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Former beauty queen dies after cosmetic surgery

<p>Former beauty queen Jaquelin Carrieri, 48, has sadly passed away following complications from cosmetic surgery. </p> <p>The mother-of-two from Argentina suffered a blood clot and passed away at an unnamed clinic in Los Angeles, California on Sunday October 1st. </p> <p>A post on her Instagram page confirmed the tragic news. </p> <p>"We want to inform our followers today of some sad news," the post began. </p> <p>"Jaquelin Carrieri, who was Queen of Punta del Agua District and Deputy Queen of San Rafael Department in 1996, has passed away.</p> <p>"From Reinas de San Rafael, we want to extend our condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time." </p> <p>According to another statement posted on Facebook the following day, Carrieri passed away from a "stroke" caused by cosmetic surgery.</p> <p>"Jaquelin Carrieri has passed away," the statement began.</p> <p>"She was a woman of great talent, an actress in one of our department’s plays that was being performed at the Roma Theatre until just a few days ago.</p> <p>"Jaquelin also owned a high-end fashion store called Jaquelin Carrieri Boutique, which unfortunately had to close its doors during the pandemic.</p> <p>"She was well known for dressing the San Rafael pageant queens for many years, making their dresses shine during the Vía Blanca and Carrusel Vendimial parades.</p> <p>"In her youth, she was also Deputy Queen of the San Rafael en Vendimia festival.</p> <p>"She passed away in Los Angeles, California, due to a stroke that may have been caused by cosmetic surgery". </p> <p>Carrieri was just days away from celebrating her 49th birthday, and grieving friends have taken to social media to share their heartache. </p> <p>"Dear Jaqui yesterday I sent you a message for your birthday and I was surprised you didn't answer. Today on TV I heard this terrible news. I will always love you and I'm broken. Lots of light and love to you," one friend said. </p> <p>"All of us who had the pleasure of knowing you and sharing moments of our lives with you know what a wonderful person you were, a beautiful woman in every sense, always with your smile and your glamour," her close friend Jorgelina Olivera said. </p> <p>"Honestly your departure has taken me by surprise and I still can’t believe it.</p> <p>"Thank you, a thousand thanks for coming into my life and painting it with so much joy and happiness.</p> <p>"It was a pleasure to share moments with you, and I will be eternally grateful.</p> <p>"May God welcome you into His glory. It’s not a goodbye but a see you soon, my beautiful and dear Jaquelin".</p> <p>Carrieri leaves behind a son, Julian and daughter, Chloe. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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What’s the connection between cosmetic procedures and mental health?

<p>Although we cannot be sure of the exact numbers of Australians undergoing cosmetic procedures, as there is no requirement for health professionals to report their statistics, there is a consensus demand is on the rise. </p> <p>In 2015, the <a href="https://cpca.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/31-05-2016_AUSTRALIAS_SPEND_ON_COSMETIC_TREATMENTS_TOPS_1_BILLION.pdf">Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia</a> found Australians were spending more than $1 billion a year on non-invasive cosmetic procedures like Botox and fillers. This is more than 40% higher, per capita, than in the United States.</p> <p>In the US, where procedure <a href="https://cdn.theaestheticsociety.org/media/statistics/2021-TheAestheticSocietyStatistics.pdf">statistics are reported</a>, there was a 42% increase in the number of filler procedures and a 40% increase in Botox procedures performed in the last year alone. </p> <p>Rates of mental health issues in this group may be higher than the general population, but seemingly not enough is being done to ensure the psychological safety of people requesting cosmetic procedures.</p> <h2>Body dysmorphic disorder</h2> <p>Body image concerns are generally the main motivator for seeking cosmetic procedures of all kinds. These concerns are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144518305552">usually focused on the body part</a> where the cosmetic intervention is sought, such as the nose for a rhinoplasty. </p> <p>Severe body image concerns are a key feature of several mental health conditions. The most prevalent in people seeking cosmetic procedures is body dysmorphic disorder. In the general community, around 1-3% of people will experience body dysmorphic disorder, but in populations seeking cosmetic surgery, this <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35715310/">rises to 16-23%</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://bdd.iocdf.org/professionals/diagnosis/">Body dysmorphic disorder</a> involves a preoccupation or obsession with one or more perceived flaws in physical appearance which are not visible or seem minor to other people. In response to the distress regarding the flaw, the person with body dysmorphic disorder will perform repetitive behaviours (such as excessively checking body parts in the mirror) and mental acts (such as comparing their appearance with other people). </p> <p>These concerns can have a significant negative impact on the person’s daily life, with some people too distressed to leave their home or even eat dinner with family members out of fear of being seen by others. </p> <p>With the distress associated with body dysmorphic disorder seemingly stemming from physical appearance issues, it makes sense someone with body dysmorphic disorder is far more likely to turn up at a cosmetic clinic for treatment than a mental health clinic.</p> <p>The problem is, cosmetic intervention usually makes the person with body dysmorphic disorder feel the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00266-017-0819-x">same or worse</a> after the procedure. They may become even more preoccupied with the perceived flaw and seek further cosmetic procedures. </p> <p>Patients with body dysmorphic disorder are also <a href="https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/22/6/531/204131">more likely</a> to take legal action against their treating cosmetic practitioner after believing they have not received the result they wanted.</p> <p>For these reasons, body dysmorphic disorder is generally considered by health professionals to be a “red flag” or contraindication (a reason not to undergo a medical procedure) for cosmetic procedures.</p> <p>However, this is not entirely clear-cut. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/asj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/asj/sjac243/6678852?searchresult=1">Some studies</a> have shown people with body dysmorphic disorder can improve their symptoms after cosmetic intervention, but the obsession may just move to another body part and the body dysmorphic disorder diagnosis remain.</p> <h2>What about other mental health conditions?</h2> <p>Body dysmorphic disorder is by far the most well-studied disorder in this area, but is not the only mental health condition that may be associated with poorer outcomes from cosmetic procedures.</p> <p>According to a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8034989/">recent systematic review</a>, the rates of depression (5-26%), anxiety (11-22%) and personality disorders (0-53%) in people seeking cosmetic surgery may be higher than the general population (which are estimated to be 10%, 16% and 12% respectively).</p> <p>However, these rates should be interpreted with some caution as they depend greatly on how the mental health diagnosis was made – clinician-led interview (higher rates) versus mental health questionnaire (lower rates). Some interview approaches can suggest higher rates of mental health issues as they may be quite unstructured and thus have questionable validity compared with highly structured questionnaires. </p> <p>Besides body dysmorphic disorder, the research investigating other mental health conditions is limited. This may just be due to the fact body image focus is at the core of body dysmorphic disorder, which makes it a logical focus for cosmetic surgery research compared with other types of psychiatric disorders.</p> <h2>So what should happen?</h2> <p>Ideally, all cosmetic surgeons and practitioners should receive sufficient training to enable them to conduct a brief routine assessment of all prospective patients. Those with signs indicating they are unlikely to derive psychological benefit from the procedure should undergo a further assessment by a mental health professional before undergoing the procedure. </p> <p>This could include an in-depth clinical interview about motivations for the procedure, and completing a range of standard mental health questionnaires. </p> <p>If a person was found to have a mental health issue in the assessment process, it does not necessarily mean the mental health professional would recommend against pursuing the procedure. They may suggest a course of psychological therapy to address the issue of concern and then undergo the cosmetic procedure. </p> <p>At the moment, assessments are only recommended rather than mandated for cosmetic surgery (and not at all for injectables like Botox and fillers). The <a href="https://plasticsurgery.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2.5-AHPRA-MBA-Guidelines-for-Registered-Medical-Practitioners-Who-Perform-Cosmetic-Medical-and-Surgical-Procedures-2016.pdf">guidelines</a> say evaluation should be undertaken if there are signs the patient has “significant underlying psychological problems”.</p> <p>This means we are relying on the cosmetic medical practitioner being capable of detecting such issues when they may have received only basic psychological training at medical school, and when their business may possibly benefit from not attending to such diagnoses.</p> <p>An August 2022 <a href="https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Cosmetic-surgery-hub/Cosmetic-surgery-review.aspx">independent review</a> by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Medical Board of Australia recommended the guidelines around mental health assessment should be “strengthened” and emphasised the importance of medical practitioners receiving more training in the detection of psychiatric disorders. </p> <p>Ultimately, as cosmetic practitioners are treating patients who are seeking treatment for psychological rather than medical reasons, they must have the wellbeing of the patient front-of-mind, both out of professional integrity and to protect themselves from legal action. Mandatory evaluation of all patients seeking any kind of cosmetic procedure would likely improve patient satisfaction overall.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-connection-between-cosmetic-procedures-and-mental-health-190841" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Why are young women without wrinkles using Botox?

