By Sable Yong, Allure
Semen facials as a means to treat acne — dudes have been claiming this for eons, a few sassy ladies have even backed it up, and it's pretty much the way most straight porn ends anyway. So is the money shot the secret to treating acne? According to this forum on Acne.org, some would say... "I heard it is." As urban myths generally go, you always hear these things from a secondary or tertiary source. Our secondary sources however were a bit cagey on the subject.
[post_ads]I'm not going to get into how this rumor spread — I don't know, I wasn't there. I'm not even going to get into how some people are convinced that slathering some dude's wank sauce on their faces does anything for the complexion — maybe it's a mental manifestation kind of thing — who knows! Personally I have never tried this. I mean, accidents do happen and all's fair in love and love, but never have I ever (heh) willingly asked a dude to go to town on my pores with his "stuff." Then again, I've never really seen a porn star with breakouts, so.
There is a lot of bullshit out there about how semen is some sort of magical cure-all for any skin concerns, mostly having to do with acne but also fading pigmentation and decreasing wrinkles, going so far as to suggest using semen as eye cream to address fine lines. DO NOT DO THIS.
Remember when I said accidents happen? Don't let that accident come in contact with your eyeballs! I've never been pepper-sprayed before but I imagine the sensation is similar except you are being pepper-sprayed with a penis, making the entire experience way weirder. SEMEN ISN'T EYE CREAM, PEOPLE.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm yelling now; You're fine, you didn't do anything wrong. Just... I cannot stress that enough. Also, FYI, if your semen source happens to have an STI like herpes you can then get eye herpes. EYE HERPES. Just sayin'.
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Anyway, enough scare tactics. What is semen even made of to make people believe that it has any topical benefits whatsoever?
I asked Dr. Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, about all this hubbub, who — bless his heart — did not immediately respond to my email asking me to never contact him again (as some people ostensibly did. Yes, I've been blacklisted from dermatology for this story so I hope you glean some useful information!).
"The fluid contains a combination of sperm, enzymes, acids, and lipids," Dr. Zeichner explained. "Judging from these ingredients, despite any potential to help exfoliate dead cells from the skin, it is more likely to cause irritation more than anything else if applied to the face and left there for any extended period of time."
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, semen contains fructose, amino acids, citric acid, phosphorus, potassium, and hormones known as prostaglandins. Popular opinion would be hung up on the protein angle — as if protein is the answer to your blemishes. However, some proteins like the one that the p.acnes bacteria secretes can be toxic to your skin and the cause of your acne. Everything else is sugar, mucus, and trace amounts of minerals and vitamins.
[post_ads_2]
You know what what else has vitamins and minerals and doesn't have the potential to give you eye herpes? Skin-care products formulated to treat acne.
"With the abundance of well formulated, effective treatments for acne, I would recommend sticking to a traditional product rather than applying ejaculated semen on your face to treat your pimples," Dr. Zeichner agrees.
Acne sucks, don't get me wrong. And I understand that folks will go great lengths to eviscerate their breakouts once and for all. But hey — at least now you know — you can check cum facials off your list of things that might work. You're welcome.
Other ways to beat acne that don't involve penises:
[post_ads]I'm not going to get into how this rumor spread — I don't know, I wasn't there. I'm not even going to get into how some people are convinced that slathering some dude's wank sauce on their faces does anything for the complexion — maybe it's a mental manifestation kind of thing — who knows! Personally I have never tried this. I mean, accidents do happen and all's fair in love and love, but never have I ever (heh) willingly asked a dude to go to town on my pores with his "stuff." Then again, I've never really seen a porn star with breakouts, so.
There is a lot of bullshit out there about how semen is some sort of magical cure-all for any skin concerns, mostly having to do with acne but also fading pigmentation and decreasing wrinkles, going so far as to suggest using semen as eye cream to address fine lines. DO NOT DO THIS.
Remember when I said accidents happen? Don't let that accident come in contact with your eyeballs! I've never been pepper-sprayed before but I imagine the sensation is similar except you are being pepper-sprayed with a penis, making the entire experience way weirder. SEMEN ISN'T EYE CREAM, PEOPLE.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm yelling now; You're fine, you didn't do anything wrong. Just... I cannot stress that enough. Also, FYI, if your semen source happens to have an STI like herpes you can then get eye herpes. EYE HERPES. Just sayin'.
[post_ads_2]
Anyway, enough scare tactics. What is semen even made of to make people believe that it has any topical benefits whatsoever?
I asked Dr. Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, about all this hubbub, who — bless his heart — did not immediately respond to my email asking me to never contact him again (as some people ostensibly did. Yes, I've been blacklisted from dermatology for this story so I hope you glean some useful information!).
"The fluid contains a combination of sperm, enzymes, acids, and lipids," Dr. Zeichner explained. "Judging from these ingredients, despite any potential to help exfoliate dead cells from the skin, it is more likely to cause irritation more than anything else if applied to the face and left there for any extended period of time."
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, semen contains fructose, amino acids, citric acid, phosphorus, potassium, and hormones known as prostaglandins. Popular opinion would be hung up on the protein angle — as if protein is the answer to your blemishes. However, some proteins like the one that the p.acnes bacteria secretes can be toxic to your skin and the cause of your acne. Everything else is sugar, mucus, and trace amounts of minerals and vitamins.
[post_ads_2]
You know what what else has vitamins and minerals and doesn't have the potential to give you eye herpes? Skin-care products formulated to treat acne.
"With the abundance of well formulated, effective treatments for acne, I would recommend sticking to a traditional product rather than applying ejaculated semen on your face to treat your pimples," Dr. Zeichner agrees.
Acne sucks, don't get me wrong. And I understand that folks will go great lengths to eviscerate their breakouts once and for all. But hey — at least now you know — you can check cum facials off your list of things that might work. You're welcome.
Other ways to beat acne that don't involve penises:
