How to reverse saggy Ozempic or Mounjaro face, by top beauty editor INGE VAN LOTRINGEN who reveals exactly what really works
But with rapid weight loss comes 'Ozempic face' – hollowed cheeks, sagging skin and more wrinkles.
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Calorie labels rarely influence takeaway choices, survey suggests
Calorie labels rarely influence takeaway choices and are unlikely to encourage people to eat more healthily, a survey suggests. A poll of 1,040 adults living in England found the majority (77%) did not notice any calorie information during their most recent online takeaway purchase, the study, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Reading and Exeter universities and published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, found. Of those who did, 71% said it did not affect their food choices. Instead, taste and price were ranked the most important factors when deciding which takeaway to order, while healthiness and low carbon footprint were ranked as the least important. Around 50% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that alternative interventions, such as traffic-light labels and more healthy alternatives on the menus, would encourage them to make a healthier choice. People under the age of 35 were more than twice as likely to order takeaways weekly or more often than those who were older, the poll found. The study also asked respondents to report their height and weight measurements, which the research team used to calculate body mass index (BMI) scores, finding just over half of the sample had BMI scores indicating they were living with obesity (35%) or were overweight (28%). Those with BMI scores that classed them as obese or overweight were twice as likely to have weekly or more frequent takeaways compared to those with healthy or underweight BMI scores. It is estimated almost two-thirds (63%) of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity. Current guidance recommends adults should consume around 2,000 calories a day and main meals should contain around 600 calories each. Frequent consumption of out-of-home food, including takeaways, has been linked to higher energy intake and poorer diet quality. As part of a government strategy to encourage healthier eating, calorie labelling was introduced in April 2022 for large out-of-home businesses across England, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways. As well as listing the calories for each food item, menus also need to include a statement of the recommended daily calorie intake. Associate Professor Laura Cornelsen, lead author of the study based at LSHTM, said: 'While calorie labels can encourage businesses to provide healthier options, they aren't necessarily the answer to reducing unhealthy eating and tackling obesity. 'When we asked participants what they think could improve healthy eating, they suggested for example 'buy one get one free' offers on healthier dishes and more education early on in schools on food preparation. 'These are both examples of interventions that can equip people with the knowledge to plan healthier options in a way that works with their schedule and income. 'The focus should be on tackling systemic issues, like making it simpler and more affordable to purchase healthier options, rather than adding even more pressure to consumers and families to change their choices. The onus should also be on the food industry to get creative with offering tasty and affordable meals that also meet nutrition guidelines.' Study co-author Dr Cherry Law, a food economist at the University of Reading, said: 'While awareness of calorie labelling rules is quite high, most people don't notice the information when ordering online, and even when they do it rarely changes what they choose. 'The takeaway message is that we need strategies that reflect what people care about when eating out, as calorie information alone is not enough.'
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Patients like a medic in a white coat, but often mistake female doctors for nurses
Patients see doctors in a white coat as professional and trustworthy but often mistake a female medic wearing one for a nurse or medical assistant, a study has found. Female physicians are 'unfairly judged based on appearance and attire, which affected patients' perceptions of professionalism and competency', according to a global review of the evidence around patients' impressions of what doctors wear. 'Female physicians are often judged more on appearance than their male counterparts,' it said. 'The way female physicians dress significantly influences perceptions of competence and professionalism, highlighting the gendered expectations that patients hold. 'Even when male and female physicians wore identical attire, female physicians were still more likely to be misidentified as nurses or medical assistants.' The researchers found that 'gender-related perceptions of physician attire' existed across the 13 countries studied, including the US, India, Japan, China and Germany. The paper, published in the journal BMJ Open, is based on an analysis of 32 previously published studies on perceptions of doctors' clothing. 'The expectations regarding attire are often gendered, particularly affecting the recognition and respect given to female physicians,' the paper's co-authors write. Such behaviour is so widespread that hospitals and other healthcare providers should try to reduce bias among patients and 'foster equitable perceptions' of male and female medics, they add. The white coat has been a symbol of medical expertise for decades. Its association in patients' minds with cleanliness and professionalism meant that 'white medical coats became the standard attire for physicians worldwide in the 20th century'. Until then, doctors had generally worn black clothing to reflect the seriousness of meetings with patients. People receiving healthcare find the white coat reassuring, the study found. 'Regardless of gender, patients exhibited favourable attitudes towards physicians wearing white coats, perceiving the physicians as trustworthy, respectful, skilled, communicative and empathetic.' The white coat is still widely used by doctors worldwide. However, it was banned in the UK in 2008, when the government decided that medics working in the NHS should follow a 'bare below the elbows' approach to reduce their risk of spreading infections. The British Medical Association was unsure that evidence justified the change. Despite patients' preference for doctors wearing formal clothing, the Covid-19 pandemic made them more accepting of scrubs. 'Patients tended to feel more comfortable with physicians wearing scrubs after Covid-19 ceased. While the traditional white coat is seen as a symbol of professionalism and trust, patients have increasingly accepted scrubs, especially in emergency or high-risk settings,' the researchers found. Globally, male doctors seem to enjoy another advantage in many patients' minds as to what they wear. 'Patients' perceptions of male physicians' accessories have shown that details such as watches and glasses significantly impact professionalism and trustworthiness' and add to their perceived authority, the study found.
