Are you a fashion victim?
Some fashion trends are so hip, they hurt. Literally. Tight hipster jeans have been found to pinch nerves and cause tingling thighs. Rebonded hair can make your hair fall off in chunks, and henna tattoos can cause a rash. Sunday Life! checks out eight fashion trends which may put wannabe trendoids at risk
By Elisabeth Gwee
Time to hit the nail on its head
MANICURED nails can look pretty. But they can also turn pretty ugly if not groomed correctly.
Dr Eileen Tan, associate consultant dermatologist at Changi General Hospital, says she has started to encounter an array of nail cosmetics-related skin disorders ever since nail salons started growing in popularity.
'Excessive or over-zealous manicuring can have an adverse effect on nails,' she says.
YOU'LL BE SPITTING NAILS: Wearing fake nails may be pretty, but fungus can form in the space between the natural and acrylic nail if the latter is not attached properly. -- PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAN LIM
For example, pushing back the cuticles too much may damage the softened nail matrix. This is the part of the nail below the nail fold and which is responsible for growth.
This can result in depressed lines running across the nail.
Viral warts or fungal infections can develop because it is easier for such micro-organisms to penetrate the nail.
Certain nail products can also damage the nails.
Nail hardeners, which are used to strengthen nails, often contain formaldehyde. This can give rise to allergic contact dermatitis, or skin irritation.
It can also cause onycholysis where the nail is lifted off the nail bed. This can cause much discomfort, like getting your nail caught on clothing, for example.
Prolonged use of formaldehyde can cause the nail to split and become brittle.
Dr Tan has also seen problems arise from nail sculpturing.
This involves attaching a plastic nail tip onto your natural nails. The entire nail is then covered with a layer of acrylic which comes in a powdered form.
Sometimes, fungus can form in the space between the natural and acrylic nails if the latter is not adhered properly.
Side effects to acrylic can occur, such as skin inflammation around the nails.
Inflammation can also spread to areas that come in contact with the nails, like the eyelids.
Dr Tan says: 'In the long term, the patient may not be able to give up regular nail sculpturing to cover the permanent damage, like uneven or discoloured nails.' Her advice is to go to a professional nail salon that uses proper techniques. It must also have good hygiene practices so that infections do not spread.
Don't live to dye another day
HENNA tattoos can give your skin a touch of exotica.
But they can also leave you with a rash and blisters.
Dr Goh Chee Leok, medical director of the National Skin Centre, says the problem is not the henna dye itself, but the chemical para-phenylene diamine (PPD), which is sometimes added to it.
PPD, which is used in some hair dyes, gives the henna tattoo a darker colour, making it stand out more and last longer.
But while it might look more striking, exposure to PPD can sensitise the skin and cause an allergic reaction.
It can also cause a lifelong allergy to products that contain PPD, like hair dyes.
TIT FOR TAT-TOO: While henna tattoos will not mark you for life, the dye used may contain a PPD chemical. Exposure to the chemical can lead to allergic reactions like rashes and itchiness.
Since henna tattoos became more popular as a fashion accessory three years ago, Dr Goh has seen an increasing number of people coming in with blisters on their skin from adulterated henna tattoos.
A rash will appear about two weeks after the tattoo has been applied, followed by itchiness.
An allergic reaction can be treated within one to two weeks with a topical steroid.
Those who suspect they are allergic to a henna tattoo can go for a patch test: A small amount of diluted chemicals is left on the skin for 48 hours to provoke an allergic reaction.
If positive, a red patch will appear and last for four to seven days, showing the person is allergic to the henna or other dyes.
To ensure you are getting a pure henna tattoo, Dr Goh says the henna dye should be reddish brown, and not anything darker, like black.
„h Photography: ALAN LIM; stylist: Vik Lim (Tel: 9009- 5561); hair and makeup: YUAN SNG (Tel: 9695-0673)
Mini me
A WOMAN flaunting her legs in a micro-mini can be a road hazard to motorists and passers-by. She can also be a hazard to herself.
Physiotherapist Yasmin Qureshi from Delfi Orchard's Back and Neck Centre says a woman wearing a tight mini-skirt can injure her back if she has to pick something up from the floor.
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The proper way to bend over is to place one foot in front of the other, and bend both knees.