<p>The battle against wrinkles has lasted for centuries. Long before surgical facelifts, people ingested powders and potions, stretched their faces using thread and tape, and rubbed their skin with Crisco, acid and animal blood to fight the signs of aging. </p> <p>But when the FDA approved Botox for cosmetic use in 2002, it forever changed the anti-aging market. Since then, <a href="http://www.amaskincare.com/services/botox/">11 million Americans</a> have been forking over hundreds of dollars per session to have a licensed provider inject the drug into their facial muscles, a process that temporarily paralyzes their facial movement and erases existing wrinkles. </p> <p>Capitalizing on cultural pressure for women’s bodies and faces to stay forever young, Botox manufacturer Allergan started marketing the product to the typical middle-aged everywoman. It paid off: <a href="https://d2wirczt3b6wjm.cloudfront.net/News/Statistics/2015/plastic-surgery-statistics-full-report-2015.pdf">Over 90 percent of users</a> are women. <a href="https://d2wirczt3b6wjm.cloudfront.net/News/Statistics/2015/plastic-surgery-statistics-full-report-2015.pdf">Almost 60 percent</a> are between the ages of 45 and 54. </p> <p>However, a small – but growing – number of younger women have started turning to this anti-aging “wonder drug.” Today, <a href="https://d2wirczt3b6wjm.cloudfront.net/News/Statistics/2015/plastic-surgery-statistics-full-report-2015.pdf">almost 20 percent</a> of Botox users are in the 30-39 age demographic. Responding to the advice of many dermatologists who preach prevention, these young women are using Botox as a deterrent, hoping that it will halt the development of facial creases and wrinkles down the road.</p> <p>In my forthcoming book “<a href="http://nyupress.org/books/9781479825264/">Botox Nation</a>,” I show how Botox is now aggressively marketed to young women as a drug with curative and preventive powers that can permanently prolong the appearance of youth. </p> <h2>A lifetime of maintenance</h2> <p>The belief that Botox is preventive has been circulating for almost as long as the drug itself. The idea is that long-term paralysis of facial movement will mean no facial wrinkles. It’s a theory promoted in magazine articles by beauty and medical “experts” who tell young women that the best time to start using Botox is when their wrinkles are minimally visible. </p> <p>However, the theory of preventative Botox use is flawed. Botox’s ability to freeze the youthful face is fleeting: The effect only lasts four to six months. So because Botox’s effects are temporary, they only really prevent wrinkles if you get injections two to three times a year. Botox may conceal wrinkles, but as soon as an individual stops using Botox, those wrinkles reappear. To start young, then, means to enlist in a lifetime of treatment. </p> <p>Nonetheless, media messages about Botox regularly advocate these proactive efforts, oftentimes glossing over the fact that repeat injections are required.</p> <p>In my research I found that news coverage of Botox was peppered with preventative claims, such as “You want to clean up your room before it gets too dirty” or “I do tons of Botox because I believe in holding yourself in place to prevent aging.” </p> <p>Likewise, when I interviewed young Botox users, they told me things like “I use Botox because it’s a preemptive strike” and “If you start using Botox early, it totally prevents your lines from getting deeper.” There was the general feeling among users that you should begin a lifelong regimen of preventative aesthetics early in life – before reaching thirty – in order to gradually “freeze” your youthful look in place. To them this was preferable to starting treatment at a later age – after wrinkles had emerged – which would drastically alter the face’s appearance, making it obvious that it had been treated. </p> <p>The fact that young, wrinkle-free women are freezing their faces in time speaks volumes about <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Beauty_Myth.html?id=XgfokiNQl0sC">the demands American culture places on women to stay young and beautiful</a>. </p> <h2>Treatments become ‘crack like’</h2> <p>Regular visits to the Botox doctor come at a financial – and, in some cases, physical – cost. </p> <p>The expense of a single Botox treatment is between US$300 and $400, which initially seems much more affordable than a face-lift (a procedure that can cost upwards of $6,000). However a woman who starts using Botox in her 20s or 30s will end up spending much, much more if she undergoes regular treatments to prevent the effects from wearing off.</p> <p>It should also be noted that Botox is derived from botulism, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulinum_toxin">the deadliest toxin on the planet</a>. Even though the drug is, for the most part, safe, there have been reports of <a href="http://www.rxlist.com/botox-side-effects-drug-center.htm">adverse effects</a> , including blurred vision, ptosis (drooping eyelids), slurred speech and progressive muscle weakness. Among the Botox users I interviewed, a handful reported suffering from debilitating headaches for days after the injection. One woman suffered from ptosis. </p> <p>Botox’s temporary results can also lead to compulsive, repetitive behaviors. In my interviews, many women said they weren’t able to stop the treatments. They spoke of Botox as if it were a drug, one that left them dependent on its short-lived effects. As one woman told me, she was “crack-like” about her Botox injections, rushing to her dermatologists’ office the moment she noticed faint brow wrinkles. Not only did women report feeling addicted to Botox, it also seemed serve as a gateway to other cosmetic procedures, such as dermal fillers.</p> <p>The multi-billion-dollar beauty and anti-aging industry <a href="http://search.proquest.com/openview/6c2d3c38b3becd3ae3e1407bbb9fa552/1?pq-origsite=gscholar">cultivates feelings of personal inadequacy</a> to convince people to buy their products. </p> <p>For example, one advertisement for Botox asserted: “It is really up to you. You can choose to live with wrinkles. Or you can choose to live without them.” This projects the message that control over our aging faces is putatively in our grasp. If we “choose to live” with our wrinkles, we are complicit in our own aging and, therefore, have consciously decided to not live up to society’s standards of beauty.</p> <p>As long as women are held to these unattainable standards, the urge to freeze the face in place will persist.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-young-women-without-wrinkles-using-botox-65309" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Keeping up with the science of cosmetic injectables

