Experience Six Decades of Bridal Hair in 3 Minutes

Photo: Courtesy of MIMI; Art: Elysia Berman

Wedding hair has seriously changed over the years, as evidenced by YouTube vlogger Kayley Melissa’s impressive video journey through six decades of bridal style in a quick three-minute video.

And, boy, am I glad I got married in the 2000s. Some of these looks – yikes! Although personally I think I could have rocked an amazing “Farrah” in the seventies.

I cannot get enough of these beauty transformation videos showcasing evolving style throughout the decades. They are so fun and must be no small feat to produce. Keep ’em coming, ladies! 

This story originally appeared on MIMIChatter.com

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

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For Endoscopes Tied to Serious Infections, Current Cleaning Methods Not Enough

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Recent outbreaks of dangerous infections tied to endoscopic devices called duodenoscopes have grabbed headlines, and in March the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued strict guidelines on how best to disinfect the devices.

On Tuesday, the FDA announced extra cleaning measures for the devices, which are used to examine the interior of the digestive tract.

But a new study finds that 100-percent disinfection may simply not be possible under the recommended protocols. Even after what seems to be a thorough cleaning and disinfection, potentially harmful bacteria can survive on endoscopes, researchers reported.

“Colonoscopes and gastroscopes can harbor residual organic material, including viable microbes, even when adherence with recommended reprocessing guidelines is verified,” concluded a team led by Cori Ofstead, of Ofstead & Associates in St. Paul, Minn.

In the study, the researchers examined 15 colonoscopes and gastroscopes used in gastrointestinal procedures after they underwent each step of recommended cleaning guidelines between their use in different patients.

Those steps included: bedside cleaning; manual cleaning in dedicated reprocessing rooms; and automated cleaning with a high-level disinfectant. The scopes were stored vertically after drying with isopropyl alcohol and forced air.

If contamination levels exceeded pre-determined targets for each cleaning step, the cleaning procedure was repeated and the scope retested, the researchers said.

Surviving microbes were found on 92 percent of the devices after bedside cleaning, 46 percent after manual cleaning, 64 percent after high-level disinfection, and 9 percent after overnight storage, the findings showed.

Residual contamination above target levels was found on 100 percent of the devices after bedside cleaning, 92 percent after manual cleaning, 73 percent after high-level disinfection, and 82 percent after overnight storage, the researchers said.

The researchers do hold out hope that other methods might get hospitals closer to complete disinfection, however.

“More research is needed to identify processes that can ensure all flexible endoscopes are free of residual contamination and viable microbes prior to patient use,” the study authors said. “Results from this study suggest that current standards and practices may not be sufficient for detecting and removing residual contamination.”

The study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about colonoscopy.

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A Man’s Meat Intake Might Influence His Fertility: Study

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Attention, men: Your favorite meats might be helping or harming your fertility, a new study suggests.

While the research can’t prove cause and effect, it shows that men involved in fertility treatment who ate a lot of processed meats — bacon, sausage and the like — had poorer success, while those who ate more chicken or other poultry had better outcomes.

“Many studies have shown that diet can affect human fertility, but our diets are so complex that it is difficult to tease out how particular food types may affect reproductive outcomes,” Dr. Rebecca Sokol, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said in a society news release.

“This study suggests that the type of meat a man consumes may influence his sperm’s ability to fertilize an egg,” she said. “Eating a healthy diet is an easy change to make, and worth making for reproductive health as well as overall health.”

Another expert agreed.

“Decreasing processed-meat consumption can now be added to the list of recommendations — such as to stop smoking, decrease alcohol consumption and lose weight — that we can offer to men prior to fertility treatments to optimize outcomes,” said Dr. Natan Bar-Chama, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

A team led by Dr. Wei Xia, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, published their findings online Aug. 5 in Fertility & Sterility.

In their study, Xia’s team tracked outcomes for 141 men from couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) at Massachusetts General Hospital. The men provided information about their diet, including total meat intake and the types of meat they ate.

