Facial cleansing with snails: healthy and beautiful skin in 15 minutes

facial cleansing with snails

Since ancient times, it was believed that gastropods have unique properties. They can help fight many diseases. For example, in Babylon and Egypt they believed that the African giant snails Achatina are a symbol of eternity. After some time, the healing properties of mollusk mucus were forgotten. But more recently, many scientists began to talk about the irreplaceable benefits of these creatures. Cleaning the face with snails - what it is and what effect it has on the skin - this will be discussed in this article.

The use of snail therapy and its effect

The composition, rich in useful substances, has a positive effect on the condition of the skin, improving it in many ways. Amino acids nourish, vitamin C works as an antioxidant, collagen increases elasticity and firmness, allontoin has anti-inflammatory properties.

Thus, the procedure allows you to achieve the following results:

intensive hydration and moisture retention in tissues;
slowing down the aging process;
improvement of microcirculation, condition of capillaries: smoother, healthier complexion;
filler effect: wrinkles are smoothed out thanks to collagen, filling from the inside;
tissue regeneration, rejuvenation;
calming effect on the skin, relieving irritation;
elimination of minor defects.

Snail therapy may be especially recommended for the face and other areas in the following cases:

anti-aging care;
combating the consequences of acne (smoothing small scars, smoothing the skin surface);
relief of psoriasis;
lightening pigment spots;
reduction of burn marks and other damage;
treatment of stretch marks after pregnancy and childbirth.

The sight of snails and their slime may seem repulsive. Many women admit that they were afraid to undergo the procedure and decided to undergo it only because of the beautiful pictures illustrating the result. Moreover, in practice, contact with snails turned out to be even pleasant, and the effect was greater than expected.

The secret of snail therapy

Facial massage with African mollusks Achatina as an innovative cosmetic service originated in Japan. Women of the Land of the Rising Sun were ready to pay any amount for another natural method of rejuvenation through deep cleansing of the skin. Therefore, exotic exfoliation with snails quickly became famous as an expensive but effective method of achieving beauty without devices and chemicals.

The elite and miraculous Achatina do not live in the wild. A variety of these giant clams from Africa are grown in snail farms. Initially, Achatina was bred as an exquisite delicacy for gourmets of oriental cuisine. Over time, it was noticed that the skin of the hands of farm workers who come into direct contact with slugs is unusually smooth. So Achatina turned from food snails into cosmetic ones.

From eastern countries, the authority of Achatina peeling has spread throughout the world: premium class salons in Europe, America and Russia began to offer snail therapy. Korean manufacturers of organic cosmetics have picked up the trend and launched the production of creams, serums and masks with snail secretion.

Facial peeling with Achatina snails involves simultaneous cleansing and rejuvenation of the skin with African mollusks. Exfoliation combines three main effects: micromassage of tissues, cleansing of the skin from dead particles of the epidermis and lifting due to the penetration of snail secretion rich in microelements into the skin. Crawling over the face, Achatina does not cause harm to the skin; they only eat the dead cells on top and leave behind a wet trail of mucus. Snails do not affect the deep dermal layers, so peeling with them has no contraindications or complications. The treatment procedure does not involve the use of acid or abrasives.

Facial peeling with Achatina mollusks is based on the effect on the skin of snail mucus, which has a unique composition. Its components are able to act as natural enzymes - dissolving old epithelium, stimulating the production of collagen fibers, moisturizing the skin and regulating sebum production, without affecting the layers of young epithelium.

The benefits of snail peeling were appreciated by almost all cosmetologists and women who tried the exotic procedure on themselves:

Achatina peeling has no restrictions or side effects, so anyone can use the procedure, even pregnant women and nursing mothers;
An exfoliation session does not cause pain or discomfort. The only obstacle to contact with snails is personal hostility and disgust towards mollusks;
snail mucus, rich in micronutrients, makes it possible to feel the rejuvenating effect of peeling after one procedure. In nature, with the help of their secretions, snails regenerate damaged shells within 2-3 days;
You can keep Achatina in a home terrarium and then the peeling procedure becomes cheap and available at any time. The cost of one individual snail in a pet store varies between 100 rubles. Caring for them is also not difficult: snails need to spend a maximum of 30 minutes a day, bathe them and feed them with plant foods.

Laboratory studies of snail mucus have confirmed the presence in it of micronutrients beloved by cosmetologists and doctors, such as:

vitamins A, E and C, which have a moisturizing, regenerating and antiseptic effect on the skin. A vitamin complex in this configuration helps to nourish and soften the skin, as well as quickly restore its mechanical and thermal damage (for example, burns and cracks);
protein threads of collagen and elastin, which promote skin rejuvenation and elasticity;
glycolate (glycolic acid molecules), which dissolve and exfoliate dead skin cells of the epidermis, actively cleansing the epidermis;
allantoin is a strong antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals that provoke premature aging of the dermis;
a natural antibiotic that blocks the spread of skin infections and the development of bacteria that lead to acne, inflammation and acne.

