YORK, Pa -- You may have seen some videos online of people making a charcoal concoction that is supposed to leave you with clear skin.
Instead, sometimes it can feel like it`s ripping your skin off!
FOX43 Finds Out if this beauty fad can leave lasting damage.
Vloggers Tiff and Cari and ripped off a charcoal mask in one of their latest series of YouTube videos and there are hundreds mores videos just like it.
It`s a fad Wellspan board certified Dermatologist Kelli Danowski isn`t crazy about.
"The charcoal face masks are consumer driven products and they are marketed to remove your blackheads."
The mask can remove your blackheads, but it can also remove a lot more.
"While it may remove your blackheads it's also likely to remove the more delicate structures in your face, such as our tiny little vellus hairs and the top layer of your skin, the epidermis," said Dr. Danowski.
What are people putting in these charcoal concoctions?
Well, some YouTubers are using just activated charcoal and Elmer's glue.
Dr. Danowski said, "Unfortunately we have seen an increased number in superficial burns on the face and that can actually be scarring so you really want to be careful before you start dabbling into different materials at home.'
"I'm wondering, is that really good for your skin to be yanking your skin off like that and bringing you to tears? It just looks painful to me. I know they say pain is beauty but not for me," said Heather Sheetz of York.
She sells a charcoal mask, but not the ones made of Elmer's glue.
She`s a Younique Cosmetics Presenter and says the product she sells is nothing like the ones in the YouTube videos.
According to Younique's website, the mask is made up of things like Bamboo charcoal and vitamin A.
It washes off, instead of peeling.
Sheetz said, "This is something that you would enjoy like going to a spa and it just has that really nice pampering feeling when you're using it."
However, Dermatologist Danowski says she wouldn`t recommend putting anything charcoal related on your face.
"They're really not very well studied, so there isn't much research. Charcoal is usually used actually in the case of accidental overdoses where it binds toxins in the stomach."
If that`s the case, how are makeup companies allowed to even sell the charcoal product and how does the FDA regulate it?
The Doctor says "As a topical cosmeceutical, they're regulated in a different way so they have no peer reviewed scientific evidence that they work. They only have to determine that it's just safe to use and it's not going to cause harm. They don't have to actually prove that they are effective."
As for Sheetz, she has yet to receive a complaint about the mask she sells and say she still plans to use her product multiple times a week.
"I just know what I've seen and that's the results and they're amazing."
However, both Sheetz and Danowski agree, the charcoal mask you can make at home are probably not safe.