Women across the world depend on myriad procedures and practices that can enhance their looks. In their frenetic rush run to look good and exude confidence, the new age women seldom leave any stone unturned.

Relying chemical substances for enriching beauty has its own perils. Several compounds contained in hair dyes, colored contact lenses, moisturizers, eye liners, skin whitening creams are implicated in life-threatening diseases and conditions like cancer, blindness etc. Similarly, some popular cosmetic procedures like manicure and pedicure and hair extensions can also lead to infections and allergies.

Unfortunately, many women are not really aware of the fact that their efforts to remain beautiful often come with a price tag in terms of overall health. We present a list of five possible risks that are associated with cosmetic applications:

1. Allergy and infection: Beauty procedures like manicures and pedicures can raise the risk of allergic reactions, bacterial infections and warts. They are also implicated in serious infections such as hepatitis and HIV. Besides, wrong way of doing manicure and pedicure can also cause nail disease like paronychia and onycholysis

2. Baldness: A study recently published in the British journal of Dermatology found that hair extensions can cause hair loss. Hair extensions also cause headaches and traction alopecia, i.e. hair loss disorder which is concentrated around the hairline and forehead

3. Corneal ulcers and blindness: Colored contact lens usage is often associated with an increased risk of eye disorders like conjunctivitis or pink eye, corneal ulcers, corneal abrasion, and vision impairment or blindness

4. Tumors of the food pipe: A chemical named sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and mineral oil in moisturizers can lead to esophageal tumors and skin cancer, says a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology

5. Blood cancer: Routine use of hair dyes, especially the dark colored ones, could increase the risk of a form of blood cancer, a recent study by Yale University researchers found