Category: Lifestyle

People like to point out the fact that it’s bad to go to sleep without removing your makeup. We don’t want to be just another judgy voice in the chorus, so we’re going to go the extra mile and tell you exactly what’s so bad about sleeping all dolled up.

When you go out for an amazing night on the town and stay up until you basically fall asleep on your feet, you probably aren’t going to feel like spending a few minutes at the bathroom sink repeatedly splashing your face with water.

We all slip up occasionally, but here’s the horrifying truth about what can happen when you regularly forget to remove your makeup before bed. Together, these insights create a pretty compelling argument in favor of cleaning your face at night.

1. You could stretch out your pores.

Makeup has a tendency to work its way deeper and deeper into pores as you sleep. Not only can old makeup clog pores, sparking a field of blackheads and zits, but it can also fill and actually push your pores further open. At that point, kiss those dreams of invisible pores goodbye.

“Makeup can actually stretch the pore and make it look bigger,” David Orentreich, a dermatologist with Clinique, told Cosmopolitan magazine. We feel like we’re in a constant battle with pore-size as it is. There’s no reason to help out the enemy.

2. Your complexion could take a hit.

Sleeping in makeup is as bad as they say. The proof? It can cause zits, sure, but it can also develop age lines in your face.

“Sleeping in your makeup can result in unnecessary exposure to the free radicals in the environment, which the makeup holds on to,” Eric Schweiger, a dermatologist with the Clear Clinic, told the Huffington Post. “Free radicals cause the breakdown of healthy collagen, which results in fine lines on the skin. Additionally, makeup can clog the pores while you sleep, resulting in the development of acne.”

3. Your skin could look dull and lifeless.

We all strive for bright, radiant skin. When you sleep in makeup, you spoil your chances of attaining this look. While you sleep, all the gross stuff in your pores, like old oils and dead skin cells, push to the outer layers and give your face a dull finish.

“Oils and dead skin cells on the outermost layers of the skin are matted up against the pillow all night, and natural turnover of this dull epidermal layer is diminished,” celebrity dermatologist Annie Chiu told Good Housekeeping. “Regular cleansing and exfoliation are integral to revealing healthy new skin cells and allowing the natural repair processes of the skin to occur.”

4. You can even get itchy, irritated skin on your face.

Even if you’re not allergic to the specific makeup you wear, the chemicals in these products might start to irritate your skin over time. Like, say, the six hours you’re asleep at night.

“The skin is good at tolerating a lot of things, but it can become reactive,” Orentreich said. “You don’t want to leave things on longer than you have to.”

So next time you’re tempted to collapse into bed with a fully made-up face, force yourself into the bathroom (or at the very least use a makeup remover towelette). Your skin will thank you!

The sun shone brightly in May of 2017.

A Canadian mom named Rebecca Cannon planned to take her 14-month old daughter, Kyla, out for a day in the sunshine. Like any good mother, she planned to protect her child’s sensitive skin from harsh UV rays. So she took out a can of an aerosol SPF-50 sunscreen and sprayed little Kyla down.

A few days later, Cannon shared frightening pictures of Kyla’s badly burned face on social media.

“It has been verified and confirmed 3 times now a 2nd-degree caustic burn (chemical burn)[sic],” Cannon wrote. In an interview with CBC News, Cannon went deeper into her terrifying experience.

“As the day went on, she got a little redder and redder and the next morning she woke up and was swollen, she was bright red, there were blisters starting to pop up,” Cannon said in that interview. “We immediately took her up to the doctors and found out she has second-degree burns.”

So what’s going on?

Did the sunscreen somehow magnify the strength of the UV rays hitting Kyla’s face? Was there some caustic chemical in the sunscreen that was injuring the poor little girl?

Parents magazine tasked writer Melissa Willets with finding out. So Willets did what journalists do: She talked to the experts.

Rachel Prete, a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Orlando’s Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children didn’t think there was anything special about the brand of sunscreen involved in this incident.

“To my knowledge there is no additional ingredient [this sunscreen] uses that their competitor sunscreens do not,” she told Parents. “Each child is different in the way they respond to sunscreen, especially on the face where the skin can be more sensitive.”

Prete suggests that Kyla may have had an allergic reaction to a substance called oxybenzone, which “is present in about 65 percent of chemical sunscreens on the market,” she said.

