Is ‘Urine Therapy’ The Secret To Fighting Acne Breakouts?

There are few lines we won’t cross when the carrot of clear skin is being dangled in front of us. And if you thought a Barbara Sturm vampire facial or snail mucus serum were as out-there as skin care treatments get, then you haven’t heard of urine therapy (also known as urotherapy). 

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What exactly is urotherapy?

If you were thinking it involves something as outlandish as smearing your own wee all over your skin woes, then yes. That is exactly what it involves. This natural (maybe a little too natural if you ask us) skin therapy is said to help soothe and clear chronic skin conditions such as eczema and acne, according to Medical Daily. 

Martha Christy, a natural healthcare consultant and the author of In Your Own Perfect Medicine revealed that the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties urine contains can not only reduce acne but even assist with preventing diseases and boosting our overall immunity.

So should we be trying urotherapy? Ummm… no

Absolutely not. In fact, according to dermatologist Mona Gohara, the entire ‘anti-bacterial’ premise is counterproductive, as the source of where we are getting our urine from poses its own risk of contamination. “I have no problem with the urine itself, it’s sterile, but what that urine comes out of definitely isn’t,” she said speaking to Cosmopolitan UK. 

So while there are claims of urine being anti-fungal, unless you have an ulterior way of extracting it (and we really hope you don’t) then “you’re introducing a host of issues and bacteria.” 

Are there any effective substitutes for urotherapy?

Urine once held an important spot in our medical history books, dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece. However, fast forward to the present day and Dr. Gohara insists that its place in modern skin care is both redundant and risky. 

“Urine is high in urea, which is a natural exfoliant that helps soften skin and break down the top layer of skin cells.” Impressed? Nah, you’ll still be able to find off-the-shelf products containing AHAs and BHAs, “all of which are safer and more effective and don’t carry the possible risk of, you know, E.coli,” she added. 

bh recommends: Neutrogena’s Deep Clean ® Cream Cleanser, Panemorfi Skincare Lactic Acid Gel Cleanser 

So if you’re fighting what feels like a never-ending battle with acne, don’t lose hope. There are plenty of sans-wee routes to try first. 

Main image credit: Getty

Have you ever heard of this technique? What do you think about it?