A new beauty trend of injecting salmon sperm into your face can leave your skin bruised and covered in blood stains.
That’s what advocates of the wrinkle-defying fit say.
As well as the Botox-like effects, the polynucleotides, which can cost around £400, are said to give clients a ‘baby face’ and rejuvenated skin.
But TikTok videos posted by women who received the injections show them with lumpy skin that looks like “bee stings.”
Others have shown photos of themselves with bruises and dried blood, saying that the old saying that “beauty is pain” is actually true.
The aesthetic nurses who offer the treatment insist that the bruising is only temporary.
Sharing her experience on TikTok, @donatsuyang, who has more than 9,900 followers, said she “looked like an absolute lunatic at dinner” because she had “dried blood and bruises” on her face.
One TikTok user with almost 10,000 followers said she “looked like an absolute nutcase at dinner.”
He showed his face after the injection, which was covered in small bumps, dried blood spots and small bruises.
“Basically, salmon sperm is equivalent to a baby’s face and this is what I have to go through for now,” he said.
‘I have small bumps and bruises on my face. But beauty is pain, right?
A Surrey-based aesthetic nurse with just over 1,000 followers also posted her face just after receiving under-eye treatment.
Although the video showed his eyes were visibly swollen, he said the treatment caused him “minimal” pain and he “could barely feel it.”
He added that he had a “small swelling” that subsided that night and disappeared completely on the third day.
Another TikTok video posted by someone with more than 4,800 followers showed her receiving the injections at a clinic.
Afterwards, his face was lumpy and covered in blood. However, at the end of the video she shared her blemish-free and completely healed skin.
Proponents say polynucleotides offer a “natural” alternative to other traditional “tweaks” like Botox and fillers.
Some doctors say it is safer than other cosmetic injectables, which has been linked to a catalog of complications including blocked blood vessels, lumpy skin and infections.
It typically uses purified and sterilized DNA molecules extracted from salmon or trout sperm, known as polynucleotides that have anti-inflammatory effects.
South Korea’s aesthetics industry has been using the treatment for more than a decade, but it is now gaining popularity among Western celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, who told The Wall Street Journal that she is taking advantage of its skin-rejuvenating qualities. .
When polynucleotides, DNA molecules extracted from fish sperm, are injected into human skin, fibroblasts are activated.
Fibroblasts are elastic molecules found in the skin that help maintain the structural structure of the tissue. As we age, these fibroblasts decrease.
Thus, when polynucleotides are injected under the eyes, on the cheekbones or on the neck, they theoretically “rejuvenate” the skin.
A Surrey-based aesthetic nurse @the_art_of_beauty who has just over 1,000 followers, also posted a video of her face just after receiving the under-eye treatment. She said she had “a little swelling that went down that night and was completely gone by the third day.”
Another TikTok video posted by @hi.vega, who has more than 4,800 followers, shows her receiving the injections at a clinic. After treatment, her face is lumpy and covered in blood.
Although they are “safer” than getting filler or Botox, they are still painful and will cause bruising, experts warn.
Emma Wedgwood, an aesthetic nurse who works at a Harley Street clinic and offers the treatment, compares the initial side effect of bumpy skin to “bee stings”.
But he told MailOnline that this uneven swelling subsides within a day or two.
“Sometimes you bruise depending on where you inject,” he said.
«Generally, the most delicate areas, such as the eyes, are the most susceptible.
“But it’s not the same way as with filler, where you would expect bruising and it’s an advantage if you don’t do it; with polynucleotides it’s the other way around.”
Once the swelling has reduced and the skin begins to heal, it can still take months before you see the full effects of wrinkles.
Ms Wedgewood said: “It can be frustrating for the patient because they have to wait.”
‘It takes three to six months to see the full effects. Therefore, it is not an overnight job.”
The popular fishy injectable has been a staple skincare treatment in South Korea for over a decade and now celebrities like Jennifer Aniston (pictured) are taking advantage of its skin-rejuvenating qualities.
The beauty treatment uses purified and sterilized DNA molecules extracted from salmon or trout sperm (pictured), known as polynucleotides, and some doctors claim it is safer than other cosmetic injectables.
Aesthetic nurse Amanda Azzopardi also offers polynucleotides (pictured as a patient) and explains that since a very fine needle is used and the product is not thick, bruising ‘should not be extensive.’
Aesthetic nurse Amanda Azzopardi also offers polynucleotides at her clinics in London, Liverpool and North Wales. She explains that the injections will leave bruises on the skin, like any other injectable.
Because a very fine needle is used and the product is not thick, the bruising “should not be extensive,” he says.
But patients should be warned that the area will burn for about a minute and that the hematoma may take a week to heal.
“It is still an injectable treatment,” he told MailOnline.
‘Then you will have minor side effects such as redness, bruising and swelling, which will last for about a week. There is no risk of vascular occlusion.’
However, there is always the risk of an allergic reaction. Ms. Azzopardi said she should ask about allergies at her doctor’s office and ask if she has a fish allergy.