3 Expensive Beauty Services That Can Damage Your Health
Advertisements of trendy beauty services in women’s journals often depict glamorous transformations and promise to enhance your appearance effortlessly. They assure you a flawless complexion, frizz-free hair, and dramatic lashes.
Sure, you will get a youthful appearance, but the price you pay for them is hefty—both financially and in terms of your well-being. Trendy beauty treatments might transform your looks immediately, but they will jeopardize your health in the long run. These can cause eye irritation, nausea, dizziness, and cancers of the skin, breast, and uterus.
Peeling back the layers of glossy marketing and delving into the reality of these treatments before you go for them is important. Here, we’ll discuss some trendy beauty services that not only cost a lot but also have the potential to cause harm to your health.
#1 Gel Manicures
Cost: $30 to $90, depending on your city and salon
A chip-free manicure that lasts for weeks—who doesn’t love that? Gel procedures help you achieve a flawless, long-lasting manicure that doesn’t chip, peel, or fade. Their glamorous appearance and durability have made them a much sought-after option among women.
While these manicures give traditional manicures a run for their money, the perks come at a price. Gel manicures will ravage your nails if you get them more often than not. That is concerning, but more worrying is their link with skin cancer.
The ultraviolet (UV) lights that dry gel manicures emit artificial UV radiation, akin to the natural UV radiation that the sun or the tanning bed produces. This light can damage cells and increase your risk of skin cancer, such as basal cell and squamous cell cancer.
To mitigate your risk of skin cancer, wear fingerless gloves and apply sunscreen to your hands to protect your skin from the UV lights. Opt for salons that use LED lamps instead of UV light lamps. The former is safe for your skin, unlike the latter.
#2 Brazilian Blowouts and Hair Relaxers
Cost: $300-$500
Brazilian blowouts and hair relaxers are a boon for women with curly or tightly coiled hair. These two hair treatments promise sleek, silky strands, allowing women to style their hair as they want. The result? Your hair becomes sick straight for a couple of months, followed by years of lifeless locks.
Damage to mane isn’t the only side effect of these treatments. These products pose a significant risk to human health.
A recent publication found that chemicals such as formaldehyde, or methylene glycol and formalin, present in Brazilian blowouts and hair straighteners, may cause uterine cancer. These toxic substances act like estrogen in the body and disrupt normal hormonal processes. Formaldehyde is added in hair straightening treatments to alter the structure of the hair and make it straight.
Over 7,000 hair straightener lawsuits have been filed against the companies that marketed these products overwhelmingly, following studies on uterine cancer. Some notable industry giants named in the lawsuit are L’Oreal, Just For Me, Dark & Lovely, and Softsheen-Carson (optimum relaxer), informs TorHoerman Law.
The hair relaxer lawsuit filed by numerous women asserts that they developed uterine cancer after using hair relaxers and straighteners. Quite shockingly, some women developed breast cancer and uterine fibroids due to exposure to the chemicals present in hair relaxers.
The only way to minimize your cancer risk is to opt for formaldehyde-free alternatives. Alternatively, wearing respiratory masks while getting these treatments will keep you safe from inhaling the chemicals released.
#3 Lash Dips
Cost: $120-$300
Yearning to get extra long, voluminous lashes like Kim Kardashian?
A mascara can help you get that. Many women, however, are trying lash dips—a procedure that lifts or curls the lashes with a heated comb, after which a semi-permanent solution is applied. This lasts for about six weeks—sounds worth trying, doesn’t it?
A lash dip can save you time that you would otherwise spend curling your eyelashes, but it is accompanied by side effects.
Your eyes may burn, itch, or become red if the solution lands in them. If you rub your irritated eyes, you can experience corneal abrasion. Moreover, your eyelashes will weaken and damage over time and become prone to breakage if you go for lash dips too often.
Try lash dip alternatives such as growth serum to reduce your risk of corneal abrasion and prevent irritation. If you opt for lash dips, ensure the procedure is performed by a licensed and experienced technician who follows proper safety protocols.
To wrap things up, trendy beauty services promise quick fixes and transformative results. But almost all treatments come with hidden risks that compromise your health in the long run.
Whether you plan to go for gel manicures or lash dips, it’s advisable to approach these treatments with caution. You must always prioritize safety over gratification. Attaining beauty at the expense of your health isn’t worth it. Hence, do your own research and understand potential risks before you opt for any beauty treatment.
