We've all had those fuzzy mornings where we've nearly brushed our teeth with Neosporin, but a new study presented at an annual meeting of epidemiologists has found that prison inmates are purposefully misusing over-the-counter topical antibiotics as grooming aids.

The study, which asked 822 inmates at two New York State prisons about their use of OTC antibiotics such as Bacitracin (an ingredient found in Neosporin), found that 29 percent of the men and 28 percent of the women had used the ointment for dry skin, 18 percent of men and 15 percent of women had used it as a lip balm, 8 percent of men and 3 percent of women had used it as hair gel and 6 percent of men had slathered the ointment onto their face as a shaving cream.

"I think one reason they used the antibiotic ointments in these ways is because they didn't know they shouldn't," says Carolyn Herzig, a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and lead author of the study. "Or it might be that they didn't have easy access to other products."

Misuse or overuse of antibiotics is worrisome because it can lead to strains of antimicrobial resistant pathogens resulting in the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms such as MRSA, a strain of staph infection that's now resistant to methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, oxacillin, and many other antibiotics.

These pathogens are already a problem in prisons, and the "misuse of antibiotics in these facilities might exacerbate this issue," Herzig explains.

"We don't know specifically whether the overuse of topical antibiotics would lead to MRSA -- we don't have the data to demonstrate that -- but in many cases, in general, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance," says Herzig. "That's exactly what the concern is."

Herzig and her team of researchers tapped prison inmates as they were being admitted to two New York State maximum security prisons -- one men's and one women's. (The researcher declined to reveal the names of the prisons.)

"The question we asked was, 'Have you used antibiotic ointment in the past six months?'" she says. "They were entering the prison facilities from either jails or prisons or possibly, the community. If they served a sentence longer than six months, then they had used the ointments in other prisons or in county lockup. It's also possible that some of them used the ointments while they were not incarcerated but I would say the majority of them used them while incarcerated."

Medical personnel do dispense antibiotic ointments to inmates as needed; however, other items -- such as hair gel and shaving cream -- are harder to come by, Robin Campbell, press secretary for the New York City Department of Corrections (which includes Rikers Island and other Borough facilities), said in a statement. 

"Facility medical personnel dispense antibiotic creams and ointments, like foot gels, to inmates on an as needed basis," he said in an email. "Although inmates may purchase some personal hygiene products, like shampoo, toothpaste and deodorant, from the facility commissary, shaving cream, lip balm and hair gel are prohibited due to security concerns."

Antibiotic resistance concerns aside -- would a Neosporin-like cream even work as a beauty aid? "I think they probably worked as well as Vaseline," says Herzig. "And I really think if they'd had lotion or Vaseline, that's what they would have used."

The study's findings were presented this week at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in San Antonio, Texas. Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the study was the first of its kind to report on the widespread misuse of topical antibiotics among inmates.

While Herzig says she's been unable to find any studies on the misuse of over-the-counter antibiotic ointments in everyday life, she is curious about inappropriate use of these products in normal populations.

"I've spent a lot of time looking at the literature to see if there's a comparable study that shows how people use these ointments in a community, but I haven't seen anything that reports that information," she says. "I suspect it is happening, though."

Melissa Rowton, a 41-year-old customer service trainer from Seattle, says she's used antibiotic ointments on blemishes before -- although she doesn't do it very often.

"I've used Neosporin for pimples and have a friend who swears by it," says Rowton. "It makes sense when they are often caused by bacteria. I wash and dry my face thoroughly and dab a small amount on any problem area before bed."

Herzig says none of the prisoners who answered the open-ended questionnaire indicated they'd used the antibiotic ointments in this way. However, in addition to using the topical antibiotics as hair gel, moisturizer and lip balm, many said they'd used the products in ways that were closer to their intended use.

"We got many reasons," she says. "Some used them for skin injuries, skin conditions including eczema and acne, fungal infection, or for new tattoos. We're not suggesting people should use antibiotics for all those reasons. But they're more appropriate than using them for lip balm or moisturizer."

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Miami Gardens Police via NBC Miami

Oneal Ron Morris, shown after her arrest, is accused of injecting a victim's buttocks with a mixture of cement, Fix-A-Flat, mineral oil and Superglue.