The researchers found no association between men’s total meat consumption and the rate of successful fertilization through IVF, either with or without the use of another technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

However, the fertilization rate for both types of IVF was 13 percent higher among men who ate the most poultry, compared with those men who ate the least amount of poultry (78 percent versus 65 percent), the study found.

And the fertilization rate for IVF without ICSI was 28 percent higher among men who ate the least amount of processed meat — such as sausage, bacon and canned meat products — than among those who ate the most processed meat (82 percent versus 54 percent).

Processed-meat consumption did not affect success rates in IVF with ICSI, and there was no association between men’s total meat intake and embryo implantation, pregnancy or live birth rates, according to the study.

So, should men hoping to help their partner conceive avoid bacon and other processed meats?

While it seems “sensible” to at least try the tactic, Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that the study can’t prove a direct link between certain meats and male fertility.

“One of the reasons the study may have found more successful outcomes in the men undergoing fertility treatments who ate chicken over bacon is that chicken-eaters may have an overall healthier diet and lifestyle than bacon-eaters,” she reasoned.

“Perhaps it is not the meat that is the problem, but the dietary choices that men who eat bacon make. Healthier dietary choices usually correlates with a healthier lifestyle, which may overall increase fertility outcomes,” Kavaler said.

For his part, Bar-Chama said that “red meat intake is [already] associated with increased cancer risk, and now with decreased fertility in men.”

He believes more research is now needed to focus on the “biological mechanisms” that might cause a high level of processed-meat intake to lower men’s fertility.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about male infertility.

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Brain Scans Show Why Reading to Kids Is Good for Them

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Brain scans reveal that preschoolers whose parents read to them regularly show more activity in key areas of their brains.

Reading to young children is well known to have benefits, including better language skills. And experts already urge parents to have a regular story time with their kids, starting at birth. It’s been assumed that the habit feeds youngsters’ brain development.

But the new findings, published online Aug. 3 in the journal Pediatrics, offer hard evidence of that theory.

“It’s often said that reading builds brains,” said study leader Dr. John Hutton, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “That seems obvious, but you want to show that it’s actually true.”

So Hutton’s team used functional MRI scans to measure real-time brain activity in 19 children, aged 3 to 5 years, as they listened to stories and to sounds other than speech.

Parents were interviewed about “cognitive stimulation” at home, including how often they read to their children. Based on their responses, the number ranged from two nights a week to every night.

Overall, Hutton’s team found, the more often children had story time at home, the more brain activity they showed while listening to stories in the research lab.

The difference was seen in a brain region involved in so-called semantic processing — the ability to extract meaning from words. There was “particularly robust” activity, the researchers said, in areas where mental images are formed from what is heard.

Hutton said that finding is especially intriguing, because reading to children is assumed to spark their imaginations.

“When children listen to stories, they have to put it all together in their mind’s eye,” Hutton explained.

Even though children’s books have pictures, he added, that’s different from watching all the action play out on a TV or computer screen.

Brandon Korman, chief of neuropsychology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, in Miami, agreed.

When a child is listening to a story, rather than sitting passively in front of a screen, the brain is in a “more active” state, said Korman, who was not involved in the research.

But he also pointed to a question the study cannot answer: Are these differences in preschoolers’ brain activation actually related to their literacy later in childhood?

“That would be a next logical step in this research,” Korman said.

Regardless, he added, the findings still “definitely reinforce” the importance of reading to your children.

As it stands, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to read to their children every day, starting at birth. That pre-kindergarten time is a critical time for brain development, Hutton said. Other research has found that children with poor reading skills in first grade usually do not “catch up” with their peers.

But is there something special about old-fashioned books, versus the reading apps many toddlers are now using on smartphones and tablets? Both Hutton and Korman said it’s not clear whether reading from a device could have different effects on young kids’ emerging reading skills.

However, Korman added, some researchers have voiced concerns that if young children spend too much time on devices, that could take away from human interactions that teach them about empathy, problem-solving and other critical life lessons.

That human connection, Korman said, is one of the reasons it’s so important to read to your child. “The benefits go beyond their cognitive development,” he said.

