Don't try every trend on TikTok that intrigues you, warn The Doctors.
TikTok trends in the realm of beauty can range from harmless and ineffective to extremely dangerous, and the experts on The Doctors fear the latest trend of using tanning nasal sprays to achieve naturally bronze skin is another one that can do a lot of damage. The sprays, which cost from $70 to $200 per bottle, are said to boost the body's natural development of pigment, but dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra says the science behind this is simply not there.
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"They're absorbed by the mucous membrane, and they're meant to jump-start your body's own production of melanin," Batra explains of the sprays.
"This is a terrible idea! If you're thinking about putting chemicals up your nose to jump-start the cells in your body that produce pigment, please just don't!"
Batra explains how the sprays introduce dangerous possibilities.
"The concern is that those pigment-producing cells can go into overdrive. We know that melanoma is one of the most lethal forms of skin cancer. You don't want to put something that your body isn't regulating in to jump-start those cells."
"Remember, these products are not regulated by the FDA. We don't know anything about their safety. You're lucky if you even get accurate information or a label about what you're putting in," she warned.
"If you haven't had something regulated or investigated that is not FDA-approved, it's really potentially very toxic to you, and it will be absorbed through those mucous membranes. That's an excellent way to get something in your system that you don't know the downstream effects of."
Batra also says that taking these sprays and then tanning, as some influencers have recommended, is even more dangerous.
"You're giving your body the gasoline it needs to light that fire, to develop a skin cancer."
