Here’s why you probably shouldn’t try the #KylieJennerLipChallenge

Let’s start by making one thing entirely clear: Kylie Jenner is a lovely girl. We think Kylie is gorgeous and confident and we could not be happier for her for her success and amazing attitude. We are pro-positivity here at HelloGiggles and totally don’t condone bullying or hating on Kylie for her looks. But lately, one of her pretty features has been getting a lot of attention — her lips, which she says are all-natural and some argue must be cosmetically enhanced. Honestly, it’s not really the rest of the world’s business and entering the spiral of speculating on strangers’ appearances is a dangerous rabbit hole to go down, so we don’t do it. And besides, Kylie seems to absolutely love her lips and, really at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing. We love when women (especially young women, who have a tendency to be insanely hard on themselves) love their bodies. And, what’s more, Kylie isn’t alone in loving her signature super-full lips. She has tons of fans (many of them teens) who love the look, too, and would love to emulate it themselves.

Now, here’s where things get tricky. Starting Sunday night, a trend popped up on social media, dubbed the #KylieJennerLipChallenge, and it’s only been picking up steam since then. If ice buckets and coughing on cinnamon have taught us anything, it’s that the Internet loves a challenge, but we have to urge anyone considering the #KylieJennerLipChallenge to pause and think again. The challenge, which involves sucking on a small glass (like a bottle or shot glass) to temporarily plump up the lips, raises some safety concerns. A quick search of the hashtag on just about any social media site (Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr — nowhere is safe) reveals page after page of cautionary tales. Teens who have tried the trend are posting before and after pictures and, in the afters, swollen lips, burst blood vessels, deep red marks and purple bruises are all common features.

“The new trend in trying to DIY lip plumping is quite concerning,” Dendy Engelman, a dermatologic surgeon, told Seventeen. “Not only can significant pain, swelling, and bruising result from these suction techniques, but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts.”

Just a warning, guys: The images are pretty harrowing. 

Many of the teens who have taken the #KylieJennerLipChallenge on social media openly regret the decision, saying they “screwed up” or feel “so dumb” for having participated.

Visible bruises are a common result of the challenge, which encourages people to cover their lips with glass and then suck until it becomes unbearably painful (and guys, can’t we all agree that the description alone sounds like not a great idea?). 

So please, everyone, for your own sake, take a pass on the #KylieJennerLipChallenge. If you want to experiment with plump, Kylie-esque lips, stick to safe methods of making your lips look fuller, like lip liner.

(Images via here and Twitter.)