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Skin Deep

Seeking Relief Through Arnica

Credit...Heike Brauer/iStockphoto

BEFORE the C.F.D.A. Fashion Awards in June, the New York-based fashion designer Phillip Lim, who’d been traveling frequently and working hard, was feeling a bit puffy. “I heard of models and other designers taking arnica before big events or photo shoots, so I thought I’d try it out,” he said recently, referring to the homeopathic supplement arnica montana. “It’s supposed to slim you down because it flushes you out. And it clears up your skin.”

Mr. Lim tried a three-day oral regimen of arnica before walking the red carpet, and was pleased with the results. “I did feel like my skin glowed afterwards,” he said.

Available in pellets, topical gels, creams and even massage oil, arnica is the latest of many herbal remedies to invigorate, if not intoxicate, the fashion crowd. Linda Fargo, the fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman, counts the pellet form as one of her fashion week survival must-haves, and the stylist Isabel Dupré has long been a fan.

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Derived from yellow mountain daisies, arnica comes in many forms, including gels and pellets.Credit...William P. O'Donnell/The New York Times

“I know it for its healing quality,” Ms. Dupre said. “It’s an old family remedy.”

Wende Zomnir, the executive creative director of Urban Decay cosmetics, who uses arnica in several forms instead of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, said: “I think it’s amazing. I take it myself, give it to my kids and hand it out at the Crossfit gym I work out at. I use it after a tough workout to prevent muscle soreness, if myself or my kids have gotten bumped around and might be bruised, or if I’ve strained a muscle.”

Derived from a yellow mountain daisy that grows in Europe and is also known as leopard’s bane, arnica has traditionally been used to treat bruising. It reputedly increases circulation by stimulating white blood cell activity, thereby decreasing the amount of healing time and reducing inflammation. If taken internally, it must be diluted with water; arnica contains the toxin helenalin and is poisonous if consumed in large quantities. Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, a Manhattan dermatologist and an assistant clinical professor at Yale, said that, “taken orally, arnica has been reported to cause irritation and toxicity for both the gastrointestinal system and the kidneys.”

Still, even before the style set took it up, sports figures were showing interest in the substance. Pierre Barrieu, a former head fitness coach for the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, had been treating players with arnica pellets and topical formulations since 2002.

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But using too much of it can be toxic.Credit...William P. O'Donnell/The New York Times

“Basically, it was to relieve the effects of blows and bruises (i.e., prevent swelling and bleeding) when applied in a timely manner,” he wrote in an e-mail. “It’s best to apply as early as possible after the traumatic event. We also used it to accelerate the recovery, because arnica decreases the inflammation. And finally, it was used to prevent cramps.”

Orthopedic surgeons have also “prescribed” arnica, which is sold in places like Duane Reade and Whole Foods, as a pre- and post-operative measure. And some dermatologists have recommended it after plastic surgery and injectables like Botox and Restylane.

When the fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg was injured in a ski accident in January, she tweeted during recovery: “Arnica gel is the best thing you can do for bruises. ... I cannot say it enough ...,” prompting rumors that the accident was a foil for plastic surgery (which she quickly batted away).

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Wende Zomnir of Urban Decay uses arnica to prevent soreness.Credit...Amy Dickerson for The New York Times

In the hands of natural-beauty buffs, arnica has recently become something of a medicine-cabinet and vanity catch-all. According to Sprayology, a company featured on Teen Vogue’s Web site that sells vitamin and homeopathic mouth sprays, arnica treats confusion and feelings of vertigo. That’s the claim, anyway, for including the herb in its “Brain Power” formulation.

On online forums, especially of the ayurvedic and homeopathic variety, arnica oil has been touted as a remedy for alopecia, or hair loss.

Ms. Zomnir of Urban Decay used it for pain and soreness after natural delivery. “My midwife gave me arnica after the births of my boys,” she said. “I had them both at home, so no drugs available. Arnica did the trick.”

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The designer Phillip Lim tried arnica when he was feeling puffy.Credit...Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The New Yorker

Still others say it clears up acne and other skin inflammations. Nelsons Pure and Clear Acne Gel lists arnica as one of four active ingredients. In an Elle magazine interview, the model Gisele Bundchen touted Nelson’s gel as a gentle way to clear up blemishes. And at the Upper East Side Kiehl’s flagship and spa, which opened on July 19, jars of arnica flowers line the treatment rooms so aestheticians can customize services on the spot. It’s visually attractive from a naturist’s standpoint, but not the most contemporary method.

“Arnica has evolved,” said Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas. “Even though it has a long history, it’s never been terribly effective. Fast forward to the present, and we’ve had a good amount of labs analyze the active ingredients in arnica. They’ve identified a number of ingredients that account for anti-bruising, and among them are caffeine derivatives.”

Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas has included these derivatives along with cacao extract in her 37 Extreme Actives facial cream, sold at Neiman Marcus for $295 for a 1.7-ounce pot. “The idea is to combat puffiness because caffeine has a constrictive ability on blood vessels and lymphatic vessels,” she said.

Dr. Charles Passler, a Manhattan chiropractor and nutritionist who has worked with the Estée Lauder model Carolyn Murphy and with Dylan Lauren, recommends both oral and topical forms of arnica, mainly for bruising and inflammation. “As far as using arnica as a tool for changing body composition, I’m not aware of it,” he said. For temporary de-bloating, though, Dr. Passler conceded, “It will help decrease any puffiness in the body caused by inflammation.”

Despite her use of arnica in a topical product, Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas remains concerned about long-term oral use. “I would be O.K. if they did it for a few days for a photo shoot once a month,” she said of the fashionable pill-poppers. “But if they’re having a photo shoot every week, and they’re regularly on it, I would be very worried. Especially for models, they’re very thin, and it’s easier to get toxicity.”

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section E, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Seeking Relief Through Arnica. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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