Every week, it seems there's a new beauty trend blowing up TikTok and Instagram with promises that it will transform your body, face, or skin and make you age in a reverse. From red light therapy to infrared saunas and collagen supplements, these trends often come with steep price tags and not a ton of research cited.
So, one plastic surgeon in San Antonio, Texas, is trying to set the record straight. In a series of new Instagram posts,Dr. Gary Lawton, a board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon who owns Lawton Plastic Surgery, rates the effectiveness of some of the most viral beauty trends right now on a scale of zero (totally ineffective) to 10 (highly effective). Keep reading to see how all of these methods rack up in Dr. Lawton's ratings.
RELATED: Plastic Surgeon Reveals the #1 Anti-Aging Supplement
1. Red Light Therapy
AmazonOpen TikTok shop, and you'll see a bunch of red light therapy masks for sale. These range in price from about $150 to over $500 and boast de-wrinkling and skin tightening effects thanks to the production of collagen.
However, Dr. Lawton rates the effectiveness of red light therapy masks to be a 5 out of 10, suggesting that they're not terrible to purchase, but you're not getting a level 10 (which is the best) of anti-aging benefits.
2. Infrared Saunas
Shutterstock
Similarly, infrared saunas use light therapy to heat your body, thus potentially helping you detox, improve your circulation, help your muscles recover, reduce stress, and more. Some even claim it can help with weight loss.
But, Dr. Lawson is not convinced. He rated infrared saunas with a big fat zero in effectiveness.
RELATED: 11 Celebrities Who Look Half Their Age—And Their Beauty Secrets
3. Mouth Taping
Shutterstock
experts claim has become a huge trend in recent years as experts claim it's a great fix for snoring, sleep apnea, and other respiratory issues. What's more, some say it can alter the shape of your chin and jawline to avoid the "mouth breather" look, which features a receding chin or "soft" jaw.
Despite these claims, Dr. Lawton slapped a zero on the effectiveness of mouth taping.
4. Cold Plunges
ShutterstockPlunging your body into water of freezing temps is supposed to offer you such benefits as better skin, improved circulation, muscle recovery and reduced soreness, stress relief, boosted immunity, increased metabolism, better sleep, and more.
These claims are backed by Dr. Lawton, who gave his first score of a perfect 10 in terms of effectiveness to cold plunges.
5. Collagen Supplements
Beo88 / iStockCollagen is a natural and structural protein found in skin and other connective tissues throughout the body that helps new skin cells grow and gets rid of old, dead ones. But, it's hard for our bodies to produce collagen on their own, which is why supplements, including pills and powders, have popped up to help us reep such benefits as healthier and stronger skin, nails, hair, bones, joints, and more.
Dr. Lawton backs these claims up with his second score of 10.
6. Diets Free of Seed Oils
ShutterstockSeed oils, such as canola oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, palm oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and even some brands of olive oil have been in the hot seat lately over their health and environmental concerns. In terms of beauty, research has shown that seed oils may heighten inflammation and could cause skin aging, acne, melanoma, and more. Seed oils are commonly found in processed foods, which we know are bad for your heatlh overall.
Dr. Lawton is on the no-seed-oil train and rates the effectiveness of adopting a diet that's rich in fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and other whole foods instead as a 10.
RELATED: 5 Best Foods to Fight Inflammation
7. Dry Brushing
Prostock-studio / ShutterstockWhile the technique has been around for centuries, dry brushing is having its moment on social media thanks to its marketed benefits of lymphatic drainage, cellulite reduction, skin exfoliation, boosted circulation and energy, and more.
Surprisingly, Dr. Lawton does not endorse dry brushing as an effective strategy. He gave it the lowest possible score, zero, in his final rating.