<p>There’s a good chance that you or someone you know has considered cosmetic injectables; medical procedures that involve injecting a substance under your skin to change some part of your appearance.</p> <p>Whether you want to reduce the appearance of wrinkles in your forehead, increase the fullness of your lips, or reduce the amount of fat under your chin – there’s a chemical substance that can be injected to do it.</p> <p>But what exactly are these substances? How do they work? And are there risks associated with going under the needle?</p> <h2>Start with the classic: Botox</h2> <p>Botox is a drug made from botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. In large amounts, this neurotoxin can cause botulism, a rare but serious illness that affects the nerves and can even result in death.</p> <p>Botulinum toxin actually consists of 7 different subtypes of toxins, but only botulinum toxin types A and B are used clinically. Type A is the one approved as a cosmetic injectable and it can be used soften the appearance of facial wrinkles and adjust brow positioning.</p> <p>But how does it work? Well, it blocks nerve signals from reaching injected muscles, which stops them from being able to contract. The resulting localised muscle weakness or paralysis prevents the muscles from forming lines in the skin.</p> <p>Botulinum toxin is a type of enzyme called a protease and it cleaves or cuts specific proteins that are essential for the release of neuro-transmitters. These are chemical messengers used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons or from neurons to muscles.</p> <p>Specifically, it blocks the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from presynaptic motor neurons. But the effects of Botox ultimately aren’t permanent, because function is recovered by sprouting new, unaffected nerve terminals, which usually takes three to four months.</p> <h2>Hyaluronic acid fillers are becoming increasingly popular</h2> <p>Dermal fillers are substances injected into the skin to plump out wrinkles or alter the shape of the face in some way – for instance, adding volume to the lips or cheeks, or altering the shape of the nose or jawline.</p> <p>One popular substance used in fillers is hyaluronic acid: a long, linear sugar molecule found naturally throughout the body. It’s one of the most hydrophilic, or water-loving, molecules in nature and just one gram of it can bind up to 6 litres of water – kind of like how gelatine binds up water to form jelly.  </p> <p>Hyaluronic acid gel can be modified to have different physical properties, which then alters the ways in which it can be used. By introducing chemical bonds to crosslink between the hyaluronic acid strands the firmness and stress-resistance of the substance can be increased, which is important when defining or altering the appearance of features like the nose, jawline, or cheekbones.</p> <p>Hyaluronic acid injections aren’t permanent and are slowly broken down and re-absorbed into the body over time. This is done by an enzyme called hyaluronidase, which is found throughout the body. It cuts up the long hyaluronic acid polymers into smaller fragments that are then further degraded by other enzymes.</p> <h2>Other substances can also be used as dermal fillers</h2> <p>Though less popular than hyaluronic acid, collagen can also be used as a cosmetic injectable filler.</p> <p>Collagen is the major structural component of the dermis in the skin and provides strength and support to it. As we age, the production of collagen decreases and that results in the reduction in skin volume we see in aged skin.</p> <p>It was the first material to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for injection into facial scars, furrows, and lines. Collagen injections replenish the collagen lost from the face and can be derived from cows (bovine), pigs (porcine), or even human cells.</p> <p>But, what if instead of adding volume, you want to get rid of it? Lipolytic injections are a non-surgical way to reduce localised subcutaneous fat deposits, like the one found under your chin.</p> <p>The substances phosphatidylcholine (PC) and deoxycholic acid (DC) are used to chemically reduce the number of fat cells around the injection site by causing fat cells to die. DC is a bile salt that induces fat cell death by acting as a detergent to break apart the cell membrane. The exact mechanism of action for PC isn’t well understood, but its thought that it stimulates enzymes called lipases to break down fats.</p> <h2>Before you go out and book an appointment, a quick safety PSA.</h2> <p>With cosmetic injections, like any medical procedure, there are always risks involved and sometimes these risks can be serious and even life threatening.</p> <p>Anyone that performs a cosmetic injection must have extensive knowledge of facial anatomy, as well as the required training and experience, so that the risk of something adverse happening can be minimised. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Association recommend finding a registered practitioner and making sure that the product used in your procedure is registered by checking the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, which lists all of the products that can be legally supplied in Australia.</p> <p><strong>This article first appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/the-science-of-cosmetic-injectables/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Imma Perfetto.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Body

