This TikToker Got Her Face Scarred From Trying The Freckle Trend
Some things are really better left to the professionals
Oh, the world of TikTok is an interesting one. It's been marred with numerous unsavoury sagas – the Fox Eye Challenge which was quickly called out for being racist, the Black Out Challenge where kids try to choke themselves until they faint, the Morning After Pill Challenge (dismantle a Clear Blue pregnancy test kit, pick out, and swallow a round 'pill' from the device), and more.
The latest episode in this ever unfolding TikTok drama comes from the beauty department of freckles. In particular, a 21-year-old Australian TV star took to her Instagram account today to share her harrowing experience of following a TikTok freckle beauty trend.
Tilly is a 21-year-old student (born in 2000) from Sydney, Australia. She's known for her role in the 2021 Australian iteration of the American reality TV, Big Brother (Season 13). If you're not familiar with Big Brother, it's basically the original American version of Netflix's Terrace House, Love Island, or Too Hot To Handle. You basically have a group of hormonal and hungry coming-of-age young adults "living" together in a house for a month or more, and the ensuing house politics, friction, and dramatic love pursuits will be played on TV for, well, our enjoyment.
Tilly took to her Instagram account to recount the happenings of her freckle affair. In a nutshell, she:
saw TikTok freckle stick-n-poke trend which supposedly could give you semi-permanent freckles lasting up to six months
decided to buy tattoo ink off eBay
attempted the stick-n-poke method on her own
had an averse reaction to her freckle attempt, had swelling, vision loss, and was hospitalised
realised the ink she bought on eBay was a counterfeit one and had dangerously high levels of lead
In her recap post today, she said:
"About 9 months ago before the show I tattooed my own freckles on my face with eBay faux ink and a few sewing needles stuck together with sticky tape after seeing it on tik tok SMH 🤦🏼♀️ the first time I told the truth was frickin yesterday I was too embarrassed to even tell my parents cause it was so dumb… fake ink has high levels of lead in it so when it’s lasered it turns frickin black so I had to find alternative treatments!! After thousands of $ worth of experimentation, all the ink is out of my dodgy fake freckles and all that’s left is pigmentation scars from the needles 🧿my dermatologist suggested Hydroquinone AND OMG it is helping soooo much - I’m using 4%💃🏽 this dumb ass story has been shared around the world and I’m so hoping it deters others from making the same mistake 🍿peace and pout "
While the Instagram community left comments praising her for her bravery in sharing this episode, some Instagrammers made sure to disclaim that nobody should be buying Hydroquinone online without a doctor's supervision and prescription lest history repeats itself.
So, if you were wondering if you should pop by TikTok to take a look at what the youngsters are doing – and if there are indeed lots of dangerous freckle content, we've done that for you.
There was a freckle trend happening on TikTok in 2020. While some TikTokers were just trying to look cute dotting little blobs of eyeliner-like ink all over their faces, some users are making use of the platform to advocate for self-love and acceptance for individuals born with natural freckles. Of course, there were the freckle-related makeup and skincare mini tutorials – still pretty interesting to binge watch if you're looking to kill time.