“Slush” sounds like slang for something illegal. A street drug, maybe, or a weird new sex trend that confounds and deeply concerns parents everywhere when they see it mentioned in their teenager’s text messages. It is neither of those things. In fact, it’s much weirder — and Kendall and Kylie Jenner are big fans.
The slush treatment is a facial of sorts that uses dry ice and acetone to cleanse the skin and remove built-up dirt and oil. Yes, the same acetone that’s in your nail polish remover and makes you feel like you’re going to pass out if you use it in the bathroom without cracking a window first — that’s what’s going on your face when you get slushed. (This is the part where we emphasize how important it is that you seek out a licensed professional for treatments like these.)
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Slushes, as they’re called, picked up steam after dermatologist-to-the-stars Christie Kidd, PA-C, appeared on Khloé Kardashian’s weight loss reality show, Revenge Body, to perform a similar procedure on a client who wanted to get rid of acne. Kidd’s version involves dry ice dipped in liquid nitrogen, a treatment that she says Kendall and Kylie both use to get their skin Instagram-perfect, no filter necessary.
Holly Buchko, a nurse practitioner at Coast Dermatology, told Marie Claire that her practice’s slush treatment begins by gently exfoliating the skin with dry ice that’s been wrapped in gauze and dipped in acetone. Buchko said that this “cool exfoliation” cleanses the skin, decreases bacteria, and calms inflammation associated with acne. “It is typically used in the treatment of acne, but it can also improve melasma and sun spots, as well as overall skin quality and texture,” she explained.
The claims are certainly appealing — who doesn’t want improved skin texture and a reduction in acne? — but the whole procedure sounds like something only fit for those who don’t mind feeling a nice little chill. No wonder it’s so popular in Southern California.