Freckle Removal, 1930

It is no secret that the beauty industry makes a lot of money from people’s insecurities. And whilst it might seem like this phenomenon only started in recent times, it has been going on for quite some time. The appearance of a woman’s natural complexion has been questioned ever since the early 1900s, however, it probably started long before…

This image of a woman undergoing freckle removal in 1930 looks rather invasive. Often these procedures would be done with the help of Carbon Dioxide to eliminate the visible effects of freckles. As you can tell from this image, it doesn’t look like a very pleasant experience… However, it was a common procedure to undergo at the time.