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Harmful Beauty Treatments To Forget In 2013 (PICTURES)

Harmful Beauty Treatments We Should Forget This Year
The Huffington Post UK

Last year saw its fair share of weird and wonderful beauty treatments from bagel heads to the bum implants which turned inside-out.

While at HuffPost UK Lifestyle we do like to take care of our appearance, we are quick to draw the line at any beauty trend which is potentially harmful. Obviously.

Our big (and stylish) sisters across the pond, HuffPost Healthy Living, have pulled together five beauty treatments from 2012 which could be bad for us.

Let us know if we've missed any off in the comments below

Bad-For-You Beauty Treatments
Keratin Straightening Systems(01 of05)
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We've long been concerned about keratin treatments -- also known as Brazilian Straightening treatments. But as of earlier this year, the two biggest manufacturers of the treatment will include a warning about the carcinogenic effects of formaldehyde gas that is emitted when the product is mixed. (credit:Shutterstock)
Black Market Butt Injections(02 of05)
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Loose solutions like silicone are not approved for injections in humans, and yet this fast-growing treatment that is meant to augment your posterior is regularly conducted at home or by unlicensed people, often known as "shot girls". In a certified surgeon's office, the typical augmentation would be done using the patient's own fat. And though any medical procedure caries its own set of risks, it's obvious that the regulated and controlled process conducted by a licensed physician is a safer bet. (credit:Alamy)
Tanning(03 of05)
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This year's tanning mom was a cautionary tale if there ever was one -- though the majority of tanners obviously don't look quite like her. But even if that tanning-bed session gave you a healthy-looking glow, you're now 29 percent more likely to develop basal-cell carcinomas and 69 percent more likely to get squamous-cell carcinomas -- two types of deadly skin cancer. (credit:Shutterstock)
Fish Spa Pedicures(04 of05)
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It sounds harmless enough: Toothless carp known as "doctor fish" nibble away at the dead skin cells that form unsightly callouses on a person's feet. But a recent analysis of fish slated for spas throughout the U.K. showed they were found to have antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio cholerae, S. agalactiae and even Streptococcus agalactiae, which can cause pneumonia and other serious infections. That callous-sloughing razor doesn't sound so bad now, does it? (credit:Shutterstock)
Bikini Waxes(05 of05)
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At least one crusader -- a family doctor who runs a student health center in the U.K. -- is out to end the practice of bikini waxing. Dr. Emily Gibson explains that waxing pubic hair creates microtears in skin that, in turn, makes waxers more vulnerable to picking up infections -- either from bacteria that grows in the genital region, or from sexually transmitted disease. “Pubic hair does have a purpose, providing a cushion against friction that can cause skin abrasion and injury, and protection from bacteria," wrote Gibson in MedPage Today. "It is the visible result of adolescent hormones and certainly nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.” (credit:Alamy)

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