5 MYTHS ABOUT BIKINI LINE HAIR REMOVAL

The razor bumps. The ingrown hairs. The sensitive skin. The tough angles... There are few places on the body more challenging to maintain than the bikini line, as many women have learned struggling to shave, pluck, wax, and laser their way to smooth skin. Even more unfortunate, there are a ton of myths floating around about hair down there. Marisa Garshick, MD, a dermatologist at Manhattan Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, reveals the myths she hears patients repeat the most in her office. 

Myth: Hair grows back thicker if you shave it

Dr. Garshick says that shaving anywhere on your body will not cause the hair to come back in thicker; diameter will always stay the same over time. “After shaving, the ends of the hairs are simply blunted, as opposed to the natural soft tip, which may cause the hair to seem coarse,” Dr. Garshick explains. “But the actual thickness remains unchanged.” After shaving, she suggests using a mild cleanser and a gentle moisturizer to keep your skin feeling soft and smooth, even when hairs are growing back. Try CeraVe Hydrating Body Wash  and Eucerin Original Healing Rich Lotion.

Myth: Tweezing is the best treatment for ingrown hairs

Lots of women think tweezing an ingrown hair is the fastest and most effective way to deal with it, according to Dr. Garshick. They're simply wrong. “Tweezing can lead to trauma of the hair follicle, which will just cause more redness and inflammation,” she explains. “Avoid picking or squeezing as this can lead to scarring.” If you have razor bumps or ingrown hairs, Dr. Garshick says to leave them be. “Often, simply letting the hair grow a little will allow the hair to break free from being trapped in the skin,” she says, at which point you can remove it carefully. You can also use a hot compress to help the point break free. If the ingrown hasn't popped out after a week or two, call your derm, who can extract the ingrown for you.

Myth: You should shave down there every day

A lot of women believe the skin on their bikini line will get used to razoring if they do it daily, says Dr. Garshick, but all that does is bring on more irritation and razor bumps. Wait until a few millimeters of hair are visible, or about two days. To reduce your risk of sensitivity, shavein the direction of the hair growth with a clean razor blade that you replace after five to 10 shaves. “Sometimes a prescription for a topical steroid may be needed to treat razor bumps, but you should discuss this with a specialist,” says Dr. Garshick. “And if you're looking for a more long-term option, laser hair removal can help.”

Myth: It's smart to wax between laser hair removal treatments

Laser hair removal treatments from a board-certified dermatologist leave you hair-free in five to eight treatments. The key: five to eight treatments, not one or two. The laser specifically targets growing hairs, which is only a portion of your total hairs, Dr. Gars hick explains. “Although you will notice a significant improvement after your laser hair removal sessions, you may still notice some hairs that don't go away right away,” she says. “Do not attempt to remove this hair with waxing, because the laser targets the pigment in the hair. If the hair has been removed, the laser can't do its job.” Dr. Gars hick says to leave the hair alone. Don’t wax, pluck, or bleach between laser hair treatments, although it’s okay to shave, which will still allow the hair to be zapped by the laser during your next treatment.

It’s totally OK to have body hair, but if you do decide to remove it, you may not be exactly sure which method is best. Laser hair removal and waxing are two popular procedures that women and men can book at a salon or spa. Yet, there are still big misconceptions tied to them — including the rumor that laser treatment doesn’t work on black people, and wax rips your skin off. 

To debunk common myths about these two hair removal techniques, we turned to Spruce & Bond specialist Kristen Rogers to set the record straight. Scroll down to find out what we learned about the difference between laser and waxing. Then, share your hair removal stories in the comments section.

FERYJORY VIA GETTY IMAGES

It is more about the color of the hair rather than texture or complexion when determining if laser hair removal will work for you.

MYTH: Black people can’t do laser hair removal.

According to Rogers, there is no skin type or tone that laser will not work on. It is more about the color of the hair rather than texture or complexion. “There are different settings and machines for different skin types, which makes it possible for all skin tones to do laser,” she says.

FACT: The darker your body hair is, the better for laser hair removal.

Individuals with dark hair are prime clients for this method. Basically, the more contrast there is between your skin tone and hair color, the better. Rogers doesn’t believe people with blonde, red or gray hair will benefit from laser.

MYTH: You must be close-shaven before getting laser hair removal.

While Rogers says that most of her clients prefer to shave the areas where they will get laser treatment, it isn’t uncommon for the aesthetician to shave an area such as the bikini line. “It is scary and difficult for them,” she explains. “The only downside to having the specialist shave you in the room, is that it is a dry shave.”

FACT: It takes more than one laser hair removal session to see a significant reduction in hair growth. 

“Laser hair removal works as a continuous process of removing the hair follicle of the given area over a specific amount of time,” says Rogers. “The laser works under the skin’s surface to damage the hair follicles and stunt future growth.” The professional notes that you should start to see results within two weeks of your first treatment. As the hair grows back slower, it will be very patchy. She adds, “I always recommend my clients to treat at least five times, spaced apart four to six weeks, to see the best results. Each session reduces hair growth by 10 to 15 percent.”

