This trend may have been the butt of a joke in "Bridesmaids," but Helen (Rose Byrne) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph) aren’t the only ones choosing to lighten up their anuses.

Inspired by porn stars, anal bleaching is a skin-whitening trend that has physicians shaking their heads. Just how dangerous is it to whiten up your back door? Read on to find out.

It Sounds Worse Than It Is

According to the spas who offer it, the procedure works something like this: First, your butt crack is waxed. If that alone isn’t painful enough for you, an esthetician will then apply acid — yes, you read that correctly — to your anus. To maximize effectiveness, the acid is actually massaged in. If your skin is on the darker side, you may even require additional applications to see results.

Will it burn? Some spas claim the procedure is totally “pain-free.” One initiate, who identified herself only as Maggie W., reported via Women’s Health that the procedure was “surprisingly quick” and wasn’t as painful as she thought it would be.

That’s reassuring.

Still, What Would Your Gynecologist Say?

A number of MDs warn that whitening up your back door is hardly risk-free, though not all are against it. There are dermatologists and plastic surgeons out there who actually offer this procedure — so if all your friends are doing it and you’re hell-bent on doing it, too, maybe shelling out for a real physician is the way to go.

Some of the reported risks? Burning, irritation, scarring are some of the most commonly reported side effects. Since everyone’s skin is different, there’s no way to predict how yours will react.

But other risks can actually cause serious, long-term harm to your precious derriere. According to NYC dermatologist Doris Day, bleaching can cause strictures, a condition that causes the anus to narrow, as well as rectal fissures, or tears. Though Dr. Day offers the procedure at her skin clinic, she warns that even when carried out by a doctor, the risk of burning and scarring is there.

Keep in mind, the darker pigment will also come back — whitening is not a permanent solution. On the other hand, there’s also the chance that the process will yield unnaturally white results. Do you really want to be that person with the unnaturally white anus?

The Bottom Line

Sure, you might get lucky and sidestep the itchy-and-burny side effects of anal whitening. But there is a butt—er, a but. The safest bet is to stay far, far away from the butt bleach.

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