Bizare Facials

Back in 2015, I was working as an instructor in the clinic at Paul Mitchell with a group of Future Professionals (PM lingo for students), and one of them brought up a bizarre facial she heard about and was wondering if there was any truth to it. I've read a little about the Japanese Snail Facial, where a large snail slims its way around your face; the enzyme it is said to secrete has anti-aging benefits- weird but possibly accurate.

But wait! The Japanese Snail Facial is not even the most bizarre one out there. There are skin treatments like the Caviar Facial, the Salmon Sperm Facial (which is not put on your skin but injected), and the Fire Facial, which, according to the Huffington Post, is a ” treatment growing momentum in China”. Let me just say, there's a towel, alcohol, and a special elixir, which is then set on fire. So do they actually work? It is hard to decipher what is truth and what is fluff, but there is some truth to some of these.

For the Snail Facial, there is an enzyme in snail excretions that can digest dead skin, but so can fruit enzymes, which smell better and aren’t alive…justice for the snails. Which brings me to the Salmon Sperm Facial, which, as I mentioned above, isn't a 'facial' but a process using Salmon rDNA, which is carefully injected into the skin. Estheticians, like myself, can't perform this as we aren't licensed to use needles to inject. Or, it can be done at a Medi Spa where they have Nurses and Dermatologists on staff.

How does the Salmon Sperm Facial work? Think of stem cells and EGF, they are naturally occurring in our body but, like all things, deplete over time. Using these ingredients, which do have a very specific way to be formulated and introduced to the skin, will help trigger your skin cells and 'revive' dull skin and cells dealing with cell senescence or cell death.

When it comes to fire facials, caviar facials, and blood or plasma facials, again, some truth to their method, but overall, what are you willing to pay for and put yourself through that? Fire Facials are not done here in the States, from what I've read, and include a soaked towel that is placed on your face and lit on fire...I do not think there is any reason you could give me to justify this. Caviar goes back to the idea of the Salmon Sperm, as caviar is fish eggs and EGF can be found in embryos. I am not a big caviar fan, and I also wouldn't want it on my face. Have you smelled it??

Blood or plasma facials use your own blood and inject it back into your face. Think back to the stem cells and EGF, everything goes back to reviving and reversing aging when it comes to bizarre facials. My theory on this is that it is an extreme treatment for people willing to spend money on anything to keep them from aging. You can get amazing results from using proper skincare and seeing an esthetician 

Take care of your skin daily, eat right, drink loads of water, and sleep well. See your esthetician once a month for maintenance, and hopefully you won’t need extremes like these for your skin’s health.

No matter which of these you find intriguing, the chances that you can get them here, in this country, might be small. Many of these treatments are done overseas, where skincare laws are quite different, and some can only be found in metropolitan cities like LA or New York, where the demand for them would be higher. The snail secretions have even found their way into skincare products! This year at the Face & Body Show in San Jose, there were a few vendors showing snail, goat placenta, and animal collagen skincare. You be the judge on what you want to put on your body, but for now, manufacturers will continue to make any and everything to sell beauty.

Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,

xx eri