MYTH: You won’t experience any pain during laser hair removal.

It isn’t out of the ordinary for you to experience discomfort while getting laser treatments. To help minimize pain, Rogers says that some of her clients take two Advils 30 minutes before their treatment. 

When done correctly, waxing actually grabs onto the hair and pulls the follicle. This is why the area is smoother than after a shave, according to Rogers.

FACT: It is recommended that you allow hair to grow 1/8 of an inch before waxing.

“It’s surprising how many people think they need to shave before a wax,” says Rogers.”The longer the hair, within reason, the smoother of a wax you’ll receive.”

MYTH: Waxing grabs onto the skin in order to pull hair out.

When done correctly, waxing actually grabs onto the hair and pulls the follicle. This is why the area is smoother than after a shave, according to Rogers.

FACT: Hair grows back less quickly when waxing versus shaving. 

Rogers attributes the slower growth to the hair follicle being completely removed during the wax process. “It is waiting for the next growth stage,” she adds.

MYTH: There is no need to exfoliate after waxing because the hair removal method does it for you.

Not entirely true. On the third day of post-waxing, Rogers recommends using a sugar scrub to exfoliate along with a natural form of salicylic acid like willow bark to keep the pores in the area closed and less prone to bacteria. Exfoliation also helps to minimize ingrown hairs. 

ONE STRIKING CHART SHOWS WHY PHARMA COMPANIES ARE FIGHTING LEGAL MARIJUANA

There’s a body of research showing that painkiller abuse and overdose are lower in states with medical marijuana laws. These studies have generally assumed that when medical marijuana is available, pain patients are increasingly choosing pot over powerful and deadly prescription narcotics. But that’s always been just an assumption.

Now a new study, released in the journal Health Affairs, validates these findings by providing clear evidence of a missing link in the causal chain running from medical marijuana to falling overdoses. Ashley and W. David Bradford, a daughter-father pair of researchers at the University of Georgia, scoured the database of all prescription drugs paid for under Medicare Part D from 2010 to 2013.

They found that, in the 17 states with a medical-marijuana law in place by 2013, prescriptions for painkillers and other classes of drugs fell sharply compared with states that did not have a medical-marijuana law. The drops were quite significant: In medical-marijuana states, the average doctor prescribed 265 fewer doses of antidepressants each year, 486 fewer doses of seizure medication, 541 fewer anti-nausea doses and 562 fewer doses of anti-anxiety medication.

But most strikingly, the typical physician in a medical-marijuana state prescribed 1,826 fewer doses of painkillers in a given year.

These conditions are among those for which medical marijuana is most often approved under state laws. So as a sanity check, the Bradfords ran a similar analysis on drug categories that pot typically is not recommended for — blood thinners, anti-viral drugs and antibiotics. And on those drugs, they found no changes in prescribing patterns after the passage of marijuana laws.

“This provides strong evidence that the observed shifts in prescribing patterns were in fact due to the passage of the medical marijuana laws,” they write.

In a news release, lead author Ashley Bradford wrote, “The results suggest people are really using marijuana as medicine and not just using it for recreational purposes.”

One interesting wrinkle in the data is glaucoma, for which there was a small increase in demand for traditional drugs in medical-marijuana states. It’s routinely listed as an approved condition under medical-marijuana laws, and studies have shown that marijuana provides some degree of temporary relief for its symptoms.

The Bradfords hypothesize that the short duration of the glaucoma relief provided by marijuana — roughly an hour or so — may actually stimulate more demand in traditional glaucoma medications. Glaucoma patients may experience some short-term relief from marijuana, which may prompt them to seek other, robust treatment options from their doctors.

The tanking numbers for painkiller prescriptions in medical marijuana states are likely to cause some concern among pharmaceutical companies. These companies have long been at the forefront of opposition to marijuana reform, funding research by anti-pot academics and funneling dollars to groups, such as the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, that oppose marijuana legalization.

Pharmaceutical companies have also lobbied federal agencies directly to prevent the liberalization of marijuana laws. In one case, recently uncovered by the office of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that naturally derived THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana, be moved from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act — a less restrictive category that would acknowledge the drug’s medical use and make it easier to research and prescribe. Several months after HHS submitted its recommendation, at least one drug company that manufactures a synthetic version of THC — which would presumably have to compete with any natural derivatives — wrote to the Drug Enforcement Administration to express opposition to rescheduling natural THC, citing “the abuse potential in terms of the need to grow and cultivate substantial crops of marijuana in the United States.”

The DEA ultimately rejected the HHS recommendation without explanation.

In what may be the most concerning finding for the pharmaceutical industry, the Bradfords took their analysis a step further by estimating the cost savings to Medicare from the decreased prescribing. They found that about $165 million was saved in the 17 medical marijuana states in 2013. In a back-of-the-envelope calculation, the estimated annual Medicare prescription savings would be nearly half a billion dollars if all 50 states were to implement similar programs.

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“That amount would have represented just under 0.5 percent of all Medicare Part D spending in 2013,” they calculate.