Facial massage: description of the process

Procedures involving snails require a certain sequence of actions.

Cleanse the skin - remove makeup, wash, lightly exfoliate.
Give the snails a bath in running water.
Apply a small amount of milk or cream to the skin as a bait.
Place Achatina on your face and control their movements for about a quarter of an hour.
Remove the snails, distribute the mucus evenly and leave to soak for 10-15 minutes.
Wash your face, apply cream.

Photo: Akhatinami massage procedure
Let's take a closer look at the massage itself, that is, the stage when the mollusks are on the face. It is enough to look at a photo or video of the procedure to understand: it is difficult for such large creatures as Achatina to move independently on the proposed surface. They slide down, preferring to freeze in order to hold on. Therefore, the cosmetologist himself moves them with light circular movements. The result is a massage effect, the mollusks actively produce mucus, which is evenly distributed over the face.

The session with the participation of grape snails looks somewhat different. They are much smaller and at least stay on the surface of the face more confidently. The specialist only occasionally corrects the trajectory of movement so that the mollusks do not crawl outside the desired zone, do not get into the eyes, and so on. Although more often he simply pushes them and transplants them to a new place, these creatures are usually very slow.

Depending on the objectives, a course of snail therapy may include from 5 to 10 sessions with an interval of 2-3 days. The skin becomes soft and well-hydrated from the first procedure. After the third time, a noticeable cosmetic effect appears: wrinkles are smoothed out, appearance improves, pigmentation decreases, etc. To track the dynamics, you can take photographs during the course.

In addition to facial massage, there are procedures with snails for the neck, décolleté, hands, as well as any problem areas where there are scars, burn marks, stretch marks.

When the face needs snails

Peeling with African snails is better than many types of superficial cosmetic procedures for problematic and aging skin. Firstly, due to its absolute naturalness, non-traumatic nature and lack of prohibitions. Secondly, because Achatina exfoliation is a good and quick way to get rid of such aesthetic defects in appearance as:

looseness of skin micro-relief after dermatological diseases and acne;
acne, inflammatory rashes, pimples of various etymologies;
light expression wrinkles;
light age spots and freckles;
dryness, tightness and flaking of the skin;
papillomas;
stretch marks and scars on the skin;
loss of skin elasticity and tone.

The result of six or eight snail facial peeling procedures is comparable to acid or enzyme exfoliation. Shellfish peeling is becoming a serious competitor to traditional cosmetic and SPA procedures. Frequent visits to the snail terrarium for peeling help to activate the regeneration of the skin, moisturize the skin, normalize the functioning of the sebaceous glands, smooth out burn spots and lighten pigment spots, increase skin tone, get rid of stretch marks and manifestations of acne.

It is better to conduct snail therapy sessions in courses of 4-8 procedures at any time of the year. The first results will be noticeable after the second snail peeling.

Snails in the apartment

Achatina are quite popular as pets. They are unpretentious to living conditions and food, and look interesting thanks to their elegant shell. Room temperature suits snails. As a rule, they equip a house in a spacious aquarium (without water), and build a special bedding there that needs to be moistened. Many people become attached to their pets and believe that they are capable of reciprocating. Achatina owners take spectacular photos with them and publish their observations. For example, it is believed that these land mollusks like to be bathed in warm water.

The process of bathing a snail

Breeding snails in captivity occurs without problems. They periodically lay eggs in the ground, from which even a novice breeder will raise a new generation of mollusks at home.

It is probably unethical to advise keeping snails in order to reduce the cost of medical cosmetic procedures. After all, these are living creatures that need to be cared for, including feeding, changing bedding, and maintaining a comfortable environment in the terrarium. However, those who are not afraid of these troubles can easily buy Achatina and practice massage at home.

Growing Achatina

Achatina is a gastropod land mollusk

She is originally from Kenya and Tanzania. Then it was brought to the Caribbean islands and Asian countries. In tropical climates, the gastropod land mollusk Achatina has become widespread. Indeed, in these countries this animal was considered a pest that spoiled agricultural plants, namely sugar cane. In our climatic conditions, these mollusks are not found in nature, but they can be kept at home. Snails are considered unique because of the properties of the mucus they use to repair their shells. Clam mucus has become widely used in cosmetology, because the benefits it brings to the skin are difficult to overestimate. Many cosmetics contain shellfish mucus. This substance has antioxidant, regenerating and antibacterial effects. Shellfish mucus works great against stretch marks and scars. It can also be used to treat warts, burns, acne, age-related skin changes and skin ulcers. Snail mucus contains many components, the presence of which explains the medicinal properties of mollusks - elastin, collagen, allantoin and glycolic acid. The owners of a Chilean snail farm were the first to know about this. The skin on the hands of those same owners was soft and smooth, like that of a baby. They began to notice that injuries and scratches healed much faster than in people who did not come into contact with shellfish. After this incident, it became clear that it would be extremely stupid for a person not to use these gifts of nature in medicine and cosmetology. Now cosmetologists and various beauty salons provide this service. But if you are planning to buy a shellfish for yourself, you need to know how the facial cleansing procedure works.

