Safe Beauty

Safe Beauty

Antiperspirant Chemical Found in Breast Tumors

Findings Don't Prove Link to Cancer but Deserve Closer Look

Jan. 21 2004 -- For years, rumors have circulated on the Internet
that antiperspirant use causes breast cancer, despite a complete lack
of scientific evidence to support the claim. Cancer experts say there
is no cause for concern, but a group of researchers in the U.K.
aren't so sure.

The investigators report finding preservatives commonly used in
antiperspirants and other cosmetic products in breast tumors. Their
earlier work also implicated the preservatives, known as parabens, as
weak promoters of estrogen-dependent breast cells.

Although they are not saying that parabens cause breast cancer, lead
researcher Philippa Darbre, PhD, and colleagues are hoping the
findings will lead to larger studies.

"Our research certainly does not prove causality, but we believe that
in a few of these tumors the level of this chemical was high enough
to promote breast cancer cell growth," Darbre tells WebMD. "We don't
know, however, if parabens can cause normal cells to become cancer
cells."

Little Support for Controversial Idea

Darbre says she is convinced antiperspirants can cause breast cancer
but has received little support from the scientific community to test
the hypothesis. If she gets funding, the researcher says she hopes to
study whether aluminum, which is the active ingredient in most
antiperspirants, is also present in breast tumor tissues and whether
these chemicals are present in healthy breast tissue.

"I have no doubt that if chemicals in underarm cosmetics are involved
in breast cancer, some people will be more susceptible to this than
others," she says. "These products may be perfectly safe for some but
not for others."

In an editorial accompanying the study, published in the January
issue of the Journal of Applied Toxicology, toxicologist Philip W.
Harvey, PhD, also calls for more research into the safety of parabens
and other chemicals in cosmetics that may promote the growth of
estrogen-dependent tumors.

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of a harmful effect,"
he tells us "These chemicals are being directly
applied daily, by very large numbers of people, and the long-term
health effects of exposure are essentially unknown."

'Risk Is Minuscule'

But American Cancer Society epidemiologist Michael Thun, MD, says
even if the parabens do promote estrogen-dependent tumor growth, the
risk from cosmetic use is "minuscule" compared with other known tumor
promoters.

In his editorial, Harvey cited animal studies suggesting that paraben
exposure is 500 to 10,000 times less potent as a tumor promoter as
taking oral estrogen or being obese.

"The risk at an individual level is tiny, compared to other known
risks," Thun tells us.

Thun says people should not worry about using antiperspirants, but he
says that the findings must be taken seriously by regulators who are
responsible for assessing the safety of consumer products.

"If this substance is in multiple cosmetics and is being absorbed
through the skin, it needs to be looked at more closely," he says.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOURCES: Journal of Applied Toxicology, January 2004, vol 24: pp 5-
13. Philippa Darbre, PhD, division of cell and molecular biology,
University of Reading, Reading, England. Philip W. Harvey, PhD,
department of toxicology, Covanance Laboratories Ltd, North
Yorkshire, England. Michael Thun, MD, head of epidemiological
research, American Cancer Society.

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Last year, the beauty industry finessed ways to look fresh-faced and younger by offering us smaller, safer "mini" procedures that save us from facing the full face lift. We now have dozens of day-treatments to choose from ranging from mild chemical peels for flawless skin to Botox injections to freeze the furrowed brow to making our eyes look bigger or our lips look fuller without scalpels, big risks or hospitalizations. We get to relax in the notion that dermatologist-staffed day spas can provide easy relief during our lunch breaks from Mother Nature´s lines. Seeking our individual versions of beauty finally feels safer.

But, in making big leaps toward smaller procedures, have we actually taken a pedicured step back? What we’ve started to forget, in that peer-in-the-mirror moment, is that while we don’t need a plastic surgeon, we might not need an esthetician either. Somewhere along the line we started sighing relief that collagen injections have gotten safer for needy lips and forgotten that they probably only need lipstick!

I know, embracing this liberation presents a new nail-biter, as most of us don´t know how to properly apply makeup. All the different brushes, shades, tints, mattes vs. sheers, pencils, pots and compacts make the bathroom counter look like 5th grade science lab. I know I stopped experimenting with eye shadow when I was in Jr. High (when turquoise or violet lids were de rigueur). I got so daunted by all the Beauty DOs and DON’Ts cover stories of fashion magazines that it took me 20 years, when I started writing beauty how-tos for such magazines, to dare try mastering anything other than Chap-Stick.

So here it is, my offering of a few of the easiest ways to use what you most likely already own to give your look a lift. I´ve broken it down into eye, lip and skin categories, and just for fun, I´ve included a Best Of the most outlandish, ridiculous makeup and beauty secrets I´ve heard over the years. The point is a liberating end result!

EYES

There are 3 steps to creating the Ono lift eyelift, says expert makeup artist and former beauty editor Hillary Clark, who notes the simplicity in creating a lifted, higher eye "takes minimal effort."