Cost-savings alone are not a sufficient justification for implementing a medical-marijuana program. The bottom line is better health, and the Bradfords’ research shows promising evidence that medical-marijuana users are finding plant-based relief for conditions that otherwise would have required a pill to treat.

“Our findings and existing clinical literature imply that patients respond to medical marijuana legislation as if there are clinical benefits to the drug, which adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that the Schedule 1 status of marijuana is outdated,” the study concludes.

One limitation of the study is that it only looks at Medicare Part D spending, which applies only to seniors. Previous studies have shown that seniors are among the most reluctant medical-marijuana users, so the net effect of medical marijuana for all prescription patients may be even greater.

ULCERATIVE COLITIS

What is ulcerative colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammation of the large intestine (colon). The colon is the part of the digestive system where water is removed from undigested material, and the remaining waste material is stored. The rectum is the end of the colon adjacent to the anus. In patients with ulcerative colitis, ulcers and inflammation of the inner lining of the colon lead to symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding.

Ulcerative colitis is closely related to another condition of inflammation of the intestinescalled Crohn's disease. Together, they are frequently referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's diseases are chronic conditions. Grohn's disease can affect any portion of the gastrointestinal tract, including all layers of the bowel wall. It may not be limited to the GI tract (affecting the liver, skin, eyes, and joints). UC only affects the lining of the colon (large bowel). Men and women are affected equally. They most commonly begin during adolescence and early adulthood, but they also can begin during childhood and later in life.

UC found worldwide, but is most common in the United States, England, and northern Europe. It is especially common in people of Jewish descent. Ulcerative colitis is rarely seen in Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America, and is rare in the black population. For unknown reasons, an increased frequency of this condition has been observed recently in developing nations.

First degree relatives of people with ulcerative colitis have an increased lifetime risk of developing the disease, but the overall risk remains small. 

What causes ulcerative colitis?

The cause of ulcerative colitis is not known. To date, there has been no convincing evidence that it is caused by infection or is contagious.

Ulcerative colitis likely involves abnormal activation of the immune system in the intestines. This system is supposed to defend the body against harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other foreign invaders. Normally, the immune system is activated only when the body is exposed to harmful invaders. In patients with ulcerative colitis, however, the immune system is abnormally and chronically activated in the absence of any known invader. The continued abnormal activation of the immune system causes chronic inflammation and ulceration portions of the large intestine. This susceptibility to abnormal activation of the immune system is genetically inherited. First degree relatives (brothers, sisters, children, and parents) of patients with IBD are therefore more likely to develop these diseases.

There have been multiple studies using genome wide association scans investigating genetic susceptibility in ulcerative colitis. These studies have found there to be approximately 30 genes that might increase susceptibility to ulcerative colitis including immunoglobulin receptor gene FCGR2A, 5p15, 2p16, ORMDL3, ECM1, as well as regions on chromosomes 1p36, 12q15, 7q22, 22q13, and IL23R. At this early point in the research, it is still unclear how these genetic associations will be applied to treating the disease, but they might have future implications for understanding pathogenesis and creating new treatments.

What are the symptoms of ulcerative colitis?

Common symptoms of ulcerative colitis include rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, but there is a wide range of symptoms among patients with this disease. Variability of symptoms reflects differences in the extent of disease (the amount of the colon and rectum that are inflamed) and the intensity of inflammation. Generally, patients with inflammation confined to the rectum and a short segment of the colon adjacent to the rectum have milder symptoms and a better prognosis than patients with more widespread inflammation of the colon. The different types of ulcerative colitis are classified according to the location and the extent of inflammation:

1. Ulcerative proctitis refers to inflammation that is limited to the rectum. In many patients with ulcerative proctitis, mild intermittent rectal bleeding may be the only symptom. Other patients with more severe rectal inflammation may, in addition, experience rectal pain, urgency (sudden feeling of having to defecate and a need to rush to the bathroom for fear of soiling), and tenesmus (ineffective, painful urge to move one's bowels caused by the inflammation).
2. Proctosigmoiditis involves inflammation of the rectum and the sigmoid colon (a short segment of the colon contiguous to the rectum). Symptoms of proctosigmoiditis, like that of proctitis, include rectal bleeding, urgency, and tenesmus. Some patients with proctosigmoiditis also develop bloody diarrhea and cramps.
3. Left-sided colitis involves inflammation that starts at the rectum and extends up the left colon (sigmoid colon and descending colon). Symptoms of left-sided colitis include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and left-sided abdominal pain.
4. Pancolitis or universal colitis refers to inflammation affecting the entire colon (right colon, left colon, transverse colon and the rectum). Symptoms of pancolitis include bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, weight loss, fatigue, fever, and night sweats. Some patients with pancolitis have low-grade inflammation and mild symptoms that respond readily to medications. Generally, however, patients with pancolitis suffer more severe disease and are more difficult to treat than those with more limited forms of ulcerative colitis.
5. Fulminant colitis is a rare but severe form of pancolitis. Patients with fulminant colitis are extremely ill with dehydration, severe abdominal pain, protracted diarrhea with bleeding, and even shock. They are at risk of developing toxic megacolon (marked dilatation of the colon due to severe inflammation) and colonic rupture (perforation). Patients with fulminant colitis and toxic megacolon are treated in the hospital with potent intravenous medications. Unless they respond to treatment promptly, surgical removal of the diseased colon is necessary to prevent colonic rupture.