Hutton agreed that a traditional story time provides a critical “back-and-forth” between parents and children.

“It’s not just a nice thing to do with your child,” he said. “It’s important to their cognitive, social and emotional development.”

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about early reading and literacy.

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Hysterectomy at Younger Age Tied to Heart Disease Risks

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Hysterectomy is associated with an increased likelihood of cardiovascular risk factors and disease, especially among younger women, a new study suggests.

Mayo Clinic researchers looked at data from more than 7,600 women. Half of the group had a hysterectomy, while the other half (the “control” group) didn’t have the procedure.

Women who had a hysterectomy before age 35 were much more likely to have a stroke than age-matched women in the control group, the investigators found. In addition, among women aged 35 to 40, high blood pressure was much more common among those in the hysterectomy group than those in the control group.

Although the study found an association between menopause and cardiovascular problems, the study wasn’t designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study was recently published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, and women see primarily gynecologists between 18 years and 64 years — a time when early screening for cardiovascular disease would be important,” lead author Dr. Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, an obstetrician-gynecologist, said in Mayo news release.

“We wanted to do this study to find a gynecologic screening method for cardiovascular disease,” she added.

Women in the hysterectomy group were much more likely to have pre-existing cardiovascular disease risk factors than those in the control group. Women under age 35 in the hysterectomy group had the most cardiovascular risk factors and disease, including stroke, the investigators found.

Obesity was the cardiovascular disease risk factor most strongly linked with hysterectomy at all ages in the study. Other risk factors were associated with a woman’s age when she had a hysterectomy.

Women who had a hysterectomy after age 50 did not have more cardiovascular disease risk factors and were less likely to have had a stroke or congestive heart failure, compared with age-matched women in the control group.

The findings show that women undergoing a hysterectomy should talk with their doctor about cardiovascular risks and possible prevention, the researchers said.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about heart disease in women.

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Boy, Girl Newborns Show Spinal Differences: Study

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The spines of boys and girls aren’t the same size at birth, a new study shows.

Researchers suspect this difference is probably due to an evolutionary adaptation that allows females’ spines to cope with the added weight they carry during pregnancy.

The researchers used MRIs to measure the small bones that form the spine (vertebrae) in 70 healthy, full-term male and female newborns.

The diameter of cross sections of the vertebrae — a key factor in the strength of these bones — were an average of 11 percent smaller in girls than boys, the study revealed.

The study was published in the August issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.

“Human beings are the only mammals in which this difference is seen, and it is one of the few key physiological differences between the sexes,” study senior author Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, research imaging program director at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, said in a hospital news release.

“The reason could be that the spine has to move forward during pregnancy, so that the female can walk and maintain her center of gravity,” he explained.

But, what helps a woman carry a baby during pregnancy may make her susceptible to injury the rest of her life. Gilsanz said these changes increase stress on the back and up the odds of fractures later in life.

Women also have a higher risk of scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine) and osteoporosis than men, Gilsanz noted.

“Although we’ve known that girls had smaller vertebrae than boys, we did not know how early this difference first occurred,” Gilsanz said. “Our study indicates that the distinction between sexes is already present at birth, and provides new evidence that this difference begins during prenatal development of the axial skeleton.”

“This is an example of how traits that might predispose an individual to disease can be mitigated through personalized medicine and customized health care, beginning early in life,” he added.

More information

The National Osteoporosis Foundation has more about osteoporosis and the spine.

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Common Weight-Loss Surgery May Lower Tolerance for Alcohol

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — People who have the most popular type of weight-loss surgery are far less able to handle alcohol after their procedure, a small, new study suggests.

“This surgery literally doubles the amount of alcohol that immediately enters your bloodstream,” explained study author Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St Louis.

“And it also increases the patient’s long-term risk for alcoholism, because the risk for a binge episode of drinking goes up. And we know that binge drinking increases the risk for going on to develop alcoholism in the future,” Klein said.

The finding stems from an analysis involving 17 obese women. Eight had undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery from one to five years before the study began, while the other nine women had not yet had the operation.

Klein and his colleagues reported their findings online Aug. 5 in the journal JAMA Surgery.