Willets had another question. Could it have been the fact that this sunscreen was packaged in an aerosol can that caused the injury? She asked dermatologist Janet Prystowsky of Livad Skin Care. Prystowsky couldn’t say for sure, but she did mention that she doesn’t recommend aerosol sunscreens for infants in the first place.

“The problem with [aerosol sunscreens] is that, with infants and toddlers, it can be tough to apply adequate coverage,” Prystowsky said. “You don’t want your child to inhale the sunscreen either, which is always a risk with aerosols. Plus, the child may rub it off almost immediately. It can be hard to tell for any parent.”

Unfortunately, the sad case of Kyla and the sunscreen remains a mystery.

However, there are steps parents can take to protect their children from a similar fate, whether it’s an allergic reaction or a harsh chemical. Start by choosing the right sunscreen to keep in your beach bag.

“I recommend broad-spectrum mineral-based sunscreens that come in a lotion or stick for the face,” Prystowsky said. “Choose a sunscreen that is age-appropriate. If you choose a high SPF of 50+, make sure that your active ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. You’ll notice adds a white tint and doesn’t blend in fully. For small children, this can be an easy way to ensure that they are wearing sunscreen.”

In addition to sunscreen, use hats and clothing to cover your infant fully.

” I can’t stress enough how important clothing is for your child’s sun protection,” she said. “A bucket hat will protect their scalp, ears, and upper face.”

Finally, Prystowsky reminded us that infants shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight at all until they’re at least 6 months old. After that, parents should limit sun exposure. With these tips and the right kind of sunscreen, you should be able to avoid an ordeal like the one Kyla and her mother experienced.

Nothing says summer like a quick dip in the pool.
Of course, if you’re at all concerned about your health, you might be better off staying poolside. Pools are breeding grounds for bacteria, and even with proper chlorination, they can present some substantial risks for swimmers.

Here are a few disgusting facts that might scare you away from pools for the foreseeable future.

1. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), public pools are responsible for 10 to 20 outbreaks per year.

Those outbreaks include bacterial diseases caused by organisms like E. coli and serious illnesses caused by parasites like Cryptosporidium.

Cryptosporidium (often abbreviated as “crypto”) is particularly problematic, as evidenced by the fact that the CDC affords the disease its own database. In 2016 alone, the CDC recorded crypto outbreaks in Arizona, Alabama, and Ohio.
Conditions are just about perfect for major crypto outbreaks in 2017, according to an alarming CDC report.

Fortunately, swimmers can avoid the parasite. Here’s how.
“Protect yourself from getting sick by not swallowing the water in which you swim,” said Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program.

Well, that’s really helpful. At least the vast majority of public pools are safe, right?

2. A shocking number of public pools aren’t safe.

Ideally, pools should have a free chlorine level of 1 to 3 mg/L and a pH of 7.2 to 7.8. At these levels, problematic bacteria have trouble surviving. Unfortunately, various contaminants can make chlorine less effective, and without rigorous maintenance, public pools quickly fall behind.

In 2010, the CDC reported that 1 in 8 public pools were shut down due to safety issues, based on 120,000 inspections carried out in 2008.
Granted, this wasn’t restricted to dirty water; some pools simply didn’t have the required staff or safety equipment (not exactly comforting).

“We definitely need to focus on improving pool operations,” said Hlavsa, once again providing profound insight.

3. That “clean” chlorine smell is actually something else.

Well, your local pool is different, right? After all, you can smell the chlorine from the moment you arrive. That must mean that the cleaning crew is doing their job.
“Many people think that when a pool smells of chlorine, that means that it’s clean,” said Mary Ostrowski, director of the Chlorine Issues at the American Chemistry Council, to Life’s Little Mysteries.
“But that smell is actually chloramines, a substance that results from a mix of chlorine and bacteria, urine and sweat.”
Ideally, a pool should be odorless, but this isn’t really possible at public pools.
If the chlorine smell is extremely strong, steer clear; there’s a good chance that the chloramines are powerful enough to cause skin irritation and other issues.

You can take your own testing strips to the pool, if you don’t mind looking paranoid. There’s more bad news, however: Some organisms, such as the aforementioned cryptosporidium parasites, are capable of living for days in chlorinated water.

