Weird Things People Do for Beauty: 10 Strange Treatments

In high school I remember girls who received rhinoplasties and breast implants as their graduation gifts—back then, a narrow nose and a perky pair were considered beautiful, but these days, it seems like people are taking even greater lengths in pursuit of perfection. From face-slapping sessions to skin-whitening treatments, we’ve rounded up 10 weird things people do for beauty. How far would you go?

Vaginoplasty: Vaginal Tightening

Feeling a little loose? Well cosmetologynecology, otherwise known as Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Therapy, Laser Vaginal Tightening, or Vaginoplasty, can fix that. This vaginal rejuvenation procedure has been seriously growing in popularity. It’s a non-surgical procedure that uses cutting-edge laser technology in order to improve the quality of a woman’s sex life in just two sessions, with zero downtime.

Available at: Aromas Med Spa in Doral and Kendall, Florida

Umbilicoplasty: Belly Button Surgery

Are you an outie that has always wished to be an innie? No, we’re not talking about personalities, we’re talking belly buttons. Low-rise jeans and cut-off tops have caused a huge rise in requests for umbilicoplasty, or belly button revision surgery, which can be performed to either create a more youthful-looking belly button, change the direction you were born with, or bring back the one you had before weight gain/loss or pregnancy. The entire procedure, which requires local anesthesia, can last between 30 to 90 minutes.

Available at: La Jolla Plastic Surgery & Dermatology by Dr. Richard Chaffo in La Jolla, California

Iris Implants & Laser Treatments to Change Eye Color

Ever wish for bright blue, honey brown, or sultry green eyes? Turns out you can actually change your eye color. Intraocular implant or iris implant surgery can be used to permanently change the color of your eyes. This incredibly risky procedure was once used solely to help people with serious eye problems, but is now being done by those who just want their desired eye color forever. (In addition, Stroma Medical has been researching ways to effectively laser off brown pigment to reveal a blue color underneath.) These procedures can have some serious complications such as permanent blindness and glaucoma.

Blindness? We’ll pass and suggest you do too!

Skin Whitening: The Geisha (aka: Bird Poop) Facial

Anderson Cooper tried it, Victoria Beckham loves it, and it’s even considered good luck by many. What could we possibly be talking about but bird poop? Known for its skin-lightening abilities, uguisu no fun (powdered nightingale droppings) was used by geishas in Japan to maintain their porcelain ivory skin. In modern times anyone seeking a lightened and brightened complexion using this interesting ingredient can seek out Shizuka New York Day Spa for its famous Geisha Facial®.

Double Eyelid Surgery: Asian Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, has long been used to lift droopy eyelids by removing excess skin, muscle, and fat. The surgery not only gives a more youthful appearance but also improves impaired peripheral vision. Vision improvement aside, in Asia, the surgery is mostly done for personal esthetic reasons and is often referred to as double-eyelid surgery. In double-eyelid surgery, a crease is created in the upper eyelid by making incisions to remove excess tissue and to create a natural fold. While completely unnecessary, it’s the most commonly requested surgery in South Korea.

Dimpleplasty: Dimple Creation

If you’ve ever grown green with envy over Mario Lopez’s dimples or coveted Miranda Kerr’s, you could be in the market for dimpleplasty. In just 20-30 minutes (or more depending upon your surgeon) and for only $2,000-$3,000, you, too, can have a seriously sweet smirk. The outpatient surgery requires doctors to remove a piece of your cheek muscle in order to create the dimple indentation. Swelling will go down in 48 hours, and in two weeks you’ll never know you weren’t born with dimples.

Face Slapping

Apparently pricey Botox injections can be left behind for a 15-minute, $350-face-slapping session at San Francisco’s Tata Massage. This Thai beauty treatment is performed by Rassameesaitarn Wongsirodkul, known as Tata, who claims the slapping gets rid of wrinkles, shrinks the pores, and tightens the skin. Tata is the only trained face-slapping practitioner in the western hemisphere.

Dermaplaning: The Scalpel Facial

If you thought bird poop facials were a good enough reason to hold your breath, check out scalpel facials—otherwise known as dermaplaning. Only go to highly, and we mean HIGHLY, trained estheticians: They hold a scalpel at a 45-degree angle and proceed to stroke the skin, much like shaving the old-school way. Benefits include exfoliation, smoother skin (as peach fuzz is basically shaved away), improved skin tone, and texture. The entire session takes around half an hour and, provided you took our highly trained warning to heart, only yields positive results.

Hirudotherapy: Detox with Leech Therapy

Back in the day, like, WAY back in the day, doctors would use leeches in order to detoxify patients of ailments and sickness. While this idea sounds totally shiver-inducing, it was actually made popular again in 2008 by Demi Moore, who went to an Austrian spa to have leech detoxification therapy, or hirudotherapy. This alternative therapy has a client lie down while leeches are attached to his or her skin. In typical leech form, they suck out blood until they are full, and then they fall off.

Toe Tuck: The Cinderella Procedure

Some of the most coveted stilettos on the market come with a high price tag and a narrow width. The Cinderella Procedure, or a toe tuck, is perfect for anyone who can’t quite squeeze into her Jimmy Choos. Centuries ago this fairytale-named operation was called foot-binding; popular in China, it was believed that women should have smaller feet to be viewed as more attractive. The procedure involves shaving the foot down so it becomes narrow enough to fit into a slim shoe after a month of recovery time.

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