While the intensity of colon inflammation in ulcerative colitis waxes and wanes over time, the location and the extent of disease in a patient generally stays constant. Therefore, when a patient with ulcerative proctitis develops a relapse of his or her disease, the inflammation usually is confined to the rectum. Nevertheless, a small number of patients (less than 10%) with ulcerative proctitis or proctosigmoiditis can later develop more extensive colitis. Thus, patients who initially only have ulcerative proctitis can later develop left-sided colitis or even pancolitis. 

Types of Diabetes

DIABETES

Diabetes Basics

dIAbetes is a number of diseases that involve problems with the hormone insulin. Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat. Diabetes when one of the following occurs:

• When the pancreas does not produce any insulin.
• When the pancreas produces very little insulin.
• When the body does not respond appropriately to insulin, a condition called "insulin resistance."

Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Approximately 18.2 million Americans have the disease and almost one third ( or approximately 5.2 million) are unaware that they have it. An additional 41 million people have pre-diabetes. As yet, there is no cure. People with diabetes need to manage their disease to stay healthy.

The Role of Insulin in Diabetes

To understand why insulin is important, it helps to know more about how the body uses food for energy. Your body is made up of millions of cells. To make energy, these cells need food in a very simple form. When you eat or drink, much of your food is broken down into a simple sugar called "glucose." Then, glucose is transported through the bloodstream to the cells of your body where it can be used to provide some of the energy your body needs for daily activities.

The amount of glucose in your bloodstream is tightly regulated by the hormone insulin. Insulin is always being released in small amounts by the pancreas. When the amount of glucose in your blood rises to a certain level, the pancreas will release more insulin to push more glucose into the cells. This causes the glucose levels in your blood (blood glucose levels) to drop.

To keep your blood glucose levels from getting too low (hypoglycemia or low blood sugar), your body signals you to eat and releases some glucose from the stores kept in the liver.

People with diabetes either don't make insulin or their body's cells no longer are able to recognize insulin, leading to high blood sugars. By definition, diabetes is having a blood glucose level of 126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more after an overnight fast (not eating anything).

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes occurs because the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (called beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. People with type 1 diabetes produce no insulin and must use insulin injections to control their blood glucose.

Type 1 diabetes most commonly starts in people under the age of 20, but may occur at any age.

Type 2 Diabetes

Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin. However, the insulin their pancreas secretes is either not enough or the body is unable to recognize the insulin and use it properly. When there isn't enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose can't get into the body's cells.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting almost 18 million Americans. While most of these cases can be prevented, it remains for adults the leading cause of diabetes-related complications such as blindness, non-traumatic amputations and chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in people over age 40 who are overweight, but can occur in people who are not overweight. Sometimes referred to as "adult-onset diabetes," type 2 diabetes has started to appear more often in children because of the rise in obesity in young people.

Some people can manage their type 2 diabetes by controlling their weight, watching their diet, and exercising regularly. Others may also need to take a pill that helps their body use insulin better, or take insulin injections.

Often, doctors are able to detect the likelihood of type 2 diabetes before the condition actually occurs. Commonly referred to as pre-diabetes, this condition occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is triggered by pregnancy. Hormone changes during pregnancy can affect insulin's ability to work properly. The condition occurs in approximately 4% of all pregnancies.

Pregnant women who have an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes are those who are over 25 years old, are above their normal body weight before pregnancy, have a family history of diabetes or are Hispanic, black, Native American, or Asian.

Screening for gestational diabetes is performed during pregnancy. Left untreated, gestational diabetes increases the risk of complications to both the mother and her unborn child.

Usually, blood glucose levels return to normal within six weeks of childbirth. However, women who have had gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later-in-life.

What Are the Symptoms of Diabetes?

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes often occur suddenly and can be severe. They include:

• Increased thirst.
• Increased hunger (especially after eating).
• Dry mouth.
• Frequent urination.
• Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry).
• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling).
• Blurred vision.
• Labored, heavy breathing (Kussmaul respirations).
• Loss of consciousness (rare).

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes may be the same as those listed above. Most often, there are no symptoms or a very gradual development of the above symptoms. Other symptoms may include:

• Slow-healing sores or cuts.
• Itching of the skin (usually in the vaginal or groin area).
• Yeast infections.
• Recent weight gain.
• Numbness or tingling of the hands and feet.
• Impotence or erectile dysfunction.

How Is Diabetes Managed?

At the present time, diabetes can't be cured, but it can be treated and controlled. The goals of managing diabetes are to:

• Keep your blood glucose levels as near to normal as possible by balancing food intake with medication and activity.
• Maintain your blood cholesterol and triglyceride (lipid) levels as near their normal ranges as possible by decreasing the total amount of fat to 30% or less of your total daily calories and by reducing saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Control your blood pressure. Your blood pressure should not go over 130/80.
• Slow or possibly prevent the development of diabetes-related health problems.

