Okay, so slugging isn’t exactly as gross as it sounds (it pales in comparison to putting actual snails on your skin.) But still, this latest Tik Tok beauty craze might not be for the faint of heart. It involves slathering Vaseline or another occlusive (an ingredient that creates a physical barrier over your skin) all over your face before bed. Sexy, huh?
Apparently, you’re supposed to wake up the next morning with baby-soft skin because no moisture was able to leave the Vaseline fortress overnight — what derms call “transepidermal water loss.” While some skincare specialists say that slugging could be an option for dry skin sufferers, there are a few teeny tiny speedbumps you could run into, making this beauty hack less than ideal. Acne-prone and oily skin types, beware!
Why Laser Skin Treatments Trump Slugging Any Day
Maybe leave the snails and slugs alone and treat yourself to an actual beauty treatment, yeah?
Thinking about slugging? 10/10 would recommend upgrading your beauty hack to laser skin treatments like broadband light (BBL) instead of going full-on slug mode. Here’s why:
- Laser treatment results are longer-lasting. If you do see benefits from slugging (and that’s a big if), they’re not likely to last for long. The whole point of occlusive agents like Vaseline is to create a physical barrier between your skin and the environment. So as soon as you wipe that gunk off, your skin no longer has water-retaining superpowers. Laser skin treatments, on the other hand, can last for months or even years.
- Lasers are actually shown to treat lots of skin problems. Unlike the anecdotal Tik Tok evidence for slugging, laser skin treatments have a whole host of clinical trials backing their effectiveness at treating everything from lines and wrinkles to sun damage and acne scars.
- Lasers won’t do you dirty. Petrolatum — the main ingredient in Vaseline — is a known pore-clogger and can lead to breakouts, blackheads and whiteheads Yuck! If you’re already prone to acne or oily skin, slugging could backfire and make matters worse. On the flip side, lasers can treat redness and acne scars and won’t contribute to clogged pores or breakouts. Some types of laser treatments, including BBL and other intense pulsed lasers (IPL) don’t require a lick of downtime, either.
At the end of the day, trying slugging once or twice probably isn’t going to ruin your skin, but it’s not going to be a magic eraser for all of your skin problems, either. If you’re looking to say sayonara to wrinkles, dark spots or other blemishes, laser skin treatments are going to be more worthwhile.
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