'But you can't spread your legs one in front of the other in a mini. There's no room to,' she says. 'She'll probably twist her hips to one side, and contort her spine in an undesirable way. It's easy to sprain your back muscles.'
What is worse is if she is in a mini skirt and high heels - there is little support as she balances in a contorted position. She could sprain her ankles, too.
In fact, the mini skirt has also been said to cause cellulite.
Two years ago, researchers at Germany's Gottingten University found that women who insist on wearing mini skirts in the cold are likely to grow a thicker layer of fat and cellulite on the legs to keep warm.
So, avoid mini skirts if the air-conditioner is on full blast at the office.
Ms Qureshi also advises against wearing a mini to work, especially if you are going to do something strenuous, like lifting files off the floor.
'On other occasions, if you're wearing a mini and you drop something, get someone else to pick it up for you,' she says.
So hip, it hurts
LOW-SLUNG jeans that threaten to expose your rear end have raised some serious aesthetic concerns.
Now, they have created some health ones as well.
Dr Toh Choon Lai, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, says wearing tight clothes - like hipster jeans - can squeeze a sensory nerve that passes over the hip bone. This causes a tingling sensation in the thighs called meralgia paresthetica.
Other symptoms include numbness, pain, a burning sensation and sensitivity in the front and outer part of the thigh.
NO HIP-HIP HURRAY: Tight clothing like hipster jeans can squeeze a sensory nerve that passes over the hip bone, causing numbness, pain and sensitivity in some parts of the wearer's thighs.
A Canadian doctor recently warned in a letter published in the Canadian Medical Association journal that hipster jeans, favoured by celebrities like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, could bring on this condition.
While not a common problem here, Dr Toh says he has seen an increase in the number of patients over the last year with meralgia paresthetica from tight clothes.
Most of them are female in their late teens to young adults.
Wearing tight corsets, heavy tool belts and squeezing too many things into your jeans pocket can also cause meralgia paresthetica. Basically, anything that causes too much pressure around your waist.
Obesity can also put pressure on the nerve.
Dr Toh says the nerve damage is not too serious and most people just have to stop wearing tight jeans to prevent symptoms from worsening.
Apart from wearing looser clothes, patients can be given medication and steroid injections to remove the symptoms. Surgery is rarely required.
He advises women to wear more loose-fitting jeans, or wear hipster jeans for short periods - like two to three hours - rather than all day long.
Shoe fetish
HIGH heels give you instant sex appeal - they make you taller, give the illusion of longer calves, push your pelvis out and give you a nice wiggle.
But in the long run, they can leave you hobbling in pain, with corns on your feet, shorter calves and back problems.
Ms Melanie Foster, a podiatrist with physiotherapy clinic Physionique at Orchard Towers, says: 'Man was designed to walk on a level surface. On heels, the surface area is decreased. Your walking pattern is dramatically altered and abnormal.'
She says the average person takes 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day. Now imagine doing that on your toes.
High heels throw the weight forward onto the balls of the feet. The back is arched and the knees are locked to compensate for the body leaning forward. The higher the heels, the greater the weight on the ball of the foot.
There is also greater pressure on the knee-caps as they are in a constantly bent position.
Some studies show that a three-inch heel puts twice the amount of pressure on the ball of the foot. That means a woman who weighs 47 kg exerts a weight of 94 kg on her feet 10,000 times every day.
Pointy-toed shoes, which were all the rage last year, can end up squeezing toes together. This, in turn, can compress the nerves running through the toes, and can leave the foot with a tingling sensation.
It is also easy to develop corns and calluses since the toes are rubbing together.
And with all the toes squashed together, it is hard to grip the ground for the right amount of stability.
While some women cannot live without their heels, Ms Foster encourages them to think of the long-term effects they can have on one's health.
'Painful feet affect whole body functions and subsequently your quality of life,' she says.
She suggests saving high heels for special occasions, and for those where you will spend more time sitting down, rather than forcing your feet to buckle under double your normal weight.
Bag envy
SOME handbags can damage not just your bank accounts but your shoulders, too.
A bag stuffed with your 170-g PDA, 215-g mobile phone, 500-g wallet, makeup pouch, vitamin box and numerous keys, can add up to a great burden on your shoulder muscles and arms.
