The latest facial trend has customers looking like Hannibal Lecter, the iconic serial killer from “Silence of the Lambs.” But the treatment’s mask is not meant to restrain a cannibal — it’s a vehicle for the electricity that’s supposed to rejuvenate skin.
According to PopSugar Beauty, the electric current gives “the skin a glow while helping your skin to appear more youthful by refining fine lines, increasing firmness, and adding plumpness back into the skin.”
After the skin is prepped and cleaned, surgical cotton trips are applied to the face, and soaked cotton balls mixed with a concoction of vitamins are placed on top. Then the brown mask is applied, and the electric currents are released. Treatments last for up to 20 minutes.
While hunting for the latest beauty secrets isn’t necessarily a bad thing, experts do want to urge beauty seekers to do more research before jumping on the latest trend.
“The question is how well can it push large molecules through the epidermis?” explained Dr. Danilo Del Campo, a Chicago-based dermatologist in USA Today. “How far can it go? What pH is best for it? How well does it stay active? These are all questions that are just quite frankly unknown, but it seems like it’s a promising aspect that has not had much high quality research put into it.”
Playing with electricity can be scary so it’s recommended to go to a trusted salon instead of trying it at home — especially if you’re a newbie. Dr. Del Campo suggest better tested treatments like “retinoids, exfoliants, SPF and, of course, consulting a board-certified dermatologist.”
“I would tell (patients) to wait a few more years until there’s some better research out there,” he says.
