Beauty techniques can be extremely dangerous. But they don’t have to be

Beauty trends can be extremely dangerous. Even when performed by professionals, there are certain trends and techniques that can be harmful to your body. In some cases, people have gone to extremes with certain beauty techniques and have experienced some truly unfortunate consequences.

The first beauty danger is Acrylic Nails. Acrylic nails are fake nails that normally have cool designs but they can possibly destroy your fingernails. To get Acrylic nails, your nail artist starts off by shaving a layer off your nail to make it thinner and easier to work with. Then a plastic-covered fake nail is placed over the tip. They use a thick base connecting the fake nail to the real one. After that is done, they paint a thick layer of shellac or nail polish over the nail. Once the nails grow out or break you can either get them fixed or take them off. If they break, the acrylic nail is so attached to your nail that your real nail will most likely break. There are alternatives to the standard acrylic treatment that can help reduce their harm. I suggest you get a nail strengthener, which is a clear nail solution that thickens your nails, and apply between uses. Another alternative is press on nails as they have less of an effect then Acrylic nails.

Another questionable beauty product is Eyelash Extensions. Eyelash Extensions are placing fake lashes, one strand by time, on the eyelash. The glue they use has been reported to have set off allergic reactions to the client’s eye which can cause an eye infection. Eyelash extensions normally last for 1-2 months. After these months if you do not get them redone the lashes with fall off as the glue will get less sticky. In some cases, when the fakes lashes come off, people’s almost all a user’s real eyelashes have ended up falling off. Eyelash Extensions do damage to your eyelashes with a very small chance of getting Eyelash Traction Alopecia which is a permanent eyelash loss. So for this beauty trend, I suggest you should try to give your eyelashes and eyelids a break between uses so they can have time to heal you can also use press ons eyelashes which only last 3-4 hours. And if you do get extensions, make sure you are getting them from a properly trained and reputable professional.

A dangerous beauty product that has been around for a long time is the Waist Trainer. Waist trainers are a steel-boned corset that cinch around your waist. They are probably the most dangerous beauty trend on this list. They damage your organs by limiting blood and oxygen flow, which can cause permanent organ damage. Limiting oxygen flow can also cause you to pass out. Many celebrities workout with these on which is not a good idea. So for this beauty trend, I suggest you do not use it.

Another danger is Self-tanner. The dangers in self-tanner are the concerning amount of alcohol substances in the product as alcohol in substances can burn your skin. There is also a temporary tanner that normally has SPF which is a good substitute but does not last long and an application would have to be done daily. Not many people enjoy that because it is very time-consuming. UV tans also give you a risk of skin cancer so you should be aware of that as well. For the trend of self tanner, I suggest you do not do anything with your skin tone–but for those who are very unhappy with their natural look, you can use makeup to get the effect of a deeper skin tone. That is the safest way to be healthy and not have a risk of skin cancer.

Overall, even though all these trends are very popular and may seem appealing, you should do what is safer for you and your body because health is more important than beauty. There are plenty of beauty techniques that do not affect you in harmful ways. Makeup alone is incredibly versatile and effective and can be used to get the illusions of these trends without actually exposing yourself to their dangers. If you do try these trends, be aware of the effects and educate yourself before endangering yourself.