- Judith Akatugba
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A recent trend in skin care is snail facials, where live snails are used to scour your face for cellular debris and then secrete ointments that can make your skin soft and supple.
In ancient times, Greek medicine men used to crush snails and apply them as pastes to heal wounds, burns, and lesions. Chileans working in snail farms have also been reported to have unusually soft hands after working with snails.
The beauty of using snails is in their mucus. Snails secrete a viscous mucus called mucin that contains hyaluronic acid, proteolytic enzymes, and other chemicals that can rejuvenate your skin.
While this mucin can be an ingredient in beauty products, in snail facials, you get the mucin live and unprocessed. A beautician sticks giant or medium-sized snails on your face and allows them to slither around. The snails clear dead skin cells as they move and exude mucus on your face. The new slime then seeps into your face to do its magic.
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The mucus contains collagen, which can maintain skin elasticity and hydration, is anti-ageing and reduces wrinkles. It can also repair skin injuries from acne and sunburns.
Beyond collagen, hyaluronic acid in snail mucus can also help you look good. Like collagen, hyaluronic acid is a component of the skin, where it keeps the moisture in and leaves your skin moist and fresh.
Another suggested benefit of snail facials is that fresh mucus contains glycolic acid, which is not only an exfoliant but also stimulates your skin to produce collagen.
Despite the exciting potential of snail facials, there is no substantial evidence to show it actually works. The reported benefits are stories of beauticians and some people who have tried it, even as they add that the changes could take time before they appear.
Besides, dermatologists say that snail facials risk transmitting parasites that cause schistosomiasis, which can result in abdominal pains, bloody stools, and tissue damage. Snails are intermediate hosts of the parasites.
So, while you may want to jump in on the snail facials trend and get your skin tuned up, ensure you are getting expert care.
