Join Allure as we explore the inextricable link between science and beauty â and don't be surprised if you discover your next favorite serum, hair mask, or scalp treatment along the way. Jenny Bailly, executive beauty director, and Dianna Mazzone, senior beauty editor, are asking the tough questions and getting the straight answers from dermatologists, cosmetic chemists, and at least one expert on climate change (we said the questions were tough). So if youâve always wondered what a wrinkle actually is (and how retinol can make it go away), or why your hair is curly (and which polymers will give it the most spring), come get nerdy with us!
Growing up, Stephanie Germino was aware that her family had a history of carrying the BRCA gene mutation, even though it wasnât openly discussed in her household. Her mother and her aunt had preventative double mastectomies and opted for implants; her maternal grandmother had breast cancer twice. At the time, the potential consequences of testing positive for the BRCA mutation seemed pretty manageable, because, according to Germino, she was âan ignorant child who didnât like her bodyâ and was interested in getting her boobs done anyway.Â
Then Germinoâs body underwent a series of changes: She took up bodybuilding, gave birth to a child, breastfed for a yearâmeanwhile, the threat of a positive test loomed larger in her mind. When she confirmed she had the BRCA mutation, she knew she would get a preventative double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing cancer, and assumed she would get implants as well. It was Germinoâs partner who reminded her that there were other options, and one day, while scrolling online, she saw someone with an aesthetic flat closure. Germino, who was always âvery insecure about her chest,â realized that she wanted a flat chest too. Her surgeon attempted to dissuade her, and she had no real life examples to point to, but she continued to advocate for her preference. Â
Now Stephanie Germino has built a public platform for flatties, proudly posting images of her chest at @theebooblessbabe, and pushing back on socialized norms of femininity. In fact, she says, ânot having boobs makes me feel more of a female,â adding, âI show up more feminine, I feel more sexual because I was insecure about my chest.âÂ
Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics that shape women's lives today with honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by Allureâs editor in chief Jessica Cruel.
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Dr. Lisa Cassileth is a breast surgeon in Beverly Hills, which, according to her, means encountering âso many bad boob jobs.â But repairing someone elseâs questionable handiwork happens to be one of Dr. Cassilethâs specialties, along with innovative reconstructions and other thoughtful surgical developments that prioritize positive patient outcomes and well-being. Dr. Cassileth was the first female chief of plastic surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and has started two practices of her own.Â
âWomen arenât really getting breast reductions as much as they used to,â Dr. Cassileth tells Jessica Cruel, host of the Perspectives podcast and editor in chief of Allure. Thatâs largely due to the impact of GLP-1s. â[Patients are] getting breast lifts because after the weight is lostâŠitâs really now a skin problem.â Breast lifts are aided by an absorbable mesh, which can hold the breast in place while scar tissue and collagen forms to support the newly tightened skin.Â
Dr. Cassileth discusses this and other trends and technological developments in the breast surgery space, including improved implants, fat transfers for augmentations, the use of peptides for expedited recovery, and the influence of AI. Her office uses AI-enhanced modeling to preview surgical outcomes, but Dr. Cassileth and other cosmetic and medical providers are also facing the reality that patientsâ expectations are being skewed by AI-generated images. âEven though Iâm a plastic surgeon,â Dr. Cassileth says, âand I have a lot of tools at my disposal, not even natural humans can achieve what AI is achieving.âÂ
Still, a lot can be achieved. Dr. Cassileth talks through the essential steps for safe and sterile breast reconstruction or augmentation, and explains why patients seeking breast reductions are her favorite to work with. She also details the expectations she has for mastectomy surgeons in hospitals, calling out high rates of mastectomy flap necrosis, which happens when skin tissue dies due to lack of blood flow, complicating reconstructions. âYou can have plastic surgeons that are fantastic, but if the mastectomy surgeon who removes the breast tissue is still making a big line, or if the overlying skin dies at the time they do the mastectomy, because the skin is thinned out too much, then,â Dr. Cassileth asks, âhow does a plastic surgeon do a good job?âÂ
Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics that shape women's lives today with honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by Allureâs editor in chief Jessica Cruel.
