HEALTH & FITNESS :: THE HEALTH RISKS OF LOOKING GOOD 

Looking good and beautiful can be dangerous? Read below to know how!

(Source : FEMALE, July 2004)

 HAIR COLOURING

Allergic reactions to the strong chemicals in the dyes can cause changes in skin colour, blistering or even sin eruptions. But allergies aside, apart from being harsh on the hair, chemicals in permanent hair colour kits like amine dyes may cause cancers.

EYELINER

Germs that inhabit the tip of the pencil can enter the eyes. Liquid eyeliner gets dirtier and dirtier each time the nib is applied to the skin and dipped back into the vat, a surefire nesting ground for bacterias. Mascara works the same way.

CONTACT LENSES

Contact lenses spend hours in your eyes and can be vessels of bacteria and germs. The rigid, non-gas-permeable lenses, a rather unpopular choice these days, can scratch the corneaif left in the eyes overnight or if used without proper fitting. Also, contact lenses could also cause corneal damage or infections.

MANICURES / PEDICURES

Less than stringent sterilisation of our manicure or pedicure kit could lead to bad things. An infected pedicure foot bath could pass on bacterial or fungal infections. And though extremely rare, there is still a chance that dirty, unsterilised cutting equipment can pass on colds, flus, warts, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and even HIV!

TIGHT LOW-WAIST JEANS

Skin-tight low-riders can cause pinched nerves, resulting in a condition called meralgia paresthetica - an itching, burning sensation in the hips and thights.

HIGH HEELS

High-heels essentially force you to stand on your toes, causing your pelvis to tilt forward and your back to arch. Two problems can arise from this misaligned posture - chronic lower backache and knee pain.

CORSETS

While corsetry of the past was wrought with health problems, latter-day versions are not without their hazards. Modern incarnations of the corset may not cause an overlapping rib cage and compressed internal organs to the same degree as their predecessors, but that's not to say that the direct effects - restricted breathing capacity and mobility, possible skin and muscle deterioration and digestive problems - won't plague corset wearers of today.

PIERCING

Any procedure that breaks the skin opens the receiver to risks. A sterilising auto-clave, a spotlessly sanitary piercing are and new, sterilised body jewellery must be used. Infections, bleeding, scarring and the possible transmission of diseases like HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis could result. Nerve damage could happen in areas like nipple or tounge, which are saturated with nerves.