Gwyneth Paltrow Gets Her Skin Stung By Bees, But What Exactly Is Apitherapy?

'Man, it’s painful.’

We all know that Gwyneth Paltrow is a woman who will go to great lengths in the name of beauty and every trend she tries becomes headline news - remember the vagina steam clean, or oil pulling, for example?

But her latest revelation has got the beauty world buzzing, literally, as Gwyneth has opened up about a treatment she’s been trying where she gets her skin stung by bees. Um, ouch.

‘I’m always the guinea pig to try everything,’ Gwyneth admits to the New York Times. ‘I’ve got to try them all… Generally, I’m open to anything.’

‘I’ve been stung by bees. It’s a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it’s painful.’

We bet. So what exactly is apitherapy and why on earth would anyone voluntarily be stung by a swarm of angry bees? The controversial procedure combines the benefits of acupuncture and natural medicine as therapy for chronic diseases like cervical cancer and arthritis –plus it’s considered a natural alternative to antibiotics.

According to the American Apitherapy society, the process ‘promote[s] healing by improving circulation, decreasing inflammation and stimulating a healthy immune response.’

But if you were thinking this was a swarm in a salon-type situation, where hundreds of bees would be free to crawl all over Gwyneth, then you may be reassured by the actual process. A therapist uses tweezers to hold the bee close to the skin’s problem areas, causing it to sting in a controlled way.

Of course, it’s not for everyone as the biggest side effect is swelling, obviously, but apitherapy can also cause anaphylactic shocks if you are even just a little bit allergic to the poison.

So is Gwyneth the only person doing this? Well no, actually, as the Duchess of Cambridge has apparently been partial to a bee venom facial or two over the years, plus think of all the products in our cabinets that feature beeswax, honey, or royal jelly.

And there we have it; apitherapy is officially the new beauty buzzword.