A number of videos showing people’s faces being covered in colourful hot wax, from their forehead down to their necks, have gone viral in recent weeks.
One barber, Renaz Ismael, frequently posts his clients having the 『treatment』 done and claims the treatment is beneficial, but experts have disagreed.
Ismael said waxing parts of the face is common in the Middle East, where he was born. 『It’s not bad for your skin,』 he told BBC News.
The barbershop where he works, Kapsalon Freedom in the Netherlands, has gained a following of more than 800,000 since he started posting the videos. The first waxing video garnered more than 83 million views.
While the wax aims to remove all facial hair, people’s eyebrows and eyelashes are protected by strips of paper prior to applying the wax.
The British Association of Dermatologists has concerns that the wax may also be entering people’s ears and nose.
『Attempting to wax inside your nose or ears is not recommended,』 the association told BBC News.
Other experts have also warned about the risk of obstructed breathing and suggested that TikTok should be doing more to warn its users of potential safety concerns.
『It seems sensible to have a warning. There is a lot of misinformation and potentially harmful DIY beauty practices on TikTok and other social media channels, and it would be good to see these more tightly regulated,』 Dr Emma Wedgeworth, a consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokesperson said.
However, TikTok said the videos do not violate its community guidelines on dangerous behaviour as they show skills professionals carrying out the treatment.
Alex Echeverri, a beautician who works at John and Ginger salon in West Sussex, raised safety concerns about obstructed breathing.
『Our first consideration would be that it could cause suffocation. There’s no control element to smothering the face with wax, and wax hardens. So it could harden in the airways and have to be surgically removed,』 Echeverri said.
Please add our personal Wechat to contact our customer service.Tap on the icon.
Add customer service, please click once to enter the content bar.
Press and hold the QR code, click on "Scan QR Code in Image", then click on "Add " or add Wechat ID : CLUB_JRTBET
After the customer service accepts the friend's request, you can chat privately with the customer service.