any sort of exercise is the best facial you can get. Exercise increases the blood circulation in your body, and the blood gushes up to your face, to give you a happy glow. Exercise also rids your body of all the toxins, reducing pimples and acne.

Exercise can also work wonders in a short time -- just give it three days and you'll see your skin tone improve!

The moment she appeared on the silver screen in the hit film, Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya, her lovely looks and silky Indo-Canadian complexion won our hearts! Katrina Kaif's skin has the unique mixture of the essentially Punjabi texture and an Anglo-Saxon skin tone.

Katrina is often asked about the secret of her skin -- she says it's her addiction to the purifying apricot oil by Anne Semoin.

Dr Santhanam's tip: You need protein to keep your skin looking young - whether your proteins come from fish and egg or almonds, sprouts and soy and pulses to compensate for the lack of protein.

Make sure you include enough protein in your diet. Just to lose weight, don't give up on your nutrition.

t seems like model and actress Sushma Reddy has been around forever, yet she looks as fresh and young as she looked in her first ad film.

What's her secret? "I begin my day with a huge jar of watermelon juice. It is body cleansing. I also love to meditate -- it helps me find inner peace. I think that's the secret of my glow," she says.

Dr Santhanam's tip: Yoga is one of the most common ways to get glorious skin. Follow this five-minute routine every day, and see the difference -- relax your facial muscles through simple Pranayama. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it in for ten seconds and exhale.

Deep breathing, for even half an hour every day, can delay the onset of wrinkles and other signs of ageing on your face.

Actress and dancer Yana Gupta personifies the term 'porcelain beauty'. Her skin always sports the freshly scrubbed, delicate look. Yana has a face, which looks even more beautiful without make-up on it than with make-up.

Yana's secret? Coconut water. "I drinks it more religiously than even normal water," says the beauty. Yana also uses no soaps, but just coconut paste to cleanse her skin.

Dr Santhanam's tip: Harsh soaps are a no-no. Exfoliate your skin at least once a week with oats, gramflour or any other scrub that suits your skin. Don't forget to cleanse thoroughly at least twice a day. Remember, sunscreen is your best friend, since weather in India is mostly sunny.

When model Aditi Govitrikar walks the ramp, it is impossible to believe that she is a mother of two.

"I think my skin is a product of my Rainbow Diet -- I am a vegetarian and I make sure I add at least three colours in my diet every day. Greens, reds and oranges are my favourite, since they are antioxidant-rich. And, of course, I never forget to moisturise," she says.

Dr Santhanam's tip: Follow this like a religion: cleanse, tone, moisturise.

Get your skin analysed at least once from a dermatologist to know what kind of products suit you. If you look at the ill effects of wrong products, a visit to the dermatologist is totally worth it.

Moisturising is necessary even for oily skin. Never leave home without your moisturiser and sunscreen. It is a healthy habit and not an indulgence!

During the winter months, we need to pay even more attention to how we treat our skin, according to dermatologists.

While oily skin might not experience that much change from season to season, skin that's normal, dry or sensitive will usually need more moisturizing during the winter, Even when it's raining outside, heated indoor air is drying to the skin, and cold winds will have the same effect. Using a humidifier in the winter is a must. It’s great for the skin to have moisture in the air during the winter months. People with any skin type should use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 year-round. We know that even on a cloudy day in winter, you're going to get significant amounts of ultraviolet exposure. "A lot of people say 'I'm not outdoors very much, I'm just going in and out of my car.' But a study looked at incidental sun exposure -- something that's not intentional -- and it's about 11 hours a week, which is a lot. So you still need to protect your skin." That goes double for people who participate in winter sports like skiing or snowboarding, where they are exposed to more intense sunlight at higher elevations, coupled with wind and cold, for hours at a time.

While people who still insist on lying on the beach in the summer tend to be quite aware of how long their skin is exposed to the sun. winter sports enthusiasts may be out in the sun all day with little thought to its negative effects.

