TikTok ‘Slugging’ Trend Has People Coating Their Faces With Grease

Overall, the examine authors discovered that about 6 in 10 posts highlighted solely the upside of slugging, whereas solely 2 in 10 talked about doable dangers.

“What we discovered was not essentially misinformation, however typically a lack of know-how,” Pagani mentioned. “Loads of the time, there was simply no inclusion of dangers.”

Beyond a heightened danger for facial zits amongst acne-prone sufferers, Pagani mentioned there may be additionally the danger that any topical pores and skin treatment utilized earlier than slugging would basically change into trapped beneath petroleum ointments, and due to this fact probably absorbed extra deeply — and for longer intervals of time — than initially supposed.

“Now, slugging is among the comparatively innocent issues that may be discovered on TikTok,” Pagani acknowledged. “But even within the case of largely benign magnificence developments, the hope is that viewers are going to get correct data from dependable sources, data backed by science primarily based on information and analysis. Because different developments or magnificence merchandise might definitely be extra probably dangerous than one thing like slugging.”

The findings have been revealed not too long ago within the journal Clinics in Dermatology.

It’s that broader problem that issues Kelly Garrett, director of the School of Communication at Ohio State University.

“It is not any surprise that folks find yourself searching for well being data in these digital areas,” mentioned Garrett, who identified that social media is acquainted, straightforward to make use of and could be an empowering method to do analysis.

And medical professionals usually are not the only purveyors of helpful well being data. “For instance, somebody who resides with a most cancers prognosis can have necessary insights, too,” Garrett mentioned.

But the issue, he famous, is that “on social media, content material creators’ targets usually are not all the time apparent.

“Posts by well being care suppliers are sometimes supposed to tell, however different creators could also be extra considering offering leisure, persuading shoppers to purchase one thing, or simply producing visitors to their content material,” Garrett mentioned. “Consumers who misunderstand the creators’ targets can find yourself being misled concerning the content material, too.”

All of which suggests it’s vital that social media customers concentrate on the dangers concerned when trying to find well being data on-line, mentioned Garrett, who was not concerned within the examine.