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"I trusted anyone": Olivia Newton-John's daughter shares drastic health decision

<p>Chloe Lattanzi has opened up about a recent health decision, announcing she is planning to reverse a lot of her cosmetic surgery enhancements. </p> <p>Chloe said she is going to have her breast implants removed, just months after her mother Olivia Newton-John died from a turbulent 30 year battle with breast cancer. </p> <p>Lattanzi, who has reportedly had $845,000 worth of plastic surgery over the years, took to Instagram to talk about her health.</p> <p>She shared that in trying to be the healthiest version of herself, she has already had fillers in her face dissolved and plans to remove her breast implants.</p> <p>“I’ve had the fillers removed from my face. When I had it done, I had body dysmorphia so I had very low self-esteem,” Lattanzi admitted.</p> <p>“I think I started doing (fillers) about 10 years ago,” she continued.</p> <p>“My face looked very puffy and strange. There’s a product called hyaluronidase that can take it out, it basically dissolves it, which is an ongoing process that I go through.”</p> <p>Speaking about her breast implants, Chloe said she “wasn’t aware” of the potential health problems that implants can bring.</p> <p>“I trusted anyone in a white coat and I wasn’t aware that there was any side effects or consequences,” she admitted.</p> <p>“I’m actually looking into removing them. It does cost a lot of money.”</p> <p>Lattanzi also spoke about her lip fillers, explaining she has injected them “so much” they are “permanently stretched out”.</p> <p>“Not that this is anyone’s business, but it hurt to see some of these comments and I just wanted to educate people,” she said.</p> <p>“You can believe me or not, but it’s the truth, from having them filled so much, they’re just stretched, I haven’t had them done in years.”</p> <p>Since her mother died in August after her journey with breast cancer, Lattanzi has been outspoken about “preventative care”.</p> <p>“I’m so excited to be carrying the torch for my mum continuing to not battle cancer, but finding out what’s causing it,” she said.</p> <div> </div> <p>“Preventive care was something she was very passionate about, you know we need to think about all the drugs that are put into our body."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Body

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Is it safe to use makeup testers in cosmetics stores?