Dermatologist suggests that people who spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter use a sunscreen that's a little thicker than one they might use during the summer to ensure full coverage and hydration.

Skin-care problems like eczema, atopic dermatitis or keratotis pilaris (rough, dry areas on the cheeks or the backs of arms, more common in young children) can often flare up during the winter. Older people, whose skin loses its ability to retain moisture, can develop a condition called asteatotic eczema, which Jang says can be particularly debilitating. "If left untreated, it can get itchy and red and angry and start to really impact on a person's quality of life."

People with any of these problems need to be vigilant about using a non-sensitizing moisturizer. Curel, BurtsBees, or Lubriderm are all great products that can help your skin.

For basic skin care during the winter, you should cleanse your face twice a day, and choose a cream-based cleanser if your skin is dry or sensitive. It should leave your face feeling soft, rather than tight or dry.

At night, use a light moisturizer and during the day, a sunscreen or a moisturizer with an SPF of at least 30.
"I would tend to use less abrasives, less exfoliants, less glycolic acids during the winter." Those products and creams containing retinol can be especially drying or irritating during the winter

From skimpy skirts to tight fitted tank-tops. From sleek evening gowns to bikinis. We have seen them all but when it comes to the sensuous quotient there is nothing that beats the Indian saree. Many fashion designers and Bollywood too swears by it. When going for an informal do or a hip party you can never go wrong with a saree. And the saree bug has bitten the foreigners alike. Here's a look at leading ladies from various fields who wore a saree and how...

Anna Kournikova - She charms everyone both on and off the field alike. Apart from featuring on Sports Illustrated, she is quite a hit on the endorsement arena also. Take a look as she sports a saree. In the Photo- Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova wearing an Indian sari looks on during a press conference at a resort near Lonavala 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of Bombay, India, Friday, Nov. 14, 2003. Kournikova said Friday she hoped to return to the tennis circuit by March after a gap of nearly 10 months.

*Try pinching the skin near the itch between your thumb and forefinger through your clothing; this is less damaging than actual scratching.

*Have lukewarm showers or baths, and add a little baking soda. Soak the scalp or feet in warm water with baking soda if they are itchy.

*Soaking in a bath in which two cups of rolled oats secured in a sock have been placed can relieve itching.

*Use a cold compress or apply calamine lotion.

*Avoid wearing any irritating clothes and wear cotton if possible.

*Keep away from hot, humid environments.

*Oral antihistamines can help control allergic reactions and itching, and can break the itch-scratch cycle.

*Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can help on localised itchy areas.

*Rub-on corticosteroids can be prescribed by your general practitioner.

Ways to impress women

Impressing her, No matter how much you hate it, but if you want to impress a woman, just help her carry those shopping bags. And in case that's not enough to flatter your lady, below are 10 best ways that will surely make them fall for you...

1. Ask questions
Over dinner, in a restaurant, nothing beats a good question or two. For instance "How was your day?"

2. Stop asking questions
After you have asked enough questions, particularly the right ones, there will come a time when you should stop - when you're in bed together.

3. Call me back straight away
Verbose, over-worked text messages just look keen and girly. Be a man and say it in 350 characters or don't say it at all.

4. Don't be tight
When it comes to small change, taxi fares, coffee money, tips and treats, penny-pinching is a huge turn off.

5. Carry bags
If they're heavy, please don't make a fuss about it, just do it.

6. Don't hide your appreciation
There is no girl alive who doesn't want a priapic response to a new dress.

7. 'No' to
Clammy hands, grunting in public, salivating into earholes, 'sexy' tickling, jokes about love handles and twanging bras.

8. 'Yes' to
A firm touch and a smooth hand, a frank attitude to nudity, evident and matter-of-fact carnal enjoyment, and an attentive approach to often overlooked areas of the female body.

9. Talk about ex-girlfriends
Too much detail about ex-girlfriends is as harmful as not talking about them at all.

10. Criticism
Say what you like about her friends, work, flat, table manners.