{"id":19717,"date":"2022-06-21T14:53:21","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T19:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19717"},"modified":"2023-03-06T15:51:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-06T20:51:01","slug":"dermatologists-weigh-in-on-tiktoks-slugging-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/dermatologists-weigh-in-on-tiktoks-slugging-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Are There Real Benefits to ‘Slugging’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a general rule, I try not to be too influenced by TikTok. But there\u2019s one TikTok trend<\/a> that’s now become a nightly habit: “slugging.”<\/span><\/p>\n

No, it doesn’t involve real slugs. It’s a skincare practice, that’s become wildly popular on the internet and captured by the term: #sluglife. Let’s break it down.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is slugging?<\/h3>\n

\u201cSlugging\u201d is the practice of covering your entire face in a layer of occlusive moisturizer \u2014 often a petroleum jelly-based product like Vaseline \u2014 as the last step of your nighttime skincare routine. It’s been dubbed “slugging” because the layer of jelly looks like something a slug would leave behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your skincare routine might include cleanser, serum, toner, an exfoliant and\/or a moisturizing cream. (Slugging’s not recommended with products like retinoids because it can intensify the chance of irritation.) You sleep that way, and then wash it off in the morning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Occlusive moisturizers <\/span>create a protective seal over the skin, <\/span><\/a>locking water in. When you apply one over serums and creams, your skin gets a mega dose of hydration. Many, like myself, only recently discovered slugging, but <\/span>it\u2019s actually been around much longer.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1800s, a chemist became fascinated with a waxy byproduct of drilling that oil workers at a plant in Pennsylvania were using to heal their wounds. After some experimentation, he extracted petroleum jelly, or Vaseline. It quickly skyrocketed to popularity; by 1875 Americans were buying it<\/a> at the rate of one jar per minute. Since, people have been using the inexpensive product to help heal burns or to keep skin from cracking in the winter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there real benefits to slugging?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve been slugging nightly for some time now, and I swear it makes my skin look brighter, smoother, and more moisturized. And I\u2019m not alone; the experts I spoke with touted the benefits for their patients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love using a nighttime occlusive moisturizer for all my patients,\u201d says Dr. Aaron Secrest, a Utah-based dermatologist.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cMy wife, my teen daughters, all of my staff and many of my patients, are firm believers in slugging.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n