Beauty salons go to unexpected tricks in order to attract clientele, sometimes offering very unusual beauty procedures. Many of them, due to their extravagance, are especially drawn to try on vacation, combining business with pleasure ─ selfless immersion in an authentic environment with self-care. About what cosmetic procedures are best to avoid on vacation and why, says dermatologist, cosmetologist Elena Kovtunova.
Peeling with Garra Rufa fish
The procedure appeared in the Middle East more than five hundred years ago and spread to all resorts in Asia (and even came to our Caucasus). Beauty salon clients place their feet in aquariums with many small garra-rufa fish, which literally gnaw at dead and dead skin particles that swell in the water. In addition to the peeling effect, relaxation also occurs due to the gentle massage.
A completely painless process improves blood microcirculation in a fairly short amount of time. It would seem, what danger can harmless manipulation conceal in itself?
Recently, more and more often the question arises as to how safe it is. So, after a fish pedicure, one American tourist developed onychomadesis - deformation and detachment of the nail plate, because of which she almost lost her nails. This case is described by doctors in the journal JAM Dermatology, and article author Shari Lipner from Cornell University argues that such a precedent is far from the first. Research has shown that fish can carry pathogens from person to person. For this reason, fish peeling was banned in some US states and European countries. Dermatologists also warn of the possibility of mycosis (infection of the skin), since the water in the aquariums is not changed after each visitor. In addition, fish, reaching a certain size, can damage the skin and leave microcracks and wounds on it. There can be quite a few unpleasant consequences after such a scenario of the development of events.
Cactus massage
Some owners of spa salons in the USA, Mexico and Latin America have found an unexpected use for thorny plants. This type of massage is based on the traditions of the Indians, famous for the successful use of local flora to improve the body's health. This exotic procedure is called Hakali massage. For manipulation, as a rule, prickly pear leaves are used, with the help of them massage actions are performed.
It is believed that prickly pear has healing properties and restores the nervous system: stimulation of bioactive points on the body improves lymphatic drainage and blood flow.
For pinpoint injections, needles are used, which helps with neuralgia and chronic fatigue. Despite the fact that the leaves of this plant are flat, they have very impressive spines. You can also use a special type of cactus, without thorns, with the help of which a mixture of avocado and tequila tincture is rubbed. Cactus juice contains vitamin C, which has pigmenting and lightening properties for the skin, as well as potassium, beta-caratin, calcium, magnesium, B vitamins and iron. Opuntia juice is also a good antiseptic. With all the seeming advantages, do not forget about the disadvantages for an inexperienced client: skin damage during cactus massage affects an increase in body temperature … In addition, if the procedure is performed by an amateur, the body may become covered with bruises and bruises. Allergies should also not be discounted.
Senotherapy
The dream of many is to lie in a stack of fragrant hay (at the same time, to capture yourself in it from different angles). The beauty industry thugs took note of this long ago: in Italy and Bulgaria, spa salons at hotels have in their arsenal such procedures as dry herbal baths with medicinal plants in their composition. A collection of dried herbs is poured into the container, a person is placed there and sprinkled with hay from head to toe. Those who offer this procedure argue that it is not only the fulfillment of a romantic desire that attracts clients to this action. With the help of such a manipulation, the metabolism and condition of the skin are improved, as well as the whole body is toned and relaxed. Certain aromatic herbs have a calming effect, while essential oils have an immunostimulating effect.
Allergy is a contraindication for senotherapy and a reason to abandon this idea: we must not forget about an allergic reaction to plants.
In addition, you need to be sure that any bugs do not live in the hay bath, the bites of which can also lead to negative consequences. If the composition contains particles of chopping grass with sharp edges, you need to make sure that this does not cause micro-trauma to the skin, otherwise you can get infections and various diseases.
Snake massage or reptilian therapy
The very name of this manipulation will cause shiver and goose bumps in most, because herpetophobia is a fairly frequent phenomenon. However, this kind of nerve-tickling massage is successfully practiced in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Of course, the role of masseurs is not played by venomous reptiles, but small snakes, which, crawling over the body of a person, create a kind of vibration, thereby helping him to relax.
Snakes massage biologically active points on the body, muscles and joints, and in ancient times it was believed that contact with snakes can completely relieve a person of stress and anxiety.
Those who decide on a snake massage, first of all, experience a shock. The feeling of fear leads to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which increases the tone of the body, improves metabolic processes and the production of useful hormones. Then there is complete relaxation. The feeling of fear changes to appeasement. The impressions from the process will be remembered for a lifetime. Be that as it may, the skin of a snake secretes various secrets that can cause allergic reactions and contact dermatitis in people with hypersensitivity, and the release of adrenaline and an attack of fear can provoke exacerbations of chronic skin diseases.
Alcoholic SPA
Since ancient times, aristocrats believed that wine improves skin elasticity. Marilyn Monroe was very fond of such unusual procedures and often resorted to them: baths with champagne gave her a charge of cheerfulness and positiveness. In each country, such entertainment is called differently. So in Japan it is a pool of sake or red wine, where a person, or even a whole company, is placed. Event managers claim that this pastime helps to get rid of wrinkles, relax and prolong youth.
In France and Spanish Catalonia, SPA-rooms exist right at the wineries, and in the Czech Republic there is a unique complex in the brewery, where tourists are invited to take hot beer baths, which help to relax, moisturize and tone the skin.
The effect of the procedures depends on the type of alcohol used. When in contact with liquid, the skin becomes loose, and the beneficial microelements contained in alcohol penetrate deeper into the skin, thereby improving skin microcirculation. If we are talking about champagne, then the body receives a micro-massage thanks to the bubbles. Beer rejuvenates the skin and makes it glow. Complete relaxation and pleasure will be especially expressive if the sommelier pours your favorite drink into a glass. But it must be remembered that alcohol can cause an allergy attack when there is an intolerance to any substances (in particular, at the initial stage of asthma or spastic bronchitis). To take such baths, you must at least be a healthy enough person.
Photo: Getty Images
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