IT HURTS: A heavy bag can cause chronic stress and tightness in the neck and shoulder muscles if it is carried on the same shoulder daily.
It is even more dangerous if your bag comes with a hard and chunky handle.
Dr Chang Haw Chong, associate consultant at the department of orthopaedic surgery at Changi General Hospital, says that chronic stress, and tightness in the neck and shoulder muscles can result if shoulder bags are carried on the same shoulder every day.
One can also get a stiff neck and numbness in the arms as the handbag sits on the levator scapulae - the muscle that helps to lift the shoulder blade.
This, in turn, pulls on the cervical and upper thoracic vertebra, which is the upper half of the spine bones behind the chest.
Dr Toh Choon Lai, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, says heavy shoulder bags can also precipitate or aggravate a condition known as thoracic outlet syndrome.
The common underlying cause of the syndrome is compression of the nerves and arteries in the thoracic outlet. This is the channel through which the nerves and blood vessels stretch from your neck to your arm.
This compression can be caused by an extra first rib, an old collar bone fracture, abnormal muscles or muscle hypertrophy, where muscles increase in size in response to increased work.
The pressure of a heavy bag will cause the nerve to be further compressed, leading to pain and numbness.
Both doctors advise women not to overload their handbags. Carry only the essentials.
But if the essentials end up weighing a tonne, avoid carrying the bag on one shoulder. Alternate the bag between both shoulders, or use both arms to support the bag.
Alternatively, use a backpack-style bag so that the weight is more evenly distributed between both shoulders.
Beware fallout from rebonding
IMAGINE running your fingers through silky straight hair, only to have it come off in clumps.
That is what happened to Danielle Lugue, 14, after she rebonded her hair a year ago.
GOING STRAIGHT: Chemically-treated hair shafts are weaker and fracture more easily. This can lead to hair loss.
Her mother, sales and marketing director Fay Lugue, says her daughter's hair started breaking about two months after she had it rebonded.
Mrs Lugue, 39, says: 'It was scary. You'd see all her hair falling off in the shower. And it would be in big clumps, too.
'She's never going for rebonding again. It's just too unhealthy for the hair.'
Doctors and even some hairstylists agree that rebonding is one of the most damaging things you can do to your hair.
During rebonding, perming lotion is added to soften the hair and break down its bonds.
After this is washed off, hair is placed between two metal plates of an electric styling device, which uses heat to pull the hair rod-straight. A neutraliser is applied to reset the bonds and stabilise the hair.
Dr Eileen Tan, associate consultant dermatologist at Changi General Hospital and its resident hair expert, says: 'Hair is irreversibly altered after the perming process. Chemically-treated hair shafts are weaker and fracture more easily. This can lead to hair loss.'
If you must have absolutely straight hair, Dr Tan's advice is to go to an experienced and professional hairstylist who uses the right technique and equipment.
She says the rods of newer electric styling devices are now coated with non-stick materials so that hair does not get stuck. This reduces the risk of hair breakage.
She says: 'Hair is often damaged by careless treatment. The best approach is to treat your hair kindly.
'Avoid harsh shampoos, regular perms and chemical processes to your hair if you can help it.'
Waxing lyrical
THE thought of a Brazilian wax can make one's hair stand on end.
It involves stripping off all the hair in the pubic region with hot wax.
IT BURNS, IT BURNS: Using hot wax to remove body hair can end up burning the skin and causing blisters if the wax is not cooled to a safe temperature.
While it can be as painful as it sounds, Dr Goh Chee Leok, medical director of the National Skin Centre, says it is a relatively safe procedure.
'Pubic hair doesn't have any protective function, so it's up to individual preference whether one wants it or not.'
As with waxing on any other part of the body or face, complications can arise if the wax is too hot.
Hot wax, if not cooled to a safe temperature, can burn the skin, and cause redness and blisters. It can take up to a week to heal with steroid cream and antihistamine medicine.
It is possible to develop a secondary infection if waxing is done extensively at one go. The skin can get a bit raw, and this can result in the skin follicles being infected.
Dr Goh says the skin must be cleaned before and after waxing with an antiseptic or soap and water to prevent such an infection.
He says it is not possible to spread bacteria or an infection through waxing, as the germs will be killed by the heat.
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