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains that the surgery, often called “gastric bypass,” divides up the stomach and small intestine, to restrict and redirect food absorption.

Following surgery, less food is consumed and what is taken in no longer comes into contact with the stomach, duodenum or upper intestine.

Though other surgical options exist for weight loss, the researchers noted that Roux-en-Y is currently the most commonly performed weight-loss (“bariatric”) procedure in the world.

In the study, all of the women were asked to consume either the equivalent of two standard alcoholic drinks or two non-alcoholic “dummy” drinks in two 10-minute drinking sessions conducted about a week apart.

Rather than using the kind of breathalyzer technology typically used by roadside police, the authors measured blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels. “Drunkenness” was clinically assessed by matching each participant’s behavior to an “Addiction Research Center Inventory” checklist.

The result: BAC levels rose much faster among those in the bypass group, and ultimately peaked at levels pegged at twice those seen among those in the non-bypass group.

What’s more, BAC levels among the bypass group exceeded legal driving limits for a half-hour following drink consumption. BAC levels never exceeded legal driving limits among the non-bypass group.

Feelings of drunkenness were also greater among the bypass group. And according to criteria established by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the team concluded that just two drinks put the bypass patients into the equivalent of a binge-drinking episode that could potentially raise the risk for long-term alcohol addiction.

Klein stressed that the laboratory methods he and his colleagues used were more rigorous and definitive than what has been used in previous studies looking at the issue.

But the finding isn’t really novel, said Dr. John Morton, chief of bariatric and minimally invasive surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif.

“This is a very well-known phenomenon. We’ve known about this for quite a while,” he countered.

“It’s about physiology, and we certainly do let patients know ahead of time about the enhancement of alcohol sensitivity following this procedure, which happens because we have alcohol receptors in the stomach and the liver. And if you bypass and remove a portion of either of these, you have a change in blood alcohol levels,” Morton said.

“But that’s not peculiar to bariatric patients,” added Morton, who is also president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. “That would happen following any kind of gastrointestinal surgery.”

And, he explained, “at the same time, this is a phenomenon we only see with this specific type of bariatric surgery. You don’t see it with gastric band or other weight-loss surgeries. And I also don’t think it’s the case that the theory being offered that this phenomenon can lead to binge drinking is actually what we see happen in practice.”

More information

There’s more on bariatric surgery at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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Weight-Loss Surgery’s Benefits May Fade With Time, Study Suggests

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Although weight-loss surgery may produce initial dramatic weight loss and improve type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests that in the long run, many people regain weight and see their diabetes return.

In fact, in the first year after an operation called sleeve gastrectomy, patients lost 77 percent their excess weight. But by the fifth year they regained weight, bringing their weight loss to only 56 percent. Also, 51 percent of patients saw type 2 diabetes disappear in the first year. By the fifth year, only 20 percent were still free of type 2 diabetes, researchers said.

“Weight-loss surgery is not a panacea for weight loss over the long run,” said lead researcher Dr. Andrei Keidar, of the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Keidar said several reasons account for weight gain after surgery. “The main reason is that the stomach dilates, meaning you can eat more. The appetite comes back so patients can eat more and they want to eat more,” he said.

Weight-loss surgery is a “behavioral surgery,” Keidar said. “If you don’t change your behavior, you are going to regain weight.”

For the study, Keidar’s team collected data on almost 450 operations done between April 2006 and February 2013. By the fifth year after surgery, however, only 39 people had full follow-up data.

The researchers also found that throughout the five years, 46 percent of the patients experienced a drop in blood pressure. Changes in cholesterol, however, were insignificant, they said.

Several weight-loss procedures are available. This study looked specifically at laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which is becoming a more common procedure, researchers said.

During a sleeve gastrectomy, surgeons remove most of the stomach and create a long, slender pouch, or sleeve, from the remaining portion of the stomach, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Reducing the size of the stomach limits the amount of food you can eat.

Removing most of the stomach also causes changes in gut hormones, suppresses appetite, lowers blood sugar and may make you feel fuller longer, according to the NIDDK.