<p>A woman in the US is suing a cosmetics store because she claims that she <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2017/10/30/sephora-sued-woman-herpes-lipstick-samples/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caught herpes from their lipstick tester</a>. In case you’re wondering if this is even possible, as a microbiologist, I can tell you that it most certainly is. And it’s not just herpes that can lurk in makeup.</p> <p>But let’s look at herpes first.</p> <p>This very common virus is mainly spread by skin-to-skin contact, kissing and sex, but it can also be transmitted in droplets of spit left by an infected person on towels, cups, cutlery and, yes, lipstick. Globally, it’s estimated that <a href="http://who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/herpes/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67% of people are infected with the Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1)</a>. But it’s a hidden enemy – a person doesn’t need to have visible signs of the virus to spread the infection. The virus lives in facial tissues where it can shed and spread.</p> <p>It doesn’t always show up on the skin as a blister immediately after it has infected a person, instead it can stay hidden and appear after a few months. Because of this, it’s impossible to say with certainty if the American woman caught herpes from this particular store tester, or elsewhere.</p> <p>Herpes causes blisters on the lips and around the mouth that can last up to ten days. Lipsticks and makeup brushes that touch these parts of the face can then spread the infection to other people.</p> <p>Fortunately, herpes is a fragile virus and typically only survives outside the body for ten seconds. But it can survive longer in warm and moist environments, such as in sweat. It can also survive between two to four hours on plastic, chrome and water, so there are lots of ways the virus can spread.</p> <p>There is no cure for a herpes infection, although treatments are available that will reduce the length of infection.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=471&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=471&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193000/original/file-20171102-26448-1rj3q51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=471&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Herpes blisters.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/317192864?src=pkZUIXuzGEd2PmbqE8wMGA-1-1&amp;size=medium_jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cherries/Shutterstock</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>An old problem</strong></p> <p>Microbiologists have known about the link between beauty products and pathogens since the mid-1940s when talcum powder contaminated with <em>Clostridium tetani</em> bacteria <a href="https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/comparative-microbiological-study-between-traditional-and-modern-cosmetics-in-saudi-arabia-2329-6674-1000146.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">caused the death of a newborn baby</a>. Since the 1960s, contamination linked to other opportunistic pathogens, including <a href="https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/comparative-microbiological-study-between-traditional-and-modern-cosmetics-in-saudi-arabia-2329-6674-1000146.php?aid=71067" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Salmonella</em>, <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em></a>, has been reported by microbiologists across the globe.</p> <p>Cosmetic products contain preservatives to help slow down the growth of microbes, but they can become contaminated if people use non-sterile applicators or fingers to apply products, or if the products are poorly handled and stored; for example, products stored in warm and humid or damp conditions such as the bathroom.</p> <p>Makeup brushes also have the potential to act as suitable homes for bacteria to thrive. Often, beauty blenders and brushes are dampened to help the application of eyeshadows or foundation. But this environment has the potential to promote rapid bacterial growth.</p> <p>In 2015, it was reported that a <a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/mrsa-bacteria-borrowed-makeup-brush-paralyzes-27-year-old-woman-328836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">27-year-old Australian woman became paralysed after contracting an MRSA infection</a> that attacked her spine. She used a brush to apply makeup that belonged to a friend who had a <em>Staphylococcus</em> infection on her face, and became contaminated with the organism.</p> <p><em>Staphylococcus</em> is a common bacteria that doesn’t typically cause harm and lives on the skin or in the nose. However, MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is an antibiotic-resistant strain of <em>Staphylococcus.</em></p> <p><strong>Irreversible blindness</strong></p> <p>Mascara wands and eyeliners not only beautify the eyes, but can cause irritation and conjunctivitis, caused by both bacteria and viruses, including herpes simplex. Studies have revealed that <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/18171778_Microbial_Contamination_in_Ocular_Cosmetics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">43% of eyeliners and mascara wands contain contaminants</a>. I know many friends who have been left with a “pink eye” after sharing mascara or using ancient mascara that has been sitting in their makeup bags.</p> <p>Symptoms of pink eye include redness, watery discharge and, in extreme cases, irreversible blindness.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=534&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=534&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/193002/original/file-20171102-26478-159by18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=534&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Eyelashes trap dirt and bacteria.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=608771" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jurvetson/Wikimedia Commons</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>Lashes aren’t just there to make us look pretty, they serve to block out dirt and bacteria, and using products on the eyes can cause contamination of the product. With time, bacteria can build up in the cosmetic container increasing the risk of eye infection every time the product is used.</p> <p>If all of these horror stories tell us one thing, it’s stay away from sharing makeup products, both among your friends and especially in cosmetic stores. You just don’t know what infections other people could be carrying on their skin.</p> <p>Always keep your own cosmetic products clean and use single applicators where possible. You wouldn’t share your toothbrush with strangers, so why make an exception with your cosmetics?<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86635/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amreen-bashir-419764" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amreen Bashir</a>, Lecturer in Biomedical Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/aston-university-1107" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aston University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-safe-to-use-makeup-testers-in-cosmetics-stores-86635" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Linda Evangelista's first photoshoot in five years

<p>Linda Evangelista has debuted her first photo shoot since saying her face had been "permanently deformed" and her “life destroyed” after a botched surgery.</p><p>The 56-year-old supermodel has been living in seclusion for nearly five years after once being one of the most photographed women in the world.</p><p>Now, in a new interview with People where she also graces the cover, Evangelista said she is "done hiding in shame".</p><p>"I loved being up on the catwalk. Now I dread running into someone I know," the model tearfully told the publication.</p><p>"I can't live like this anymore, in hiding and shame. I just couldn't live in this pain any longer. I'm willing to finally speak."</p><p>Late last year, Evangelista said she had been left "brutally disfigured" after undergoing a CoolSculpting fat-freezing procedure. She later filed a lawsuit against the company that owns the procedure for negligence and misleading advertising. It is alleged that the company failed to warn customers of the possible side effects.</p><p>Evangelista said that three months after the procedure, she noticed bulges in her chin, bra area and thighs.</p><p>"I tried to fix it myself, thinking I was doing something wrong," the supermodel said. "I got to where I wasn't eating at all. I thought I was losing my mind."</p><p>Evangelista said she went to a doctor about the issue in 2016, and recalled "dropping her robe" for him and "bawling".</p><p>"I said, 'I haven't eaten, I'm starving. What am I doing wrong?'" she recalled.</p><p>She had been diagnosed with Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), which is a side effect for less than 1% of CoolSculpting patients where the fat-freezing process causes fatty tissue to expand and thicken.</p><p>Evangelista was told that no amount of exercise or dieting would fix it. She is seeking US$50 million (approx. $69.4 million) in damages as she alleges she has been unable to work due to the rare side effect.</p><p>She claims that Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc, CoolSculpting's parent company — did offer to pay for liposuction to "make it right", but only if she signed a confidentiality agreement. Evangelista refused, and paid for two full-body liposuction surgeries herself.</p><p>Evangelista had to wear compression garments, girdles and a chin strap for eight weeks after the surgery in 2016 to prevent the PAH from returning, but she says it came back again anyway, and in July 2017, she underwent a second liposuction.</p><p>"I don't look in the mirror," she said. "It doesn't look like me."</p><p>The supermodel said that in making her lawsuit public and sharing her story, she is recovering her sense of self.</p><p>"I always knew I would age. And I know that there are things a body goes through. But I just didn't think I would look like this," she confided to People, saying she feels like the supermodel Linda Evangelista is gone.</p><p>She said she hopes she can shed the shame she feels and help others who may find themselves in the same situation as she did.</p><p><em>Images: Getty &amp; People Magazine </em></p>

Beauty & Style

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14 tips to get healthy, gorgeous nails

