Do salmon sperm facials work?

For those on a quest to look younger and rejuvenate their skin, one unusual beauty treatment is being touted as a new and natural alternative to Botox: salmon sperm facials.

This "new beauty protocol using the reproductive goo of a fish" has been popular for years in South Korea, but is slowly gaining attention in the West, said Salon, boosted by the endorsement of high-profile figures including Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian. On a recent episode of "The Kardashians", the reality star described  undertaking the "cutting-edge-beauty-treatment-that-also-sounds-like-a-medieval-punishment", said Vogue. 

'Fountain of youth' 

While the consumption of salmon in general has been portrayed as "endlessly beneficial" for health, said Bustle, until recently little attention has been paid to the fish's sperm.

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A salmon sperm facial uses salmon polydeoxyribonucleotides or "PDRN", a substance derived from DNA in the sperm, said USA Today. The choice to use the testicles of the salmon is deliberate, as the "genital area contains a high amount of DNA", meaning the method is both "cost-effective" and efficient for maximum extraction.

Kardashian and other celebrities might actually be onto something, as beauty experts "along with an abundance of research" have discovered the benefits of using this natural secretion, said USA Today. Salmon testicular DNA is thought to "restore skin elasticity, repair moisture barriers and reduce inflammation". For this reason, it may offer benefits for certain dermatological conditions. "If you have a cut, wound or acne blemish that is healing, salmon PDRN could help with that," medical aesthetician Cassandra Bankson told the publication.

With these characteristics, salmon sperm may ultimately be "akin to a sort of 'fountain of youth'", Bustle added, meaning it is likely to join the long list of beauty products being promoted to a largely female audience for supposed anti-ageing benefits.

'Wrinkle-defying tweakment' 

For those interested in the procedure, microneedling is the most common way to access the benefits of a salmon sperm facial. The salmon PDRN is directly "injected into a person's face" via small needles, a process which "lies between getting injected with filler and just getting a facial", said Salon. Aestheticians across the UK and US are now adding the procedure to their treatment lists and, while you don't have to be rolling in celebrity-level money to benefit from this new beauty regime, it isn't cheap.

Customers can "expect to pay from £300 per treatment", said GlowDay. But for real results, "it's not a one-and-done thing". Instead, people will have to commit to a course of "three or more treatments" if they hope to "maintain the results".  Those who embark upon this "wrinkle-defying tweakment" can also expect to see some temporary side effects, added the Daily Mail, including skin that's "bruised and covered in specks of blood" shortly after the microneedling procedure.

Although a correlation has been observed between PDRN and cell behaviour associated with improved skin appearance, there is "very little research" on the real-world use of salmon sperm in skincare, said People. Consequently, those curious about the facials are advised to consult their "own dermatologist or aesthetician at length" before undergoing any treatment.