Hey Beauty Brainiacs,
It’s that time again! Answer time to the Beauty Science or BS poll. Nearly 400 of you responded, but only 34 actually came up with the right answer. This one must have been tough.
People can get contact dermatitis by using body wash as a skin moisturizing cream – TRUE
27% of you thought that this was the fake one but no, it actually has happened. According to this report from The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, two cases of this exact problem were recently caused by Dove Body Wash
Tattoos, ear piercing, makeup, and skin treatments have existed for the past 50,000 years – FALSE
Only 9% of you figured out that this one wasn’t true. The tip-off should have been that
human societies haven’t been around for 50,000. The real story comes from a review of the origins of cosmetics in the journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. They say cosmetics have only existed for about 5000 years. Still a long time considering the study of chemistry didn’t start until the 1600s. (Bonus points: Can you figure out what the tattoo in the picture shows?)
In the US, over 100,000 people have been hospitalized in the last 5 years due to a hair care product-related injury – TRUE
23% of you were tricked by this startling headline. Yes, over 100,000 people have had
hair care product related injuries in the last 5 years. What kind of injuries? Mostly the kind related to curling-irons. According to this study published in the Academic Emergency Medicine journal, >80,000 people have been rushed to the hospital due to burns from curling irons. Mostly, they were little kids who grabbed or touched hot devices. Remember to keep those things out of the reach of children!
Gravity is not the main cause of sagging facial skin – TRUE
42% of you found this one too hard to believe but according to an article in Dermatology Times, it’s true. The doctors at Duke Eye Center who studied this phenomena say that it is primarily caused by changes in bone structure not gravity. They discovered through CT scans that contrary to common belief, the skull continues to grow as we age. This moves the skin and muscle below and results in sagging facial features. So much for those skin tightening lotions.
Were you a Beauty Brainiac this time? Leave a comment and tell us which one you picked and why.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow many amazing facts! I cannot configure what is the tattoo above.
The tattoo looks like a horse or maybe a dog
The tat is of a horse. Isn’t it one of the giant horses carved into the chalk cliffs of England?
It’s the White Horse of Oxfordshire!
Nice choice for a tattoo. ^_^
You are correct! You can see more about it on this White Horse of Oxfodshire wiki entry.
I thought it an appropriate tattoo because the figure is supposed to be >3000 years old. For more sciencey tattoos, check out Carl Zimmer’s tattoo emporium. Some scientists are zany huh?
I think it’s a cat made with woad
<_< But woad is connected with Celts
Did the Celts know about cats? x_X
It is a chalk horse, but I think it’s more than likely a tribute to the Discworld book A Hat Full Of Sky by Terry Pratchett
“human societies haven’t been around for 50,000 years”….. actually human societies, depending on what you mean by societies, have been around for around 200,000 years. The oldest cave art in the world is over 40,000 years, and there’s shell bead jewellery dated to 100,000 years ago. Red ochre, which was used as make-up by the Romans, was also used by Neanderthals in burials.