I, for one, consider myself extremely open-minded when it comes to trying out new skin care products, treatments, practices… whatever. If it might make my skin look better, and it isn’t going to hurt me (too badly) -I’ll give it a try!
That is, until I heard about the 10 anti-aging tactics listed below.
Although these are techniques that won?t be occurring on my body anytime soon — it is important to note that somewhere, people are actively doing these things to themselves, right now, in the pursuit of beauty and youth.
This list breaks down the most “ew” worthy beauty treatments currently available, from least offensive to the most gag-worthy. If you had to do one of these, which would you choose?
10. “Platza” Treatment
This painful-looking anti-aging “massage” is designed to stimulate the blood flow, creating a youthful glow.The “platza” treatment involves brusquely beating the bare back with a “broom” made of oak-leaf branches. The harsh technique is said to help remove toxins from the skin, while toning up muscles and invigorating sluggish energy levels.
I’ve heard that “to be beautiful, one must suffer”, but this seems like a lot of suffering for hard-to-believe results?
9. Snail-Secretion
Although it must be painstakingly collected, snail?s secretion is believed to be a potent anti-aging ingredient that is thought to help reduce scars, stretch marks and acne, as well as smooth out wrinkles.
This anti-aging treatment might sound strange, but it’s already being sold in Britain as one of the must-have beauty products available at Holland and Barrett.
8. Emu Oil
Imagine rubbing chicken fat all over your face for anti-aging purposes. This is kind of like that. Rendered from from the fat of an emu, this “oil” is a lesser known anti-aging solution that has been used for centuries in the Aboriginal communities for its healing powers. Mixed with eucalyptus oil, it contains high doses of Vitamin E and A, and the oil’s antioxidants help repair wounds and plump the skin against aging. The cream also is thought to help soak moisture into the skin, which avoids dehydrated, saggy looking skin.
7. Pig Feet
Definitely not one for vegetarian (or kosher) beauty fans, ground-up pig’s feet are a popular anti-aging solution in Japan as the hooves are a great source of collagen – the vital ingredient for boosting elasticity in the skin.
6. Bee Sting Venom
(Is this the root of “Lip Venom’s” creation) The bee venom facial doesn’t involve actual bees stinging your face. Instead, the venom from the sting is transferred into a gel and then rubbed on the face as part of an intensive facial. According to researchers in South Korea, the venom helps prevent the skin from sun damage and restores collagen production.
5. Placenta Cream
It?s long been known that placenta has great nutritional benefits (who can forget the ?placenta pills?) and now it is also available in a face cream. Skincare company Lanocrme sell a range of placenta-based creams that promise to nourish the skin using its 56 bio-stimulant proteins that encourage skin replenishment.
4. Sperm Facial
Spermine is a powerful antioxidant found in human sperm, and some beauty experts swear by its anti-aging powers. This treatment first surfaced in New York where the ?cream? is applied over the skin and then ultrasound and infrared light is used to penetrate through the skins lipid barrier.
It?s believed that this ?sperm facial? leaves the skin looking blemish and wrinkle-free.
If you don?t have the treatment done in a salon, a Norwegian company, Bioforskning, is now selling sperm-based products.
3. Breast Milk Soap
Breast milk soap claims to be a great alternative to ordinary soap as it doesn?t dry up the skin and is good for reducing the appearance of facial scarring and wrinkles.
2. Baby?s Foreskin
(Can this possibly be kosher?) A treatment developed by British biomedical company Intercytex uses microscopic skin cells from babies? foreskins to help ward of signs of aging. This unusual treatment is believed to rejuvenate and restructure aged and damaged skin by moisturizing the skin with the millions of healthy cells found in the collagen of the foreskin.
1. The bird shit facial.
It’s true, fancy-shmancy salons in New York and London are using expensive bird droppings to keep clients feeling beautiful. Even though the bird-poo comes from delicate sounding birds (Japanese nightingales) and is said to be sterilized through the process of drying, pulverizing, and blasted with ultraviolet light — this is still an anti-aging practice that holds no appeal for me.
Using bird droppings for beauty is rumored to be a beauty secret used for centuries by geisha in Japan. When the bird-shit is dried and ground up into a powder form, it can be mixed into cleansers and masks that alledge to brighten, exfoliate and smooth the skin.
The discovery of the next latest-and-greatest anti-aging product is only just around the corner, and in the meantime — new discoveries cannot be made without some brave experimentation. When it comes to treatments like this, I, for one, am only too glad to let others be the guinea pig, and I’ll hang tight until they create the ice-cream and nap facial.?
Sperm facial image from www.musingsofamuse.com