You hold the key to managing your diabetes by:

• Planning what you eat and following a balanced meal plan
• Exercising regularly
• Taking medicine, if prescribed, and closely following the guidelines on how and when to take it
• Monitoring your blood glucose and blood pressure levels at home
• Keeping your appointments with your health care providers and having laboratory tests as ordered by your doctor.

Remember: What you do at home every day affects your blood glucose more than what your doctor can do every few months during your checkups.

Reviewed by Certified Diabetes Educators in the Department of Patient Education and Health Information and by physicians in the Department of Endocrinology at The Cleveland Clinic.

Sleeping In Your Makeup Does Something Pretty Frightening To Your Face

A gross wake-up call to wash your face before bed.

Sleeping with makeup is something that happens to all of us, but not necessarily a wise thing to make a habit of. If you regularly hit the sheets with a ton of products on, brace yourself for the things that can happen when you sleep with makeup. There's zero judgement from me since I've totally been guilty of this, but it's definitely not the best thing to make an actual habit of like The Bachelor's Britt. While I've slept with makeup on and not had an issue before, there was one time that really made me realize how important it is to regularly try not to. I was out late late after a friend's wedding celebrating with all the other bridesmaids and groomsmen and didn't end up hitting my hotel sheets until about 4 a.m. And let me tell you, there was zero makeup removal happening.

I woke up the next morning to discover my eyes were super red and burning, and my face felt sticky — an overwhelming feeling of yuck, if you will. I ended up with a nightmare of glitter eyeshadow flecks that had gotten under my eyelids and they took forever to successfully flush out. Since that sleeping-in-makeup disaster, I always try to be super responsible.

While I hope you haven't had a horror story like mine, make sure you're prepared for what can happen if you sleep in makeup.

We have tried justifying going to bed without washing our faces more times than we’d like to admit. But after watching this video on what sleeping in makeup does to your body, we swear to never commit this skincare sin again. 

Wearing makeup overnight, albeit with your eyes closed and head atop a pillow, really does affect the condition of your skin. And the damage it does is outright terrifying.

Eye makeup such as shadows and liners “can clog hair follicles and oil glands with bacteria causing inflammation or styes.” Not washing off your oil-based foundations could potentially lead to acne. Smeared lipstick can spread onto your face, clogging up pores and creating blackheads. Not to mention, free radicals floating around in the air cling to your makeup. This breaks down collagen and causes wrinkles to gradually form.

1. Eye Irritation & Infection

Dermatologist Dr. Joel Schlessinger told Bustle writer Courtney Leiva, “Neglecting to remove eye makeup can cause dryness, redness, irritation and infection.” Yikes.

2. Wrinkles

"Sleeping in your makeup can increase your exposure to free radicals," explained Dr. James C. Marotta to Good Housekeeping, "leading to collagen breakdown and skin that ages faster"

3. Breakouts 

This might seem obvious, but not removing foundation can definitely lead to majorly clogged pores and pimples.

4. Dry Skin

Dr. Dennis Gross, MD, told Refinery29, "Leftover makeup residue ... can inhibit the absorption of skin-care products by creating a barrier that prevents beneficial ingredients from penetrating the skin's surface." That means your beloved moisturizer won't be able to nourish your parched skin!

5. Clogged Eyelash Follicles

This is not a drill. Sleeping in mascara and thick liner "may result in the clogging of the tiny hair follicles and oil glands on your eyelids," shared dermatologist Dr. Schweiger to Huffington Post. "When these areas become clogged ... small bumps called styes or hordeolums can form." Ouch.

6. Broken Eyelashes

Here's another mascara bummer. Dr. Schlessinger shared, "Left-on mascara can cause eyelashes to become brittle, break easily and even shed faster.” As it managing split ends on your head wasn't enough, am I right?

7. Chapped Lips

."Sadly, that fabulous plumping lipstick could also be zapping your pout of moisture if you leave it on too long. Jeannette Graf, MD, told Daily Makeover, "Sleeping with any type of lipstick will result in dryness and chapping " Better to reach for moisturizing lip balm instead!.!

FACE WASHING TIPS

1. Keep it simple

Because everyone's skin is a little different, there’s no single miracle face wash. But, so
mething we all can do is look for a cleanser that is simple. "Cleansing should take away dirt, germs and excess oil, but not appropriate skin moisture and healthy cells," Krant says. Find the gentlest cleanser that will "get the job done," as she puts it, but nothing too harsh that leaves redness or rashes.

2. Don't obsess

If your skin is sedentary on a certain day -- meaning you didn't sweat or put on heavy makeup -- Krant says skipping a day of washing your face isn’t a sin. On the other hand, she points out, “It’s best not to let old makeup or sunscreen sit around too long or go to sleep with you.” Generally, washing your face once or twice a day is a good plan to stick to. Anything more than that is excessive (unless there are special circumstances prescribed by your dermatologist), and can lead to “rebound overproduction of oil and breakouts.”