<p><strong>Keep nail beds hydrated </strong></p> <p><span>To keep your nails hydrated, rub a small amount of petroleum jelly into your cuticle and the skin surrounding your nails every evening before you go to bed or whenever your nails feel dry. </span></p> <p><span>Keep a jar in your bag, desk drawer, car – anywhere you might need it. Not a fan of petroleum jelly? Substitute castor oil. </span></p> <p><span>It’s thick and contains vitamin E, which is great for your cuticles. Or head to your kitchen cupboard and grab the olive oil – it also works to moisturise your nails.</span></p> <p><strong>Protect nails from wear and tear</strong></p> <p><span>Wear rubber gloves whenever you do housework or wash dishes. </span></p> <p><span>Most household chores from gardening, to scrubbing the bathroom, to washing dishes, are murderous on healthy nails. </span></p> <p><span>For extra hand softness, apply hand cream before you put on the rubber gloves. Slipping on some gloves will also protect your manicure.</span></p> <p><span><strong>Treat cuticles gently</strong></span></p> <p><span>When pushing back your cuticles (it is not necessary to cut them), come in at a 45-degree angle and be very gentle. </span></p> <p><span>Otherwise, the cuticle will become damaged, weakening the entire nail, says manicurist, Mariana Diaconescu.</span></p> <p><strong>Avoid ingrown nails</strong></p> <p><span>For healthy nails, trim your toenails straight across to avoid ingrown toenails. </span></p> <p><span>This is particularly important if you have diabetes.</span></p> <p><strong>Keep hands dry</strong></p> <p><span>Dry your hands for at least two minutes after doing the dishes, taking a bath or shower.  </span></p> <p><span>Also, dry your toes thoroughly after swimming or showering. </span><span>Leaving them damp increases your risk of fungal infection and ruins healthy nails.</span></p> <p><strong>Get shoes in top shape</strong></p> <p><span>Dry your hands for at least two minutes after doing the dishes, taking a bath or shower.  </span></p> <p><span>Also, dry your toes thoroughly after swimming or showering. Leaving them damp increases your risk of fungal infection and ruins healthy nails.</span></p> <p><strong>Find high-quality socks</strong></p> <p><span>Wear 100 per cent cotton socks. They’re best for absorbing dampness, thus preventing fungal infections. </span></p> <p><span>You can also use socks to cover up your messed-up DIY toenail art.</span></p> <p><strong>Make your manicure last longer</strong></p> <p><span>Stretch out the beauty of a manicure by applying a fresh top coat every day, says Susie Galvez, author of </span><em>Hello Beautiful: 365 Ways to Be Even More Beautiful</em><span>.</span></p> <p><strong>Try these vitamins</strong></p> <p><span>To make your nails as strong and resilient as a horse’s hooves, take 300 micrograms of the B vitamin biotin four to six times a day. </span></p> <p><span>Long ago, veterinarians discovered that biotin strengthened horses’ hooves, which are made from keratin, the same substance in human nails. </span></p> <p><span>Swiss researchers found that people who took 2.5 milligrams of biotin a day for 5.5 months had firmer, harder nails. </span></p> <p><span>In a US study, 63 per cent of people taking biotin for brittle nails experienced an improvement.</span></p> <p><strong>Got milk?</strong></p> <p><span>It’s great for healthy nails! Add a glass of milk and a hard-boiled egg to your daily diet. </span></p> <p><span>Rich in zinc, they’ll do wonders for your nails, especially if your nails are spotted with white, a sign of low zinc intake.</span></p> <p><strong>File your nails correctly</strong></p> <p><span>To keep your nails at their strongest, avoid filing in a back-and-forth motion – go in only one direction.</span></p> <p><span> And never file just after you’ve gotten out of a shower or bath. Wet nails break more easily.</span></p> <p><strong>Try this finger massage</strong></p> <p><span>Massage your nails to keep them extra strong and shiny. </span></p> <p><span>Nail buffing increases blood supply to the nail, which stimulates the matrix of the nail to grow, says Galvez.</span></p> <p><strong>Keep 'em polished</strong></p> <p><span>Polish your nails, even if it’s just with a clear coat. </span></p> <p><span>It protects your nails, says manicurist Diaconescu. If you prefer colour, use a base coat, two thin coats of colour, and a top coat. </span></p> <p><span>Colour should last at least seven days but should be removed after 10 days.</span></p> <p><strong>Avoid these polish remover ingredients</strong></p> <p><span>Avoid polish removers with acetone or formaldehyde. </span></p> <p><span>They’re terribly drying to nails, says dermatologist, Dr Andrea Lynn Cambio. Use acetate-based removers instead.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/14-tips-to-get-healthy-gorgeous-nails?pages=1" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Beauty & Style

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The ugly history of cosmetic surgery

