Fashion, Beauty, Health, Sexual advice, Relationships, Women

Research has revealed that an increasing number of women in the UK are having controversial 'virginity repair' operations before they get married.

Private practitioners have claimed the surge in demand in the operation has been driven largely by Muslim women desperate to preserve the illusion that they have not had sex before their wedding night.

In the last five years, 116 hymen repair operations have been undertaken on the NHS and thousands more women are believed to be paying up to £4,000 to have the surgery done privately each year.

NHS surgeons carried out 30 of the procedures in 2009 - up 20 per cent from 2005.

One Harley Street doctor claimed to carry out up to three of the operations a day and said demand at his private practice had tripled in recent years, it was reported in the Daily Mail.

The procedure involves the hymen being reconstructed so that it will tear and bleed again on the woman's wedding night. Many women give false names and addresses and some are even buying chastity certificates to 'prove' that they are virgins.

Consultant gynaecologist Dr Magdy Hend who performs hymenoplasty on London's Harley Street, told the Daily Mail:

"The majority of our clients are Muslim women. They worry about having had sex and their fiance and family knowing that they have been touched before.

The ideal first-date scenario would be to walk into the room without a scrap of make-up on, looking totally fresh-faced and fabulous. But if you normally wouldn't go as far as the corner shop to buy a pint of milk without your mascara and lippy, now is probably not the best time to change the habits of a lifetime.

First-dates are nerve-wracking enough as it is, so a little bit of make-up can be just the confidence boost you need. But subtlety is the key. You want to look 'naturally' radiant (with a sneaky little helping hand)...

Wide-eyed beauty
According to body language experts and science bods, wide eyes are attractive to the opposite sex. If you want to make yours appear bigger, dab white eyeshadow at the inner corners and use eyeliner along the upper lashes only. Black liquid liner flicked out at the edges is the perfect sex-kitten look.

Don't even think about attempting false lashes. One of them is bound to start escaping mid-date. For really full lashes that don't look 'cakey' curl lashes with a lash curler then apply two coats of volumising mascara, separating lashes with a comb after each coat is dry.

First-kiss lips
Forget collagen injections - wake up with a plumper super-soft pout on the morning of the date by brushing your lips gently with an old toothbrush and slathering with lots of Vaseline or lip balm before you go to bed. Too much lipstick can look harsh ad unflattering. For lips that look as though they are naturally bursting with colour, try rubbing your finger over your lipstick and pressing the colour into your lips. For a more girlie touch, finish with a slick of clear gloss.
To avoid the old lipstick-on-teeth blunder, put your finger into your mouth, close your lips around it and slide it back out again.

We all drift off into our own private world every now and again - but there's more to daydreams than just wishing for a lottery win. So just what DO they mean and what can they tell us...







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The Vatican has always maintained a fairly strict dress code but after clamping down on policy early this week, its visitors have accused it of hypocrisy amid the current sex scandals.

Until recently, tourists need only cover up when entering St Peter's Basilica, but earlier this week the Swiss Guard, the Pope's private army, extended the dress code to the rest of the Vatican City State.

Women with bare shoulders or short skirts and men wearing shorts were told to cover up or leave and many tourists were forced to find the nearest shops selling shawls and trousers.

Do you think it's possible to be spiritually corrupted by yoga?

No, us neither.

But the Rev Amanda Roper, from Bridge Methodist Church in Radcliffe, near Manchester, has banned an over 50s yoga group because she believes that the exercise is not Christian.

The group, which has 30 members aged up to 82, has met at the church for the last ten years.

However, Rev Roper, who recently took over as minister, believes that yoga, which is linked to Hinduism and Buddhism, could be preaching the rival religions and she fears that class members may be 'spiritually vulnerable.'

She said: 'The teaching implied through the spiritual and physical exercises confuses the distinctiveness of the Christian faith.'

Group founder member Iris Turner, 64, said: 'This is an insult. Her views are extreme. We are hurt, disappointed and offended.'

The group are now looking for new premises.

Are yoga and Christianity incompatible? Leave a comment below...

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Sharon Osbourne has never made any attempt to hide the fact that she's had plastic surgery.

She's admitted to spending £12,000 on surgery in the past, including stomach stapling, a face lift, brow lift, breast enhancement, liposuction and body contouring.

But if her recent appearance on a U.S. TV show is anything to go by, then she's decided to try out the pillow face look, too.

Her face looked unusually plumped up, shiny and slightly lopsided – which suggests that she's been having botox and injectable fillers to smooth wrinkles and and make the skin look young and firm.

Sharon has admitted that she has sometimes taken her surgery too far. She recently said: 'I got to the point where I realised I was abusing, I wasn't respecting my body. I was chopping it, changing it, and it's like, hey, you've only got like one body and you have to respect your body.'

We think it might be time to step away from the surgeon's office for a while, Sharon.

Do you think the pillow face is a good look? Leave a comment below...

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Check out the other pillow face celebs in our gallery...

It is usually high heels that get a bad press for causing foot problems, but flip-flops injure more than 200,000 people each year, costing the NHS over £40m in treatment.

While they used to be limited to the beach, flip-flops are now a staple of many a girl's wardrobe and GPs are dealing with injuries from falls and longer-term problems on a regular basis.

Experts say the summer footwear favourites force us to change the way we walk and, aside from the risk of tripping over, prolonged use can lead to shin splints and joint pain.

Among the most frequent complaints are twisted ankles and aching toes, from the toe-scrunch grip necessary to keep hold of the flip-flops.

A series of late night parties, loud music, bingo and heated arguments has resulted in 70 pensioners on a sheltered housing estate being threatened with eviction and Asbos.

Residents at the Ash Grove warden scheme in Great Barr, Birmingham, have been divided by arguments about anti-social behaviour, that culminated in a 2am bust-up over loud music.

Following the incident, several of the housing estate's residents have been ordered to attend interviews in which they will face allegations of "harassment... intimidation, bullying and spreading malicious rumours".