Have you encountered beauty products with placenta and felt tempted to get your hands on them because of the claims offered by their respective manufacturers? Before you do so, it’s a good idea to continue reading. Below you will learn whether or not placenta-containing beauty products are worth your hard-earned cash and time.
Getting to Know Placenta
Placenta is the lining of the uterus. It usually develops during pregnancy and is believed to provide the growing fetus in the womb with oxygen and nutrients. At the same time, it removes waste products out of the uterus and into the mother, but without the blood of the baby and the mother crossing.
What’s more, the placenta is said to produce certain hormones. This is exactly what manufacturers that add placenta to their products claim — that the hormones produced by the placenta are good for your skin.
Some Women Actually Eat It — Ew!
Did you know that there’s the so-called placentophagy? Simply put, placentophagy is the act of consuming the placenta after it is expelled during childbirth. This is commonly seen in animals, in particular mammals. However, some women actually follow suit — they cook their placenta and eat them, too!
Before you throw up, do take note that proponents of placentophagy say that the consumption of the placenta offers all sorts of benefits for both mother and baby. For instance, it is said that eating the placenta can replenish the energy stores of a new mom. Also, it is said that it helps increase milk production, which is good for her baby.
Despite of these claims, there is actually not enough scientific evidence that placentophagy is beneficial for humans. Also, there may be some risks of ingesting human placenta that scientists have yet to look into in-depth.
Assumed Skin Benefits
It is very much likely because of the purported health benefits of eating the placenta why some manufacturers thought of adding it to their various beauty products. They thought that the hormones still present in the placenta can do wonders to the skin, which have some truth to it but also involves some risks.
Some manufacturers who cash in on the purported beauty benefits of the placenta say that collagen present in it helps defy aging. As you may already know, collagen is a structural protein that helps keep your skin soft and supple. This is the reason why a lot of anti-aging serums, creams and soaps on the market have collagen in them.
By the way, most manufacturers use bovine placenta. However, there are some that actually opt for human placenta harvested from undisclosed medical facilities!
Not Enough Scientific Evidence
But just like placentophagy, there is not enough scientific evidence that the topical application of the placenta can have beneficial effects on the skin. The same is true with the potential pros and cons of the addition of hormone-containing ingredients in beauty products.
In other words, getting your hands on those pricey placenta-containing products can be money flushed down the drain — no one has enough proof that they work, and without causing some risks in the process.
A Plethora of Other Options
If you are looking to look a few years younger, it is a much better idea to opt for beauty products that rely on ingredients proven effective and safe. The truth is plenty of anti-aging solutions without placenta in them work!
For instance, a lot of women swear by on serums and creams that contain vitamin C, and there is plenty of scientific evidence that vitamin C is indeed an effective anti-aging ingredient. Other than being a powerful antioxidant that zaps free radicals, vitamin C is also vital for the synthesis of skin-firming collagen.
Let Your Dermatologist Decide
The one who can say whether or not beauty products with placenta in them is worth your money and time is a trusted dermatologist — not the manufacturers of the said products and most especially the celebrities they pay as endorsers. By consulting a dermatologist, you can save yourself from certain risks and unnecessary spending.
