Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. Nowadays, it is widely known for its role in the treatment of pain, especially sports-related injuries and as a treatment for anxiety and depression.

However, did you know it also has cosmetic benefits? This shouldn’t be surprising as cosmetology has always been a huge part of ancient Chinese medicine. Facial acupuncture is an extension of the ancient acupunctural treatment. Here, the practice is undertaken by an experienced acupuncturist to make the face look younger and smoother.

But facial acupuncture is more than just cosmetics. Its main goal is to enhance the health of the body to, in turn, maintain healthy skin and a positive mind, both of which are integral to sustaining a healthy body. Unlike cosmetics, acupuncture detoxifies your face, thereby giving it that fresh, healthy look. This is achieved with just 30 needles and no knives – as surgical facelifts use.

How it works

Facial acupuncture does not begin with the face. The face is only attended to after a full body treatment. This way, energy does not solely concentrate in the face (which can cause excessive discomfort and headaches).  An experienced acupuncturist will first perform a regular acupuncture session after which they will insert between 30 to 70 needles in selected points of the face.

Facial acupuncture works the way micro needling works, although it is less intense. The needles inserted in the face create positive microtraumas which trigger the repair mechanisms of the body. What happens next is that the lymphatic system and the circulatory system are stimulated, thereby sending blood and other nutrients to the face. This is what results in the fresh young look facial acupuncture provides.

What is crucial in this treatment is choosing the right points for the needling. The acupuncturist must get the required vortex points which are the paths where energy moves from organ to organ. Once they are properly connected, circulation is significantly increased towards the needle points.

Benefits

Facial acupuncture has many benefits:

• Facial acupuncture can tighten up your facial muscles and give your face a smoother tone. It ensures the deep tissue muscles that are too tight are properly relaxed while also tightening up the loose ones. If you also need your jawline lifted, facial acupuncture is the effective, low-risk and cost-effective way to go about it.
• By rebalancing the body’s energy, facial acupuncture can eradicate breakouts. This includes the ones caused by premenstrual hormonal imbalance and even the chronic ones. It does this indirectly by targeting the root causes, which are usually internal heat and digestive disorders. Generally, acupuncture health is proving increasingly popular with women — from fertility and conception to pregnancy itself and even life after labour.
• The treatment can brighten dull skin, which is usually caused by lack of proper energy flow around the body. The needles stimulate skin circulation and the production of collagen which creates a brightened complexion.
• Facial acupuncture handles swollen faces by targeting their root causes. Poor lymphatic drainage is often reported as the main cause of this. Others include digestion disorder or some forms of allergies. Acupuncture does more than just resolve the swelling. It also aims at treating it from the inside. By simply targeting selected areas on the face with needles, the acupuncturist can trigger the healing response around the area and the body.
• There is also the issue of cost. Facial acupuncture is a more effective and low-risk alternative to going under the knife with plastic surgery. The fresh young look it gives you doesn’t have any of the adverse effects associated with other methods.

Side effects

Acupuncture, generally, is a low-risk treatment with few side effects. With facial acupuncture, the level of risk is even lower. The most common side effect is bruising. It is rare, but it does occur. This is why it is essential that whoever is receiving the treatment should be in good health. Those living with a bleeding disorder or type 2 diabetes are not advised to undergo the treatment. But, even when there is bruising, it is bound to heal up between a couple of days to a week.

Costs

The cost of facial acupuncture depends on a range of factors like the studio, your location, if you are going for full body acupuncture or just the face. Remember, it is not recommended for you to go for only the face. Also, most acupuncture studios offer massage therapies which they often provide alongside acupuncture treatments. The treatment can go for around £175 for the initial consultation which often lasts for an hour. The price will likely lower during subsequent visits.

Conclusion

Facial acupuncture is a holistic treatment essential for maintaining both a young look and healthy skin. It is recommended for everyone because it provides much more than simply cosmetic benefits. The treatment detoxifies the skin from inside out leaving it fresh and smooth. A monthly treatment is ideal to maintain the results.