Illustration: Christopher Silas Neal

Have you cut gluten out of your diet? If so, you're part of a growing trend; sales of gluten-free products totaled about $2.6 billion in 2010. Now some beauty companies are also touting products free of the hot-button protein (found in grains like wheat and rye). The question is: If you can't stomach gluten—either because you have celiac disease or a less severe intolerance—do you really need to avoid it in your moisturizer and shampoo? Not at all, says Sheila Crowe, MD, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at the University of California in San Diego. "There's absolutely no evidence that using a topical product that contains gluten will cause a problem." One caveat, though: If you're a lip licker, you could ingest some gluten from a lipstick, gloss, or balm that isn't gluten-free. So if you have celiac disease, look for lip products without ingredients that include oats, rye, barley, or wheat (such as moisturizing wheat germ oil). We like Mychelle Lip Plumping Gloss ($27; mychelle.com). Otherwise, feel free to use any beauty products you like—just don't eat them.


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Photo: Robert Trachtenberg

Q: Can my skin adapt to a product to the extent that it doesn't work anymore?

A: Yes. For example, your skin can build up a tolerance for retinoids, the vitamin-A derivatives (and gold-standard wrinkle reducers), like Retin-A, Avage, and Differin; using a greater concentration will improve effectiveness, says Debra Jaliman, MD, author of the forthcoming book Skin Rules: Trade Secrets from a Top New York Dermatologist.                     

Keep in mind: Increasing exfoliation—by adding an alpha hydroxy acid or a cleansing brush to your regimen—can improve the performance of treatment products.

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Q: How can I make a salon blow-dry last?

A: There aren't many things I'm an expert at. Actually, at this moment I can't think of any things, except one: I know how to extend the life of a blow-out. Before I dwell too long on this haunting discovery, let me share my secrets (and stylist Jet Rhys's excellent suggestions). After you leave the salon:

1. Keep your hands off your hair. And avoid brushing, too, adds Rhys. Handling and brushing distribute natural oils throughout your hair, which will hasten your need for a shampoo.            

2. Don't let the stylist use any styling products, and don't use any at home, either. Most stylists look at me incredulously when I say, "No product, please," but as Rhys points out, sprays and serums can attract dirt and oil.

3. In the shower, use a fabric-lined cap. It keeps your hair drier and protects against frizz better than a plastic cap, says Rhys.        

4. If you need to revive your style, dampen the hair in front and on the crown, then spot blow-dry.

Keep in mind: When I ask specifically for a blow-out that will last several days, I get better results. Why? The stylist pays more attention, and uses a bit more heat, which increases the style's hold.

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Photo: Robert Trachtenberg

Not long ago I was chatting in my office with Scottsdale, Arizona, dermatologist Jennifer Linder, MD—one of the loveliest nerds I know—about something of great interest to her: silicones. (This is how she talks: "Silicones, or polysiloxanes, are characterized by a silicone-oxygen backbone. Side groups attached to the silicones vary....") When I mentioned that I'd never liked the idea of putting silicone on my face because I thought it was pore clogging, she gracefully pointed out that silicone doesn't penetrate the skin, so it can't clog pores. Then she said it's inert (meaning that it doesn't react with the skin), so it doesn't cause breakouts. What it does do: create a silky film that reduces moisture loss (good for the skin)—and helps makeup go on smoothly, which is why it's often one of the main ingredients in foundation primers. So when you see dimethicone or cyclomethicone in an ingredient list, you can think, Complexion-friendly. Who knew? Thanks, doctor!

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Photo: Patrik Andersson

Q. Every time I color my roots, I'm left with a dark stain around my hairline that lasts several days. How can I prevent this?

A: I empathize; a dark stain around your hairline sounds like a fine way to ruin the joy of fresh haircolor. You definitely can avoid these stains, says colorist Sharon Dorram, co-owner of Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger in New York City. It's simple: Before you color your hair, apply a little Vaseline or baby oil around your hairline to prevent the dye from touching your skin.

