Treating Beauty Blunders

Sometimes, trying to look our best can be painful -- literally. And sometimes, we only wind up looking worse.

Almost every woman has suffered a dreaded -- beauty blunder!

But Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, a New York dermatologist who sees the results of such mishaps in her practice, cited some of the most common ones and told how to treat them, on The Early Show Wednesday.

INJURY: Bad Skin Reaction

CAUSE: Beauty products and treatments can prompt a bad skin reaction. Two of the most common reactions are caused by either allergens or irritants. An allergic reaction to an ingredient in a beauty product is accompanied by itching, while an irritant is associated with a burning symptom. Causes of skin irritations include over-exfoliation -- removing not only the top dead layer of skin, but also the healthy layer underneath -- as well as overuse of multiple products, which can react negatively with each other and your skin. Both of these can lead to redness and burning.

TREATMENT: For allergic reactions: over-the-counter hydrocortisone two-to-three times per day. The reaction should subside within a few days. For irritations: OTC hydrocortisone two-to-three times per day. These types of reactions take a bit longer to subside, up to two weeks. If this is due to product overuse, you must not do anything other than washing with water and perhaps using the hydrocortisone until things calm down.

FAST FIX: To mask the redness, use a redness-relieving cream and a mineral containing powder or lotion. Zinc, in particular, is excellent at reflecting light and masking redness. Finally, a hypoallergenic foundation such as L'Oreal True Match enables precise matching to skin color.

INJURY: Burn

CAUSE: You scorched yourself with a curling iron or flat iron

TREATMENT: To treat a first-degree burn, apply ice immediately to the area until it's no longer painful, which could be an hour. Then, use a healing ointment with silver, such as Silvadene. If you can't get your hands on it, aloe is still useful. Cover from the sun, so it doesn't hyper-pigment. If the burn starts to blister, see a doctor.

FAST FIX: Use a light foundation to cover the burn. Dermablend works especially well. You can also try different hairstyles to cover area. Side-swept bangs can hide a spot on your forehead, while a low side ponytail can cover a burn on your neck.

INJURY: Scratched Cornea

CAUSE: You accidentally jabbed yourself in the eye with a mascara wand or other makeup tool

TREATMENT: Rinse the eye thoroughly, first with running water in the direction away from the tear duct, holding your head sideways under running cool water. If the eye is extremely painful, it probably means there is a corneal abrasion or scratch. If you have ophthalmic antibiotic ointment in your medicine cabinet, this should be applied and the eye covered with a piece of gauze and paper tape.

FAST FIX: Saline eye drops to rinse.

INJURY: Nail Infection

CAUSE: Yellow nail discoloration is a sign of a fungal infection and a green-blue nail the sign of a bacterial infection -- causing the nail to separate from the nail bed or become thick and start to crumble. These infections are often transmitted through trauma to the nail, due to a botched manicure or a lot of wet work, such as excessive washing of dishes or clothes.

TREATMENT: Soak nails in white vinegar three times a day followed by the application of OTC clotrimazole solution. Make sure to trim the nail as far back as possible. Also, avoid working with water, and wear latex gloves when washing dishes.

Note: Never cut cuticles, which form a natural barrier keeping bacteria and fungi out.

FAST FIX: Clip nail back as much as possible with clean clippers. Keep hands dry. Apply the clotrimazole solution, which also imparts a sheen to the nail. However, no nail polish!

INJURY: Razor Cuts

CAUSE: Repeated nicks and cuts from shaving can cause scarring and even infections.

TREATMENT: Use a calming cream like Eucerin. To avoid future cuts, use hot water and adequate shaving cream. And always shave in the direction of the hair growth. Special razors include the Schick protector and the PFB blade.

FAST FIX: Calming cream to alleviate redness and inflammation.