Cosmetic and grooming safety is generally thought of as a discussion of product ingredients, but they only tell part of the story.  Here are some goofy, but common casualties we encounter in our grooming.

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• Stick in your eye:  Ophthalmologists warn that “the most serious problem related to eye makeup involves injury to the cornea (the clear front surface of the eye), often during application…” of mascara, writes the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois in Chicago, particularly if you wear contact lenses.  Not only is the wand sharp at one end, some of the volumizers vibrate, making it even harder to keep your hand steady.  Apply slowly, and don’t use pencil eyeliner if you can help it, that can scratch your lids if not smoothly sharpened.  Keep your fingers out of your eyes, too.  Your fingernail can do just as much damage as a utensil.  Lastly, and we shouldn’t have to say this,  if you’ve already left the house – putting on makeup while behind the wheel is called “impeded operation” and will result in a hefty fine from that cute State Patrolman, not to mention the danger.

• Spit in your eye:  NEVER add saliva to dried-up mascara or any other makeup for that matter.  If it’s dried up, throw it away.  Adding any kind of water introduces bacteria and dilutes the preservative that is intended to fight it off.

• Hey hot stuff:  Scalps and hands are seriously burned each day because folks have forgotten to turn off the flat iron or curling iron.  Try to buy only curling and flat irons that have automatic shut-offs, and once the handle wears down, replace it with one that has a good grip.

• Weapons of ear destruction – Q-Tips:  They seem so sensible, yet even the makers of Q-Tips say that they are for the outside of the ear, not inside. Some wax is good, and accidently sticking one of the cottony swabs too far into the ear canal can injure or rupture an eardrum. Overuse can also dry out the ears making them itchy, which causes you to want to swab them more.  It’s a vicious cycle.  Clean the outside of your ears with a Q-Tip and the inside with a washcloth.

• Easy on those choppers:  Brushing your teeth is good for you, but over-doing it or brushing too hard can lead to “tooth and gum abrasion, which can lead to sensitivity, gum recession, and periodontal disease” reports Business Week.  Use a soft brush, dentists say, and take it easy.

We haven’t even talked about men putting razor blades to their throat each day, but we’ll get to it.  Until then, be careful out there…

Associated Press reported last week that the life-long goal of Lee Redmond is over.  The 68 year-old from Salt Lake City holds The Guinness Book of World Records for the length of her fingernails: 28 feet, if you add them all up.  Her longest nail was her right thumb, at 2 feet, 11 inches.

But Ms. Redmond was in a car accident in February and though she walked away from the event unscathed, her nails did not survive.

The story has been buzzing through the online masses, especially last Friday when everyone was just trying to kill time, waiting for vacation weekend.  Two videos popped up on YouTube: one very hilarious episode of Ellen DeGeneres interviewing Ms. Redmond and trying to recreate the action of wiping herself after peeing with fake 2-foot long fingernails.  The other is a CBS segment on “Ripley’s Believe it or not.”

Redmond has been growing her nails for 30 full years.  In 1979, she just decided to stop filing them;  evidently, just to get into The Guiness (or perhaps another kind of Guinness is what got her into this.)  It has clearly been an all-consuming avocation. She is bone thin, presumably because she can’t feed herself.  Her hair is a frizzy mane that could use a good hand to comb and cut it.

But by Gawd, Lee Redmond took on a goal and stuck to it.  We have to give her credit for veracity, right?  I mean, one cracked nail for me might ruin an evening, but not 30 years. Nonetheless, I bid Ms. Edmond fond farewell into retirement.  I also encourage her to take up crocheting for the next 30.  It’s more age appropriate.

]]> http://lookingood.com/2009/09/a-fragile-career-ended/feed/ 0 http://lookingood.com/2009/08/queen-nefertiti-inspires-51-cosmetics-surgeries/ http://lookingood.com/2009/08/queen-nefertiti-inspires-51-cosmetics-surgeries/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:20:12 +0000 Gina http://lookingood.com/?p=931 What is it with the UK? A few months ago we reported on the 50 year-old British mother who was resorting to cosmetic surgery to look just like her 32 year-old daughter.  We hope Mum and Babe have found love in the Land of Delusion.