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Burn notice: Gen Z and the terrifying rise of extreme tanning
Hannah Clark got her first spray tan for her school prom and has never looked back. 'I'm not proud of it, but I have used sunbeds,' says the 29-year-old graphic designer from Plymouth. Her goal is 'that glow you get when coming back from holiday. You know, when you walk around and people say: 'Oh, you look really healthy.' It's that feeling I'm chasing.' Clark is far from alone. On TikTok and Instagram, posts with the hashtag 'sunbed' number more than 500,000. Last year, a survey from skin cancer charity Melanoma Focus found that 28% of UK adults use sunbeds, but this rose to 43% among those aged 18 to 25. This new generation of younger tanning obsessives will go to extreme lengths to darken their skin. Some track the UV index – the level of the sun's ultraviolet radiation – and deliberately sit in the sun at the most dangerous times of day. Others use unregulated nasal tanning sprays and injections, which rely on a chemical to darken the skin. All the people under 30 I spoke to for this article know how dangerous tanning is. NHS guidance states that there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan and advises keeping out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, wearing sunscreen of at least factor 30, and covering up with clothing, hats and sunglasses. Dr Zoe Venables, a consultant dermatologist at Norfolk and Norwich University hospitals, with an interest in skin cancer epidemiology, says that when skin turns darker after UV exposure it 'suggests you're damaging those cells in your skin'. Sunbeds are categorised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as 'dangerous' – with their cosmetic use increasing incidences of skin cancers and driving down the age at which skin cancer first appears. It says people who have used a sunbed at least once at any point in their lives have a 20% greater chance of developing melanoma – the deadliest of the three most common forms of skin cancer – than someone who hasn't. For someone who has used a tanning bed for the first time before the age of 35, there is a 59% greater chance of developing melanoma. Despite this stark reality, having a tan is still presented to many young people as aspirational – whether it's faux tan-lines appearing on catwalks or bronzed influencers on holidays in Dubai. Many sunbed shop owners sell tanning as a form of 'self-care', while influencers post 'come for a sunbed with me' videos. Perhaps most perniciously, some sunbed shops even make light of the known risk associated with them. One meme shared on Instagram by a tanning salon overlays the text: 'When someone tells you sunbeds are bad for you' with a clip from the sitcom Benidorm, in which the character Madge Harvey says: 'I spy with my little eye something beginning with AB: absolute bollocks.' Emily Harris, 23, from Leeds, uses sunbeds. Her parents both work for the NHS and have warned her about the risks. But she says that having spent most of her teenage years in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by various global conflicts and the ever-looming presence of climate breakdown, the dangers of a sunbed seem small by comparison. 'You can die of anything – do you know what I mean?' she says. While Harris, who works in sales, can't afford to use sunbeds all the time, she uses them whenever she has 'a bit of spare money', making use of the deals that salons offer. Before a recent holiday, she bought a package that gave her unlimited minutes, with a daily limit, for four weeks. 'I was going every day,' Harris says, which she admits 'is a bit silly', but adds: 'I was trying to make the most of the package.' As well as using tanning beds, Harris is 'obsessed with tracking the UV', and has the index on the lock-screen of her phone. She and her colleagues plan their breaks around times when the UV index is highest, so they can maximise their exposure to the dangerous radiation. A number of her friends also use nasal tanning sprays, which were the subject of a Trading Standards warning issued earlier this year that stated: 'These products can cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, and even changes in mole shape and size … studies have shown a potential link to melanoma, a type of skin cancer.' Harris tried one when her friend had a spare bottle, but 'didn't see a result' so hasn't used one again. Was she worried about what might have been in it? 'To be honest, not really. I know it's bad, but at the time, I was more bothered about getting a tan.' Nasals, as they are known, usually contain a lab-made substance called melanotan II, a chemical that darkens skin pigmentation. Though it is illegal to sell medicinal products containing melanotan II in the UK, cosmetic products fall outside that remit and are easily available on social media. Dr Suraj Kukadia, a GP known to his 282,000 TikTok followers as 'Doctor Sooj', is concerned about the popularity of nasal sprays. He says melanotan II can also lead to 'painful and sustained erections in men, kidney damage, acne and muscle-wasting'. Holly Feldman, 25, lives in Surrey and is the CEO of a swimwear boutique. She has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram and is often sent free tanning products such as nasal sprays and injections. 'I think that was why it was so addictive for me,' she says. Though she had no idea what was in these products, and the injections in particular made her feel unwell, she says: 'I was just trying to turn a blind eye to it because I was so obsessed with how it made me look.' Feldman recently appeared on former Love Island contestant Olivia Attwood's ITV documentary series The Price of Perfection, in which Attwood explores the risks of various cosmetic treatments. Being on the show made Feldman realise how much potential damage she could be doing. She hasn't used a tanning injection for four months, and has reduced her use of a nasal spray to a couple of times over the past month, when previously it would have been four inhalations a day. 