A doctor has clarified one of the most puzzling aspects of bonkers Hulu's new series, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Released earlier this month, the eight-episode reality TV show has shocked and amused viewers in equal measure by digging deeper in the day-to-day of eight Utah Mormon TikTok influencers.
While the show stemmed from a viral sexual scandal, following influencer Taylor Frankie Paul’s admission that she and her husband ‘soft-swing’ with other Mormon couples, this wasn’t what left viewers in shock.
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Mormons typically follow the Word of Wisdom, a restrictive religious code of conduct that bans most substances like alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and recreational drugs.
If you then wouldn’t expect any of these things to feature on the show, you’ll have to think again. While recreational drugs are banned, drugs for medical purposes are okay for Mormons, and that’s how the wives have integrated laughing gas and ketamine into their lifestyles.
The series sees the wives going for a botox session, with star Whitney Leavitt admitting they all inhale laughing gas (nitrous oxide) before the poke.
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"It's a party," Leavitt said as she giggled. When producers asked her if the gang 'comes for the botox or the laughing gas,' Leavitt answered: "For both.”
Meanwhile, star Demi Engemann explained she’s resorted to ‘ketamine therapy’ to strengthen her marriage.
Engemann insisted that she and her husband Bret do not '[pop] Special K' but get therapy 'administered by a doctor through an IV'.
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After fans of the show were left stunned by the wives’ admissions, a dermatologist has weighed in on whether laughing gas is a normal part of getting a botox injection.
As it turns out, it’s not. Or at least, it’s not as common as The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives may have you think.
Dr Rawn E. Bosley, MD, board-certified dermatologist and supervising physician at Ever/Body in Dallas, explained offering nitrous oxide before a botox injection isn’t a standard procedure.
"I have been injecting for over a decade, and I’ve never used or heard of other dermatology or facial plastic colleagues regularly offering laughing gas for Botox," Dr Bosley told SELF.
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Dr Bosley also explained that while nitrous oxide can be a part of some cosmetic treatments and it does help the patient relax, the anaesthetic is normally offered for more painful procedures, like lasers and microneedling rather than botox.
"The process is quick—less than two minutes in most cases," Dr. Bosley continued.
"And it takes several minutes for the nitrous oxide to kick in anyway," implying that the treatment would likely be over before the sedative’s euphoric effects begin.
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Moreover, there are some risks posed by inhaling nitrous oxide.
Other than the obvious reason that the gas makes you loopy, meaning that you could move uncontrollably as you have a needle close to your face, there are more things to consider before getting your laughing gas fix at the doctor's.
Dr Bosley said some people can experience headaches and nausea and thus recommended safer methods to help with the pain and anxiety, such as topical numbing creams and vibration devices that can provide a useful distraction from the needle.
Topics: Beauty, Health, Reality TV, TV And Film, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Stefania Sarrubba