Everyone has something about the physical appearance they want to change. But some of us take things to dangerous extremes without even realizing it. This is a list of ten recent beauty trends that can have dire consequences.
10Kylie Jenner Challenge
With some of the items on this list, there are usually safe ways to achieve the end result. If you want fuller, larger lips, one of those safe ways isn’t sucking into bottles or small glasses.
The results may seem okay at first, but the physical issues, like nerve damage or bruising, are less than ideal. Do you think this is a beauty?
9Corset Training
The phrase “risk of organ displacement” gets thrown around a lot these days, but… actually, it doesn’t. But it’s a very real risk for those who seek to reshape their body through extensive use of corsets. That is the worst-case scenario, but other risks can be just as bad, including internal bruising or impaired breathing.
8Brazilian Blowout
It sounds like a fun time, but this treatment, which aims to make hair feel smoother without the usual burning sensation of usual straightening treatments, contains formaldehyde.
At room temperature or higher, formaldehyde creates short-term and long-term problems, ranging from nose bleeds to leukemia and cancer. Is it worth it?
7Gel Manicures
Seen as an easier approach to the traditional manicure, the risk that arises from this treatment isn’t to the nails themselves, but rather the skin of the hands.
Part of the process is UV drying. Given what we know about UV tanning and its increased risks of cancer, it’s safe to assume that the same risks apply to gel manicures.
6Eyelash Growth Products
Latisse is a drug that promotes eyelash growth. While that’s cool and everything, it also promotes eye itchiness and, perhaps more concerning, permanent and irreversible change in eye color. Wouldn’t mascara be easier?
5Treating Hair With Fire
For those of you looking to take eyelash curling to the extreme, one YouTuber advocates using fire. It’s as easy as holding a burning piece of wood close to your eye! It should go without saying that sticking a burning anything near your eyes is a bad idea (and the host at least has the foresight to mention this), but we aren’t so sure this has stopped people from following her advice.
4Rubber Band Braces
Doing expensive medical procedures yourself is a dangerous thing. That hasn’t stopped people with zero training from entering the world of orthodontics, however. Can you properly control the strength of a rubber band as it pulls at your teeth? Well, it can cause said teeth to fall out, so probably not.
3Sunburn Tattoos
Sunburns are already dangerous. Intentionally getting a sunburn so as to leave a specific design on your body, while perhaps aesthetically pleasing, just means you’ll have something pretty to think about during the skin cancer diagnosis. Doctors shouldn’t have to write lengthy explanations on why this is a terrible idea.
2A4 Waist Challange
A4 refers to a size of paper (roughly eight inches wide). Currently popular in China, social media users participate by holding a piece of paper in front of their waist to show off that they are thinner than paper is wide.
People who achieve this measurement risk being underweight depending on their height, among other issues.
1Fish Pedicures
A species of fish nicknamed the “doctor fish” will eat away at the dead, callused skin of your feet, and some spas offer this as a professional treatment. Here’s the thing: it’s incredibly unhygienic. The fish themselves can carry fungal infections and the common methods used to treat the water—UV light—aren’t very effective at actually cleaning it.
