Are WNC residents ready to try snail slime masks to beat wrinkles?
The ancient practice of using snails for better skin is finding takers in California.
Posted — Updated"That sounds fun," laughed Maggie Zamora.
The process is slowly making its way to the mountains in "cosmeceuticals" filled with slime from snails that are not harmed.
Everything from snail gels to cremes to masks can be found online for as little as $6 all the way up to hundreds of dollars.
"I don't know if I would ever purposefully put snail slime on my face," musical talent Summer McMahan said.
McMahan, part of the group Mountain Faith, is a client at Saints Emporium Salon in Sylva.
She said eyebrow threading to maintain shape is one thing -- snail slime as a beauty routine is another.
Longtime esthetician Shehnaz Adam said, despite the snail trend emerging from its shell, she has no plans to offer it.
"There are people who are sensitive, and it's going to cause an allergic reaction ... some kind of rash or redness," said Adam.
"We don't really know what concentration is in each product, percentage of snail snail mucin versus moisturizer in a product," added Dr. Shirley Chi, of Glendale Laser and Dermatology in California.
Dr. David Cogburn, a dermatologist at Carolina Mountain Dermatology in Arden, said, there is good research showing garden snail eggs -- produced into a serum or creme -- have value in humans.
"Use of the extract of this particular snail's eggs will actually stimulate the stem cells to proliferate and produce new epidermal cells," insisted Cogburn.
But Adam is skeptical.
"I really, honestly don't believe that," Adam said. "An animal cell works great on an animal. An insect works on an insect. You put that on a human body, we are not born with that."
"Stem cells are used all the time in orthopedic surgery to renew cartilage," Cogburn explained. "Why can't they be used in dermatology to renew the epidermis? Well, they can. So, if you can stimulate the stem cells, you can almost keep the skin growing forever.
"... making it look way younger, healthier, brighter, which is what everybody wants, " esthetician Megan Kimbro added.
Even if it takes a snail.
"I feel like if you want to try it that badly, I feel like you could go to the garden pick up a couple of snails, let them crawl around on you and see if it helps you any," McMahan quipped .
Only time will tell whether it's good for a laugh or reducing laugh lines.
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