<p>Reality television shows based on surgical transformations, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JIT0uZ3D9E">The Swan</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrtBodQvDY">Extreme Makeover</a>, were not the first public spectacles to offer women the ability to compete for the chance to be beautiful.</p> <p>In 1924, a competition ad in the New York Daily Mirror asked the affronting question “Who is the homeliest girl in New York?” It promised the unfortunate winner that a plastic surgeon would “make a beauty of her”. Entrants were reassured that they would be spared embarrassment, as the paper’s art department would paint “masks” on their photographs when they were published.</p> <p>Cosmetic surgery instinctively seems like a modern phenomenon. Yet it has a much longer and more complicated history than most people likely imagine. Its origins lie in part in the correction of syphilitic deformities and racialised ideas about “healthy” and acceptable facial features as much as any purely aesthetic ideas about symmetry, for instance.</p> <p>In her study of how beauty is related to social discrimination and bias, sociologist <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mvdLHlg4es8C&amp;pg=PA158&amp;lpg=PA158&amp;dq=%22aesthetic+surgery%22+taschen&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=J5zqKU4kQS&amp;sig=egPDr97h6p2uCz1-hcTLCXE85DQ&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiukofstYTMAhWF7xQKHdLSCuc4ChDoAQhYMAY#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">Bonnie Berry estimates</a> that 50% of Americans are “unhappy with their looks”. Berry links this prevalence to mass media images. However, people have long been driven to painful, surgical measures to “correct” their facial features and body parts, even prior to the use of anaesthesia and discovery of antiseptic principles.</p> <p>Some of the first recorded surgeries took place in 16th-century Britain and Europe. Tudor “barber-surgeons” treated facial injuries, which as medical historian <a href="http://www.history.ox.ac.uk/faculty/staff/profile/pelling/index.html">Margaret Pelling</a>explains, was crucial in a culture where damaged or ugly faces were seen to reflect a disfigured inner self.</p> <p>With the pain and risks to life inherent in any kind of surgery at this time, cosmetic procedures were usually confined to severe and stigmatised disfigurements, such as the loss of a nose through trauma or epidemic syphilis.</p> <p>The first pedicle flap grafts to fashion new noses were performed in 16th-century Europe. A section of skin would be cut from the forehead, folded down and stitched, or would be harvested from the patient’s arm.</p> <p>A later representation of this procedure in Iconografia d’anatomia published in 1841, as reproduced in Richard Barnett’s <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Crucial_Interventions.html?id=2tH6rQEACAAJ&amp;redir_esc=y">Crucial Interventions</a>, shows the patient with his raised arm still gruesomely attached to his face during the graft’s healing period.</p> <p>As socially crippling as facial disfigurements could be and as desperate as some individuals were to remedy them, purely cosmetic surgery did not become commonplace until operations were not excruciatingly painful and life-threatening.</p> <p>In 1846, what is frequently described as the first “painless” operation was performed by American dentist <a href="http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/williammorton">William Morton</a>, who gave ether to a patient. The ether was administered via inhalation through either a handkerchief or bellows. Both of these were imprecise methods of delivery that could cause an overdose and kill the patient.</p> <p>The removal of the second major impediment to cosmetic surgery occurred in the 1860s. English doctor <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3468637/">Joseph Lister</a>’s model of aseptic, or sterile, surgery was taken up in France, Germany, Austria and Italy, reducing the chance of infection and death.</p> <p>By the 1880s, with the further refinement of anaesthesia, cosmetic surgery became a relatively safe and painless prospect for healthy people who felt unattractive.</p> <p>The Derma-Featural Co advertised its “treatments” for “humped, depressed or … ill-shaped noses”, protruding ears, and wrinkles (“the finger marks of Time”) in the English magazine World of Dress in 1901.</p> <p><a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31383099">A report from a 1908 court case</a> involving the company shows that they continued to use skin harvested from – and attached to – the arm for rhinoplasties.</p> <p>The report also refers to the non-surgical “paraffin wax” rhinoplasty, in which hot, liquid wax was injected into the nose and then “moulded by the operator into the desired shape”. The wax could potentially migrate to other parts of the face and be disfiguring, or cause “<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002961042902344">paraffinomas</a>” or wax cancers.</p> <p>Advertisements for the likes of the the Derma-Featural Co were rare in women’s magazines around the turn of the 20th century. But ads were frequently published for bogus devices promising to deliver dramatic face and body changes that might reasonably be expected only from surgical intervention.</p> <p>Various models of chin and forehead straps, such as the patented “Ganesh” brand, were advertised as a means for removing double chins and wrinkles around the eyes.</p> <p>Bust reducers and hip and stomach reducers, such as the J.Z. Hygienic Beauty Belt, also promised non-surgical ways to reshape the body.</p> <p>The frequency of these ads in popular magazines suggests that use of these devices was socially acceptable. In comparison, coloured cosmetics such as rouge and kohl eyeliner were rarely advertised. The ads for “powder and paint” that do exist often emphasised the product’s “natural look” to avoid any negative association between cosmetics and artifice.</p> <p><strong>The racialised origins of cosmetic surgery</strong></p> <p>The most common cosmetic operations requested before the 20th century aimed to correct features such as ears, noses and breasts classified as “ugly” because they weren’t typical for “white” people.</p> <p>At this time, racial science was concerned with “improving” the white race. In the United States, with its growing populations of Jewish and Irish immigrants and African Americans, “pug” noses, large noses and flat noses were signs of racial difference and therefore ugliness.</p> <p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Vs09mB9QjTgC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=history+%22cosmetic+surgery%22&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">Sander L. Gilman</a> suggests that the “primitive” associations of non-white noses arose “because the too-flat nose came to be associated with the inherited syphilitic nose”.</p> <p>American otolaryngologist <a href="http://archfaci.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=479927">John Orlando Roe’</a>s discovery of a method for performing rhinoplasties inside the nose, without leaving a tell-tale external scar, was a crucial development in the 1880s. As is the case today, patients wanted to be able to “pass” (in this case as “white”) and for their surgery to be undetectable.</p> <p>In 2015, <a href="http://www.isaps.org/Media/Default/global-statistics/2015%20ISAPS%20Results.pdf">627,165 American women</a>, or an astonishing one in 250, received breast implants. In the early years of cosmetic surgery, breasts were never made larger.</p> <p>Breasts acted historically as a “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Vs09mB9QjTgC&amp;pg=PA223&amp;lpg=PA223&amp;dq=%22breast+functions+as+a+racial+sign%22+gilman&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=m5RZvuCaSK&amp;sig=oqDYnEZP1VfRfVP4rW4HcN7VLpE&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjT4fb4xojMAhXMlxoKHWgQBWQQ6AEIITAB">racial sign</a>”. Small, rounded breasts were viewed as youthful and sexually controlled. Larger, pendulous breasts were regarded as “primitive” and therefore as a deformity.</p> <p>In the age of the flapper, in the early 20th century, breast reductions were common. Not until the 1950s were small breasts transformed into a medical problem and seen to make women unhappy.</p> <p>Shifting views about desirable breasts illustrate how beauty standards change across time and place. Beauty was once considered as God-given, natural or a sign of health or a person’s good character.</p> <p>When beauty began to be understood as located outside of each person and as capable of being changed, more women, in particular, tried to improve their appearance through beauty products, as they now increasingly turn to surgery.</p> <p>As Elizabeth Haiken points out in <a href="https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/content/venus-envy">Venus Envy</a>, 1921 not only marked the first meeting of an American association of plastic surgery specialists, but also the first Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. All of the finalists were white. The winner, 16-year-old Margaret Gorman, was short compared to today’s towering models at five-feet-one-inch (155cm) tall, and her breast measurement was smaller than that of her hips.</p> <p>There is a close link between cosmetic surgical trends and the qualities we value as a culture, as well as shifting ideas about race, health, femininity and ageing.</p> <p>Last year was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/11731223/100-years-of-plastic-surgery.html">celebrated</a> by some within the field as the 100th anniversary of modern cosmetic surgery. New Zealander <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9396435/Pioneering-plastic-surgery-records-from-First-World-War-published.html">Dr Harold Gillies</a> has been championed for inventing the pedicle flap graft during the first world war to reconstruct the faces of maimed soldiers. Yet, as is well documented, primitive versions of this technique had been in use for centuries.</p> <p>Such an inspiring story obscures the fact that modern cosmetic surgery was really born in the late 19th century and that it owes as much to syphilis and racism as to rebuilding the noses and jaws of war heroes.</p> <p>The surgical fraternity – and it is a brotherhood, as <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/12/style/plastic-surgeons-why-so-few-women.html?pagewanted=all">more than 90% of cosmetic surgeons are male</a>— conveniently places itself in a history that begins with reconstructing the faces and work prospects of the war wounded.</p> <p>In reality, cosmetic surgeons are instruments of shifting whims about what is attractive. They have helped people to conceal or transform features that might make them stand out as once diseased, ethnically different, “primitive”, too feminine, or too masculine.</p> <p>The sheer risks that people have been willing to run in order to pass as “normal” or even to turn the “misfortune” of ugliness, as the homeliest girl contest put it, into beauty, shows how strongly people internalise ideas about what is beautiful.</p> <p>Looking back at the ugly history of cosmetic surgery should give us the impetus to more fully consider how our own beauty norms are shaped by prejudices including racism and sexism.</p> <p><em>Written by Michelle Smith. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-ugly-history-of-cosmetic-surgery-56500">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

