TOP 7 BIZARRE BEAUTY PRODUCTS
1. HUMAN-DERIVED COLLAGEN INJECTIONS
Collagen injections are used to smooth out frown lines, crows feet wrinkles, and smile lines, as well as to give the appearance of full lips. Like Botox, this procedure is quite common but the main ingredient is just bizarre. There are two main sources of collagen, a protein responsible for skin strength and elasticity, bovine (cow) and… human. About three in a hundred people experience an allergic reaction to bovine-derived collagen which has prompted manufacturers to source collagen from aborted fetuses, placentas, and donated cadavers as the probability of an allergic reaction are virtually nonexistent. Possibly the most morally outrageous source of collagen is the rumored harvesting of collagen from executed prisoners in China, taken without the consent of the prisoners or their families and exported worldwide for socialites to shoot into their faces.
2. BOTOX INJECTIONS
While the Botox procedure to prevent frown lines and wrinkles may sound fairly normal, what you are having injected into your skin is quite bizarre. Botulinum toxin is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances on the planet and the single most toxic protein. Eating food contaminated with Clostridium botulinum can lead to serious food poisoning (the fatality rate is 5-10 percent). One microgram (1/1000000 of a gram) is lethal to humans. The amounts used in cosmetic procedures are consequently very small.
3. PLACENTA WRINKLE CREAM
According to the manufacturers of the product, placenta wrinkle cream derived from bovine placentas can slow down the appearance of visible signs of aging by moisturizing skin and combating wrinkles. Some companies also use plant placenta (yes, flowering plants have placentas!) and even humans. Claims were first made in the 1940s (when this idea was first marketed) that the nutrient-rich placenta gave off the benefits of hormones and stimulated cell growth. Since the FDA quickly decided that this constituted a medical claim, the manufacturers changed their claims to say that the proteins present in the placenta moisturize one’s skin and hair.
4. LEECH THERAPY
Letting blood-sucking parasites attach their slimy bodies to you as a “detox” sounds like a questionable idea. However, leech therapy, or hirudotherapy, has been practiced since 1020 AD for treating skin disease and helping patients recover from surgery. These days, leeches can be used in the treatment of varicose veins, reducing blood coagulation, and help stimulate blood circulation in reattached organs that require critical blood flow. If you are more adventurous you can follow in the footsteps of celebrities, such as Demi Moore, and make your way to Austria to have your blood feasted on by the medicinal species of leech, Hirudo medicinalis.
5. FISH PEDICURE
If you’re willing to give the leeches a go, you might also be interested in letting a school of small fish nibble the dead skin cells off your toes. The idea is that you put your feet into a tank containing a species of carp (doctor fish) and wait 15-30 minutes while they feast on your calluses. Because the fish are toothless, the process is meant to be very safe, as they can only suck off pieces of dead, flaking skin. In Turkey, where the treatment originated, the fish live in natural hot springs and are a popular skincare option for the people who bathe there.
6. SNAIL SLIME CREAM
Because snails can heal and regenerate their shells using the slime they secrete, the beauty industry is now using the slime of the common garden snail species (Helix aspersa) in beauty products. The myriad of claims for the slime’s efficacy range from getting rid of acne to improving stretch marks and scarring. The snail secretion, which is also used by the snail to reduce friction as it moves, seems to have antibacterial in addition to antioxidant qualities. If it works for the snail, why not put it on your face?
7. SNAKE VENOM CREAM
The neurotoxins produced by members of the cobra family of snakes (and some vipers and rattlesnakes) act on prey by blocking the nerve impulses to the muscles and inducing paralysis. Realizing that snake venom could produce a similar effect to that of Botox, the beauty industry has come up with a synthetic form of snake venom that is applied to the face as a cream rather than injected. It is meant to be safer and less invasive. The venom that was used to create the synthetic version comes from “snake farms” in Brazil where thousands of snakes are “milked” for their venom.
