Dangerous Beauty Treatments: Why Are Women Still Using Them?
The Brazilian blowout hair treatment, which has levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde, despite claims to the contrary, may be the latest beauty treatment to come under fire, but it's far from the first.
Many women are willing to try anything in the name of beauty even when the treatment is questionable or unsafe or even unsanitary.
Think about the many sketchy pedicure places where foot infections run rampant or the cheap mall laser and Botox treatments so many are willing to use. There is little that women will not do in the pursuit of beauty.
More from The Stir:The World's Most Expensive Beauty Treatments
Here are five questionable beauty treatments that many women around the world are still using:
Tanning beds: Tan skin used to be a sign of health, and although that perception is changing, tanning beds are still very popular even though they more than double a person's chances of developing a number of skin cancers and also damage the eyes, as they're extremely sensitive to UV rays.
Skin lighteners: Used primarily in Asia where lighter skin is considered more desirable, skin lighteners attack the skin to make it lighter. The countless generic producers who mix any kind of ingredients together and sell them cheap are very dangerous and there are many scarred faces as a result.
More from The Stir:Homemade Beauty Recipes: Bye Bye Cellulite and Pimples!
Lead lipstick: Some lipsticks do contain lead. It doesn't mean that all lipstick is unsafe, but according to the Mayo Clinic:
The FDA is developing a lead test for lipsticks and says that it intends to publish results in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Meantime, there is no recommendation from the FDA that restricts the use of lipsticks because of lead.
Eyelash tinting: This is not a legal beauty treatment, but some women do it anyway. The dyes use the same ingredients as hair coloring products. Obviously, the same chemicals like ammonia and peroxide you use in your hair aren't good so close to your eyes and yet women do it to achieve the dark-lashed look so many want.
More from The Stir: Angelina Jolie Is Aging -- And It Shows
Bikini waxing: As it becomes increasingly popular to go bare down there, more and more reports of women with infections are coming out. Most dermatologists will say not to do it since that hair is there for a reason.
According to Glamour:
It leaves your skin -- which can be more sensitive in the bikini region -- prone to rashes and irritation, which can lead to other skin problems.
Would you try these treatments anyway? And if so, why?
Written by Sasha Brown-Worsham for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
More from The Stir:
Botox: My Friends Are Getting It. Would You?
Are You Addicted to Tanning?
The Brazilian Bikini Wax: Would You Dare?
Image via Facebook