Last week we ran a press release about a clinic in England that is perfecting eyelash transplants.  It seemed to us a little over-the-top, but as a spokesperson for the clinic said:  “As the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, we’re constantly looking for innovative treatments that can offer our patients a new-found confidence.”  And nothing says confidence like fake eyelashes.

Now, England’s 2nd largest tabloid newspaper, The Daily Mail, reports on Nileen Namita, a 49 year-old woman who believes she is the reincarnation of Queen Nefertiti, and has spent the last 20 years reconstructing her face to resemble the 3000 year-old Queen – or at least how she is supposed to have looked – back then.  She estimates she has spent around £200,000, or in American money – about $360,000.

Strange dreams of ancient structures, servants and unfamiliar foods drove her to a psychoanalyst where, “[s]lowly I began to realise that I was having these dreams because I am a reincarnation of Nefertiti,” she told the Daily Mail.  Over the years, she has had 51 facial surgeries, allegedly including  “eight nose jobs, three chin implants, one eyebrow lift, three facelifts, six mini facelifts, two lip surgeries, five eye surgeries and 20 minor tweaks.”

Unlike a certain dead American pop star however, she still has a nose.  You can see her before and after pictures in the story, and honestly, when she dons all the Egyptian costume garb, she sorta pulls it off.  In every day clothes, though, not so much.

This procedeure from Transform marks an important landmark in the permanent treatment of madarosis – the medical term for eyelash loss. The micro-surgical eyelash transplant procedure is only available in the UK making it a very exclusive procedure.

The eyelash transplant procedure begins by taking a hair graft from the back of the head and then by dissecting it under a microscope, it is placed into tiny incisions in the eyelid. The procedure takes approximately four hours and is done under local anaesthetic.

The eyelash transplant procedure is minimally invasive and usually only one session is needed with natural results visible between 4-6 months post procedure.

Ideal candidates of eyelash transplants are those who suffer from alopecia, trichotillomania (self-inflicted obsessive plucking), or those who have suffered from hair loss due to radiation or chemotherapy. However, the treatment can also be used for cosmetic purposes to improve the fullness and length of lashes – competing directly with the false lash market.

Shami Thomas, from Transform, comments; “As the UK’s largest cosmetic surgery provider, we’re constantly looking for innovative treatments that can offer our patients a new-found confidence.

“We often look to America for the latest in cosmetic surgery as they’re the pioneers in the industry, but not all are as successful and safe as this one. The Eyelash Transplant procedure is a very safe, cost-effective and pain-free treatment that can have life-changing effects.”

Case Study

Transform treated the UK’s first ever patient, 19-year-old Louise Thomas of Stockport, Manchester, with resounding success. Trichotillomania sufferer, Louise, comments “Having suffered from trichotillomania for 17 years, I learned to accept that I’d never have real lashes again. That’s quite a hard issue for a young girl to come to terms with.

“When I heard about this treatment it sounded too good to be true but the results are absolutely amazing! I feel so feminine again and simple things like being able to wear mascara have made such a positive difference with my confidence.”

Eyelash Transplants at Transform clinics start from £3500. For more information, visit http://www.transforminglives.co.uk or call 0500 59 59 59.

For media information, please contact Sasha Blake at Brazen on:
T: 0161 923 4994 M: 07809 554 333 or E: sasha(at)brazenpr.com
http://www.transforminglives.co.uk/footer/press_enquiries.aspx

Transform Cosmetic and Non-Cosmetic Surgery Procedures
Abbey Pines Hospital
192 Altrincham Rd
Manchester
M22 4RZ

The device works by creating a vacuum over your mouth and sucking your lips into the tube, drawing fluid into the lips that leaves them plumped for two to three hours at a time, according to the website. It suggests easing into to it to allow your lips to adjust to the influx of fluid: five 2-second pulls a day for the first couple of weeks; three 10-second plumps two or three times a day after that; then once you’re a pro, three or four 15-second plumps two or three times a day, not to exceed 120 seconds a day.

The concept is interesting, and the physiology makes sense, but we couldn’t help noticing that the device looks similar to pumps you might use on other parts of the anatomy for various other purposes. And if the principle is the same, couldn’t you use one of these pumps you might already have?

Do you plump your pout? Would you try suction over irritation or injection? Have you tried the Luscious Lips Lip Pump?  Sassback!