Health experts warned against shaving your legs by using sandpaper after a woman praised the bizarre method on social media.
A woman took to TikTok to explain she’s found a new way to get super smooth legs, without using a regular razor.
She said she’s used sandpaper – ouch! – to remove hair from her legs as she branded the method “awesome”.
However, experts have now criticised the hack and insisted people DON’T try it.
What is the shaving trend?
The woman explained in the TikTok video: “This is my first TikTok on here, I’ve been stalking you people for a little bit.
“I was watching one of these girls and she’s talking about shaving her legs with sandpaper.
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“She used 600 grit sandpaper on her legs. She said, in a circle this way 10 times, in a circle the other way 10 times. I did it.”
In addition, the woman said: “My god, my skin is so soft, it’s awesome. And it works. I have been using a frickin’ razor all this time. Just some 600 grit sandpaper.”
What have health experts said about the shaving method?
Hussain Abdeh, Clinical Director and Superintendent Pharmacist at Medicine Direct, told Entertainment Daily!: “Firstly, sanding away the hairs on your legs will only remove hair on the surface of the skin, which means that it is no more effective than shaving your legs with a razor.
“However, if you use sandpaper, it is highly likely that you will also remove a significant amount of skin with the hairs.
“This can cause grazes and cuts, which aside from being very unsightly, also leaves your skin very vulnerable to infections.
“Some people have the misguided belief that sanding their skin is a form of exfoliation. It is not.
“It can leave sores and can also cause hyperpigmentation if the area of skin is burned as a result of having such a harsh abrasion being rubbed up against it.”
Meanwhile, Dr Ross Perry – GP and Medical Director of Cosmedics skin clinics, added: “It really isn’t a good idea to remove hair anywhere on the body with sandpaper.
“First off all there are far better ways to exfoliate and remove hair than using harsh paper which can damage your skin very easily.
People warned of the risks
“You run the risk of getting small cuts on the skin which could turn into a nasty infection.
“Also irritation, this will completely dry out the skin on the legs making it extremely sensitive, red and sore looking.”
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In addition, Dr Perry added: “There’s also the risk of sandpaper leading to folliculitis which is when hair follicles become inflamed.
“It’s usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection and looks like small red bumps that causes pus spots to develop on each hair follicle.
“You will also need to take extra care in the sun as you’ll likely have very raw skin if you’ve overdone it with the sandpaper.
“It’s best to stick to traditional hair removal methods which are far more gentle on the skin.”
Meanwhile, laser hair removal expert Sharon Cobley from Pure Aesthetics 365 said: “Sandpaper will take the hair off the legs if rotating circular motions.
“Basically, it’s ripping it off. Don’t forget you can cut/scratch your legs, break veins, and become generally sore.
“I would personally recommend Class 4 laser hair removal. This destroys hair follicles when in the ‘Anagen’ stage.
“Repeated treatments will eventually provide smooth legs for years to come. There is no breaking of the skin for this treatment, so you won’t end up with cuts or scratches on your legs!”
What have other experts said about the trend?
Finally, Dr Rekha Tailor of Health & Aesthetics said: “A woman has recently appeared on TikTok claiming that she’s discovered that the best way to shave your legs is with sandpaper.
“Whilst this sounds shocking, using materials similar to sandpaper to remove the hair on legs has been around for a number of years and a quick online search will yield many different products with names such as ‘Exfoliating hair removal pads’ that essentially work in a similar way.
“These are designed to be used in a circular motion on the skin to remove hair and also exfoliate the skin.
“They do this by using the small crystals to weaken the hair at the root and as a result remove it.
“However, this lady on TikTok has taken this premise a step further by using sandpaper itself on her legs.
“Whilst this may remove the hair on her legs I certainly wouldn’t advise it due to the fact that sandpaper can be very abrasive on the skin, much more so than these especially designed pads, and as a result it can cause grazing and broken skin which can result in infection.
“It can also cause skin to become very dry and rough.
“Ultimately our skin is an important organ and barrier to help protect our body from external aggressors so it’s important that we do everything that we can to protect it.
“More effective treatments include laser hair removal therapy which works to treat the hair follicle and doesn’t damage the skin.”
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