So the idea is this – you get all your kit off, and then point your neither regions at the sun to tan them so that you can gain some health benefits. This has simply got to be a spoof .. right? Apparently, perineum sunning really is supposedly a hot new craze.
Now that we have moved beyond sticking Jade eggs in place where the sun never shines, somebody has dreamed up the idea of “perineum sunning.”. Net effect, it now becomes a place where the sun actually does shine. (Side note – don’t stick Jade eggs there, no really don’t, it is a very bad idea. Ms. Paltrow might love you to do that, but at $55 a pop she wants the cash, not your wellbeing).
Who dreamed up “perineum sunning”?
It all appears to date to October 2019. Instagram user @ra_of_earth promoted it as follows …
However, popularity came via this user, who saw the opportunity and spiced it all up with lots of claims …
https://www.instagram.com/p/B34mk7shhrH/
It ticks all the “Please make this go viral” boxes …
- Nude … but still acceptable on social media
- Pseudo-scientific
- wellness claims
- weird
- etc…
Net effect. Tabloids such as the New York Post highlight it as the “latest insanity wellness influencers swear by.”
What do the experts think?
A rolling stone article on it all has this quote …
Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a practicing gynecologist and instructor at the Yale School of Medicine, says that while the anal area has billions of bacteria, “no amount of sunlight will kill them (nor do we necessarily want them killed), since most of us live in very good harmony with our microbiome.” In fact, she adds, sunlight exposure in that area could potentially be risky. “That tissue in the body is about the most delicate tissue there is,” she tells Rolling Stone. “So why do anything to which one could have an allergic reaction?”
As for the claim that it is ancient Traditional Chinese medicine, Rolling Stone did the legwork there and also debunked that as well …
And of the half dozen or so traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) providers contacted by Rolling Stone, none had ever heard about the therapeutic benefits of perineum tanning. “I guess it’s possible, but I can’t comment on it either way,” says Mona Yuan, director of the New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A representative for the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation summed it up as, “We don’t talk about it, we don’t practice it. Why would you write about it?”
Celebrity endorsement
Well yes, it is inevitable that somebody famous will give it a go.
Josh Brolin, one of the stars of Avengers: Endgame, revealed that he did, and here is what happened …
Er yes, an endorsement indeed … for aloe and burn creams.
So is “perineum sunning” really a thing?
My inner skeptic leads me to think that it is not.
I strongly lean towards this being only about clicks and nothing else. Basically pop up some nude pictures, but carefully done so that the social media platforms don’t play the “Not family friendly” card. Associate it with some utterly whacky claim, and voila, reap clicks.
This is perhaps especially true when people like me point a finger at it all and label it “absurd BS”.
Meanwhile, if being well is your thing there there are scientifically proven things that do actually work. The big 5 are well known … (and study after study confirms it) …
- Don’t smoke – if you do, it’s time to quit.
- Get plenty of exercise – you don’t need to join a gym, take a walk at lunchtime, go for a hike, get out more.
- Eat a well-balanced diet that includes fruit and vegetables
- lean body mass
- Cut back on alcohol
“perineum sunning” – Further Reading
- Orac has a few things to say about this (Nov 2019) – Perineum sunning: Real woo, social media clickbait, or both?
- Rolling Stone (Nov 2019) – Sorry, Anus Tanning Is Not Really a Thing