Today’s episode of The Doctor’s was a show not to be missed by ladies over 40 or under. The doctors and their guest experts covered a variety of ways in which our fashion and beauty habits could quite possibly be harming our health.
To Ear, or Not to Ear – That is the Question
Ladies, wearing those heavy earrings are a huge no-no. They can easily get caught on something and pull through the lobe. The weight of the earring over time can distort and elongate the hole, making it extremely unsightly.
Tip: Try to avoid them altogether, but if you just have to wear a pair every now and then, a piece of surgical tape on the back of the ear, will offer you more support than wearing the earring alone.
Catching Handbag Hell
Now I myself have been guilty of lugging around a purse so heavy, it fatigued my entire body. But Dr. Lisa made it crystal clear that anything over 5 lbs could be hazardous to our health. In addition to the obvious neck and shoulder problems, some of the health concerns she cited included pinched nerves, difficulty sleeping, disfiguration, paralysis, and numbness (none of which sound very fabulous).
Tip: Ladies, Dr. Lisa said we need to empty those bags down to the bare essentials; a hairbrush, sunglasses, and a Poochee to keep things nice and organized.
Is it Really Worth the Headache?
This happened to me and I thought I was going to die! External Compression Headache caused by wearing a headband, or…too tight of a headband. Fortunately, this type of headache is relatively simple to cure – TAKE THE HEADBAND OFF!! Don’t suffer through it for the sake of fashion ladies. It’s just not worth it.
Dr. Drew brought up a concern called Traction Alopecia. This type of gradual hair loss is the result of a pulling force to the hair; the frequent wearing of ponytails or braids too tight, or repeatedly securing the hair tightly with bobby pins, which can all damage sensitive hair follicles.
Tabatha Coffey from Salon Takeover was a guest on the show today, and addressed the role of friction and pulling of tight weaves and extensions in hair loss. Glue on the scalp is also a major source of irritation and extensive hair damage.
Tip: The key phrase in each of these head and hair issues is “too tight,” so the first and most obvious thing you want to do is just loosen things up a bit.
Tabatha adds that moderation is important, and long heavy weaves add a great deal of stress to short hair. To add length or fullness for a special occasion, she suggests snap-ins as a great option. And very importantly she adds, no DIY (do it yourself) at home extensions or weaves. Spending the money for professional services is well worth it to avoid unnecessary damage to your hair.
Fashionable or Rational
Skinny Jeans are all the rave, yes, but hearing Erin of Redbook Magazine talk about the dangers of constrictive clothing, I think I’ll pass on the side order of compressed nerves, numbness and tingling in my legs.
And who doesn’t love a sexy pair of high heels? But prolonged wear can result in unsightly and painful hammertoe, bunions, and crowding of the toes, and I promise you – there’s nothing sexy about that.
Tip: Dr. Lisa introduced a product I had no idea was out there called Spare Soles. It was a cute little satin wristlet with a pair of ballet slippers inside. The wristlet opened up to a bag big enough to carry your heels. So wearing your slippers to and from the event shortens the length of time your feet have to cry out for mercy.
I know we’ve all heard it said “That’s the price you pay for beauty.” But when it comes to fashion, my health is just too high a price to pay.
Be well!
