Instagram users have expressed their revolt at images of a woman lathering her own menstrual blood on her face and claiming it is the key to her youthful skin.
Sarah Sol, 32, who lives in both Egypt and Indonesia, has been using her own menstrual blood as a beauty product for several years.
Ms. Sol, who calls herself a “menstrual cycle and womb healing educator,” claims that blood is “pure and fresh” and regularly shares videos of herself wearing menstrual masks and pouring blood into the dirt.
‘Do you want to know the ancient feminine secret to young and radiant skin? Well now you have it,” Sol wrote to her 11,000 Instagram followers. “It comes out from below… right between your legs.”
Social media users have branded her controversial skincare method “disgusting” while doctors warn it could lead to sexually transmitted diseases and toxic shock syndrome.
Sarah Sol, 32, claims that using her menstrual blood as a mask is the key to having ‘glowing’ skin
‘Do you want to know the ancient feminine secret to young and radiant skin? Well now you have it,” Sol wrote to her 11,000 Instagram followers. ‘It comes out from below… right between your legs.’
‘It’s just my 100 percent pure and fresh menstrual blood, taken straight from my yoni. I don’t add anything else,” he told What’s The Jam.
‘This is an ancient female secret to youthful, radiant skin!’
‘Menstrual blood is rich in stem cells. It is good for skin quality, helps clear acne, improves skin elasticity, which helps with wrinkles and blemishes.
Ms Sol said she was inspired by her Egyptian heritage, as her ancestors “considered menstrual blood to be very sacred and powerful for its healing properties, and used it as a medicinal remedy for many ailments”.
“Also, it’s important to understand that scientific research has been very poor and quite deficient when it comes to the female body.”
She claims that after using it consistently for a year, her skin has never been better as her acne, scars, and hydration have healed.
‘My skin glows 24/7 now and it feels so soft!’ she said. “It’s truly the best skincare ‘product’ I’ve found so far with long-lasting effects and… it’s free.”
Sol has posted several videos of her wearing her own menstrual blood and pouring it into the ground.
Social media users have criticized Sol’s controversial skincare method as “disgusting”, while doctors warn it could lead to infections.
However, health experts have warned that there is little evidence to support the benefits of a menstrual facial.
Dr. Deborah Lee, a UK sexual and reproductive health specialist, said Cosmopolitan that while menstrual blood contains “everything the body needs to stay alive,” such as stem cells, vitamins, minerals and hormones, it is “old” blood.
This means that by the time of menstruation, all those beneficial cells are dead and effectively useless.
“None of the components of previous menstrual blood would fulfill any of these functions in skin care,” he said.
Not only would this blood be useless, but putting it on your face could carry risks.
Skincare expert Elizabeth Rimmer of London Professional Aesthetics previously told MailOnline that people should not join the trend due to an increased chance of inflammation.
“My advice: stay away from this and focus more on proven skin treatments and breaking the taboos and secrets of menstruation,” she said.
Dr. Lee noted that because menstrual blood stays stagnant in the vagina for so long, like in a tampon or menstrual cup, and is so close to the rectum, it is “likely to be highly contaminated with bacteria.”
This includes staphylococcus aureus, which is commonly found on the surface of the skin and can cause toxic shock syndrome (TSS).
If left untreated, TSS can lead to shock, kidney failure, and death as the infection causes the body to gradually shut down.
Blood can also transmit sexually transmitted diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV.
Instagram users have reacted strongly to the video.
A user named said: “You forgot to mention that you also have BACTERIA in your menstrual blood.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, there’s no way I’m putting that on my face,” another user commented.
One person said: “Can people stop doing disgusting things and call them normal or have advantages?”
Someone else said: “That’s wrong and also disgusting.”