Cosmetic secrets uncovered
Makeup is supposed to hide unwanted facial marks and highlight all of our best features, right? So, why do cosmetics sometimes make our face break out? The American Academy of Dermatology says it’s probably the type of makeup we use, and suggests the following pointers:
* Toss old makeup. Makeup can spoil or become contaminated. Some typical shelf lives: mascara, 3 or 4 months; foundation and lipstick, I year; powders and shadows, 2 years.
* Choose powder-based products. They have few of the preservatives and other ingredients that often cause skin irritation.
* Avoid waterproof cosmetics. The products used to remove them also remove the oily substance sebum. Without sebum, skin is exposed to irritants that cause it to break out.
* Use light-colored eye shadows. Higher concentrations of pigment in darker colors may cause adverse reactions.
* Use black eyeliner and mascara. Black is the least allergenic of colorants.
* Use pencil eyeliner and eyebrow fillers. They’re wax-based and much less likely to cause problems than liquid eyeliner, which contains latex.
* Avoid products with many ingredients. The more ingredients, the greater the chance that one of them will cause a problem.
* be careful with nail polish. Nail polish can cause an adverse reaction, if it touches the face.
* Use a foundation with a silicone base. Silicone-based foundation doesn’t cause acne and rarely causes skin irritation.
-Harvard Health Letter
Copyright American Association of Medical Assistants Sep/Oct 2003
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