Facial Gua Sha: The Surprising Beauty Benefits of Acupuncture
Acupuncture treats the whole person, so it stands to reason your skin will benefit. Some call the skin the ‘third lung’ because, let’s face it (pardon the pun), your skin does scientifically breathe!
Chinese medicine and acupuncture could be translated as ‘organ medicine’. I practice a medical system that analyses the health of internal organs by reading the tongue, pulse, looking at qualities of a person including hair, skin, body odour, facial colours, tone of voice and emotional state to read into a person’s internal state.
Acupuncture is about creating movement of Qi, blood and fluids to nourish internal organs and, therefore, your skin. I often see peri menopausal patients who are completely exhausted. They tend to experience dark circles around the eyes, which is indicative of low Kidney Qi. Sometimes people will experience puffy under-eyes and jawline due to fluids not moving properly. These are fantastic diagnostic tools for me and are mostly helped with treatment that moves these fluids and strengthens the underlying organs.
In Chinese medicine the Shen is the name for our ‘internal spirit’. Our Shen radiates through our face, our skin and eyes – think of a time when you were feeling your best and felt your spirit shining out through your face. That is when your Shen is at its very best!
How does Acupuncture make your skin glow?
We all get times when we feel flat, tired and drained; it shows in our faces. When your Qi is lifted through acupuncture, the spirit is also lifted, we become more upright, our faces lift, our complexion glows and our eyes sparkle. On the actual skin, there are various tools used for facial Gua Sha in Chinese medicine, which help to promote blood flow to the face and encourage natural glowing skin – as well as numerous additional health benefits. In-clinic, I often use Gua Sha on people’s neck and shoulders to help relieve migraines, tension headaches, muscular pain, stress and anxiety.
“The ancient Chinese beauty tool taking over your Instagram feed. It’s also known as the ‘natural facelift’.”
Gua Sha can boost your immune system and help with scarring and skin disorders. It’s little surprise then that the press have picked up on this all-natural, ancient beauty and wellness treatment with Vogue and Women’s Health magazine both recently featuring the benefits of Gua Sha. DIY Gua Sha facial tools are also gaining popularity in the beauty world, they allow you to have an ‘at-home’ experience before you book a professional Gua Sha treatment. If you’re keen to try this for yourself, Elle has a fantastic “how to” feature (with video!)
Read more about Umé Gua Sha here or, if you have any questions, send me a message and I’ll be happy to discuss treatment with you.