TargetWoman Women Blog

Menarche heralds the reproductive phase in a woman’s life. Menstruation brings with it a host of issues and problems that might dog a woman at some stage or other in her life. Regularity of the menstrual cycle is a primary source of concern. From vaginal discharge and sporadic periods to dysmenorrhea and bleeding after menopause, menstrual problems can be inconvenient, painful and often be indicative of a more serious condition.

A woman must track her periods as this is helpful not only for determining pregnancy but is crucial in evaluation other conditions that concern reproductive health. Stress is noticed to be a major factor in the regularity or otherwise in a woman’s menstrual cycle. Medications and other inherent conditions are other causes.

Menstrual cramps are a common complaint with most women. The dull throbbing pain in the abdomen or lower back is usually due to cervical contractions but in some cases the pain is caused by fibroids, ovarian cysts or endometriosis. Many resort to the usage of over-the-counter pain killers to reduce the severity of the cramps by inhibiting the release of prostaglandins. Some women experience mittelschmerz – cramping during ovulation. This typically happens in the middle of a cycle.

With menstruation come a few embarrassing issues such as menstrual odor and bloating. Feminine menstrual odor can be tackled with hygienic practices and right diet. If you notice foul odor that persists, do seek medical guidance. Do not use harsh cleaning products that might affect the delicate female system.

Bloating during and largely before the menstrual cycle is commonly noticed by many women. Reduce sodium intake that leads to water retention. Consumption of natural diuretics such as green tea or cranberry juice helps reduce bloating. Do not reduce your intake of water as it is crucial to the flushing of toxins.

Many of these menstrual problems have been discussed at length in our articles.

Vaginal Bleeding After Menopause

Breakthrough Bleeding

Menstrual Regulation

Menopause Symptom

If you are into photography, you will have some photos which are blurry. In fact most images could do with a bit of sharpening. Almost all image editing software can do a bit on sharpening the final outcome if you are prepared to spend some time working on them. You don’t need NASA level photo manipulating technology to touch up your collection in most cases. In this Hands-On page, part of  the series on Photography techniques, we start with a deliberately out-of-focus image to show what can be done with ubiquitous industry standard Adobe PhotoShop and another tool which claims to have forensic strength deconvolution technology to uncover lost details.

Before we delve into the How-to methodology, we will take a look at the process of sharpening a blurry image.

Sharpness is a matter of detail perceived by the eye - simply put without any technospeak. In other words, places in a given image - when they change rapidly from one tone to the other in a small area - your eye sees more detail. The definition or image resolution is better with higher transition in tonal range.

Human eye doesn’t perceive so much detail when it comes to fast transition in color. Human eye is so versatile and our visual acuity is so high that you can’t really compare our eyes with anything we create. Our eyes along with our brains perceive details in a stream. The eye moves rapidly in small angular slices and takes in the view before it in small slices which the brain recreates into one homogenous image. It might interest you to know that in terms of megapixel resolution capability of the human eye, it puts to shame all modern digital camera technology. It has in excess of around 500 megapixel working out for a 120 degrees for the typical field of view. We will not talk about a Hawk’s eye which can discern far higher details in a greater visual acuity.

Stained Glass image  deliberately to be out-of-focus

Same Image after Processing

Same Image after Processing with Adobe PhotoShop

So what we need to do for enhancing the apparent sharpness is to make the transitions from one tone to another occur rapidly. This is possible to do - subject to the proviso that - like all things in photography - that you start with the best image possible. The end result is going to depend on what you start with and how far you are willing to go.
The trick is to make the tonal changes a bit abrupt and also to push the tone and color a bit to the edge without making the end result a blob. There are many ways of doing this.

One technique is to use Unsharp mask - a filter you will find in most image editing tools. This creates an underexposed soft layer superimposed onto the original image thus enhancing the details artificially.

Set the preview on in your photo editing software. You need to play around with 2 parameters - Radius and Threshold. The images we show along side represent the actual deliberately out-of-focus image,the final version from a typical Photo editing software like Adobe PhotoShop and the version given by the other specialized software like Focus Magic from Acclaim Software. Actually we are showing a worst case scenario here - a fully unfocused image. The results will be far better with normal images.

It sure is not easy being a plus size woman. Most stores seem to cater only to those women who ‘fit’ the accepted standard for female sizes. Does plus size always been boring clothes that always seem to be last year’s styles? What about plus size accessories? Often one cannot find bracelets that don’t cut into the skin or watches that can be comfortably worn.

There is no one size that fits all as far as plus sizes go. You might have a wide rear or ample bust or overall bigger build. You might be tall or short and plus sized. Check your frame to see if you are one with a longer upper half or bottom half of the body. Understanding the body type helps in selecting the right plus size accessories and clothes. Pick up some simple tips for plus size shopping. Find out how you can play down the size.

Don’t opt for bold prints, bold jewelry or loud designs and stripes. Avoid too much detailing on the clothes. But do not go in for very delicate fragile jewelry as it will only serve to accentuate your bulk. Long necklaces and vertical pendants are ideal plus size accessories as they make for a leaner look.

Go in for dresses with tummy control and supporting bust bodice. Invest in a couple of good quality body shapers.

Don’t go for baggy clothes that appear like a tent and make you look sloppy. Wear clothes that fit right, not too tight either. Choose tops that emphasize the natural waistline.

You can select sheath dresses that drape you. Try longer flowing skirts, especially if you are tall and plus size. Grecian styles or halter tops and asymmetrical shoulders can be selected for gowns. Go in for embellishment at the neckline, sleeves and hips for a slimmer effect.

The right plus size accessory can enhance a simple outfit and add to the overall slimming effect that you so desire.

Wearing heels helps in appearing taller and consequently slimmer. This is because the legs are elongated.

The right hairstyle can do wonders for a slimming effect for plus size women. Long hair can be worn straight. If you are going in for very short styles, discuss with your stylist so as to add to the overall attempt to lengthen the frame.

When shopping for plus size pants, do not take one that tapers at the leg. Straight styles give a leaner look. Go in for solid colors, preferably dark.

For plus size prom dresses, try soft fabrics that fall well such as crepe, satin, chiffon and silk. A princess cut or empire waist gown is sure to look good on a plus size.