11 July 2009

Treatment for acne scarring has me excited. And also creeped out.

Two factoids about me, my pretties. Factoid Number One: I have had acne since my teens, and I have quite a lot of pigmentation and scarring, largely due to the fact that I'm completely unable to keep my hands away from my face. Factoid Number Two: My major phobia is Slimy Wriggly Things With No Legs. Think slugs, worms, snakes, snails (Slimy Wriggly Things With No Legs With a House), eels (Slimy Wriggly Things With No Legs That Swim), lizards (Slimy Wriggly Things With No Legs With Legs), frogs (Slimy Wriggly Things With No Legs With Legs That Jump).

Bear with me on this, because these two things are related. Andes Natural Skin Care say they have come up with a product that will both treat acne and clear up acne scarring and the product is derived from, get this, serum harvested from the Helix Aspersa Muller snail*.

Just give me a moment here while I shudder ...

*shudder*

Ok, back to the story. Studies published last year in the Journal of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Skin showed the serum to be effective in both the treatment of acne and acne scarring.

I really, really want to try this product. I hate my acne scarring and would dearly love to find a product that would treat it. But I just know that every time I put it on my face I'd be completely creeped out by the knowledge that there was, urgh, snail juice touching my skin! The question is, does my desire for a treatment outweigh my phobia?

For more on the science behind it, here is an article from Cosmetics Design Europe, and the Andes Natural website is here. I love the multitude of different ways they manage to not say the word snail!

* How do they harvest the serum? Do they milk the snails? Because the mental picture of a whole line of snails hooked up to a milking machine is very funny. And creepy.

2 comments:

  1. They put the snails in a plastic bad, add salt, tie up the bag, shake and then go SMOOSH.

    *hides*

    Sorry, I know that was TOTALLY mean; but I remember seeing some boys back when I was a kid doing that, it was only later I found out what the SALT did to those poor snails :(

    Sounds like an interesting product, wouldn't mind some myself for my scarring. Question is, does it REALLY work?

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  2. Oh eewwwwwwwwwwwwww!

    Certainly seems that the active ingredient has been found to be effective in studies.

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