Use a glossy mascara (pitch that dried-out brown, and use a glossy, shiny black like T. LeClerc) and start using a lash curler. "Curling the lashes immediately pens the eye and works like a brow lift," states Clark.

Use a little color in your brows to fill in sparse hairs (the goal is to go for a natural but continuous line) and use a clear gel to keep the hairs in place. Tweezerman Eyecare Kit is a great all-in-one brow and eyelash kit for creating and maintaining your brows and lashes.

Make sure all lines point up. "When you use eyeliner, make sure the line doesn´t point down at the outward edges," warns Clark. If you´re lining the top lid, make sure you gently sweep the ends of the lines toward your forehead. After all, the use of makeup puts you in control of what people see when they look at you. Lead your lines toward the brow, and onlookers will follow the uplifting lines and see a more open eye with a lighter lid.

Hollywood makeup artist Leslie Spann agrees and even suggests skipping the liner on the bottom lid for an even wider eye. "Heavy liner on the bottom lid can bring the entire eye down rather than making it seem larger. Try making your eyes larger by opening them up from the top by using eye shadow and liner on the top lid only. You can use a touch of mascara on the bottom lashes but only enough so they don’t get lost."

Spann offers these tricks:

Heat your lash curler with your blow dryer (just for a few seconds) before curling lashes. They´ll stay curled longer.

Use light, pearly eye shadow to dot the corners of the eyes close to the bridge of the nose and do the same on your brow bone just under your eyebrow arch. Again, this trains the onlooker´s eye to see a brighter, wider space.

(NOTE: Almay is about to launch a line of creamy shadows called Bright Eyes, which will make this step a cinch. The line includes tubes of pearly shadow and liners specifically designed at opening the eye and lightening the lid. They’re a worthy investment from a company that makes hypoallergenic products almost all of us can use.)

Use T. LeClerc under eye concealer at the outside corner of your eye, where the lids come together. Warm the concealer on your middle finger and dot where lines come together to remove any shadows created by fine lines.

Lastly, Spann suggests putting an extra coat of mascara on those outer top lashes, again aiming at drawing the lashes up toward the brow. For film and photo shoots, most makeup artists actually add 2-3 single fake lashes at the outside corner to further exaggerate the look.

MOST MIND-BOGGLING BEST OF: I once interviewed a makeup artist who suggested that women use 3-4 different shades of shadow on their lids, and then spray a strong hair spay, like Aqua Net, on the eye to seal it in place. I can’t tell you how hard it was not to laugh out loud at the incredulous suggestion that women spray sticky alcohol solutions onto their eyes to keep the colors from running into each other. Is this a classic example of the price some women pay for beauty? I think sacrificing the health of one’s cornea may be taking things a bit too far....

I’ve also read that mustache wax works well in sealing unruly brows. Makes sense, but it seems a bit unnecessary.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS: you can turn almost any dry shadow into wet (to make liner out of shadow) by using a drop of water and an angled brush. Don’t mix it up. Just put a drop of water on the brush and draw it through the shadow for a long-lasting liner.

LIPS

Minimum Required Tools:
balm, neutral lip liner pencil

INSTRUCTIONS:

Balm ‘em. I often use nothing more glam than Burt´s Beeswax Lip Balm, but I always trace the outline of each lip first. This way, you can have fuller-looking lips without looking overly made-up. English Ideas Lip Enhance Lip Definer And Foundation makes for a terrific definer and helps even out any blotchy lip color before you apply your lipstick. Just make sure you rub your lips together a few times so the lip liner line softens a bit.

For a more drastic approach to fuller lips, try what I refer to as the subtle Geisha approach by putting a darker shade in the center of the top and bottom lips and a lighter shade (in the same color family) on the rest. This pinches the look into a full pucker and is a great look with bright and dark reds for a night on the town.

Go for brands and products that promote moisturizing benefits (the more matte the lipstick, the more likely it is to wear off unevenly and make lips look thin and dry). Make sure you cover the entire lip area even on top of the liner. Lastly, remember that a lipstick touchup requires a liner (again!) and a mirror. Most women think they can get away with a quick dap while at their desks or before their date returns to the restaurant table from the men’s room, but keep in mind that the way to have fuller lips, from color, not collagen, is to cover the entire lip area. The rapid reapply always leaves color that stops short of the very top and very bottom of each lip making lips look thinner than they are.

BEST QUOTE: I have a mild cat allergy, and my boyfriend has two cats. If I rub a sweater or something I wore to his house, something that has cat hair on it, against my lips, they poof up a little bit. It doesn’t last too long, but I like they way they look swollen.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS: If you run out of lip balm, there are a few things you probably already have at home that make a nice alternative. A TINY bit of olive oil works extremely well, as does a bit of leave-in hair conditioner. If you opt for the latter, choose the most natural, least fragranced variety you have in the shower.