News that Oneal Ron Morris was arrested for injecting a woman’s buttocks with a combination of cement, Fix-A-Flat, mineral oil and Superglue stunned readers. But even more shocking are the photographs of the alleged perpetrator that reveal the incredible size of her rear end. Her curves would make Jessica Rabbit blush! While the vast majority of the population inquiring about buttock enhancement would refuse treatment by an fake physician, photos reveal that Morris likely acted as a walking advertisement for her illegal practice.

So just how did Morris’s behind become so massive? I truly doubt that she partook in her own dangerous cocktail of injections. While these substances may work for repaving a road or patching a tire, they are dangerous when injected into living tissue. She would have likely found herself in the hospital (like her alleged victim) with large, festering wounds. In addition, the two traditional techniques of buttock augmentation -- solid silicone implants and fat injections -- are unlikely to have dramatic enough results to create proportions such as hers.

As a cosmetic surgeon making an educated guess, I suspect Morris, a 30-year-old transgender woman, maximally enhanced her buttocks using polypropylene string implants obtained overseas or through the black market.

Polypropylene string implants were used to enhance breasts back in the late 1990s prior to being banned by the FDA in 2001.  These implants consist of yarn-like string that gradually absorbs water and expands in size when surgically implanted into the body.  If these string implants are in place long enough, they can result in a massive, cartoonish enlargement, as can be seen in the breasts of a handful of adult entertainers.

While I’ve never heard of polypropylene being implanted into the buttocks, it’s very possible Morris underwent this procedure. The best treatment for polypropylene string implants is surgical removal.

If Morris does have polypropylene string implants and does not have them removed, she can expect her buttocks to continue to grow until they eventually drag on the ground.

Dr. Anthony Youn is a board-certified cosmetic surgeon in the Detroit area who has been featured on "Dr. 90210" and runs a popular celebrity cosmetic surgery blog. He is the author of the new, irreverent memoir "In Stitches."

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George Clooney may be able to rock the sexy salt-and-pepper look, but most non-famous people want to avoid gray hair as long as possible. That's why cosmetic giant L'Oreal's recent claim that it's developing a pill to prevent gray hair is getting so much attention.

But don't get too excited yet about keeping your luxurious dark locks — or blond or red — forever. Some doctors say the anti-gray supplement, which the company has been experimenting with for more than a decade, could pose risks.

The pill, scheduled to become available in 2015, contains an undisclosed fruit extract that mimics the chemical tyrosinase-related protein or TRP-2, an enzyme that protects pigmentation production, the company has said. The goal of the fruit extract pill is to prevent oxidative stress, a process that occurs when hair cells succumb to antioxidants and turn gray, L’Oreal officials say.

If you’re already fighting those coarse gray strands, the pill won’t help. According to L'Oreal, patients will have to take it every day for at least 10 years before hair starts turning gray and it will have to be taken for life — or until you decide to embrace the silver fox style.

However, most people don’t know when they’re going to go gray, especially not 10 years in advance, experts note. People can start turning gray anywhere from the mid-30s to their 40s. Some can begin to go prematurely gray in their early 20s. Then there are the lucky ones.

“There are some people who never go gray,” says Dr. Maria Colavincenzo, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “What’s the point of taking a pill 10 years before you need and take it forever if you’re never going to turn gray? “It’s probably going to be a long time before this is going to become a reality in this country.”

Still, given the expense and tedium of regularly hiding gray hair, there could be plenty of people who will want the medication, even if it means popping a pill for the rest of their lives, says Dr. Hillary Johnson, director of dermatologic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College Department of Dermatology.

“Lots of men take Propecia tablets to prevent balding and they take that for the rest of their lives,” Johnson says. “They would have to be a highly-motivated group of people, but broadly, that motivation is going to be hard to come by.”

The dermatologists say there are a number of safety concerns with the drug.

“How is it going to affect the skin and the organs?” Colavincenzo wonders. “You can put anything in a capsule and market it as making your hair grow back and someone will buy it. I get upset about a vulnerable market — and people worried about going gray are going to go for this.”

“It would make me warn patients to be extra careful [about taking it],” Johnson says. “Anything for cosmetic purposes goes with extra caution because it’s not something a person has to have, and it’s not worth the risk.”

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