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Can you guess who this Hollywood star is?

<p>She used to be one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, but these days, Melanie Griffith is almost unrecognisable. New photos taken of the 60-year-old star arriving at a LA restaurant have sparked speculation that she’s undergone more plastic surgery.</p> <p><img width="500" height="760" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/44993/image__500x760.jpg" alt="Image_ (37)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Griffith hasn’t been shy when it comes to her struggles with sobriety and cosmetic surgery. In a new interview with <em>People</em> magazine, the star said she was “a totally functioning mum” despite her substance abuse issues.</p> <p>“I wasn’t like a drunk-on-the-floor, out-of-it person,” she said. “I didn’t do some things I probably should have done but, mostly, I was there for my kids. They had a sort of privileged gypsy life.”</p> <p>Griffith first entered rehab for an alcohol and cocaine addiction back in 1988 and most recently returned in 2009.</p> <p>Sadly, her addiction didn’t stop at drugs and alcohol – it even extended to plastic surgery. “I didn’t [realise how drastic the change was] until people started saying, ‘Oh my god, what has she done?!’” Griffith told <em>Porter</em> magazine.</p> <p>“I was so hurt I went to a different doctor and he started dissolving all of this sh** that this other woman doctor had put in. Hopefully, I look more normal now.”</p> <p>What do you think of Melanie Griffith's new look? Tell us in the comments below. </p>

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Clever new cosmetic ad celebrates ageing

<p>Advertisers who turn to ballet dancers typically want to convey prestige, or a message of physical power.</p> <p>But a television ad for a cosmetic product - No. 7 Lift &amp; Luminate facial serum - evokes a different ballet quality. It features Alessandra Ferri, one of the greatest ballerinas of the age.</p> <p>After a long and celebrated international career, she retired from American Ballet Theatre in 2007. The serum ad makes no effort to conceal her age; she is wearing little makeup, and has the bare, lightly careworn skin of a down-to-earth woman of advanced years. In fact, Ferri's age is the central focus here, as she confronts a hologram of her 19-year-old self.</p> <p>It's delightful enough that this ad gives us time to savour Ferri in motion, with her liquid smoothness and undiminished grace. But the ad also puts forth a meaningful narrative about looking back at one's youth, and realising that now is even better.</p> <p>Youthfulness is not the goal (an interesting point for a cosmetics company to make). Openness, vitality, courage: These are much more important.</p> <p>In her emphatic abandon, as well as her strong features, Ferri brings to mind Lauren Bacall and Anne Bancroft, stars who especially in their later years didn't let anyone set limits for them, and who showed us that being at peace with oneself is part of being beautiful, at any age.</p> <p>There's a back story to why we're seeing a hologrammatic Ferri at 19, which was the exceptionally young age at which she became a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet. </p> <p>The mature Ferri throws her arms open, spins toward the young girl and, in a bit of digital magic, shatters the hologram as she tornados through it.</p> <p>It’s really quite a work of art. Watch the video above and prepare to be enchanted with a fresh take on ageing and a way to think of your younger self; paling in comparison to who you are now.</p> <p>What ways do you think you’ve improved since your younger years? Let us know what you think in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Sarah L. Kaufman. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/06/queen-elizabeth-ii-and-her-corgis-pose-for-vanity-fair-cover/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Queen Elizabeth II and her corgis pose for Vanity Fair cover</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><em><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/06/80s-fashion-trends-making-a-comeback/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">15 fashion trends from the 80s that are making a comeback</span></strong></a></em></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/beauty-style/2016/06/hair-care-secrets-from-an-81-year-old-fashion-blogger/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Hair care secrets from an 81-year-old fashion blogger</span></strong></em></a></p>

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