Contraindications and doubts

No matter how wonderful the results of therapy are, there will be skeptics who want to know or talk about possible disadvantages and pitfalls.

Indeed, medications usually have contraindications and side effects. In the case of snails, oddly enough, there are practically no restrictions. Even an allergic reaction to mucus is extremely rare. However, in case of serious skin problems, expressed in inflammatory and purulent processes, it is necessary to establish their cause by consulting a doctor. The composition of mucus in some cases may not be beneficial, but may only aggravate the situation.

The ability to massage your face and body with snails is often hampered by a psychological barrier: disgust and even phobias towards peculiar creatures.

The disadvantages of the procedure include:

High price. It’s hard to argue with this, all that remains is to state that we all choose skin care that suits us both in terms of effect and price.
Another reason for concern can be called sanitary or epidemiological. Snails are alive and, therefore, can get sick and be carriers of infections or parasites. To ensure that the procedure does not cause harm, only specially grown individuals should be used for it, and not taken from nature.

There is an opinion that even in captivity, snails run the risk of getting, for example, salmonellosis through the shell of a chicken egg given to them as a calcium supplement. Although there are no recorded cases of human infection as a result of the procedure, it is recommended to visit only those salons where the care and nutrition of animals is handled responsibly.

Video

It is recommended to do this procedure for the first time in a massage parlor, since not a single video from the Internet will provide enough knowledge and skills. In addition, you may need advice from a cosmetologist during the massage, but at home no one will be able to answer the questions that arise during the process.

Snails for massage can be large. Some individuals reach a weight of 0.5 kg, so it is not easy to put such a giant on his face and make him crawl. If it is large, only 1-2 individuals can be used for massage, if smaller - 3-4.

Most cosmetologists and doctors believe that snail massage cannot have a negative effect on a person, so this is one of the rare cases when everyone can benefit from a massage.

Myths

Some authors of online reviews consider words about the effectiveness of snail massage to be a lie and an advertising ploy. This is partly the fault of beauty clinics and salons, seeking to attract attention to a new service at any cost. With their light hand, myths arise about the miracles performed by snails, such as the complete removal of extensive and old scars, the treatment of advanced cases of acne, cellulite and even infertility. Unfortunately, counting on Achatina as a panacea is useless.

Cosmetic massage with snails

In fact, only the effects listed above are confirmed, such as high-quality skin hydration and anti-aging care. It also accelerates tissue regeneration, making it possible to level out small scars and reduce pigmentation in areas of burns and stretch marks. Photos taken before and after a course of procedures convince of the materiality of the result.

Stages of snail peeling

The snail therapy procedure in the salon and at home are no different from each other. The main stages of Achatina peeling should be:

make-up remover – cleansing the skin of decorative cosmetics and hygiene products;
steaming the face so that micronutrients from the snail mucus can easily penetrate the skin;
bathing the snail in warm water in order to wash away previous remnants of mucus, food and dirt from the aquarium;
applying milk or low-fat cream to the skin of the face. In pursuit of a “delicacy,” the snail will move more actively around the face and generate healthy mucus. Once the peeling is complete, the snail will be easier to remove;
placing the snail on the skin, periodically pushing and moving it. It is undesirable for the snail to linger in one area for more than a minute - an abundance of mucus can cause redness or a slight burn;
A snail peeling session takes about 25 minutes. Then the mollusks are removed from the face, and their secretion is left to act on the skin for about the same time;
At the end of the procedure, the viscous snail secretion is washed off the skin with warm water.

Useful and safe peeling with medicinal snails can become cheaper and more accessible if you keep Achatina at home as your pets. You will be able to get used to shellfish, and skin cleansing will become not only a peeling procedure for you, but also a relaxation. Also, Achatina peeling is an excellent option for effective facial skin care for those who are afraid of acidic or abrasive manipulations.

Skin care products

A relatively inexpensive alternative to massage is cosmetics containing snail extract. But it contains many additional components, and accordingly the concentration of active substances is different than in the mucus itself.

It is known that with age, the synthesis of collagen, elastin and other proteins necessary for the skin slows down. Cosmetology primarily addresses the issue of delivering these substances from the outside.

Many cosmetics manufacturers, especially Korean ones, produce entire series: creams, masks, primers, and makeup remover emulsions based on snail mucus. The names of the products contain the terms filtrate or mucin. These words mean the same thing as extract and mucilage.

Cosmetic products with snail secretion nourish and protect, smooth out wrinkles, create a lifting effect, and mattify the skin.