Answers to 6 Beauty Questions Women Are Too Embarrassed to Ask

by Kirsten Whittaker

All of us want to look good, to put our best foot forward for work, for that special someone or just for our own pride and confidence.

And while the economy might be hitting a rough patch, this doesn't appear to be deterring women from buying the beauty products they see as necessities.

In fact, sales of the top brands at high-end department stores actually rose by 2% to $1 billion in the first half of this year.

As a special feature, WebMD collected twelve of the most embarrassing questions women everywhere are afraid to ask and got them answered.

So now you don't have to ask:

1. Why do my feet smell?

When the normal bacteria on your feet interact with moisture that gets trapped in your socks and shoes, they send out stinky sulfurous byproducts.

The fix? Since dry feet equals odor-free feet, wear absorbent cotton socks with shoes made from breathable materials, like canvas and leather are good choices.

You might also add a foot drying powder to your shoes every morning and rotate your shoes so you're not wearing the same ones each day.

2. Why is my breath so bad I brush all the time!

Although brushing helps prevent cavities, it can't help with breath odor long term. The source for that smell is found in your throat and on your tongue, not your teeth.

When the bacteria in your mouth have their oxygen supply cut off (when you use alcohol-based mouthwashes, take certain prescription medications or sit with your mouth closed for a long time), they create smelly sulfur compounds.

It's the same principle as for foot odor. The reason foods like garlic and onion make your breath bad because they too contain these same sulfur compounds.

The fix? Keep your mouth oxygenated by drinking water throughout the day and using an over-the-counter oral rinse with chlorine dioxide in both the morning and evening to neutralize sulfur compounds.

Chewing on oxygen-rich vegetables, like parsley and celery, can also diminish odors. If these tricks don't work, see your dentist.

3. I've started to sweat through my shirts. Should I be worried?

Benign, hereditary tendencies toward excess sweating can crop up any time… though you should see your doctor to rule out an overactive thyroid, low blood sugar or other health problems that present with this symptom.

Also a common, although annoying, culprit can be the "hot flashes" of menopause.

The fix? Before bed, towel-dry your armpits and apply a prescription antiperspirant solution like Drysol (it has a higher percentage of drying agent aluminum chloride than regular deodorants). Wash the solution off in the morning and don't put on any deodorant.

You might also want to talk to your doctor about Botox injections - one treatment (costing from $800 to $1,500) can paralyze sweat glands for six months to a year.

4. What's that bumpy rash along my bikini line?

A too-close shave or waxing can make hairs split and loop around just under the surface of the skin. As these off-kilter hairs grow, they push up against your skin, causing inflammation and redness.

The fix? Dermatologists now agree that rubbing the bumps to free trapped hairs only makes things worse.

Instead, use an over the counter acetylsalicylic acid (a.k.a. aspirin) solution twice a day for two to seven days to gently exfoliate the top layer of skin. Once you shed this layer, the looped hairs will be able to poke through. A cortisone injection, given by your dermatologist can reduce the inflammation of bigger bumps.

If ingrown hairs continue to be a nagging problem, you can try laser treatment to prevent hair growth. You'll need about three treatments (each costing about $350) followed by a touch-up every six to twelve months.

5. My mom doesn't have spider veins… so why do I?

While spider veins do seem to run in families, genetics isn't the only cause of these awful looking blue veins. Pregnancy or trauma to the leg (bumping into something) can bring them to life.

The fix? Though vitamin K cream has been talked up as the next big thing, there's no way the molecules in the cream can penetrate the skin on your legs to do their work.

The best option - with 95% of patients improving after one to three treatments (at a cost of up to $300 per treatment, per leg) - is still sclerotherapy, tiny injections of saline solution that irritate veins and cause them to swell shut and fade from view.

6. What are the bumps on my butt and on the backs of my arms… pimples?

Actually they're not acne, but something called keratosis pilaris - and though we have a name for them, no one knows what causes them to appear.

The fix? Soften and help slough off bumps by rubbing them with a mixture of equal parts petroleum jelly and either water or cold cream twice a day until they clear.

If this doesn't work, prescription Retin-A or LactiCare-HC Lotion 2 1/2% are choices you can ask your dermatologist about.

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