7 Unorthodox Anti-Aging Treatments That Might Make You Gorgeous (or Gag)
You thought charcoal masks were a little out there? Snail venom, plasma injections–even bird poop is making the long list of anti-aging treatments these days. Too weird or would you go there in the name of beautiful skin?
What happened to Botox and fillers? Oh, those are definitely still a part of the beauty scene. But there are many more, often unusual, anti-aging treatments being used right now.
Seems many women are willing to do just about whatever it takes to maintain youthful looking skin. And practically everything imaginable is on the table. Earthworm castings and leech therapy may not sound so new. How about vampire face lifts or semen facials?
Let’s take a look at 7 seemingly crazy anti-aging treatments and you can judge for yourself.
7 Unorthodox Anti-Aging Treatments
1. Bee venom facial: Bees are cute and not as slimy or creepy as a leech or snail. But you may be wondering how the venom is obtained. Evidently, a weak electric current is run through a bee hive, encouraging bees to sting the surface. It is claimed that the bees do not lose their stingers and die through this process. The venom, administered in a cream, causes skin to feel slightly stung. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) cites bee venom’s ability to promote collagen production, but recommends using an OTC retinoid instead. Obviously, if you are allergic to bee stings, avoid this procedure.
2. Snail venom: Did you know there is a little snail that releases a paralyzing venom? Partial paralysis isn’t exactly new to the anti-aging realm, but cone snail venom is a relative newcomer. Not actually from the snail, snail venom conopeptide (or MU-conotoxin) is a synthetic ingredient that mimics cone snail venom. Used in skincare, this substance supposedly blocks nerve ending receptors and causes wrinkles to relax. Kind of like its old buddy, Botox. Real life results? At this point, snail venom is loved by those behind the Korean beauty trend. Any tightening of the skin wears off with the cream.
3. Bird poop facial: Weird? Yes. But this strange beauty treatment has been around for some time. Also known as the Geisha facial, it has been traced back to around 1600 A.D. First used in Japan as a way to remove heavy lead makeup, it is now thought to tighten the skin and reduce discoloration. Nightingale droppings are collected, dried, and sterilized, then added to beauty treatments. Some spas offer bird poop facials or you can try bird poo yourself at home. Either way, scientist say if you ‘d like to treat wrinkles or discoloration, there are more conventional treatments that work better than the poo. We suggest natural anti-agers and skin lighteners.
4. Vampire face lift: No biting is involved. But there will be blood. Plasma is taken from a patient’s blood and injected into the face to stimulate collagen growth. The procedure is touted as safe and minimally painful. As for results, Dr. Zeichner of the AAD says it can take a while for the skin to show improvement and multiple treatments are often required. Needle shy? There are natural collagen boosting supplements and foods. We’d go with those.
5. Sperm facial: This one is exactly as it sounds. And since I could find no scientific evidence that it does the skin any sort of good, let’s file it under pure crazy.
6. Placenta facial: Placentas are rich in stem cells used to treat certain blood disorders. Because they are medically recognized as blood cell rich, you’ve likely heard stories of people consuming or saving their child’s placenta after birth. Kimye, anyone? As for the facial – a serum derived from sheep placenta is used to tighten and brighten skin. The AAD says save your money and use antioxidant-rich creams instead.
7 Thread lift: Like a face lift, though less painful and quicker recovery time. During this procedure sugar-based or barbed threads are inserted under skin, creating a pulled and toned effect. Thread lifts are more invasive than the others we’ve talked about here, but results are better too. Because the procedure is relatively new and not yet offered in the U.S., it may be a good idea to give it a sec and see what results look like in a year or five. Again, the needle shy need not apply.
How do you feel about these unorthodox anti-aging treatments? Totally weirded out or willing to give them a try?
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Image of woman with snail via Shutterstock