Snail Slime for Skincare? Skincare Trends and Finding What Works
Trends in skincare seem to come and go all the time, and many of them can seem bizarre. Although it can be easy to jump on the newest fads and advancements in skincare, it can be damaging to your skin and your budget when you don’t know enough about what works and what doesn’t. Here’s what to know about skincare fads and how to navigate them.
Snail Slime? Really?
Snail slime was one of the biggest skincare fads of 2014. The gist is that mucus secreted by snails has ingredients like glycosaminoglycan’s, glycoprotein enzymes, copper, hyaluronic acid, zinc, iron, and other compounds that can regenerate the skin. In cell culture, there is some evidence that it can stimulate collagen.
There are countries in Europe that extract mucus from snails and produce it commercially. In some cosmetic lines in Europe, they even mix it with some of their products. The extraction of snail mucus has been used commercially in Europe by at least one French company for many years. It’s also available in Asia and South America, as well as a facial in Tokyo that uses actual live snails for the service.
The claim is that this will regenerate new skin cells and provide improvement in collagen, wrinkles, and acne scars.
Does It Work?
I think that, even if snail slime had a high enough concentration of these ingredients to provide benefit to human skin, it would not penetrate deep enough to make an actual difference. In fact, there are very few products that you can apply topically that penetrate deep enough into the skin to provide actual anti-aging benefits. It is possible that this mucus could make the skin superficially feel smoother, but would not provide long-lasting benefits.
For this reason, it’s important to have realistic expectations about what skincare products (especially trendy ones) can achieve. It’s always best to consult your dermatologist about the right products and treatments for the results you’re hoping for so you can save time and money.
Stick to What Works
My best advice for skincare trends is to stick with what we know scientifically works: antioxidants, exfoliators such as glycolic acid, growth factors, and retinoids that stimulate collagen, and peptides.
Maybe science will continue to advance and we might find trendy products that transform the skincare industry, but until then I’m sticking with the tried and true tested products like Retin-A, TNS Advanced Serum, and antioxidants such as vitamin C and E that are all part of my essential skincare routine.
Schedule a Consultation
It can be difficult to navigate the trends and the many skincare products available on the market. If you have questions about how to improve your skin or want to explore our professional-grade products available, call our South Reno cosmetic offices or fill out our online form to set up a consultation.
~ Dr. Jennifer Janiga
