The rise of the ‘foreskin facial’
We’re usually Happy to try out the most expensive and outlandish Hollywood trends, but would you fancy a facial that uses cells taken from the freshly removed foreskins of newborn Korean babies? Yep, thought not…
When filming for the upcoming Ocean’s Eight film, co-stars Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock attributed their youthful, glowing skin to the ‘foreskin facial’, the creation of British-born New York-based facialist Georgia Louise. But what can foreskins possibly have to do with a radiant complexion? Put simply, they contain epidermal growth factor (EGF), a cellular messenger that communicates to skin cells that they should restore, renew and repair themselves, which purportedly results in healthier, stronger skin.
‘ The theory is that if you use EGF, it stimulates the production of new stem cells so you’ve got all the building blocks you need for healthy, new skin,’ says aesthetic doctor Maryam Zamani, who doesn’t use human EGF but rather ovine (sheep) placenta in her Rest & Revive overnight serum, £195. ‘EGF is also used to regrow and heal skin in trauma patients,’ she points out. Facials and products that use human stem cells aren’t available in the UK – nor are they needed when there are so many other EGF options.
‘ You can get botanical stem cells from flowers or apples,’ says Dr Zamani. This is where specialist Dr Bjorn Orvar comes in. He founded Egf-centric brand Bioeffect in 2010 and says, ‘Applying plant-made, human-like EGF to skin has a significant effect on skin thickness and density and the depth of lines.’
After the age of 20, our skin naturally begins to thin by 1% each year, thanks to a decline in our naturally occurring EGF, so it’s a good idea to undergo Egf-derived treatment regularly to improve skin quality.
Georgia herself combines the foreskin EGF treatment with microneedling, another trick to achieving that youthful complexion so exemplified by the A-list. ‘Microneedling creates tiny, induced injuries, creating a cascade that initiates the building of new skin,’ explains Dr Zamani, ‘and when you use growth factors – which also help to build new skin – in conjunction, you get an extra boost.’
So, while the prospect of a foreskin facial might gross you out, luckily there are plenty of other options.