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Kink Helped Ericka Hart Reclaim Her Body After Cancer
Ericka Hart is in the next phase of her lifelong sex education. Starting as a curious and resourceful teenager, looking for answers to supplement her abstinence-only sex-ed class, Hart built on her knowledge when she was diagnosed, at 28, with breast cancer. Until her diagnosis, Hart had never really thought about her breasts. âThey really felt like they were in service to other people,â she says. That changed post-treatment when she went topless at a music festival in 2016, publicly displaying her mastectomy scars: âI just wanted peopleâŠto see me and my scars, and to see what breast cancer looks like in Black, queer, and trans people.â She also wanted to challenge the cultural default that desexualizes cancer survivors. People would tell Hart over and over that she was so inspiring, which was nice, but, she adds, âIâm also pretty hot.âÂ
That next phase of her education arrived when she got pregnant with her partner using IUI (intrauterine insemination) and gave birth. âI feel much different in my body now as a 40-year-old who is three years postpartum than I did after breast cancer,â Hart says. âI think pregnancy and childbirth truly rocked me more than anything Iâve ever experienced.â Now that sheâs raising a child, Hart is aware of another changeâthe feeling that she wants to keep her body to herself, asking, âWhatâs for me?âÂ
Ericka Hart is a sex educator, activist, and the author of Nasty Work.Â
Allureâs Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics shaping women's lives today through honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by editor in chief Jessica Cruel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Are Belly Bands and Weightlifting Belts Modern-Day Corsets? With Dr. Valerie Steele
You canât talk about breasts without talking about bras. So Jessica Cruel, Allureâs editor in chief, went to the source: Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Dr. Steele is a pioneer in the field of fashion studies and that the clothes we wearâand what we wear underneath themâmerit serious attention. Sheâs also the author of a book tracing the cultural history of the corset and how it influenced the development of other shapewear. Cue: the bra.
Bras started to show up in the early 20th century as more women joined the workforce and pursued activities that required a broader range of movement and support. From torpedo-like bras to padded bras to more gamine bralettes, they are, according to Dr. Steele, âalways in relation to the style of dressâ thatâs popular at the time and often attempt to balance looking ârespectableâ with being âsexually attractive.â Women, Dr. Steele notes, have always sought some form of shapewear, even if it's a rejection of the structure (e.g., bra-burning in the '70s). Today, as bra designers focus on balancing comfort with style, Dr. Steele highlights how there is still an impulse to nip, tuck, cinch, and lift the body.
Allureâs Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics shaping women's lives today through honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by editor in chief Jessica Cruel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Olivia Munn on the Test to Take Even If Your Mammogram Is Clear
Actor Olivia Munn is no stranger to the spotlight, but in recent years, after the birth of her first child and a breast cancer diagnosis, things have looked a little different for herâa reality Munn is bravely leaning into. âWhen I get asked about any part of my health journey,â Munn tells Allureâs editor in chief Jessica Cruel, âit feels like I have purpose now.âÂ
Munn walks Cruel through the physical and emotional challenges that came with the joys of her new motherhood. Munn was determined to breastfeed her son, Malcolm, but after working with multiple lactation consultants and trying acupuncture, supplements, and meditation, she turned to formula. Munn says she had âall of this guilt that âbreast is best,ââ adding that âbreast milk is amazing, but that slogan is so difficult for women like myself.â She also wrestled with postpartum anxiety and its physical symptomsâwaking up in the middle of the night, chest tight, heart racingâthat soon did something âstrangeâ to her brain, intensifying the loss of identity she felt during her postpartum break and financial anxiety about being out of the workforce.
Two years later, at the urging of her doctor, Munn took the lifetime risk assessment test for breast cancer, and received a high score. After more testing, Munn was diagnosed with bilateral luminal B breast cancer. Sheâs had five surgeries since then, including a double mastectomy and reconstruction, and an operation to remove her uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes to reduce the risk of recurrence. âOne question I have been asked,â Munn recalls, âis did I ever feel that my body was betraying me. That doesnât make sense,â she says, because âmy body is the thing getting me through this.âÂ
Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool can be found here.
Allureâs Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics shaping women's lives today through honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by editor in chief Jessica Cruel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's our final episode of the year! After reviewing the colorful â pun very-much intended â history of hair dye, Jenny and Dianna team up with cosmetic chemist Dr. Anne Wagner to answer all your burning (well, hopefully not burning) questions about coloring your hair.Â
This episode of Allure: The Science of Beauty is presented by Head & Shoulders, available at Target.
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This week, we're covering the topic holding this whole season together: our scalps. Join Jenny, Dianna, and guest Dr. Rolanda Wilkerson, principal scientist for Head & Shoulders, as they get to the root of dandruff, dryness, and every other scalp issue imaginable.
This episode of Allure: The Science of Beauty is presented by Head & Shoulders, available at Target.
Donât miss out on new episodes of Allure: The Science of Beauty on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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As we speak, there are about 30 million women in the United States who are experiencing hair loss and thinning as caused by genetics â yet the topic remains taboo. So this week, Jenny and Dianna called in dermatologist Nazanin Saedi to investigate the different causes of hair loss and review the many treatment options available â while getting real about the costs.
This episode of Allure: The Science of Beauty is presented by Head & Shoulders.
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This week, Jenny and Dianna are going to battle with a universal enemy: frizz. Join them â along with cosmetic chemist Erica Douglas â as they dive deep into what causes frizz and how to prevent it, plus share the frizz-fighters we should all add to our arsenal.
This episode of Allure: The Science of Beauty is presented by Pantene.
Donât miss out on new episodes of Allure: The Science of Beauty on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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