Healthy skin careSkin healthGeneral wellness

10 bizarre beauty treatments to know

Get the facts about vampire facials, cryotherapy, fish pedicures, and other trends.


LearnBeauty10 bizarre beauty treatments to know
Vampire facial
Charcoal peel-off masks
Permanent makeup
Fish pedicures
Bird poop facial
Cupping
Carboxytherapy (carbon dioxide injections)
Vitamin IV drip
Microneedling
Cryotherapy
Final word

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Vitamin intravenous (IV) therapy and fish pedicures are just some of the unusual beauty therapies promising more youthful-looking skin, stress reduction, and even relief from pain. But do these fixes always deliver? We’ve rounded up some of the strangest-sounding beauty treatments to find out the ones you might want to try—and which ones to skip.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). I... + 18
  1. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Is Platelet-Rich Plasma the Secret to Younger-Looking Skin? Page accessed November 17, 2024.
  2. Cleveland Clinic. Dermal Fillers. Page last reviewed April 6, 2022.
  3. Sanchez N, Fayne R, et al. Charcoal: An ancient material with a new face. Clin Dermatol. 2020;38(2):262-264.
  4. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Tattoos & Permanent Makeup: Fact Sheet. Page last updated October 15, 2024.
  5. Shih T, Khan S, Shih S, et al. Fish Pedicure: Review of Its Current Dermatology Applications. Cureus. 2020;12(6):e8936. Published 2020 Jun 30.
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy Habits: Foot Hygiene. Page last updated May 7, 2024.
  7. Bryan Ke. ‘Uguisu no fun’ explained: Why Japanese people use bird poop facials. NextShark. August 9, 2023.
  8. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Cupping. Page last updated November 2018.
  9. Cleveland Clinic. Cupping Therapy. Page last reviewed June 7, 2023.
  10. MedlinePlus. Cellulite. Page last reviewed November 30, 2022.
  11. Bagherani N, Smoller BR, et al. An overview of the role of carboxytherapy in dermatology. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2023;22(9):2399-2407.
  12. Sara Youngblood Gregory. IV Vitamin therapy: Understanding the lack of proven benefit and potential risks of this health fad. Mayo Clinic. October 3, 2024.
  13. Cedars-Sinai. Does IV Vitamin Therapy Work? Page last updated August 19, 2019.
  14. Cleveland Clinic. Microneedling. Page last May 23, 2022.
  15. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Microneedling Devices: Getting to the Point on Benefits, Risks, and Safety. Page last updated September 20, 2021.
  16. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Cold Facts to Help Avoid Injury from Water-Circulating Hot/Cold Therapy Devices. Page last updated September 9, 2020.
  17. Cleveland Clinic. Facial Icing: Is Ice Good for Your Face? Page last updated October 6, 2021.
  18. Mayo Clinic. Age spots (liver spots). Page last updated February 11, 2022.
  19. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Whole Body Cryotherapy Can Be Hazardous to Your Skin. Page last updated July 17, 2023.
Written by Zoe Ferqueron.
Medically reviewed by Megan Burke, MD.December, 2024
Updated onSeptember, 2026
Written by Zoe Ferqueron.
Medically reviewed by Megan Burke, MD.December, 2024
Updated onSeptember, 2026
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