3. Cool it

While it might feel good to warm up with a steamy splash of water, Krant says icy cold or lukewarm water both have their benefits. Excessively hot water will "strip healthy natural oils from your skin too quickly."

4. Exfoliate sparingly

Exfoliating definitely has skin benefits: The scrub can increase circulation for a rosy glow, and it helps to remove dead skin cells. But excessive exfoliation can "lead down the path to trouble." Krant recommends a gentle exfoliation one or twice a week, max.

5. Pat your face dry

A lot of us rush our routines, and wipe our wet faces on whatever's closest to the sink: a used towel, the shirt we’re wearing. But it’s important to use a gentle, clean cloth to dry up. Krant recommends patting your skin, rather than rubbing, and letting a "fine mist of water to remain so when you apply your moisturizer it will seal the moisture into the surface of the skin."

6. Winterize your regimen

"The most important thing to watch out for in winter is over cleansing and over drying," Krant says. In the cooler temps we’re prone to taking longer, hotter showers and spending more time in the overheated indoor air, both of which can dry out the face -- and fast. Krant says it's important not to wash your face excessively and to introduce a moisturizer, if it’s right for your skin. Also crucial is an SPF: She suggests choosing a moisturizer with an SPF of 15 in the winter (and upping it to SPF 30 in the summer, when we spend more time outdoors).

7. Watch your eyes

Fight the urge to splash your eyes open to wake yourself up on groggy mornings. The skin around your eyes is delicate and thin, so it it needs to be treated even more gently than the rest of your face. Things to keep in mind? "Use a gentle eye makeup remover and don't use harsh soaps or cleansers directly on delicate eyelids," she says.

Withings's super-smart Body Cardio scale keeps an eye on your heart's health

Drink lots of water. Keep going to yoga. Use your standing desk more often. We know these habits are good for our health, but for a long time now, one practice has proven to help us actually lose weight: weighing ourselves.

I know, I know. It’s really annoying. And it can be disheartening to step on a scale first thing every morning only to see three numbers blinking at you as if to say, "You’re still heavier than you want to be!" I can think of better ways to start the day, like making myself a waffle loaded with syrup and butter. Yet, the evidence is real— stepping on the scale makes people more aware of their weight and whether or not they’re meeting their goals.

Today, Withings introduced two new scales that might help: the $129.95 Body and $179.95 Body Cardio. They’re both health-tracking, weirdly high-tech scales that sync with an app and give you way more information than you’ve ever seen on a scale, from your heart rate to the weather. But the real standout is the Body Cardio, which tracks your Pulse Wave Velocity. This measures how quickly your heartbeat vibrations spread through your arteries, and it’s widely recognized by the medical community as an indicator of your cardiac health. Faster PWV indicates high blood pressure, stiff arteries, and a risk of hypertension.

I’ve been using the Withings Body Cardio for the past week and, while I could stand to lose a few pounds, I’m relieved to say that my PWV is steadily tracking in the Normal range. If you have high blood pressure or your family history puts you at risk for more heart problems than the average person, a scale like this one could give you a useful snapshot of your health. If not, you might consider the Body scale, which, while still a bit pricey, costs $50 less than the Body Cardio and doesn’t measure your PWV.

Lots of people rely on fitness trackers to help them lose weight, but they often weigh themselves using a separate scale that’s not connected to their fitness tracking app. These Withings scales help people skip the step of manually entering weight and a lot of other data. While that might seem like a small point, it could really ease the process of health tracking.

Withings, which was just acquired by Nokia, makes a variety of health-related devices including its latest Withings Go fitness tracker, which shows you basic activity data on an E Ink screen. The company is also no stranger to connected scales. Back in 2009, Withings introduced the Smart Body Analyzer scale, then in 2013, it brought out a simplified version of that called the Wi-Fi Body Scale. The two new scales (Body and Body Cardio) replace those older scales, which won’t be sold any more.

The Body and Body Cardio use a corresponding app — the Withings Health Mate — that runs on iOS and Android, and it automatically stores all of the data from your scale every time you step on. If that was all the app did, you’d be left with a lot of data and not much knowledge of how to do anything about it. So Withings added some coaching. This lets you set goals for things, like losing five pounds at a pace of a pound a week. The main screen of the app gives you a snapshot of everything, but tapping on a specific thing shows you details on that data point. This helped me understand what was being measured and why.

But first, the superficial question: how will this scale look in your bathroom? The Withings Body Cardio is sleek — much more sophisticated than the old digital one that has been stuffed under my bathroom sink for, umm, a while. It comes in white or black, and its surface is made of a high-strength, tempered glass. It’s roughly 13 inches square, so will be large enough for most feet, and it’s impressively thin at just 0.7 inch.

When you first set up the Body Cardio, you’ll be prompted to download its Health Mate app. Pressing a small button on the scale’s right side will connect it with your phone using Bluetooth and your Wi-Fi network. The first time you step on the scale, your weight shows up in the center of the display. If you see blinking triangles in any corner of the display, that’s the scale’s way of telling you to center yourself and lean away from those corners to get a more balanced, accurate measurement.

