Theres no better place to confess indulging in weird or off-the-wall beauty treatments than in the presence of Gwyneth Paltrow at the Goop Health Summit. Miranda Kerr did just that over the weekend when she sat on a star-studded panel of beauty and lifestyle expertsincluding Cameron Diaz, Nicole Richie, Tory Burch and Paltrow herselfand spoke about her experience with leech therapy.
You May Also Like:Why Is Gwyneth Paltrow Purposely Getting Stung By Bees for Beauty?
Ive had a leech facial, said Kerr. I kept the leeches, theyre in my koi pond. Youre not allowed to reuse them, and if you dont take them home, then she kills them, and I didnt like that idea. The model and KORA Organics beauty brand owner also admitted to using leech therapy on her tailbone.
Surprisingly enough, Paltrow, the queen ofbizarre beauty treatments(including bee sting treatments and vaginal steaming) confessed that even she hadnt tried leeches yet. Wow! I thought I was batscrazy!, she said.
So whats so special about leeches? Although the Food and Drug Administration approved them as medical devices in 2004, their primary use in medicine has been in reconstructive surgery and microsurgery to help severed veins regain blood flow. Leech therapy has been around for a very long time, but the use of leeches as an anti-aging treatment is a rather recent, celebrity-driven trend (Demi Moore and The Real Housewives of Orange Countys Heather Dubrow are also fans). The idea is that when leeches bite their prey, they feed on the blood while simultaneously injecting numerous substances with a variety of bioactive peptides.
We asked Greenwich, CT, dermatologist Lynne Haven, MD, if leech facials are effective and if they can really make a difference for your skin. According to Dr. Haven, there are far better ways to anti-age than employing the use of blood sucking leeches. Historically, leeches have been used because they have an anticoagulant, so theyve been used for bloodletting, or to increase blood flow to a skin flap or graft, she says. If youre a normal, healthy person there is no medical reason to use a leech. And I think that leech facials dont make any sense.
If youre looking for the best anti-aging treatments, Dr. Haven says youre likely to achieve better results with some tried-and-true skin care services that dont involve slimy, blood sucking creatures: I would not recommend a leech facial, some people can have an allergic reaction to the anticoagulant they produce called hirudin. Theres really no proven benefit and we have so many proven techniques, therapies and topicals with science behind them, that theres really no reason to follow this fad. For overall anti-aging, I would prefer a fractionated laser, topical retinoids, antioxidants and other proven treatments that have been shown to really make a difference in lines and wrinkles.
Original post:
A Top Dermatologist Weighs in on Miranda Kerr's Leech Facial - NewBeauty Magazine (blog)
- Sunlight May Help Protect Men From Kidney Cancer - April 10th, 2010 [April 10th, 2010]
- Heart Disease - April 14th, 2010 [April 14th, 2010]
- The pH Miracle Living Diet Can Change Your Life - April 18th, 2010 [April 18th, 2010]
- Garlic Good For Stomach and Colon Cancers - April 22nd, 2010 [April 22nd, 2010]
- Smokeless tobacco products like snuff also cause cancer - April 25th, 2010 [April 25th, 2010]
- Prevention of Acupuncture Infection Needs More Focus - April 29th, 2010 [April 29th, 2010]
- Squamous cell carcinoma and Epstein Bar - May 3rd, 2010 [May 3rd, 2010]
- Prostate cancer therapy can increase risk of heart disease and death - May 7th, 2010 [May 7th, 2010]
- Protect Your Baby's Smile - May 11th, 2010 [May 11th, 2010]
- New Insights Show Ginseng Fights Inflammation - May 15th, 2010 [May 15th, 2010]
- Acupuncture Delivers Some Pain Relief - May 19th, 2010 [May 19th, 2010]
- Natural compounds in carnivorous plants could fight human fungal infections - May 23rd, 2010 [May 23rd, 2010]
- How to Treat Diabetes Without Medication - May 27th, 2010 [May 27th, 2010]
- Testosterone May Make Women Less Trusting - June 3rd, 2010 [June 3rd, 2010]
- Brain Develops Differently in Fragile X Syndrome - June 7th, 2010 [June 7th, 2010]
- Gaia Herbs achieves industry breakthrough in herb potency, safety and traceability - June 11th, 2010 [June 11th, 2010]
- Doctors are addicted to "every drug under the sun" - June 15th, 2010 [June 15th, 2010]
- Like Humans, Chimps Ape Their Betters - June 19th, 2010 [June 19th, 2010]
- Exercise in Adolescence May Cut Risk of Deadly Brain - June 23rd, 2010 [June 23rd, 2010]
- BP is burning rare sea turtles alive, blocking efforts to save them - June 27th, 2010 [June 27th, 2010]
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old - July 1st, 2010 [July 1st, 2010]
- Scientists Spot Gene Variants That Predict Longevity - July 7th, 2010 [July 7th, 2010]
- Mediterranean Diet Helps Protect Aging Brain - July 11th, 2010 [July 11th, 2010]
- Diabetes Medicines - July 15th, 2010 [July 15th, 2010]
- Cutting Calories May Boost Aging Brains - July 23rd, 2010 [July 23rd, 2010]
- Meditation Appears to Boost Attention Span - July 31st, 2010 [July 31st, 2010]
