We are always interested in stories where science meets beauty so we gave Sarah the task of reading and reviewing a book on her beach vacation. Here is her review of In Stitches by Dr. Anthony Youn.

In Stitches: the book

In Stitches by Dr. Anthony Youn is a memoir chronicling his journey from childhood through medical school and finally ending with a very successful career as a plastic surgeon.

The first chapter immediately sets the tone with a humorous, yet relatable quest for this nerdy, Asian kid to just fit in at school, please his parents and look cool. We also see his own experience with plastic surgery to fix his ever growing jaw which he affectionately refers to as “jawzilla”.

As Youn enters college knowing he is destined to become a doctor (because his strict, Korean father said so) he continues to struggle with fitting in, meeting women and contemplating why he is really going to med school. Once in med school and continuing through his residency, you feel the highs and lows of his experience. He shares the everyday pains of just trying to make it through school by cramming for exams, eating junk food, chasing women and living in less than ideal quarters alongside bigger issues like choosing a mate and a medical specialty all while sharing poignant moments with friends and family. Ultimately, while in his pediatric rotation, an experience with a child severely mauled by a raccoon leads him on the path to choosing plastic surgery.

Sarah Says

Overall, I liked it. I found Dr Youn’s memoir to be funny, poignant and easy to read. The book was a little breezy at times, with too many contrived Asian stereotypes and a little sex obsessed. It was more Scrubs than ER, but I found myself wanting to know what happened next and finding Anthony Youn to be smart, relatable and likeable. (Plus I really, really, really, love the cover of his book!)

Do you have a book you think the Beauty Brains would like? Let us know by leaving a comment below and we’ll see if we can get Sarah to do a review.

Dark eyes asks…Does Botox get into the brain?

The Right Brain responds…

Dark Eyes asked this question in our forum while ago. We’ve already blogged about the topic and it turns out that the evidence is not clear that Botox is bad for your brain. But seeing this question again gives us an excuse to comment on the LATEST controversy about Botox: that it could rob you of the ability to sense the emotions of others. That’s right: Botox can turn you into an insensitive, emotionless zombie. (I wonder if that’s what happened to Left Brain?)

Zombieland

Botox, or the botulinum toxin as it is officially known, smooths out wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. These are the same muscles that control the facial expressions you use to convey emotion like lifting the corners of your mouth in a smile, furrowing your brow in confusion, or wrinkling your nose in disgust. And this is where it gets interesting: according to neuroscience researchers David Neal and Tanya Chartrand, if you’re unable to convey your own emotions, it’s harder for you to PERCEIVE the same emotions on the faces of others. This is just one more potential factor to consider if you’re thinking about getting Botox injections. Look for a copy of the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science to learn what else they discovered about mirror neurons and the surprising result they found when they AMPLIFIED facial muscles.

If you’re concerned about which cosmetic products are really safe and which ones are just trying to scare you out of your money, then you should download our free guide on How To Save Money On Beauty Products.

The next time you’re walking along the beach and come across a grayish, unidentifiable blob, you might not want to ignore it. According to this report, one family in Australia was doing just that when they stumbled across a sample of ambergris worth over $1 million!

So why does this story make the Beauty Brains? Well, it turns out ambergris (or whale vomit) is one of the many natural materials used by perfume companies for creating fragrances. Apparently, one gram of the stuff is worth $20 (US). That’s over $9000 per pound!

The natural material is not used very often anymore because it is extremely rare and it comes from whales (a protected species). Fortunately, crafty chemists have devised suitable synthetic replacements. See, just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s good. Think about that the next time you see advertising telling you differently.

Incidentally, if you are a US citizen and were planning on heading to the beach to seek your blobish fortune, think twice. In the US, possession of ambergris is a violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1978 and could result in significant fines and even some jail time.

I was a little behind in my RSS articles but I stumbled upon a report about Halloween makeup to which the Beauty Brains had to weigh in.

The fear mongering folks at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics are at it again. According to their latest report, Halloween face paint is contaminated with lead, nickel, chromium and cobalt. They say this is because of the lack of regulation by the FDA and warn that exposure to these toxic (naturally occurring) chemicals “can lead to hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, IQ deficits, reduced school performance, aggression and delinquent behavior.”

Finally, they recommend that parents “avoid using face paints on children until safety standards are put in place.” They further suggest that you “make your own face paint with food-grade ingredients.”

Not surprisingly, the PCPC (cosmetic industry trade group) responded by saying that the “the trace levels of naturally occurring heavy metals reportedly found in the products are well below the allowable levels set by FDA for approved colors as not presenting a safety concern.”

So, who should you believe?

Lead in Facepaint

No one is disagreeing with the finding that lead was found in the Halloween face paint. With all the lead found naturally in our environment it is understandable and should be expected that products like this will contain some lead. The recent study found 0.05 to 0.65 ppm.

Safe lead levels?

