What women do for men: Japanese salon launches anti-ageing beauty treatment that involves letting live SNAILS crawl across your face

They have long been regarded as a nuisance in the garden but it seems that snails could be more friend than foe when it comes to anti-ageing.

A revolutionary new facial that involves allowing live snails to slither across the complexion has been hailed the next big thing in beauty thanks to the glow-boosting properties of snail mucus.

The mucus, which contains a mix of powerful proteins, antioxidants and hyularonic acid, is said to help skin retain moisture, soothe inflammation and remove dead skin.

During the 60-minute treatment, which is offered at the Clinical Salon in Tokyo, the face is cleansed before snails are placed on the cheeks and forehead and allowed to move around as they please.

The facial, named the Celebrity Escargot Course, costs £161 and also includes a series of facial massages, masks and the use of an electrical pulse machine.

'Snail slime can help the recovery of skin cells on the face, so we expect the snail facial to help heal damaged skin,' Yoko Miniami, sales manager at Tokyo's Clinical Salon which offers the treatment, told the Sunday Telegraph.

The substance is also believed to help tackle sun damage, according to Ms Miniami, who said: 'We are interested in the fact that snails have a function that can help heal skin damaged by ultraviolet rays.'

I know Snail slime rejuvenate the skin but this is creepy.