Let's be honest: Most of us will try just about anything on our faces once if it means softer, smoother skin. But even our ventures to have baby-soft skin can have
very hard limits. Case in point: The semen facial. Yes, you read that correctly. Women are putting semen on their faces because they think it makes their skin more youthful.
We know what this sounds like: Some strange dude with some wacked out preferences and a real skill for lying started a rumor that his...erm...you know, was somehow good for your face. Well, sorry bud, but we're having a hard time feeding into this. Think about it: Would you really want to put anything a guy makes anywhere near you, let alone on your face?
Yeah, we thought so. But just to prove that the semen facial is totally not a thing and we should all stop trying to make it one, we've done some research.
Basically, the idea has always been around that semen, which does have some nutrients and proteins in it, could be a good natural remedy for your skin. Recently beauty blogger Tracy Kiss did a video about how she is a huge fan of the semen facial, getting her product from a "health-conscious friend" who would be producing the stuff anyway.
Yes, we barfed in our mouths too on that one.
To explain why she is doing this bizarre skincare regimen, Tracy said, "I use semen to look after my skin, to rejuvenate it, to give it some freshness." Her logic behind why it works? It's probably even more messed up than the treatment itself.
"You know, semen builds babies, they come out very soft and they have beautiful skin," she said.
We're not even going to comment on that.
In case Tracy's um...fascinating theory had any credibility, we decided to ask Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, a New York-based dermatologist, whether or not semen facials were a legitimate skin treatment. His response?
"No respectable doctor should comment on this."
Yeah, we hear you, bro.
Luckily,
Refinery 29 got some more details from dermatologist,
Dr. Karyn Grossman. And she, too, believed that Tracy's theory was a bit on the f**ked up side.
"Yes, obviously, semen ins a component of making a baby and you need a sperm and an egg to create a fetus," she told Refinery 29. "But the sperm itself has nothing to do with the skin of the newborn. The sperm is only a carrier of genetic material."
Science #ftw, folks.
Karyn also noted that yes, semen has protein, but that doesn't mean slathering it on your face is a good idea by any means.
"Just from a physician's point of view, there are medical health issues around being exposed to other people's body fluids," she said. "Body fluids are capable of transmitting STIs, and even if you're with your husband or boyfriend [they] could potentially have these diseases anyway. There are potential issues that could be different [on the face]."
For example if the donor has herpes and that goes into your eye, not only can it get infected, it can cause scarring and vision problems.
Hold on a second while we crawl into the fetal position at the idea of eye herpes.
If that wasn't bad enough, Karyn also says that semen is
caustic to our skin. Because semen's pH hovers around 7.1 to 8.0 and our skin is more acidic (around a pH of 4), mixing the two really isn't a good idea.
Oh, and there's the simple fact that there are so many better options out there including natural remedies that don't come from men.
"There is an endless array of things you can mix together; so many other things you can do," Karyn said. "People used to take eggs and turn them into masks for that high concentration of protein. You can create a great scrub with coconut oil, baking soda, and maybe powdered milk or almond milk."
There you have it, folks. For all of you who were considering actually trying Tracy's "man moisturizer," you could probably do something else. We've come very far in the world of skincare, and we're not about to give up on your classic vitamin-infused cream no matter what dudes of the world are saying.