'I do still use sunbeds,' she says. 'But I have cut down. There was a time when I was going on them four, five, six times a week and now I only go on them once or twice.' Data from the UK and Ireland's Sunbed Association suggests that tanning beds are most popular among 25- to 45-year-olds, and more women than men use them. But that's not to say gen Z men are free from the pressure to sport a tan. Craig Hopkins, a 29-year-old dance teacher based in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, says he uses sunbeds to 'look like I've just come back from holiday'. He prefers the look of a 'real' tan to a fake tan, which ties in to existing social media trends such as 'looking expensive' and 'quiet luxury'. 'On Instagram especially, everyone is always on holiday, always super brown. So it's probably just trying to keep up,' Harris says. Like Harris, Hopkins also tried a nasal spray once, via a friend who used to sell them, but it made him 'feel really sick'. Despite the known risks and side-effects, most of the young people I spoke to for this article were still willing to give nasal sprays a try. Megan Urbaniak, a 23-year-old nail technician from Rotherham, says: 'I feel as if I know a million people who use them and everyone seems to have been fine. It does kind of weird me out that they don't tell you what's in them, but I'm sure there's worse in the world.' Urbaniak is a regular sunbed user – and has even encouraged friends to use them before going on holiday 'because it stops you from burning immediately when going in the sun'. Venables is quick to debunk claims such as this, saying that all it does is put your skin through even more 'excess UV exposure'. She points to another type of common skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, which is thought to be due to cumulative UV exposure. While Urbaniak does not seem to be put off by any safety concerns, she is keen to stress that there is a 'cultural line that you probably shouldn't cross' when it comes to tanning as a white person. 'I don't think that my body is capable of going that colour, but if it was, I'd like to think someone would tell me to stop.' That said, it isn't just white people who like to tan. Melissa Jones, 19, from Chester, says she has 'seen way more people of colour – including south-east Asian girls like me – getting into tanning. For me, it's not about being darker – it's about adding that warm, radiant glow and evening out my tone'. Like Feldman, Jones uses the word 'addictive' in relation to her tanning habit, and thinks it helps her in her job as a content creator. Tanned skin 'looks amazing on camera and in content', she says. However, she has recently switched from using tanning beds to using only fake tan. 'I became more aware of the risks, like ageing, skin cancer, all of that.' The WHO has urged countries to consider banning sunbeds: Australia banned all commercial sunbeds 10 years ago and Brazil banned them in 2009. Kukadia and Venables both say they would like them banned in the UK. Jak Howell, a 26-year-old content creator from Swansea, has been urging his followers to stop using sunbeds since he was diagnosed with stage three advanced melanoma when he was 21, which his doctors were surprised to see in someone so young, and said was probably due to his use of sunbeds. Howell had been using sunbeds regularly since he was 15 (it has been illegal for under-18s to use tanning beds since 2010, but the ones Howell used weren't staffed. Customers bought tokens from a machine and slotted them into the beds). When a mole appeared on his back that 'kept bleeding and scabbing over but never healing', he sent a photograph of it to his GP and was immediately referred to hospital. He underwent radiotherapy and surgeries to remove his lymph nodes, but these failed to remove the cancer. Eventually, after a year of immunotherapy, which 'completely knocks you for six', he went into remission. Howell now wants to see sunbeds banned. He tells young users: 'OK, it hasn't happened yet, but it could happen. And when it does happen, it is far, far worse than anything I could ever describe and you could ever imagine.' For many young people, though, the allure of the sunbed's 'instant fix' is too great to resist. And it's not as if this is the first time young people have put themselves at risk. As Kukadia points out: 'If alcohol was discovered or invented now, it would be illegal.' But tanning does feel different from other classic rebellious pursuits such as binge drinking, cigarettes and drugs because people don't do it for fun, but to achieve a certain aesthetic – a symptom, perhaps, of our screen-filtered lives. 'If I wasn't on social media, I probably wouldn't use sunbeds,' Feldman admits, but because her job requires social media use, she can't see herself stopping. A few years ago, Clark noticed a dark, 'pretty scary-looking' lesion on her leg, and was referred to a dermatologist. Though it didn't turn out to be skin cancer-related, she had to have it removed, and the experience has stopped her being so 'frivolous' with tanning beds. Urbaniak can't see herself giving up either. 'If something were to go wrong, then maybe I'd reconsider,' she says. 'But I feel as if I'm in that generation where we all just live in denial until something happens.' Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? 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