TIPS FOR THE BODY-CONSCIOUS ON CAPRI PANTS, SAGGY CHINS, SPIDER VEINS (2024)

Q--What's the difference between capri pants, pedal pushers and clam diggers? Should those with fuller figures avoid them altogether? Which shoes go with which styles, and can they all be worn to work?

A--Capri is a generic term for any slim pant that's cropped, says Linda Krelitz, trend manager for women's ready-to-wear at Dayton Hudson Marshall Field's. Capri also refers to a specific pant, one that ends right at the ankle bone. The pedal pusher is a style that ends mid-calf, while the clam digger is knee-length, ending either right at or just below the knee.

Another popular style this season are cropped trousers.

"If you're a little heavier, the longer proportion, which is the capri, is the most flattering, because it doesn't chop you up; it slims you," Krelitz says. "Clam diggers are a great length for someone who's shorter. Cropped trousers look better on someone who's uncomfortable with tighter-legged pants. And frankly, I think pedal pushers are hard to wear. But if you're thin, go for it."

As for shoes, "I would stay away from heels in general," she says. "This summer is all about flats. The look is sweet and feminine, not overtly sexy. It's Laura Petrie versus Marilyn Monroe. It can be ballet skimmers, or a flat thong, even a canvas sneaker for a more casual look. Do not wear hose," Krelitz emphasizes.

You can wear capri styles to work, Krelitz says, although your office environment will dictate which styles are acceptable. "If you're in a creative or relaxed environment, you can wear any of them," she says. "If you're an attorney or someone in the finance industry or in an industry where you're working with clients a lot, look for the longer-length capri pant or the pedal pushers. Wear them with a jacket or a nice little twin set, so you still look professional and polished."

Q--Is there anything you can do about a sagging chin? I've seen various devices--do they work?

A--Save your money, and devote your fitness time and energy to another area. "You can't really do very much with reshaping your face in any way with exercise," says Len Kravitz, director of exercise science at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. "It's usually adiposity -- fatness -- (that causes a sagging chin) and no amount of exercise can spot-reduce that. So no matter what they do to the muscle, the fat's still going to be there," and the chin will still sag.

Unfortunately, the only real options for changing the look of your chin are surgical, and even then, this can be a very difficult problem to fix, says Dr. Lee Gipstein, a plastic surgeon in Miami. Three options are available. "If they have a (recessed) chin, a chin augmentation will help the whole balance and contour of the face," he explains. "If they have good skin and they're in a younger age group, many times liposuction is an excellent way to remove the fat (that causes the chin to sag). A lot of the skin will shrink back."

On an older person, or someone who doesn't have good skin, a face-lift is usually necessary--in addition to liposuction. "If you take out that fat (but there's) a lot of loose hanging skin, it's not going to retract" without a face-lift, explains Gipstein.

None of this is cheap. Liposuction of the chin runs about $1,500; a chin implant costs an average of $3,500, and a face-lift can range from $5,000 to $7,000, Gipstein says.

Q--It seems that laser treatment of leg spider veins was considered controversial not so long ago. Now the procedure seems more widely practiced. Can you provide the latest information?

A--Actually, the laser treatment of spider veins wasn't ever controversial, but it wasn't as widely available as it is today, according to Dr. Melanie Grossman, a dermatologist and the research director at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center in New York City. Not only is it a popular option, but "we have excellent results with lasers for leg veins," she says. "It works best on small-diameter veins; it does not work well on varicose veins," she notes.

With this treatment, "the light (of the laser) is absorbed by the hemoglobin in the blood," Grossman says. "The light turns into heat energy, and it basically cooks the blood vessel, like cooking an egg, in which the liquid becomes a solid." The resulting solid, called a coagulum, is removed by the body.

The number of laser treatments needed varies, depending on the number of veins, their size and the individual's skin type. "The real key has to do with the skin type of the patient. Darker skin doesn't do as well with lasers,(while) lighter skin types do better." The price can range from $200 to $800 per treatment, depending on the number of veins being lasered.