Over the centuries, people have gone above and beyond in order to appear more beautiful. Vanity has allowed them to endure irritation, discomfort, and in the olden days, unbelievable agony just to look younger and better.
We’ve compiled a list of 34 of the most recent beauty trends and the price some people will pay to improve their looks…
Rib Removal
It doesn’t happen very often these days, but it should go without saying that removing a rib so you can have an impossibly thin waist is a very bad idea. This type of surgery can have dangerous long-lasting effects on the function of internal organs.
Waist Training
These are non-surgical devices worn around the abdomen for several hours a day in hopes to develop an hourglass figure. Unfortunately, they’re so tight that they can suppress blood flow and squeeze organs just the same.
Liposuction
Liposuction, the surgical technique that involves sucking the fat from one’s body, is sort of the standard for cosmetic weight loss surgery these days. Yet widespread as the practice is, it comes with a number of complications including potential fat embolisms that may make their way into blood vessels, clogging them and causing deadly results.
Tummy Tuck
Most liposuction procedures are followed by an abdominoplasty, otherwise known as a “tummy tuck.” Though this technique can make one look thinner and remove excess skin and fat, severe infections and clots can occur post-surgery.
Freeze Away Fat
Recently, doctors have come up with a new method of fat removal called cryolipolysis, which uses freezing temperatures to kill subcutaneous fat tissue. While it doesn’t overtly damage the outside skin, the treatment is still in its infancy and long-term complications have yet to be discovered.
Butt Implants
Sometimes it’s not about reduction of unwanted body features, but enhancement of existing ones, especially these days. Butt implants were all the rage after Kim Kardashian became popular, but like any surgical implants, they can cause a slew of negative side-effects including fatty tissue necrosis deep vein thrombosis in the rear.
Breast Implants
Breast augmentation is much more common but can involve its own risks either long or short term. The somewhat run-of-the-mill surgery can cause chronic breast pain, breast or nipple numbness, capsular contracture, breakage and leakage, and in some severe cases, necrosis or skin death.
Nose Job
Though nose jobs have been used for thousands of years for many different medical reasons, complications can still arise. Abscesses can occur and scars can become present at the surgical site that obstructs the airways. If too much of the cartilage is removed, the remaining cartilage can even break down over time and require additional surgeries.
Arm Lift
If one isn’t happy with the skin or excess fat under their arms they can opt to have a brachioplasty. Unfortunately, surgeries that happen so close to such important arteries can be risky and bleeding, infection, or fatal cardiovascular complications are possible.
Collagen Implants
People have had a fascination with getting plumper, more luxurious lips for a few decades now. The most invasive cosmetic procedure to achieve this involves injecting collagen, or fat from bovine hides, into the lips. Possible dangers for this involve allergic reactions, fat transfer lumps, and scarring.
Lip Plumpers
If you don’t want to go the surgical route, you can always use a device known as a lip plumper to achieve the same thing temporarily. As expected, this over-the-counter method can cause bruises, scarring, and infection, even when used properly.
Age Spot Removal
Getting rid of age spots is something a lot of folks wish they could do and luckily for them, there are plenty of over-the-counter options out there. Effective though they may be, these treatments work by interrupting the formation of melanin and are often made from hydroquinone, a cancer-causing chemical.
Teeth Whitening
Many of us could use whiter teeth, though most of us are unaware that many teeth whitening products and methods can actually be quite dangerous. They contain hydrogen peroxide, which can weaken tooth enamel and make teeth more sensitive and breakable. The more one whitens one’s teeth, the more likely they’ll be to become permanently damaged.
Botox
Many of the trends on this list involve a desire to look younger. One particular Hollywood method involves injecting Botox into one’s skin in order to remove wrinkles. The catch is, these procedures, even the professional ones, involve injecting clostridium botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism and a neurotoxin, into one’s face.
Online Botox
Then, of course, there are those who want their Botox on the cheap and opt to order it online and inject it themselves. Don’t just order things online and inject them into your face, you never know what you’re actually getting. Even normal Botox can cause infections, permanent paralysis, or death. We’re no doctors, but we can say unequivocally, don’t do this.
Brazilian Wax
Not all dangerous beauty trends are surgical. Even something as seemingly innocuous as a Brazilian bikini wax can be dangerous in its own ways. Besides the occasional rash or ingrown hair that can occur, you could develop a dangerous, highly spreadable skin infection in your most private of areas.
