We've heard of some pretty bizarre beauty treatments in the past (vampire facials, anyone?), but this just may be the weirdest one yet.
British beauty blogger and former model, Tracy Kiss, is currently making headlines for endorsing a technique that she says cured her rosacea: semen facials.
In a video tutorial posted on YouTube, Kiss explains that the skin condition caused redness and flushing on her face, making her very self-conscious growing up. But since doing regular semen facials, she says she's experienced reduce redness, more hydration and skin rejuvenation.
The 28-year-old single mother says she gets frequent semen "donations" from a male friend who delivers it to her door in a Chinese takeout sauce tub. Tracy explains that his diet affects the consistency, texture and amount of semen she receives, so she monitors what he eats and drinks, and makes sure he doesn't drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs beforehand. (She isn't involved in the actually "semen extraction," however).
She then applies the semen onto her face as quickly as possible (while it's still "fresh"), using circular motions to really work it into the skin. She says the semen dries "quite quickly," and instantly cools and soothes her skin. Though she has no aversion to the smell of semen, she warns that some people might find the fragrance to be an "acquired taste," and recommends using incense sticks to dilute the pungent scent. After leaving on for 20 minutes, she washes it off and is left with smooth, silky skin.
Tracy says she prefers this method to products bought in stores, because she actually knows what goes in it.
"I think a lot of people are concerned with the thought of putting semen on their face, but actually it's a very natural and healthy thing to do. I know exactly what goes into this. I know there are no added chemicals, no harshness. It's as active and live and natural as you can possibly have," she explains. "Semen builds babies, they come out very soft and have beautiful skin, and it leaves my skin nice and soft."
Dermatologists, however, are wary about Kiss' technique. Doris Day, MD, told Cosmopolitan that while semen is anti-inflammatory and is "designed to support the essence of life," she doesn't recommend using it on your skin.
"It's not necessarily something that can penetrate the skin in any way beyond what a regular moisturizer can do," she says. "The water in the semen, as it dries off on your skin, could leave your skin drier. If you have rosacea, you should be careful."
Dr. Alexis Granite from London's Cadogan Clinic told HuffPost UK Style it's "safer to skip this touted miracle cure" as you would need nearly daily application to maintain its benefits. She also adds that there's a "risk of passing sexually transmitted disease from infected sperm to the eyes, nose or mouth if an infected sample is unwittingly applied to those areas."
Yikes.
All we know is, this probably isn't a beauty treatment we'll be trying anytime soon.
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