But is the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics claim that “Experts say there is no safe level of lead exposure for children” true?

This idea of “no safe level of lead” comes from an international study which showed even low levels currently considered safe could affect IQ scores. However, the study doesn’t show “no safe level of lead”. What it shows is that the current standards may need to be reduced.

In reality, it is impossible to create a standard of zero. Scientists create better and better measurement devices so the idea of “undetectable” gets smaller and smaller. Soon, we’ll be able to find some level of lead in everything. Regulations must always be based on some “safe level”. The only debate should be about what is that safe level.

Regulation of lead

According to the FDA, they do not directly regulate the amount of lead in cosmetics but they do regulate the lead in cosmetic colorants at 20 ppm. This is the “safe level” according to studies done by the FDA. They also conclude that there is no need to be concerned about the level of lead found in cosmetics. The levels found in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics study were within safe levels.

Should you make your own?

One recommendation made was that people should make their own face paint. But if there is “no safe level of lead exposure” how can they possibly make this recommendation?

Food and water all contain lead. Currently, the EPA allows 15 ppb of lead in your drinking water. If you are using water to make the face paint as suggested, you are exposing your child to lead. If you use natural colorants to make the face paint, you are also exposing your child to lead.

Why would advocates of safe cosmetics tell people to use lead-containing ingredients to make face paint?

Could it be that they think there is a safe level of lead?  If so, what is it?

Beauty Brains bottom line

There is no evidence that the amount of lead found in Halloween face paint, lipsticks or other cosmetics is harmful to children or adults. But if you are scared to use it, don’t use anything. Everything has lead in it.

If you want more information based on science, see what the FDA has to say about Halloween face paint.

Elizabeth asks…Hi! I’m new to this site, but was impressed by the thorough analysis done on other products.

My daughter is selling NYR Organic bodycare products and I was wondering if any here have tried it, and would be interested in hearing an analysis from the brains of the group! I’m not a hardcore organic person, but was impressed at how quickly a small 3rd degree burn healed when I used their lavender oil on it, and then I went to a “practice party” that my daughter did, I was able to check out a few more products. As a good mom would, I am scheduled to host a party, but I am more interested in the analysis of the product before I make any kind of investment in it.

Left Brain launches:

So sorry about the delay in answering, Liz, we are working hard on meeting our deadline for our new Beauty Brains book. But I thought I’d take time out to answer this one since enlightening people to the realities of multi-level marketing (e.g. Arbonne) is one of my favorite things to do.

So, your question is basically….Should you invest in NYR Organic?

NYR Organic products

I’ve never used NYR Organic products but you can learn a lot about a product by reviewing the ingredient list. It turns out that they use the same ingredients that everyone else uses. In the cosmetic industry, nearly everyone has access to the same ingredients and ingredient suppliers. Bigger companies will sometimes get exclusive deals, but it’s rare that anyone can gain an advantage by the source of their raw materials. NYR Organic is no different.

As a quick example, look at their Rose Body Cream

You can click the link for the full list but basically the formula is water, emulsifier (glyceryl stearate) and an oil phase (cetearyl alcohol, Lanolin alcohol, Shea butter, etc). It’s probably a fine formula as they no doubt work with some excellent cosmetic chemists. But this formula isn’t any better than something like Burt’s Bees body butter. And at $36 for 5.2 ounces, NYR Organic doesn’t even compare in value to Burt’s Bees product at $13 for 6.6 ounces.

Of course, even Burt’s isn’t even as good a value as something like Neutrogena Body Cream at $7.70 for 6 ounces.

But the point is, there is nothing about NYR Organic formulas that makes them superior to other, less expensive products you can buy. And if you find the natural / organic story compelling, then Burt’s Bees, JASON, or any of the other host of “natural / organic” products you can buy at regular stores will be a better value.

NYR Organic Sales System

I do not know any more about this company than what I’ve read on their website. However, from your description of hosting parties and “investing” in the products, it sounds very much like a system of distribution called Network Marketing or Multi-Level Marketing. In this system, they get “consultants” to buy products, sell them to their friends & family, and then try to get the “consultants” to convert their friends into consultants who will then give them a kickback on every sale.

The whole system is very much like a pyramid scheme in which no one (except the people who started the company) really makes any significant money. Of course, it’s not an illegal pyramid scheme because product is actually produced and sold.

Before you invest any money in this company or any other, be sure to read this information about Multi-level Marketing.

And if the guy at Skeptoid doesn’t make you think twice, read what the FTC has to say about Multilevel Marketing.

Beauty Brains Bottom line

Should you buy into the NYR Organic system and become a consultant? Ultimately, you have to decide this for yourself. But if the reasons are because the products are something special (they aren’t) or that you’ll make a lot of money (you won’t), then you’ll be best served by skipping this “opportunity”.

What do you think about multilevel marketing opportunities? Have you joined and made money? Leave a comment below and let the other Beauty Brains community members know.