14 DAY TRIAL // Though the Internet and the media offer the easiest access to information all over the world, certain beauty myths continue to persist and, even more importantly, to enjoy the status of “scientific fact.”
Such is the case of the myth that says that you must comb your hair 100 times to make it shiny and healthy looking, or that you shouldn’t shave your legs because hair will grow darker and thicker.
The same goes for that saying that you can use lotions, potions, pills or creams to get rid of cellulite, or that hair grows faster in the summer. Thanks to Real Simple, we can now put all these myths where they belong: in the trash bin.
One myth, for instance, says that you shouldn’t spend too much time with your legs crossed because you can get varicose veins, which will virtually make it impossible for you to wear skirts (not to mention the health implications here).
Perhaps not at all surprisingly, this is not true, experts say for the e-zine. The only thing that can influence the appearance of varicose veins is standing for far longer intervals of time.
It’s a known fact that genetics and standing are the two main factors that cause spider veins, therefore, if you choose to cross your legs when you’re sitting or not should make you life in fear you might get them.
“Pronounced veins often crop up on people who either have a genetic predisposition to them or have jobs that require them to stand a lot, says Kevin Pinski, a dermatologist in Chicago,” says the e-zine.
“Standing makes the vascular network work extra hard to pump blood from the legs up to the heart. If the valves, which keep blood flowing in one direction within your vessels, aren’t functioning properly, a pooling of blood can occur and result in unsightly veins,” the publication further notes.
Another factor that can lead to the appearance of varicose veins is pregnancy or a severe trauma to a particular area. But definitely not crossing your legs when you’re sitting.
Another myth that is widely circulated and held as accurate is that women should avoid shaving and opt for waxing instead. Shaving, apparently, will make the hair grow darker, thicker and, goes without saying, nastier.
This is just how it looks, Miami dermatologist Heather Woolery-Lloyd says for the aforementioned publication. In reality, nothing changes about the hair when it grows after shaving.
A normal hair is wide at the base and narrow at the point, which is also how it looks after waxing or plucking. Once shaved, the hair is cut at the base (not removed entirely), which makes it so that the widest part of it grows out.
This way, it only appears to be thicker – it’s not actually so. The conclusion is that shaving doesn’t “change the width, density, or color of hair,” the e-zine says, therefore there is no truth to the myth.
Waxing and plucking are preferred though because they offer longer-lasting results.