FYI: It’s actually true that pageant contestants (from horse jumpers to Miss America hopefuls) put Vaseline on their teeth to train themselves to keep smiling. Their lips naturally recoil from the slick surface, reminding the goo-toothed to keep their lips up off the teeth in a wide grin.

SKIN

I’m bypassing the obvious here, the constants we all know help skin glow: nutrition, exercise, water, and constant SPF protection -- to offer a few tips and tricks.

If you’re unfamiliar with self-tanners, be not afraid: you don´t have to look beach-bronzed to get a boost. Use a tanner that provides a natural color and mix with a bit of moisturizer to radiate without raising brows. I often use California North Titanium Self Tanner at night (it doesn´t stain sheets OR smell unpleasant) mixed with night cream, so I can wake up and look rejuvenated (even on a Monday morning!) and never have to worry about streaks or uneven application.

By day, try an application of Cellex-C’s Vitamin C serum or skin firming cream; you’ll be impressed that your skin can absorb nutrition from the outside, and the resulting look is akin to that (fleeting!) glow from pregnancy.

For an even simpler approach, dot blush right on the apples of your cheeks, and try using a cream blush (T. LeClerc works exceptionally well) instead of a powder. A little shine is not a bad thing -- have you ever looked at a baby’s face and thought, "Get that kid some pressed powder!" Probably not.

We all get so thrown off by the hyper-oily phase of adolescence that we often over compensate to keep from having a shine. You don’t want to look slick, but keep in mind that microdermabrasion treatments were created to get RID of dull-looking outer layers of skin. If you want to create the look without the spa, use a color that isn’t overly powdered or blotted. Also, I recommend everyone takes a day or weekend off from their usual moisturizer or foundation rituals to make sure they actually know their skin’s behavior. Most of us don´t actually know if we’re dry, oily or combo, because we get stuck in routine that mixes a drying soap with a heavy moisturizer, etc. A friend of mine lost her luggage during her holiday travels and ended up going two days without her toiletries kit and her battery of toners and moisturizers. As it turned out, her skin didn´t need anywhere near as much as attention as she believed. She was only complicating her routine by using cleansers for this, toners for that, moisturizers for one area and powders for another. Without any chemical help, her natural oils did a much better job of balancing her skin than she ever would have realized if she hadn’t been forced to go without.

The trick to covering blemishes is, surprisingly, not to cover them all the way. Use concealer AROUND a blemish to eradicate red skin, but avoid loading concealer on top of a retreating pimple. You can actually call more attention to uneven skin if you coat it too heavily. If you do choose full coverage, the trick is to use a different shade than what you use under your eyes. The skin on your chin and cheeks calls for a slightly darker shade. The Professional Concealer series by T. LeClerc is worth checking out.

Those that use concealer for eyes and other areas should always have two different shades or go for the green-hued products like T. LeClerc Liquid Concealer - Tilleul that even your skin tone before applying foundation.

BEST OF BLEMISHES

Those of us who saw "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" have heard the advice that any wart, pimple or skin ailment can be cured with a spritz of Windex. Sound strange? I know someone who swears by her at-home remedies of facial masks made from crushed CAT LITTER (the clay variety). A cosmetic artist once told me that the best masks are made of clay mixed with burnt toast, as the carbon works to extract impurities better than any charcoal mask you buy at the beauty counter (I have not tried either of these.)

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS: Though I don´t recommend it, it’s true that Preparation H can speed a blemish along. I had a friend in college who used it as soon as her face showed the bump of an emerging pimple (Preparation H reduces swelling, and therefore forces the clogged pore to break the surface faster), and would apply toothpaste to the pimple as soon as it arrived.

Again, this makes sense, as toothpaste is very drying. But again, I don’t suggest either route.

Personally, go with a tried and true clay masque like Cellex-C BetaPlex Clear Complexion Mask or a Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Masque. FYI: the terms kaolin and bentonite are the "official" names for varieties of clay used in skincare.

HAIR

Samitha Thong

The tricks I’ve heard that work for hair are legion, ranging from dying it with Kool-Aid (not so good unless you´re going for a temporary Grape hue) to rubbing dryer fabric softener sheets along the roots (This DOES work. The powdery substance you feel on your fingers when you handle these actually works to calm overly oily roots). The theme is the same (Not a great idea if you have sensitive skin, fragrance allergies or eczema). We will always hear of new and different ways to make ourselves more beautiful without leaving the house.

The point is there are plenty of things to experiment with in your existing makeup kit, and you should liberate yourself from feeling only a doc can help with those crow´s feet by trying different tricks with concealer or mascara. The main thing is to keep in mind that it all actually takes practice. Don’t conduct your first experiment with the smoky eye look 5 minutes before you leave for the office. Mastering a new look, especially one that aims at brightening your face or lightening your lids, can be more satisfying or uplifting than you can imagine.