Bizarre beauty or skincare tips are saturating the social media platform, Tik Tok. Videos are going viral showing people shaving their legs with sandpaper or putting soap in your eyebrows for a more polished look.
While many of these hacks are harmless, some doctors say don't try this at home without talking to them first.
@ymorbeauty A 100% occlusive can change your skin. I like @cerave and #aquaphor. any ingredient can cause a reaction so patch test! #skincare #slugging
The founder of ymorbeauty.com shared this trend on Tik Tok, referred to as "slugging." It's when you slather your face generously with petroleum jelly to lock in moisture and get that youthful glow.
"It seems like a new trend, but it's something that older women have been doing for decades," said dermatologist Dr. InYoung Kim, with Advocate Aurora Health.
Dr. Kim says that a thick layer of Vaseline or Aquaphor is great for eczema or chapped skin in winter, but maybe not the best choice for those with oily skin or active acne.
"The product itself will not cause acne. However, if you are somebody who is acne-prone, you probably have oily skin. You probably have dysregulation of microorganisms on the face, and so whatever would cause a breakout, basically the Vaseline takes it to the next level and kind of locks that in," Dr. Kim explained.
@shimmermegorgeous The Best free anti aging hack ever!#naturalfacelift #bestkeptsecret #botoxnatural #beautyhackes #foryoupage #fitnesslife
Shimmer Me Gorgeous, a clean, non-toxic vegan beauty line posted this convenient trick -- using ice to treat acne and inflammation.
"Heat actually aggravates certain parts of your skin and activates something like rosacea. So, cooling your skin can actually be helpful," said Dr. Kim.
"A cool trick is putting an ice cube in the roof of the mouth which cools the face by causing vasoconstriction of vessels on the bottom of your brain that contribute to flushing!" she said.
"If you have active acne bumps, icing could help reduce inflammation. Icing can help to take away the itch sensation," she added. "I think face icing is overall safe and couldn't hurt. However, there are super rare conditions called cold urticaria and cold panniculitis that is exacerbated by icing."
@tryjill you’ll never go back once you try it 😍 #dermaplaning #skincareroutine #skincarehacks #shaving #shavingface #foryou
And tryjillshared a post showing how shaving your face is for any gender. If you're bothered by any facial fuzz, there are specific razors designed to help lessen the risk of nicks and cuts.
"By using a razor, and removing your layer of skin, you are causing the renewed skin to come out faster," Dr. Kim said.
"This basically taking away a layer of dead skin cells and allowing 'fresh' skin to shine. There is no benefit of getting rid of the peach fuzz that I can think of! But, the glow that you get is the result of peeling off the dead skin, along with the peach fuzz, basically very clean skin," said Dr. Kim.
"Removing a layer of dead skin will also help increase penetration of skin care products or chemical peels if you decide to do so," she said.
If you do try out face shaving at home, Dr. Kim recommends a new blade each time and thoroughly cleaning beforehand to avoid potential infections.