Keep in mind:If your preventive efforts don't work completely, try roux haircolor stain remover ($7.50; sallybeauty.com).

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Photo: Patrik Andersson

Q. I just had my bikini area "sugared" and it left skin softer than waxing does. Is there a downside to this process?

A: It sounds sweet, doesn't it—having your bikini area "sugared?" As if you relax deliciously on a table while someone in a baker's toque carefully caramelizes your privates? Actually, sugaring works the same way waxing does, by pulling hair out by the root. (Not exactly a piece of cake!) But instead of hot wax, the aesthetician smooths a heated preparation of sugar, lemon juice, water, and sometimes glycerin over the skin before pulling it off with either her fingers or a strip of cloth. Dermatologist Anne Chapas, MD, clinical assistant professor at New York University School of Medicine, says there's no evidence that sugaring causes less irritation than waxing, or that it's more effective. If you're not careful, you can have the same kinds of problems associated with waxing—ingrown hairs, skin discoloration, even a burn.

Keep in mind:Though you may have had a good experience with sugaring, you should still take precautions. Don't have it done on irritated skin, be sure the aesthetician uses a fresh pot of the sugar paste, and if you're having facial hair sugared, let her know if you're using a retinoid, which can make skin sensitive.

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Photo: Gregor Halenda

Because my spirits (and the delicate skin around my eyes) can sometimes use a little lift during the day, I like to keep a tube of Burt's Bees Sensitive Eye Cream in my bag. No bells and whistles here; just cotton extract for softening, rice extract for moisturizing, and a bit of soothing aloe. The crayon-shaped tube makes it easy to dab on and blend (even one-handedly, in case, like me, you sometimes find it hard to ignore the ringing phone that also happens to be in your bag).
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For the many readers who poignantly confide unhappiness about their thinning hair, there's encouraging news, reported in The New Natural: Your Ultimate Guide to Cutting-Edge Age Reversal, a just-released book by dermatologist Neil Sadick, MD. Within the next year or two, several increasingly effective hair-growth-stimulating topical preparations will hit the market, Sadick says. And a recently completed study of an injectable drug, likely available within five years, showed remarkable results after a single treatment, including increased hair density and rapid hair growth that has continued over a 12-month period. Stem cell research, too, is yielding breakthroughs, says Sadick, so the problem of hair loss may sooner rather than later be a thing of the past.
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Most of the time when I meet new people and they hear that I'm a beauty editor, they'll listen to my considered defenses of the president, or my musings about a recent movie I've seen, while they pretend to be interested, drumming their fingers impatiently on the table, waiting for the moment when they can break in with a question.

"So what's the best thing to use on my face?" "Does La Mer really work?" "How can I get glowing skin?" That's what they really want to know. They want advice. But recently I met a woman, who, when I told her that I'm a beauty editor, started giving me advice. "You really need to start wearing foundation every day," she said. "Pack it on; it'll keep your skin moisturized all day long." "Apply lots of moisturizer before you apply your retinoid in the evening," she told me. "Then apply lots of  the retinoid on top of that. It works better that way." (Dermatologists uniformly recommend a pea-size amount.)

This woman's passion about her beauty regimen interested me for a couple of reasons. She is smart, and we agreed (passionately) about many other things--favorite actresses (Rosalind Russell), movies (All About Eve), politics (left). Maybe more importantly, she had astonishingly flawless skin--creamy, poreless, completely unlined. Though she didn't reveal her age, I know she's in her mid-fifties. So whatever she was doing for her skin worked very well for her.

There seem to be two types of women in the beauty arena: Those who know exactly what works for them and are passionate about it and those who think they have no clue, that there's a secret (or many secrets) they're sadly unaware of.

Which one are you? If you have a regimen that you think is world-class, what is it? And if you don't, what exactly do you want to know?

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More than half (56 percent) of women who use anti-aging facial skincare say they're not sure these products work, but they use them anyhow, reports the marketing research company NPD Group. This is a sad state of affairs, don't you think? Here's one way to be sure to get what you pay for.