Gwyneth Paltrow admits to unusual beauty regime of getting stung by bees

Gwyneth Paltrow has spilled the beans on her unusual beauty regime – getting stung by bees. The Hollywood actress calls the painful procedure, known as apitherapy, "incredible" as it helps in reducing scarring and inflammation.

"I'm always the guinea pig to try everything. I've got to try them all," says Paltrow. "I'm open to anything. I've been stung by bees. It's actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it's painful. I haven't done cryotherapy yet, but I do want to try that." Apitherapy involves using using products derived from bees for medicinal purposes.

Bee venom therapy, which falls under apitherapy, involves angering bees and letting them sting on an affected area of the body, and is often used in the treatment of arthritis and multiple sclerosis. While the procedure has not been scientifically proven to be beneficial, it has been in practice for several thousand years.

While bee venom might have a potential to treat skin lesions, arthritis, and other ailments, neuroscientist Dean Burnett contradicts all the flowery talk about the therapy. "Using bee stings to get rid of inflammation is like using petrol bombs to get rid of a house fire. Bee stings, like most insect venom, cause inflammation! If you've ever been stung by anything, you know this," Burnett writes in The Guardian. "It makes you wonder what she'll promote as a beauty aid next, though. Eating trees? Freefall yoga? Snail slime? That last one is actually real, so it's probably only a matter of time."

Palthrow also credits her daughter for filling her in on the latest beauty products. "You need technique to use bronzer, highlighter and BB cream, all these things my daughter tells me about. She watches YouTube. I sort of let her do her own thing at home ... I obviously don't let her out of the house with a full face. But I think she's going to be way more into beauty than I am," Paltrow tells The New York Times in an interview.

Speaking of her past health regime, which involved trying out fad diets, 43-year-old Paltrow says she has adopted: "a slightly easier philosophy, all around, than 10 years ago ... I think I see now that life is really a balance .... It's also really great to drink a vodka and have French fries."