TIKTOK is not the first social media platform to push skincare “remedies”.
But with more than 180million users – almost a third of them aged ten to 19 – it is a hotbed of misinformation that could potentially scar and damage a person’s skin for ever.
TikTok skincare hacks such as ‘slugging’ and sun-cream contouring pose serious risksCredit: Getty
I regularly see people in my clinic who have tried a “skincare hack” they saw on the channel. They end up in my waiting room because they need something fixed.
Google the word “slugging” and you get more than seven million results. If you have never heard the term, it’s a “hack” that involves slathering your skin in Vaseline.
Videos suggest it will give you a dewy, hydrated look. But all it does is lock in dirt, letting oil build up and stopping the skin breathing. In short, it can cause breakouts . . . so don’t do it.
Another craze is sun-cream contouring. Yep, you heard right.
This means applying sunscreen to the face but not the jawline and cheeks, exposing them to more sun so they tan and give a “permanent” contour.
The risks include sun damage and skin cancer, not to mention the difficulty in applying it symmetrically.
If I were you, I’d stick to the contouring you can do with make-up brushes and leave this one well alone.
Next on the list of crazy trends is using erectile dysfunction cream on the lips to plump them out and make them look fuller. Again, I’m not kidding.
A&E RISK
Don’t even think about trying this one. Erectile dysfunction cream is a vasodilator, which means it increases blood flow. Great if you want an erection. Not so great on the lips, which have fewer layers of skin than the rest of the body.
By applying it to the lips you risk a severe drop in blood pressure, not to mention the risk of ingesting it and having an allergic reaction.
You can also find videos which promote the use of micro drills to exfoliate and abrase freckles. No!
Firstly, you have a real risk of ending up in A&E. Secondly, freckles go down several layers of skin. They are not on the surface so can’t be sloughed away. If you try this, you will end up with freckles and scar tissue.
Another scroll on TikTok will lead you to claims that drinking liquid chlorophyll helps “clear the skin”.
Yes, chlorophyll is an ingredient in plenty of skincare ranges. But the type you can buy to drink is NOT the plant-based one in your skin creams. It is a synthetically derived version that doesn’t have the same properties.
It will cost you money and won’t do a thing for your skin. But it will dent your wallet.
Crushed-up aspirin has been touted too, applied to acne or worn as a facemask. It contains salicylic acid, which is found in skincare masks and helps prevent breakouts.
BURN SCARE
But in masks the dose is balanced and mixed with lots of other ingredients. On its own, the concentration will be far too high and there is a serious risk of burns, irritation and permanent pigmentation.
There is no science to suggest DIY facemasks work. Claims about using coffee grounds for sloughing and lemon juice to “wake the skin” are rubbish and will do more harm than good.
Skincare products get years of lab testing. The compounds are balanced. Something home-made could throw off your skin’s natural pH levels.
Don’t take TikTok skincare hacks at face value – they could SCAR you, warns Dr EshoCredit: PROVIDED
Products like pore vacuums, which claim to clear clogged pores, are pricey and only remove sebaceous filaments that fill again. They can damage the skin and aren’t worth the three-figure sums you will pay.
Remember, TikTok videos are heavily edited and use lots of filters. Fast, cheap or easy hacks are probably fake. At best, they won’t do anything. At worst, they could seriously damage your skin.
TikTok is for clips of dancing cats. For skin advice, only listen to verified experts.
