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0 View comments Q: I have very sparse eyelashes. A friend recommended a cosmetic eyelash growth enhancer, which is available over the counter. It works, but it has made my eyelids extremely red and they look horrible. What should I do? A: First, with my Beauty Bible hat on, I can report that our panel of independent testers trialled the same product (for legal reasons we can’t name it, so let’s call it ‘Eye Lash’) which you apply to the base of your lashes. Five out of ten had such marked sensitivity reactions to it that we discontinued the trial. I started researching and alarm bells began to ring. Although these topical cosmetic products are widely available, the key ingredient in several eyelash growth enhancers is a molecule used in glaucoma drugs. Known as prostaglandin analog, it reduces pressure in the eye and is also recognised as helping eyelash growth but only while you use the product. With glaucoma, doctors have to balance the risk-to-benefit ratio as ther

2 View comments   My 50-year-old friend has intractable weight gain, particularly round her tummy. I’m 45 and have good and bad tummy days, which can vary from flat to fat in a day. Exercise isn’t shifting it at the moment. Is it the same cause?A: 'These are different but both common problems,’ says women’s health expert Dr Marilyn Glenville, author of Fat Around the Middle* (marilynglenville.com). ‘Leading up to menopause, extra pounds often settle around the middle because your body tries to compensate for declining oestrogen. Some oestrogen is manufactured in the fat cells there, which offsets some of the loss from the ovaries.’  Your waist should measure less than 80 per cent of your hip measurement. If your hips are 40in, say, your waist should be under 32. A higher ratio increases your risk of breast and other cancers, strokes, heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The key to weight loss is a low-carb diet, plus exercise. The standard

0 shares 0 View comments Pucker up to help a worthy cause From the age of nine months, Carmel Allen’s daughter Josephine (below) was silent for almost a year. ‘I would see tears rolling down her baby cheeks, but no sound came from her mouth. It was so distressing,’ remembers Carmel. Jojo, as she is known, had a stage 3 neuroblastoma tumour squashed against her windpipe, obstructing her breathing. To increase the oxygen supply, she was given a tracheostomy at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), in which ENT surgeon Ben Hartley inserted a tube at the front of her windpipe. From the age of nine months, Carmel Allen's daughter Josephine was silent for almost a year. She had stage 3 neuroblastoma That was in September 2002. In December, after two rounds of chemotherapy, Hartley and cardiac surgeon Martin Elliott worked for eight hours to remove the tumour. The ‘trache tube’ was taken out the following summer. Today Jojo, now 11, is fully recovered. In 2

0 shares 0 View comments Former ballerina Darcey Bussell reveals her health secrets including green tea, regular massages and relaxation MY HEALTH: Darcey Bussell, 43, former Royal Ballet principal dancer, now Strictly judge. What makes me really happy is being with my children – Phoebe, 11, and Zoe, eight – and my husband Angus and going on adventures together. This year we are going skiing in Austria. My biggest treat is having a massage at the Sanctuary Spa in London’s Covent Garden with my younger sister Zaylie, 33.  I never took much care of my skin when I was dancing because we always wore such heavy make-up: you just scrubbed it off and that was that. My skin got very dehydrated because of travelling so much, but I didn’t really know what to do, so I drank more water and occasionally put on moisturiser.  Darcey Bussell's favourite, Sanctuary Lipid recovery facial oil When I moved to Australia with my family in 2007 I started looking after my skin.

0 shares 1 View comments Why shouldn't I have a caesarean? Why shouldn’t I have a caesarean? I am pregnant with my first baby and would like to have an elective caesarean section, but my doctor is advising against it. Why? A caesarean is major surgery, so you may need to stay in hospital for three or four days. It will hurt afterwards, and even small movements such as coughing, laughing and lifting your baby may be too much for several weeks. ‘I advise women to avoid having a caesarean if possible,’ says Professor Peter Brocklehurst of University College London. Of the one in four women who have caesareans, a significant number have no medical reason. A caesarean increases the risk of uterine rupture (that means the womb tearing open) during labour if you have a natural birth subsequently. It is rare, but can be very severe and even life-threatening for mother and baby, says Professor Brocklehurst. The risk increases with each subsequent caesarean, according

0 shares 0 View comments Is there a safe acne solution?  Q: My teenage daughter has bad acne, which makes her unhappy and self-conscious. It hasn’t responded to treatment and the doctor mentioned Roaccutane, but I have seen frightening stories about it. Teenage acne can cause children to become unhappy, withdrawn and depresssed A: Acne, which affects 90 per cent of adolescents, can cause immense emotional distress, agrees consultant dermatologist Professor Nick Lowe. It’s due to blockages in the follicles, caused by an overproduction of sebum combining with dead skin cells. Bacteria feed on the oily sebum and multiply, leading to inflammation and the formation of pimples, blackheads and whiteheads, and often scarring. The male hormone testosterone increases at puberty in both sexes, triggering excessive sebum production. Contributory causes include stress, a high glycaemic (GI) diet with lots of sugar and carbohydrates, and dairy products. Roaccutane, a vitamin A

12 shares 1 View comments Why can’t my daughter get to sleep at night? My daughter, who is nine, is having problems falling asleep at night, and gets very worked up. She starts the day tearful and irritable and nearly falls asleep in lessons. ‘Sleep problems can arise at this age as children enter the second stage of their psychological development as mini adults,’ says psychologist Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, an authority on sleep and stress and author of Tired But Wired (Souvenir Press, £12.99*). ‘They develop their own worries, and have to redefine their sense of safety.’ Dr Ramlakhan offers these general tips: Adopt wind-down routines. Minimise time with computers, iPads and smartphones in the 90 minutes before bed; avoid overexciting books; run a warm bath with lavender oil, but not too close to bedtime.Create a calm environment. Light levels should be low (try a pink or amber bulb, as research shows blue light can block the sleep hormone melatonin). Remove clocks