DIY Cosmetic Procedures – To Do or Not To Do?

Increasingly, there are fewer and fewer treatments – for beauty and health – that you cannot do to some extent at home. Now, we’re talking about the less acute side of things here. There is not, at this point, a “Remove Your Own Appendix” Kit, and hopefully there never will be. But for minor adjustments, the chance to do it yourself and change your look is right there in more and more ways.

The question is, just because you can does that mean you should? We all know that there’s a lot of information and instructions online for most things. You COULD build an extension on your own house without assistance. But you might cause a flood or a small fire if you didn’t do it right.

We all know there are some things you can do for yourself that you are better off leaving to the experts. But where does that line come? For some people, it’s a pretty short way down the scale.

“I Know I Can Do Botox At Home, But Should I?”

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There are now at-home Botox kits that you can buy online, have delivered and apply yourself. That’s true. The perfectly fair question is whether you should be doing it yourself. After all, Botox doesn’t mess around. We have all seen people who have had it done and it’s been TOO effective. Some of them laugh about it afterwards, but you can’t tell they’re laughing.

So if this can happen even when applied by someone who does it for a living, is it wise to do it for yourself? If you have the confidence to do it and are informed enough about the dos and don’ts, maybe. But bear in mind that … well, there is no soft way to say this, you’re injecting something into your face. Unless you’ve had it done before, and know the process inside out, I’d err on the side of “no,” here.

“So If I Can’t Do Botox At Home, What About Teeth Whitening?”

We all know about the proliferation of home teeth whitening kits. And most of us have probably heard one or two horror stories about them. People have ended up in pain, doing damage to gums and teeth; sometimes because they did it wrong, but sometimes due to a faulty kit. Eager to make a quick buck, some sellers aren’t the most trustworthy.

But if you’re wondering why home Botox is a bad idea yet teeth whitening might be okay, there is a difference. Botox is a specific chemical with definite results. Whitening kits can differ from provider to provider, and this makes all the difference in many ways.

Perhaps most importantly, the kits that make it to market can be and have been scrutinized by reviewers. You’re not taking a step into the unknown in anything like the same way as with Botox. Read up on https://dabestreview.com/top-10-best-teeth-whitening-kits/ and elsewhere. The information you will gain from these resources is invaluable.

It also means that there are some kits which barely differ from regular toothbrushing. If you’re dubious at all about applying a gel in a new way, these kits are a better way to do it. Depending on your level of confidence, there is a kit out there for you. Other people have taken this path before you, and you can learn from their success.

“Will The Results Be As Good?”

The only straight answer to that question is that it depends on the kit you use. It’s safe to say that if it promises lab-quality results and costs about 1% of what you’d pay a specialist to do, the answer is “no”. But with some of the more advanced kits, if you follow the instructions and are diligent, you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference. And because you don’t need to book a lab to do it, it is cheaper.

“But There Are Still Risks, Yes?”

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It really depends on how you define the word “risk”. Technically speaking, there are risks even to using shampoo on your hair or toothpaste on your teeth. Those are minimal risks based on the possibility that you could be allergic to an ingredient (https://www.empowher.com/skin-allergies/content/top-best-selling-shampoos-stay-away). The risks of teeth whitening, equally, depend on the factors involved.

First of all, don’t buy anything from a brand you don’t recognize and haven’t researched. Unfamiliar brands bring more risks because they haven’t passed the same consumer tests. They also haven’t been exposed to the same analysis of ingredients. If you’ve bought a home whitening kit and aren’t sure if it’s safe, by all means consult with a doctor. They’ll be able to tell you of any risky ingredients.

There have been some scare stories about teeth whitening in general, based on the active ingredient. Usually, that ingredient is Hydrogen Peroxide. Some people argue that it is potentially harmful to gum tissue – but if you buy it in a kit and correctly apply it, it should only ever touch your teeth. As enamel is dead tissue anyway, that’s not risky.

“But Hydrogen Peroxide? That Sounds Pretty Potent!”

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Well, the word “peroxide” makes us think of bleaching hair, and we can see how much of an impact it makes there. So everyone shifts a little in their chair when they think of putting it near their teeth. But the truth is, a quality whitening kit should only ever contain a very small amount – less than 0.1% of the formula. In such small quantities, it’s not dangerous in the view of any expert.

To make a long story short, whatever treatment you are applying at home, you just need to follow some common sense guidance.

• Don’t apply an unfamiliar product without reading extensively beforehand.
• If dyeing your hair, patch test the dye on your arm to make sure you are not allergic and will not have a reaction to it.
• If you have any doubts about a product or your ability to correctly use it, don’t use it. At least not until you have spoken to an expert.
• And finally, if at any stage of the process you experience an acute level of pain, stop applying it and call for medical help.

Follow this advice, and you can be confident that your home treatment is safe. As for whether it will work? Well, that we can’t be sure of until you use it.