By Physician Shan YanDi
Curious about facial acupuncture and whether it will actually do anything to your skin?
When you think of acupuncture, usually visions of laying on your stomach while a skilled acupuncturist inserts tiny pins into your back comes to mind. For many, having those same needles pricked into your face sounds straight up terrifying, but don’t run away in horror so quickly! Facial acupuncture is an ancient practice, and it’s believed to have some serious benefits.
Wondering how it works, what it feels like, and what it can potentially do for skin quality, we hit up our Physician Shan YanDi to share this amazing this natural beauty treatment.
How Does Facial Acupuncture Feel Like?
We know what you’re thinking: You’re going to stick a needle… where?! Ouch! Here’s the thing, though. The needles used in facial acupuncture (also referred to as cosmetic acupuncture) are exceptionally small. As in half the thickness of a single strand of hair. They’re also coated with silicone to allow them to effortless glide into skin without resistance.
The needles are inserted at specific points for max effect and then are left in for the duration of your session. Many customers had facial acupuncture before say that it’s essentially painless and, surprisingly, quite relaxing!
The goal is to improve your skin’s texture and radiance and to reduce acne and signs of aging. This is a customized procedure, and body acupuncture is often incorporated, as well, in order to reduce overall stress and promote a balanced mind and body. Consider it a mix between a massage and a facial in terms of benefit.
How Does It Treat Fine Lines and Aging?
Facial acupuncture is also a potential treatment for fine lines and wrinkles.
The needles are inserted gently into the facial regions at specific points so as to improve blood circulation stimulate collagen production when treating wrinkles or lines.
In that sense, it’s sort of like a more relaxing, less painful, and longer micro-needling session. The primary difference between the two is that micro-needling purposefully causes trauma to the skin via a ton of tiny needles that penetrate over and over again, while acupuncture doesn’t cause trauma.
Another interesting thing to note is that because acupuncture affects your entire body and well-being, even if the needling is just isolated to the face, your general mood and spirit will be improved.
Acupuncture is wonderful for treating stress in general. A healthy body, and managing overall stress, is a great strategy to prevent wrinkles.
What happens after you get facial acupuncture?
Well, unlike some facials, you don’t have to worry about camping out in your home for a few days following a session because your face is red or peeling. In fact, you can resume your go-to skin care routine and even wear makeup right away.
At this point, the evidence we have for facial acupuncture as a treatment for acne or aging is anecdotal and preliminary. It is an ancient practice and many people believe in its power, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge that there’s no hard science to back it up.
We advise to you is to experiment with facial acupuncture if it’s something that sounds promising, or if you’re simply curious about how it might feel or work for your skin. Schedule your appointment today, we’d love to hear about experiences!
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