Would you share a bath with eels?....New exfoliating treatment that involves bathing in a tank of eels

Many people are prepared to go to increasingly extreme lengths to enhance their looks.

But the latest beauty fad, involving bathing in a tank of eels in order to exfoliate the skin, has been condemned by health inspectors as extremely dangerous.

The new treatment is just another in a bewildering array of beauty treatments currently making their way into spas and beauty salons, which experts say are often not regulated as they should be.





'Extremely dangerous': The latest beauty fad involves bathing in a tank of eels in order to exfoliate the skin



The technique, imported from China, involves immersing the full body into a bath of pencil-long eels – an extension of the fish pedicures that were popular in 2011.

Wendy Nixon, a health and safety consultant, last week told a conference hosted by the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health (CIEH), the body which represents health inspectors, that there were problems with the procedure, especially for those wearing loose-fitting swimwear.


‘In one case a stray eel found its way through the man’s genitals and into his kidney, and he ended up needing a three-hour operation,’ Nixon told the conference. ‘This is the sort of procedure that is coming your way.’

The alarming example is reportedly that of Zhang Nan, a 56-year-old man from Hubei province in China.

‘I climbed into the bath and I could feel the eels nibbling my body,’ Mr Nan said shortly after the incident two years ago.

 

'In one case, a stray eel found its way through the man's genitals and into his kidney'

 

- Wendy Nixon

‘But then suddenly I felt a severe pain and realised a small eel had gone into the end of my penis.’

A spokesman for the institute said that it was vital that any new beauty treatment was subjected to proper scrutiny by health professionals.

‘The CIEH is concerned when this or any new beauty treatment is being offered without a proper risk assessment to consider its impact on the public or the animals involved.

Without such a risk assessment, it is not possible to provide official guidance or advice that can help inform the public and health professionals.’

The beauty industry is beginning to turn its back on fish pedicures after customers raised concerns about the ethical treatment of animals.




Risk: Health experts have warned that 'fish spa pedicures' could spread diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C




However, the treatments are still being offered in some spas and at festivals and fairgrounds, according to the CIEH journal, Environmental Health News.

‘I have been to big events for the leisure industry and they [the treatments] are working their way into gyms and these sorts of places, so keep an eye out for those,’ Nixon warned.

‘Anyone involved in these sorts of treatment should have at least a very minimum national occupational standard at a level-two pedicure unit.’




Worry: Another growing concern is the many teeth-whitening procedures available on the market



In 2011 health experts warned that ‘fish spa pedicures’ – where tiny fish nibble dead skin away from customers’ feet - could spread diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.

The government’s Health Protection Agency said those with diabetes, psoriasis or a weak immune system are particularly vulnerable and should not take part in the beauty craze at all.

But with Britons spending more than £5billion a year on beauty and grooming services at more than 15,000 beauty salons, regulating the industry and ensuring minimum training standards is proving a constant battle for inspectors.

Another growing concern is the many teeth-whitening procedures available on the market.

Beauty therapists are being sold expensive training courses but are not told the procedures can be performed only by dentists or dental hygienists.

Inspectors are also worried about the increasing use of hair-straightening products imported into the UK that have been found to contain dangerous levels of formaldehyde – a cancer-causing chemical.

Nixon said she knew of companies that had concealed the formaldehyde content in their products by referring to it as formalin or methylene glycol on their labels.




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