Sheep’s Placenta Facials & Electric Shocks: The Crazy Beauty Habits of the Rich & Famous

Some of us will try anything for a youthful glow, but most of us are quite happy to stick with friends’ recommendations and our favourite brands’ new product launches. If you’ve got almost unlimited funds and you’re in the public eye on a daily basis though, the line between sense and nonsense gets a bit blurred occasionally.

Let’s take a look at some of the insane beauty treatments that the rich and famous have entertained. Whether they work or not, they’re certainly willing to sacrifice a lot of dignity…

And no, this isn’t a slightly late April Fool’s joke, these really are things that celebs are willing to put on their faces.

Sheep Placenta Facials

A famous Beverly Hills dermatologist has developed a facial that uses “sheep’s placenta stem cells”, which apparently helps the skin to absorb a lot of protein which rebuilds it. Popular with Victoria Beckham, Harry Styles and, of course, Kim Kardashian, it’s supposed to leave your face looking plump and refreshed.

The treatment begins with a “skin polish…followed by an oxygen infusion with vitamin water”. Then the placenta is applied and the person receiving the treatment needs to sit under an LED light for at least 10 minutes. Despite it sounding odd and quite disgusting, the placenta of any animal (including us humans) is rich with minerals, iron, and protein. Some believe it to be an essential part of pregnancy and will go so far as to eat it after the birth.

The jury is out as far as its benefits for the skin however. The owner of this famous Beverly Hills clinic has said of Harry Styles that “he is very diligent about his skincare regime”, and we all know how committed Kim K is to the cause of flawless skin, so maybe these stars just have a good cleansing regime.

Leech Therapy

When making an appearance on the The Late Show with David Letterman in 2008, Demi Moore revealed that she’s a fan of a very bizarre treatment involving leeches. “It detoxifies your blood,” Demi raved, “And they have a little enzyme that when they’re biting down on you, gets released into your blood.”

Other than making her blood feel ‘detoxified’, Demi didn’t really elaborate on what the beauty benefits are, but with her youthful glow we imagine there must be something!

Leeches have been used in medicine since 2,000 B.C. in Ancient Greece and Rome, it also experienced a revival in the 19th Century, and was considered a ‘miracle cure’ for many diseases. This is probably because doctors and physicians would use leeches for ‘blood letting’ for pretty much any ailment, but they were also said to treat skin irritation and discolouration. Maybe Demi’s onto something.

The Electrical Facial

Beverly Hills housewife and Aunt to Paris Hilton, Kyle Richards, has been known to indulge in the occasional electrical facial, and has even shared photos on Instagram of her wired up and covered in cotton wool padding!

The treatment claims to “draw vitamin-rich solutions to the dermal tissue by means of electricity”, promoting new cell growth and rejuvenation.

As you’d imagine, this treatment is not suitable for pregnant women, epileptics or anyone with a pacemaker.

The Facial Deep Freeze

Stars including Kate Hudson, Jessica Chastain and Sienna Miller all use various ‘freezing’ treatments which feel unpleasant at the time, but apparently give them an unparalleled glow.

If Kate feels like her skin needs brightening and tightening, she plunges her face into an ice bath and stays in there for as long as she can stand it or hold her breath. Apparently it was her makeup artist’s recommendation. Sienna chooses what she calls “a pretty intense experience” involving freezing cold eye masks “that make you feel like your brain is going to fall out of the top of your head”. If you can’t cope with brain freeze, don’t try it at home.

If you’re not up for traveling all the way to Beverly Hills to have sheep’s placenta put on your face, and you’re not keen on the idea of electric shocks pulsating through your cheeks, there are plenty of other skin rejuvenation treatments that are painless and have zero recovery time, like our Vitamin C Rejuvenation Facial. With results that can last for 6-8 weeks, it’s a favourite of Made in Chelsea’s Binky Felstead, and targets both the outer and deeper layers of skin for cell renewal.