The Fire Facial

No it’s not a title from a 60’s exploitation film. A fire facial treatment is an actual skin rejuvenating procedure that is designed to remove wrinkles and revitalize the skin.

Bizarre beauty treatments have been around for as long as human kind has been tampering with plants and minerals. From using snakes and eels to “massage” your body, to using nightingale excrement which is essentially bird poop, people have been experimenting on different ways to preserve beauty for quite some time.

Fire facial treatment, or Hu? liáo, is one of those bizarre beauty procedures currently available hot and ready at your local Chinese beauty salon. The treatment starts with a therapist applying a towel soaked in alcohol and a special “elixir” to the desired area. The therapist then lights the towel in fire and large flames will quickly engulf the soaked part of the towel.

Seeing the procedure done for the first time can be quite alarming since it looks like the flames could spread through the rest of the body at any given time. But soon you realize that the flames are properly contained and the therapists look like they really know what they are doing.

However, this doesn’t stop critics from questioning the overall safety and reliability of the treatment.  They dismiss the therapy, calling it nothing more than an “untested fad.” There is some truth to this statement since there is currently no concrete medical evidence that flame facials actually helps to rejuvenate the skin at all.

Although solid facts can’t be given to prove the effectiveness of this treatment, the safety of the patient seems to be paramount at the very least. The salons take specially precautions to avoid burning the patient’s skin at all costs. A skilled esthetician ensures that the burning towel only stays on the treatment area for a few seconds before the fire is put out.

Timing is essential as any delay can cause the skin to start burning. By doing it this way, the treatment is said to not only help rejuvenate the skin but can also help with weight loss and boost the immune system. In fact, proponents of Hu? liáo believe that the slight application of heat to the skin can trigger cell regeneration and address any sagging or wrinkly skin.

On the opposite spectrum, critics claim that no matter how “safe” the procedure is marketed to be, you still cannot count out accidents. Since the therapy is highly dependent on skill, improper training and other inconsistencies will inevitably lead to someone getting burned accidentally. Furthermore, critics argue that there is no need to go to extremes when it comes to stimulating collagen growth. Sure it is widely known that heat can triggers cell regeneration on the skin, however there are much safer alternatives like Ultherapy, which uses laser technology accomplish the same thing for the skin, but without any open flames.

No matter how safe or unsafe, effective or ineffective Hu? liáo is, there will always be a market for extreme beauty treatments such as this. As an ancient remedy, fire facial therapy also maintains a special glamour since it is common for Chinese patients to believe that traditional medicine is always more effective than contemporary treatments. In fact, some people are simply willing to try anything and everything to achieve perfection so demand for fire facials will likely never stop. And if it does get outlawed, another equally bizarre treatment is sure to take its place.

- KT