Move over Botox and Juvederm! You’ve got some competition: Vampire Facelifts and Bird Poop facials! How crazy are you willing to get when it comes to anti-ageing beauty treatments?
1. Placenta Facial
At $350 to $500 a treatment, placenta facials are popping up at select spas. Placenta is collected from live-birthing events —human, goat, sheep, pig (you name it!). It is then sterilized and freeze-dried into powder form. J-Lo and Victoria Beckham swear by it, gushing that they owe their radiant, firm complexions to placenta facials.
It was just a matter of time really. Did you know that humans are the only mammals that don’t ingest the placenta after giving birth? The Chinese caught on to the concept centuries ago, and have been treating lethargy, rejuvenating skin, promoting breast milk production, and much more, with ingested placenta! Thankfully, if you’re "placenta-curious", you won’t have to go swallowing the placenta just yet. It’s probably much safer to apply it directly to the skin.
2. Bee Venom Facial
Apparently, bee venom tightens and plumps lifeless skin. Melittin - the active compound in bee venom - possesses anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that strengthens the immune system. Bee venom is a natural anaphylactic, which means it can potentially break down cell membranes and boost circulation, thereby firming complexions. For $130 per treatment, you can apply your own bee venom facial. Don’t be shy, join the growing list of celebs doing it. Michelle Pfeiffer, Kylie Minogue and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, are a few! Of course, there’s always a deep cleansing facial instead…
3. Bird Poop Facial
In the 1600s, Japanese performers discovered that bird poop, particularly the nightingale variety, removed heavy, lead-based theatrical makeup. Nightingale poop contains enzymes, minerals and amino acids that help dissolve the outer layer of skin cells. Imported from Japan, nightingale feces are sterilized and manufactured into a powdered state. Shizuka New York Skin Care Salonmixes nightingale poop with rice bran, and converts to liquid form. If excrement isn’t your thing, opt for microdermabrasion or a chemical peel.
4. Vampire Facelift
Used along with a hyaluronic acid filler, such as Restalyn or Juvederm, the Vampire Facelift is like a blood transfusion for your face. Doctors spin your blood separating plasma from red blood cells. After harvesting eight growth factors from the blood plasma, the doctor injects these platelet-rich plasma cells back into your face, where they stimulate the growth of new cells. The Vampire Facelift boosts blood flow, revitalizes dull, gray skin, and supposedly firms droopy muscles. Kim Kardashian is game. Are you?
5. Baby Foreskin Facial
Yes, you read that right. According to a Huffpost Style article, HydraFacial is a beauty treatment that uses baby foreskin to help even out skin tone, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Technically, the mask is made up of microscopic growth factors from baby foreskin, that have been shown to stimulate the turnover of skin cells when applied topically. I mean, if you didn’t know any better, it might be nice…
6. Thai Face Slapping
Face slapping for younger skin is popping up in Thai massage salons, in metropolises across America. Apparently, a light slapping stimulates energy lines, or meridians, on your face, essentially helping to improve wrinkles and tighten pores. Thai face slapper, Gam Pukkalanun, explains the process to ABC7 News: "We use a chopping motion along the energy lines and to relax the muscles and open the energy lines." Hmmm… I think I’m more a fan of face massage, over face slapping! Although this could be an option for your more "hard to please" customers?
7. Face Yoga
Developed by yoga expert and author of The Yoga Face, Annelise Hagen, face yoga is touted as a non-invasive facelift. Proponents say that with a series of exercises you can prevent wrinkles by reducing tension and strengthening face muscles.
Here are some fun and free face yoga poses for you to try out:
Lion Face: On an inhale, squeeze every muscle in your body tight, from your toes to your forehead muscles. On an exhale, relax the muscles, stick out your tongue, and open your eyes wide. Hold for 60 seconds - really being sure to stretch out that tongue. Repeat three times.
Smiley Fish Face: Make a fish face by sucking in your cheeks and puckering up into fish lips. At the same time you’re puckered up, smile!
Satchmo: Inhale and puff the breath from cheek to cheek. Release on an exhale, when you have exhausted your breath. Repeat three times.
Do these exercises really work as effectively as Botox? Until someone measures the effects with quantifiable evidence, we’ll never know, but one thing we are sure of: face yoga, especially when performed in the company of others, is guaranteed to make you laugh and to encourage a young spirit!
8. Ice Rolling
It’s the latest spin on the old "cold-spoon" trick. They’ve been popular in Asia and Europe for a while now, but they’ve only recently gained traction in the United States. Made of water and gel, these handheld devices help to reduce puffiness and redness, and diminish fine lines and wrinkles. Just roll them across your face daily to create a firming effect. You can also use ice rollers on minor injuries, such as bruises, and even roll over your temples and brow when you have a headache. I think, of all the crazy beauty treatments mentioned, this one sounds the most soothing, relaxing, non-invasive, and approachable by far!
So…what do you think? Let us know which of these weird and wacky beauty treatments you’d try, or have tried, and which ones blow your mind!
Amy Lucas
LA based actress and writer, Amy Lucas, is our resident beauty blogger. With a penchant for living life to full, you'll find her here sharing her musings on health & wellness and of course beauty. We're sure you'll love her positive, open and honest approach to life. It's a much needed breath of fresh air and we are thrilled to have her as a contributing author on the Glad Lash Blog! You can read more from Amy at her personal blog www.musingsofaminx.com.
Move over Botox and Juvederm! You’ve got some competition: Vampire Facelifts and Bird Poop facials! How crazy are you willing to get when it comes to anti-ageing beauty treatments?
Here are some fun and free face yoga poses for you to try out:
Lion Face: On an inhale, squeeze every muscle in your body tight, from your toes to your forehead muscles. On an exhale, relax the muscles, stick out your tongue, and open your eyes wide. Hold for 60 seconds - really being sure to stretch out that tongue. Repeat three times.
Smiley Fish Face: Make a fish face by sucking in your cheeks and puckering up into fish lips. At the same time you’re puckered up, smile!
Satchmo: Inhale and puff the breath from cheek to cheek. Release on an exhale, when you have exhausted your breath. Repeat three times.
Do these exercises really work as effectively as Botox? Until someone measures the effects with quantifiable evidence, we’ll never know, but one thing we are sure of: face yoga, especially when performed in the company of others, is guaranteed to make you laugh and to encourage a young spirit!
