~~~ delicious, malicious, and not at all nutritious ~~~

The Printed Blog

Powered By Blogger

Sunday, November 28, 2010

My Side Effects' Side Effects

I was leisurely creeping around on Facebook this afternoon when I saw an ad that made me laugh guiltily at its shockingly sly and frightening message:

  
Did you take X birth control pill? Have you experienced gallbladder removal, a pulmonary embolism, blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, or stroke?






The idea that a pill that you're supposed to take every day could cause such harmful side effects make you wonder why so many women took it at all. Seeing such an outrageous list of possible effects in print reminded me of another prescription product whose side effects don't seem quite worth the risk. The product I'm thinking of is an eyelash-enhancing solution for "inadequate or not enough lashes" which sounds more like a problem for Maybelline than a biological deficiency worth prescription medication.

This particularly ridiculous ad features a gorgeous actress complaining about her sub-par eyelashes, using the solution for 16 weeks and supposedly seeing marked improvement worth all of the risks of using the product (see commercial below). In addition to the ubiquitous 'Results May Vary' disclaimer, the company spells out a number of other side effects that make inadequate lashes seem like the last of your worries. Instead of having short, stubby lashes, you may grow movie star quality eyelashes while also experiencing the following:

                  -Eye redness and/or itchy eyes
                  -Increased pigmentation of the iris (which may be reversible)
                  -Increased pigmentation of the eyelid (which may be reversible)
                  -Increased hair growth in other areas the solution has touched

I love that phrase 'may be reversible'; it's ever so hopeful. Do you think that they offer some sort of accompanying ointment for these effects, or would that be too obvious? Of course, the company has earned an invaluable thumbs up from the FDA, and their website claims to have sold over 1.5 million bottles. That must mean that they're doing something right. Right?


By the way, this is the same company that hocks BOTOX ® Cosmetic and boasts 'the world's most elegant breast implants' (however odd a slogan that may be). I wonder if you can get a discount on all three services? Do they offer a fantastic plastic discount? Triple bonus points if you pay with a credit card? All joking aside, my point is this: if the side effects of the treatment are disproportionately worse than the original issue, don't use that method or product. It may seem unfair that these products are easily accessible on the market, but it's up to us as consumers to do the necessary research before putting a product in or on our bodies. It sound may sound simple, but tell that to the people out there with permanently discolored irises and eyelids that are wondering where they went wrong...


No comments:

Post a Comment