Facial

Re-posting from Darthjesus' plurk. Interesting uhm..treatment name.

Would You Try This?: The Spermine Facial

Jun 01, 2009 @ 11:43am

So I was browsing through this week’s New York magazine on my way to work this morning and read a short piece on how the latest craze in anti-aging treatments is a sperm-based facial. I’m sorry, what now?

Called the Spermine Facial, it consists of slathering synthesized human sperm on your face and then running an ultrasound and infared light over the substance to help it, ahem, penetrate deeper. Townhouse Spa is currently offering this service for $250.

Apparently studies were conducted (can you imagine that clinical trial?) that showed that the antioxidant found in human sperm makes your skin softer and less wrinkly. I’ve seen people put some pretty crazy stuff on their face in the name of beauty but this takes the cake. I’m all for piling on the lotions and potions to keep my skin looking its best, but I don’t think I could get over the gross-out factor on this one.

Would you try the Spermine Facial or is this just too gross for words?

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

Spermine, a powerful anti-oxidant originally discovered in, yes, human sperm, is said to diminish wrinkles and smooth the skin. The substance is now being synthesized in laboratories and sold by a Norwegian company called (seriously) Bioforskning. Spermine facials (really) cost $250 at Townhouse Spa, where the substance is penetrated with ultrasound and infrared light (a more basic treatment can be found for $125 at the nearby Graceful Services). Also available at Townhouse for $175: snail-secretion facials.