4. Oh, and too much chlorine is also a bad thing.

Let’s say you manage to find a pool that consistently keeps its chlorine levels perfect. Plus, every swimmer is compelled to shower before getting into the water. You’re in the clear, right?

Not quite. Several studies have shown that chlorine can raise swimmers’ chances of asthma and allergies.
As it turns out, chlorine isn’t too great for our bodies, although you’re probably in the clear if you only visit the pool on occasion.
Oh, and this likely applies to outdoor pools as well, according to a 2008 study published in the European Respiratory Journal.

“Outdoor chlorinated swimming pool attendance is associated with higher risks of asthma, airways inflammation and some respiratory allergies,” the study’s authors wrote. “Hypochlorous acid [chlorine] generates a mixture of harmful breakdown products, which includes potent irritants, such as chloramines, haloacetic acids or haloacetonitriles.”
In other words, the chlorine in pools can effectively address some problems, but it can also create significant respiratory issues with prolonged exposure.

5. Yes, people pee in the pool.

We doubt that we’re surprising anyone with this revelation. However, the scale of the problem is pretty incredible; according to a survey from the Water Quality and Health Council, one in five Americans admits to the practice.

That’s just the people willing to confess. By one estimate, a typical pool has about eight gallons of urine. Many people might not see this as a major issue, but as mentioned above, contaminants like urine make chlorine less effective. While urine itself is mostly harmless, it can substantially affect pool maintenance efforts. Plus, eww.

So what can you do to make pools less disgusting?

While we’ve painted a grim picture in this article, most pools are relatively safe. Bacteria is everywhere, after all, and you’re not exactly diving into a sewer when you head down to the public pool.

To do your part, don’t bathe in the pool. By soaping up before you hit the pool, you’ll help to prevent pathogens from spreading. Don’t go swimming if you’ve been sick, and as Michele Hlavsa will tell you, don’t drink the water. Clean thoroughly after you leave the pool, and you should be fine.
Oh, and try not to think about the pee thing.

In any household, parity is important.
That’s especially true when it comes to household chores. In order for a household to function effectively, each person must handle a fair share of the burden.

Unfortunately, women still perform the majority of the household chores, according to several recent studies. The National Science Foundation reports that on average, husbands create an extra seven hours of housework per week for their wives. Wives, on the other hand, save their husbands from performing about an hour of housework each week.
That’s a massive disparity, and although the household gender gap has diminished somewhat over the past several decades, it’s still a substantial issue. Here’s what we know.

Couples who share housework responsibilities are often happier.

In a review of household labor practices, researcher Scott Coltrane wrote that “More balanced divisions of housework are associated with women perceiving fairness, experiencing less depression, and enjoying higher marital satisfaction.”

In other words, women tend to be happier when the household chores are distributed evenly. They also tend to be more satisfied with their relationships (something that their husbands should probably keep in mind when the floors need mopping).

However, some household tasks can actually decrease stress levels.

A study conducted by Florida State University found that washing dishes could promote mindfulness, essentially acting as a form of meditation. In fact, the chore could decrease stress and promote relaxation in the right circumstances.
According to the research, when people focused on “the smell of the soap, the warmth of the water, [and] the feel of the dishes” while doing this task, they were able to decrease nervousness by 27 percent. These individuals also experienced a 25 percent improvement in “mental inspiration.”

This effect, of course, varies greatly from one household to the next. Although dishwashing might be a mindful practice for some, it’s a terrible experience for others. Still, many women say that they handle additional chores out of love for their families rather than a simple sense of obligation.

Recently, blogger Ellen Seidman of Love That Max wrote a piece about the mental burdens that mothers feel compelled to bear.

“I am the person who observes, right before bedtime, that various iDevices are lying around uncharged,” Seidman wrote. “I am the person who finds the bag of clothing on the floor of the car that was supposed to be returned to the store three weeks ago. I am the person who foresees needing gifts for the birthday party, graduation party, anniversary party, every party…”

“…I rarely get credit for my observational talents. I see, I do and I conquer, tirelessly and without complaint. Er, mostly without complaint. OK, I complain. But has our family ever had a t.p. crisis? Nope. It doesn’t take a village—it takes me. Because I am that person who notices we are running out of toilet paper. And therefore, I rock.”

Ultimately, we’d love to see the household gender gap disappear entirely. However, there’s certainly nothing wrong with taking pride in the way that you support your family, either; check out Seidman’s full essay here.