Walk into your bathroom and look around. Do you see plastic? Odds are you have a boatload of the stuff. Plastic is the beauty industry’s go-to material for eyeshadow palettes, makeup brush handles, blush compacts, and even liquid foundation bottles. Take a moment to consider the poor recycling rate for plastics, 9.1% according to the latest EPA data; the amount of plastic in the oceans, which the Ocean Conservancy estimates to be more than 150 million tons; and the impact of plastic pollution on climate change, which the Center for International Environmental law equates to 189 coal-fired power stations. Those statistics are enough to convince anyone to aim for a makeup routine that doesn’t contribute to the landfill. If you want to keep the makeup and ditch the plastic, here’s how to start. STEP 1: USE IT UP There’s no point in tossing your current beauty products until they’re empty. Otherwise, you’ll just be adding the cosmetics themselves to the waste stream. Instead, use up what you have and dispose of the packaging intelligently (keep reading to Step 3 for instructions on how to do just that). GOODBYE, PLASTIC PALETTES 3 STEPS TO A ZERO-WASTE MAKEUP ROUTINE Did you know that September was recently named National Self- Improvement Month? Here at Music City Plastic Surgery, helping patients achieve their own goals for self-improvement is at the heart of what we do every day. In spite of the negative stigma that exists regarding plastic surgery, we know our patients often spend months or even years contemplating their decision, and, if they ultimately decide to have surgery, they do so for their own authentic reasons. They are making the decision to take care of their bodies in order to grow their overall confidence, and that’s a type of improvement we can all get behind! When he is not in the office meeting with patients, Dr. Burgdorf is observing National Self-Improvement Month in his own way — by spending more time reading and putting his knowledge to action. While he is typically drawn to medical journals and business publications, as of late, he has been drawn to books about parenting. Dr. Burgdorf believes there is always room for improvement when it comes to raising kids, and, through reading these types of instructional books, he is learning about fatherhood from various perspectives. He’s currently working through “The Back Door to Your Teen’s Heart: Learning What They Need and Helping Them Find It” and “Modern Parents, Vintage Values: Instilling Character in Today’s Kids” by authors Melissa Trevathan and Sissy Goff. While both publications are great, the latter book reminds him of the lessons he learned
STEP 2: SHOP SMART If your bathroom is full of plastic, it’s time to make a brand change. Plenty of makeup brands cater to a zero-waste lifestyle with recyclable or compostable packaging and products made with bamboo, glass, or stainless steel. Axiology’s lipstick tubes are made from recycled aluminum; Antonym Cosmetics packages its eye shadows in bamboo; and some companies, like Elate Cosmetics and Kjaer Weis, send refills when your favorite colors run low. If you’re really dedicated, go a step further by DIYing your makeup or finding a bulk supplier. STEP 3: RETURN, RECYCLE, OR PASS IT ON If you don’t opt for refillable makeup, determine what will happen to each container at the end of its life. Some brands, like L’Occitane and Province Apothecary, allow you to send containers back to them for disposal. Glass, stainless steel, and aluminum vessels can be recycled, and mascara wands can be mailed to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, which uses them to clean up wildlife. Plastics that can’t be locally recycled can be mailed to TerraCycle, which partners with factories around the world to recycle difficult-to-handle waste.
WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR NATIONAL SELF-IMPROVEMENT MONTH? EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE
from his grandparents (who are featured on the cover of the newsletter). Trevathan and Goff help parents amalgamate all the values they learned as kids with the modern, technologically driven world today’s kids are trying to navigate. As a family, the Burgdorfs have created a Summer Bucket List as a way to sneak in some of these lessons learned during time spent together.
If you’re looking for ways to participate in National Self-Improvement Month, feel free to steal Dr. Burgdorf’s idea and spend more time in front of a book. Of course, the genre you choose is all up to you. But, if you want more information about why men and women have made the decision to have plastic surgery, how procedures are done, the positive results these changes can have on a person’s mental and emotional states, or if surgery is a good option for you, pick up a copy of Dr. Burgdorf’s best-selling books “The Mommy Makeover: Restoring Your Body After Childbirth” or “The Daddy Do Over: Boost Your Confidence in the Boardroom and the Bedroom.”
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