Despite the weight gain and the return of diabetes, Keidar believes surgery is still the best hope obese patients have. “The results are still better with surgery than from diet programs or other treatments,” he said.

The report was published Aug. 5 online in JAMA Surgery.

Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, “After surgery the metabolic rate goes down and that opposes weight loss, so you can be eating significantly less than you used to and begin to regain weight. No matter what the operation is, the body wants to go back to its original weight.”

Dr. Anita Courcoulas, chief of the Section of Minimally Invasive Bariatric and General Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said, “There are still critical gaps in knowledge about the long-term results of bariatric surgery.”

In most bariatric surgery studies, including this one, the rates of complete follow-up of patients are low, she said. For example, in this study only 49 percent of people provided data three years after surgery.

“This means that people who do not return to their surgeon or medical center may have different experiences and/or different results from those who do,” said Courcoulas, who wrote an accompanying journal editorial.

Five years after sleeve gastrectomy, people regain weight and fewer remain free from type 2 diabetes, she said.

“This implies that longer-term and more complete follow-up is needed to determine more definitively the long-term outcomes of this procedure,” Courcoulas said. In addition, she noted that there aren’t many studies on selecting who the best patients are for these surgeries, and whether or not specific procedures have better or worse results.

More information

For more information on weight loss surgery, visit the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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6 Underwear Rules Every Woman Should Live By

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Newsflash: it’s National Underwear Day. Started by an underwear retailer called Freshpair in 2013, the holiday has been celebrated on August 5th since 2003. Sure, you might think this is a silly campaign to sell panties, but we probably don’t talk about our undies enough.

Example: Did you know that the wrong pair of undies during exercise can up your risk of infection? Or that there is a time when going commando is a good idea? Keep reading.

In honor of this very important holiday (kidding, kind of), we rounded up 6 underwear rules every woman should live by, with the help of top experts.

Let her breathe

Not only is tight-hugging underwear often uncomfortable when worn for long periods of time, it’s also not the healthiest situation for your vagina because it limits airflow. And just as important as well-fitting undies are those made with the right material.

“Cotton undergarments are the best due to their breathability,” explains Melissa Goist, MD, an ob/gyn at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Synthetic fabrics tend to hold onto moisture, possibly causing skin irritation.”

Though cotton is likely your gyno’s first choice in fabric, it sometimes lays lumpy and bumpy under your clothes. But fear not, there are close runner-ups. “Panties made of things like polyester, nylon, Lycra or Spandex sometimes have more stretch and lay nicer under clothing and still come with that cotton crotch,” adds Melissa Piliang, MD, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

Use a skin-friendly laundry detergent

Treat your skin down there as sensitively as possible, our experts advise. “I like a hypoallergenic detergent, one that’s made for sensitive skin, free of dyes or perfumes,” Dr. Piliang says.

You should also avoid using bleach on laundry day if your knickers are involved.

“You never want to bleach your panties,” warns Dr. Piliang. “Not only does it break down the fibers of the cloth and wear your underwear out faster, it can also expose you to chemicals when it interacts with elastic that can cause an allergic reaction on the skin.”

RELATED: 4 Ways to Pamper Your Sensitive Skin

Change them (duh)

Seems obvious, right? But in addition to changing them daily, you should avoid sitting too long in a damp pair on a sweaty summer afternoon—or worse, post-workout, if you’re prone to yeast infections.

“Underwear can trap moisture,” says Dr. Goist, adding that bacteria and yeast “love to multiple in a warm and wet environment.”

Whether you’re prone to infection or not, use dampness as a cue to send your undies to the laundry basket. “If the discharge is bothersome—you can feel the wetness or moisture—then you should get a new pair,” Dr. Goist adds.

It’s also important to note that lingerie has a shelf life: “Once the elastic is failed and they’re not staying in place and causing extra rubbing and shifting around, it’s time to throw them out and get some new ones,” Dr. Piliang says.