Brazilian Blowout
Even something as simple as a Brazilian blowout can get you more than smoother, sleeker hair. It’s hailed as a hair-repairing solution but there are risks of allergic reactions and potential asthma attacks as a result of the burning slightly toxic formula used in the process.
Formaldehyde
Some hair straightening treatments actually contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a preservative often used by mortuaries to preserve dead bodies. Even trace amounts of this carcinogen can lead to eye irritation, bloody noses, rashes, coughing, and wheezing.
Home Mole Removal
Moles can be pesky, annoying skin blemishes and in the worst cases can even prove to be cancerous. That said, no one should ever try removing them at home by any means, regardless of which famous person swears by the method. Some eggplant extracts and herbal remedies can even leave permanent scars.
UV Nails
No one would ever assume that a manicure would be dangerous, but modern manicures have given way to new technologies and new trends. Gel manicures are very popular these days and though the gel can weaken nails, the real danger lies in the UV lights nail parlors use to set the gel. Excess exposure to UV light has been known to cause cancer.
Tanning Beds
The same is true for tanning beds, which essentially bath our bodies in the same dangerous UV light. Doctors have been telling us for years to wear sunscreen to ward off the sun’s harmful rays, but what’s the point of sunscreen if you’re paying for a tan? Skin cancer is a serious risk for those addicted to tanning beds.
Magic Eraser
People who have opted instead for self-tanning often find themselves a little streaked by the compound. The more “clever” among them have opted to use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on their skin to remove those stains. But this chemical cleaner can cause rashes, itching, skin breakdown or even an allergic reaction.
Skin Bleaching
On the opposite side of the spectrum from tanning is bleaching one’s skin. There are a number of different methods out there but almost all of them use dangerous chemicals in the mix, including hydroquinone, the cancer-causing agent sometimes used to remove age spots.
Anti-Wrinkle Creams
Most anti-wrinkle creams are as innocuous and ineffective as they sound in the commercials. The lion’s share of them work by boosting collagen preventing UV-related aging over time. Ultimately though, they can prove very irritating and cause excessive redness, dryness, and light sensitivity.
Glue to Remove Blackheads
Dermatologists say you should never pop pimples but simply wait for them to heal themselves, but most don’t usually say anything about blackhead removal techniques. While most pore cleansing strips are OK, using glue to remove blackheads as some folks have done, can be disturbingly irritating on the skin and permanently scar.
Home Chemical Peels
There are a number of home chemical peels available on the market. These somewhat easy to apply treatments can be great for skin removal…when applied by a professional. Unfortunately, the ones available at home can cause skin blistering, excessive peeling, and ultimately infection if the exposed skin is not cared for properly.
Deodorant as Makeup Primer
Recently, some clever folks have come up with a brilliant idea to use deodorant to prime their faces for a makeup application. This, according to most experts, is a terrible idea. Considering most deodorants and antiperspirants are used to keep sweat in, this method can result in very clogged pores.
Old Makeup
It isn’t just the average fad treatment that’s dangerous to the average beauty consumer either. Even the healthiest eyes are home to gobs of bacteria. When you dip your mascara wand into the tube and run it over your eyes, it picks up that bacteria and deposits it back in the tube. To protect your eyes, swap your old cosmetics for new ones every three to four months.
Lash Treatment
Speaking of lashes, a new trend that has emerged on the market that involves stimulating eye lashes with something called Latisse. It may save you money on mascara, but the side-effects are as bizarre as the desire to change one’s eyelashes. It’s reported that it can change eye color from blue to brown and can result in itchy eyes and lashes.
Circle Contact Lenses
One of the other odd trends out there came about after Lady Gaga started wearing circle contact lenses for the video “Bad Romance.” These can be purchased online illegally but though they look cool, can deprive eyes of oxygen and cause permanent vision loss or infection.
Scotch Tape Under Eyes
Another eye trend involves using scotch tape or packing tape beneath the eyes to help pull out bags. We don’t need to tell you that the glue used on these industrial tapes can be irritating to the skin and can cause rashes or infection in the eyes and lashes.
Pedicures
Everyone loves to be pampered and a nice, professional pedicure is the perfect way to have your feet look and feel good. Of course, no one ever thinks about the fast-growing bacteria that can accumulate in foot baths in these nail salons and the potential infections that can result on our poor pampered footsies.
High Heels
Last of all is a trend that’s been a normal part of countless women’s beauty regimens for probably most of their lives. High heels may look beautiful and are available in all manner of styles, but wearing them too much can be painful and cause damage to the spine, hips, knees, ankles and of course, feet.