After measuring your weight, the Body Cardio cycles through other data: a trend line of your weight loss or gain, fat and water percentages, today’s weather, standing heart rate, bone and muscle percentages, and the number of steps you took the previous day (step-counting can be turned on or off in the app).

So where’s this all-important PWV heart-health stat? It only shows up in the app and, in my experience, isn’t measured every single time. If that happens, the app tells you ("no Pulse Wave Velocity data collected") and suggests how you might have better luck next time, like standing as stable as possible, making sure your feet are in the right spots, and putting the scale in a quiet room with a stable temperature.

The other data, like your body’s percentage of fat (not something I was all that thrilled to know) is gathered using a scientific technique called biometric impedance. Basically, the scale sends a small, electric current through the lower half of your body, and its resistance is measured. Bone, water, muscle, and fat all conduct this current differently, and the scale measures each.

Your local weather shows up on the scale’s display because checking weather is a pretty typical morning routine. Putting this data on the scale can motivate you to step on it, so even if you don’t want to see how much you weigh, you’ll want to see that it’s going to be in the 90s later in the day.

In my house, my husband and my toddler also stepped on the scale. A small pop-up notification in my app said that the scale detected a new person, and I was prompted to name each of them. This step also save each of their weight measurements. And once you’ve set up an account on the app, whenever you step on, the first three letters of your name show up in the top left corner of the display, confirming you are who the scale thinks you are.

While the Withings Body Cardio isn’t a need-to-have, it’s a definite nice-to-have, and its app is smart enough to give you helpful tips and trend analysis. If I used this scale for longer than a week, or had specific concerns about my cardiac health, I might appreciate it even more.

THIS WEIGHT LOSS DEVICE TO TREAT OBESITY LOOKS INSANE—BUT IS IT, REALLY?

Here's why leading doctors think the stomach-draining AspireAssist could actually help people.

Unless you’ve been avoiding cable news and Twitter lately (in which case we're jealous), you’ve probably heard about AspireAssist, the controversial new obesity treatment that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last week.

Basically, it’s a tube that’s surgically inserted into a person’s stomach, and allows them to drain some of the food they’ve just eaten through a port valve and into a toilet. Approved for folks with a BMI between 35 and 55 (a BMI over 30 is classified as obese), the AspireAssist can prevent the body from absorbing nearly a third of a meal’s calories. (Here’s a video that shows how it works.)

Now, before we go any further, let’s just admit that our knee-jerk reaction was that this device sounds totally bonkers. We weren’t alone, either. The media dubbed it a "bulimia machine." Stephen Colbert explained it as "machine-assisted abdominal vomiting."

But is this opinion fair? Probably not.

“It’s not society’s job to judge [the AspireAssist] based on whether they think it’s morally okay or not,” says Yoni Freedhoff, MD, author of The Diet Fix and the director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa, Canada. (For the record, he’s unaffiliated with the device.) “Our opinions should be based on evidence and results.”

And, he says, the data behind the AspireAssist is actually pretty good. A year-long trialfollowed 111 people who used the AspireAssist and compared them to 60 people who didn’t have the device. Both groups received dietary and lifestyle advice along the way. After 52 weeks, those who were using the AspireAssist lost 12.1% of their body weight, while the other group lost only 3.6%.

As for the criticism that the device mimics bulimia, it’s not approved for people with that very serious eating disorder. It’s not approved for anyone with binge eating disorder or nighttime eating disorder either.

There has also been concern that the device will encourage gluttony, or that people who opt for the AspireAssist will eat whatever they want, with a 30% discount on calories. (It almost sounds unfair, right?)

Only, that’s not what happened in the study, says Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, and a researcher who was involved in the clinical trials of the device. “People didn’t keep eating,” he says. “They felt full.”

 “People assume that [obesity] is under a person’s control,” says Dr. Arrone. “They think, ‘[That person] should stop eating as much.” But in fact, it’s more complicated than willpower alone.

When we eat, our brains produce hormones that eventually tell us we’re full, he says. But as time goes on and we gain weight, that “you’re full” signal may become blunted. He suspects that may explain why the AspireAssist can help people: They get the food they need to stay full, minus about one-third of the calories.

If it still seems like a quick-fix solution, keep in mind that the device needs to be surgically implanted, and you have to spend about 5 to 10 minutes after every meal draining your stomach. “[The AspireAssist] doesn’t sound like the easy way out,” says Dr. Freedhoff. “It sounds incredibly involved.”

Dr. Freedhoff said he was personally shocked by how many people have reached out to him and expressed negative reactions to the device. “I’ve never seen something more raked over the coals,” he says.

It might be because we tend to think people who can’t lose weight are “lazy, slothful, and gluttonous,” he says. Never mind the fact that obesity is a complicated mix of genetics and our environment—or that weight loss is pretty freaking hard for plenty of people.

“We only moralize about obesity, which is always fair-game in our society—from Saturday morning cartoons to late-night comedy shows,” says Dr. Freedhoff.