RELATED: The Perfect Pair of Performance Underwear

Think before you thong

“Due to the nature of the design, thongs can potentially promote transmission of colon bacteria towards and into the vagina,” says Dr. Goist. “This potentially will disrupt the normal bacterial milieu and increase the risk of vaginal and urinary infections.”

And if you’ve ever had the displeasure of working out in a G-string, you may want invest in a panty that’s designed for exercise to keep in your gym bag.

“Lots of sports gear incorporates that element these days,” Dr. Piliang says. “Bras, socks, shorts, and underwear now come in a kind of nylon wicking material that will absorb the sweat and pull it away from the body so it can dry. The last thing you want to do is sit there in a soaking wet pair of underwear.” (Again, especially if you’re prone to yeast infections.)

A good general rule of thumb: limit your thong use to when you really need to wear them (we’re looking at you, Little Black Dress).

RELATED: 5 Things You Definitely Should Not Be Doing to Your Vagina

Study the stains

Grossed out? Don’t be. You don’t have to get that up close and personal with your unmentionables, but you should be paying attention because your discharge can tell you a lot about your health and whether things are working as they should down under.

“Normal is different for everyone,” says Dr. Goist. “Often an off-white discharge is not concerning, but if you have an odorous discharge or notice new blood—and you are not about to menstruate—you should call the physician to discuss.”

RELATED: Good Gyno Hygiene: Debunking Pelvic Myths

Know when to go bare

You’ve probably wondered whether going commando is safe for your lady bits. Turns out, it is—if you’re comfortable sans that little layer between you and, well, everything else.

“Commando is safe as long as there is no other fabric causing friction on the vulva,” explains Dr. Goist.

But there are a few instances where skipping underwear is not in your best interest (and not just when you’re in a dress on a windy day).

“First of all, wear undies when you work out,” says Dr. Goist. “If you don’t the friction from the workout can cause major discomfort and soreness.” She also advises never to skip underwear when wearing jeans to prevent painful chafing that can lead to sores—and then possible infections. Yeeouch!

Your safest bet is relaxing undie-free at bedtime. In fact, it’s sometimes a healthier option at night. “If a woman is having vaginal problems, discharge, or pain then often sleeping commando is encouraged,” says Dr. Goist, who gives the go-ahead for snoozing easy and breezy in a nightgown or your birthday suit.

RELATED: 8 Ways to Fall in Lust With Your Body

Bottom line: “There are many different types of panties these days, and somewhere you’re bound to find something that feels both nice on your skin and comfortable on your body,” concludes Dr. Piliang. Whether you’re a cheeky gal, lacy lady, boy-short lover or full-coverage fan, always practice these safe and sanitary undie habits.

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Bubble Nails: The New Trend That’s Taking Over the Internet

The latest nail trend is surprising to say the least. Women are going beyond experimenting with colors and designs to play with the actual shape of their nails with 3D “bubble nails.”

RELATED: Skip the nail salon with these 5 secrets to the perfect at-home manicure

So, what exactly do bubble nails look like? Somewhat similar to what your fingers might look like after getting jammed in a car door and swelling like crazy. Or, if you stuck your nails in crazy glue and then straight into a bowl full of gumballs.

While bubble nails are recently trending, they’re not exactly new. In 2009, NAILS magazine published a post about the possibility of it becoming a popular style. About six years later, the trend has finally caught on, with thousands of Instagram posts under the #bubblenails hashtag.

“It was prevalent five or six years ago, right at the beginning of nail art, but it never gained popularity,” celebrity nail artist Pattie Yankee told TODAY.com.

RELATED: 7 things to know before getting a manicure

According to Yankee, bubble nails are essentially acrylics with a much greater thickness than normal. To achieve the look, a nail technician places a ball (or multiple balls) of acrylic at the center of the nail and builds it out by adding layers.

While acrylics are typically applied as thinly as possible, this look is all about the bulk. But because the application creates such a heavy layer, Yankee warns the acrylic may be more prone to falling off.

“The point is to make it pop more,” said Yankee, who explained that she often had clients ask for an accentuation of their natural hump in the ’80s, but never this exaggerated.

Read the rest of this story on TODAY.com.

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