- Constipation May Lead to Other Problems - August 12th, 2010 [August 12th, 2010]
- A healthy heart slows brain aging - August 12th, 2010 [August 12th, 2010]
- 7-year-old girl dies after Botox injections - August 16th, 2010 [August 16th, 2010]
- Infidelity Rises When She Makes More Than He Does - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Confused About Coconut Oil? - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Widely Used Plastics Chemical Linked to Testosterone Boost - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Monitoring of Kidney Health Urged for Injection Drug Users - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- A Stone-age prescription - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Researchers Reluctantly Admit Mediterranean Diet Beats Diabetes Drugs for Controlling - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Simplified Framingham Model May Miscalculate Risk for Millions - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- New and Undefined Diseases - October 11th, 2010 [October 11th, 2010]
- Experimental Treatment Could Fight Muscular Dystrophy - October 13th, 2010 [October 13th, 2010]
- Acids in the Mouth Cause Tooth Decay - October 19th, 2010 [October 19th, 2010]
- Everyday chemicals cause infertility, cancer and birth defects - November 7th, 2010 [November 7th, 2010]
- American Diabetes Association Alert Day - November 7th, 2010 [November 7th, 2010]
- Medical science discovers remarkable yet simple way to instantly increase your willpower - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Good Attitude Boosts Health As Much As Formal Education - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Smiling helps prevent aging, wrinkles - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Dying cancer patients subjected to expensive, meaningless cancer screening tests - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Green and orange vegetable consumption - an indicator of longevity - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Amino acids are latest in growing list of nutrients shown to extend life span - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Hospitals to begin publicly reporting preventable infections, deaths they cause - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Can you mix fruits and vegetables at one meal? - December 21st, 2010 [December 21st, 2010]
- Green tea blocks lung cancer - January 9th, 2011 [January 9th, 2011]
- Radiation Exposure Raises Likelihood of Second Cancer - January 11th, 2011 [January 11th, 2011]
- Doctors should be not allowed to tell patients they are seriously - January 21st, 2011 [January 21st, 2011]
- No More Arthritis and No More Pain - January 21st, 2011 [January 21st, 2011]
- For One Man, It's All About Prevention and Wellness - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and type II diabetes - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Interview with a Nutritarian: Mark - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Memo to Men: To Live Longer, Take Better Care of Your Body - February 14th, 2011 [February 14th, 2011]
- Toxic chemical carcinogen found in water supplies nationwide - February 20th, 2011 [February 20th, 2011]
- High Nutrient Diet Reverses Diabetes - February 27th, 2011 [February 27th, 2011]
- Australia to outlaw thousands of plants, including national flower - March 11th, 2011 [March 11th, 2011]
- Salt increases heart attack and stroke risk, even if blood pressure is normal - March 27th, 2011 [March 27th, 2011]
- Gorillas need greens, not processed food - April 3rd, 2011 [April 3rd, 2011]
- Cyathostemma micranthum (A.DC.) J. Sincl.(Norn Maeo) - April 16th, 2011 [April 16th, 2011]
- Mental 'Exercise' May Only Hide Signs of Alzheimer's - May 1st, 2011 [May 1st, 2011]
- Women Taking Calcium Supplements May Risk Heart Health, Researchers Say - May 8th, 2011 [May 8th, 2011]
- Nicotine Raises Blood Sugar Levels in Lab - May 15th, 2011 [May 15th, 2011]
- Happiness Protects Your Heart - June 12th, 2011 [June 12th, 2011]
- The biggest threat to the health - June 18th, 2011 [June 18th, 2011]
- Gay Men More Likely to Have Had Cancer - July 3rd, 2011 [July 3rd, 2011]
- Chocolate compounds fight high cholesterol - July 10th, 2011 [July 10th, 2011]
- To Eat More Fruit, Picture a Fruit Salad - July 17th, 2011 [July 17th, 2011]
- Flaxseed Fails as Treatment for Hot Flashes - July 24th, 2011 [July 24th, 2011]
- Green tea better at preventing cancer and dementia than previously thought - August 2nd, 2011 [August 2nd, 2011]
- Are Taller People at Heightened Cancer Risk? - August 6th, 2011 [August 6th, 2011]
- Olive oil provides amazing liver protection - August 14th, 2011 [August 14th, 2011]
- Interview With Dr. Bruce Ames – An Anti Aging Specialist - August 14th, 2011 [August 14th, 2011]
- Low-carb diet may reverse kidney failure in diabetics, says new research - August 20th, 2011 [August 20th, 2011]
- The Secret History of Anti-Aging Medicine - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- MapleStory -JVizzle- Sabitrama's Anti-Aging Medicine (LvL50) - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Functional/Anti-Aging Medicine - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]