Your burning inquiries regarding the fitness, beauty, and health fads spreading over your social feeds can be answered by playing TikTok True or False. With the aid of professionals and academic research, each story dissects a popular wellness trend to reveal the accuracy and suitability of the online “advice” that has gone viral. You won’t ever need to worry again what to skip or what is legitimate.
TikTok is renowned for crowdsourcing a variety of beauty trends, including those that are, to put it mildly, very bizarre. And the most recent DIY skin-care craze that can appear on your For You Page is unquestionably outrageous. It is indeed time to discuss historical blood face masks.
Numerous TikTok users have been gushing about the benefits of using period blood to your face. Currently, there are more than 3.5 million views on videos with the hashtag “ #periodbloodfacemask .” For instance, period blood is said to include “all the stem cells and all the nutrients that a baby would have needed and, of course, that your skin and body needs,” according to in one clip , a supporter of the at-home skin-care method who has posted multiple postings on period blood face masks on the app.
She said in writing that was displayed on an now-viral video that another artist “gone off the hippy deep end and utilized menstrual blood as a face mask.” She said, pointing to close-ups of her clear, radiant skin, “And it’s the best my skin has ever looked???” She doubled down, stating, “Literally ordering a menstrual cup to make it easy for next month,” after commenters questioned whether she was serious.
It sounds nice to have natural, free skin care that exposes bright, clear skin, but there are a few things dermatologists want you to consider before you start saving period blood for face masks. Warning: This trend is not effective and possibly even dangerous, according to experts. What you should know is as follows.
A PERIOD BLOOD FACE MASK IS WHAT? The term “period blood face mask” means precisely what it says. On TikTok, some users assert that they should collect their period blood in a menstruation cup before using smear it over their skin for its alleged advantages, which include leaving behind clear, radiant skin. There isn’t much information available, though, about how to keep the blood, when you should apply it, and how long you should let it stay on the skin. In the majority of films, users apply blood straight from a menstrual cup, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wash the leftover DIY mask off.
This approach should not be confused with vampire facials, which became popularized by celebrities like Kim Kardashian . Vampire facials, also known as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) skin care procedures, are “treatments where blood-related components are administered to the skin for their regeneration capabilities,” explains Joshua Zeichner , M.D., Mount Sinai Hospital’s director of aesthetic and clinical research in dermatology.
Although they may sound similar, Dr. Zeichner explains that vampire facials only use “the portion of the blood that has therapeutic characteristics, notably growth elements present within the plasma.” Board-certified dermatologist Gary Goldenberg, M.D., creator of Goldenberg Dermatology , continues, “PRP is collected from whole blood and is concentrated eight to ten times before being administered. It’s important to note that, in contrast to TikTok’s DIY period blood face masks, this procedure is also carried out in a clinical setting.
PERIOD BLOOD AS A FACE MASK: DOES IT WORK? Period blood face masks are allegedly used by some people in the hopes that they will give them clearer, more youthful-looking skin. Dermatologists dispute these assertions, nevertheless. According to Joyce Park, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of the teledermatology clinics Skin Refinery and #periodbloodfacemask 0, “this is not a good idea for your skin for a number of reasons.”
Dr. Park, who previously shared #periodbloodfacemask 1 refuting the trend, says that menstrual blood is a mixture of shed epithelial skin cells from the uterine lining, white blood cells, and red blood cells. She further emphasizes that using menstrual blood as a face mask has “no demonstrated advantages.”
Doctor Goldenberg concurs. He asserts that there is “no scientific evidence” to support the use of whole blood, whether it is menstrual or otherwise. Red blood cells, in actuality, “are pro-inflammatory and may aggravate skin.”
IS IT SAFE TO USE PERIOD BLOOD AS A FACE MASK? Dermatologists say that applying period blood on your face is unsafe for a variety of reasons. According to Dr. Park, microorganisms like bacteria or fungi can easily contaminate the blood and spread to your skin. “Using contaminated menstrual blood can potentially introduce sexually-transmitted illnesses to your facial skin if you have them.”
That sentiment is echoed by Dr. Zeichner. He states, “I do not at all advise adding menstrual blood to the face.” This blood was not drawn in a sterile manner, and it could include viruses or bacteria that could cause an infection.
IS IT TRUE THAT USING PERIOD BLOOD AS A FACE MASK IS GOOD FOR YOUR SKIN?
It’s one thing to receive a vampire facial at a medical facility, but quite another to smear menstrual blood all over your face. Since there is a risk of infection, there is no scientific proof that the TikTok fad is good for the skin. In fact, it may do more harm than good.
Your greatest option for getting clear, radiant skin is to consult a dermatologist for individualized advice.