Regardless of how people feel about this particular device, it’s time for all that to change, he says.

A weight-loss device approved by the FDA last week has some doctors up in arms, with one even attempting to put together 4,000 physicians to sue the agency. That’s because they say the device, which lets patients pump some of the food they've just eaten directly from their stomachs into the toilet, isn’t safe and may lead to eating disorders.

"This is the first time that I look at a device that was approved by the FDA and I am absolutely, utterly, and totally appalled that it was approved," says Joseph Gutman, an endocrinologist and diabetologist in Pembroke Pines, Florida, who has treated patients with obesity for over 30 years. Gutman says he’s put together a group of 750 physicians who want to sue the FDA to take the device off the market; his ultimate goal is to get 4,000 doctors to join him. "It is the most pathetic exhibition of ignorance on the part of our agency, the FDA. It is nothing but a bad trick. It’s like a bad joke."

The device, called AspireAssist, was approved by the FDA based on a one-year study of 111 people. The approval is for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 55 who have failed to lose weight with non-surgical therapies. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight; for a person who’s 5 feet 9 inches, the 35 to 55 BMI range translates to about 236 to 365 pounds.) AspireAssist also shouldn’t be used on patients who have eating disorders, the FDA says.

A person with AspireAssist has a tube surgically implanted through the abdomen into the stomach; it enters using a "port valve," an opening just above the belly button that patients can open or close to drain the food. After a meal, the patient waits 20 to 30 minutes before connecting the pump to the valve; the food is drained and dumped into the toilet. The process takes about 10 minutes and the device can remove up to 30 percent of the calories consumed with a meal, according to Kathy Crothall, president and CEO of Aspire Bariatrics, which makes the device and is based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

There are some obvious side-effects: the port valve can cause infections and the tube can leak. But some experts fear that the device itself might trigger eating disorders. That’s because the device, in some sense, mimics bulimia — a disorder where people binge eat and then throw up. "Instead of throwing up through the throat, you throw up through the tube," Gutman says. "This is mechanized bulimia. It’s a device that makes bulimia okay."

The company says that binge eating on the device isn’t possible; patients must chew their food too thoroughly to binge. If they don’t chew long enough, the food gets stuck in the tube, which is no bigger than a straw, says Shelby Sullivan, who led one of the trials of the device on 17 people at Washington University in St. Louis with funding from Aspire Bariatrics. Lotta Frisk, 52, who lost 148 pounds over four years thanks to the device, says she chews every bite from 55 to 75 times. "I can’t put in food and throw it out," she says. "I need to chew."

Because patients have to chew longer, they eat more slowly and often feel full faster, Sullivan says. And that may make patients eat less. "At some point they just get tired of chewing," she says. "So they are feeling that full sensation with less food because they’re eating slower and they’re also literally just getting sick and tired of chewing."

Eric Wilcoxon, 44, who’s had the device since 2013, agrees. Because of all the chewing, Wilcoxon says he has smaller meals and also eats more fruits, steamed vegetables, and grilled chicken, which are all easier to chew and aspirate with the device. "You have to chew your food beyond comprehension," he says. "I mean, you just don’t grasp how much you have to chew your food."

Wilcoxon, from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, lost 128 pounds with AspireAssist. He was 389 pounds when he decided to get the device in the clinical trial at Washington University, after ruling out bariatric surgery for fear of the complications. AspireAssist was more appealing, because it’s reversible. He also saw one of his best friends lose a lot of weight with a gastric band, a silicone device wrapped around the stomach that restricts the amount of food a person can eat — only to gain it back once the band was removed.

He plans to keep the device indefinitely, he says. That’s because it still lets him enjoy his favorite foods. "If we want to go out tonight after my boy’s ball game and if I want to have a great, big ribeye, I can," he says. "I don’t have to aspirate every meal."

Chewing isn’t the only behavioral change, Sullivan says. She argues that people who use the device make healthier choices for meals because they actually see what comes out of their stomachs and think twice about it. "Healthy food doesn’t look that bad. It looks about the same as it came in, it’s just chewed up," she says. "Things like hamburgers and french fries, now that does not look good."

The FDA approved the device based on a small clinical trial that only ran a year. That makes some experts nervous about the long-term effects for patients like Wilcoxon. "There’s no scientific basis in the long term as to what this does," Gutman says. "The studies are incomplete." It’s also hard to know how the patients will react once the device is removed. Will they regain all their weight back, as it’s often the case with temporary obesity treatments? "If the Aspire device is meant to be there for a year or two, the moment you remove it, patients will have a 98 percent chance to regain all the weight back," says Raul Rosenthal, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. That’s because most people regain weight after diets, often because they go back to unhealthy behavior.

Others worry that the device will give patients the impression that they can eat as much as they want, because they can just pump the food out afterwards. Instead, curing obesity means changing eating habits, teaching patients to eat less and eat healthier foods, combined with exercise. "I find it difficult to see how this won’t be seen as an easy way out, to the sense that people can eat more and not absorb the calories," says Konstantinos Spaniolas, a bariatric surgeon at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.