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So, this blog is generally on the pretty peer-reviewed, Western medicine side of things with beauty treatments.
But today, we’re going to dig into facial acupuncture benefits and how facial acupuncture works.
I’m not generally someone who’s into alternative treatments, but years ago I made an exception and tried traditional acupuncture to treat my migraines. And I was pretty skeptical, but I did find that it worked! I’m prone to 2-3 migraines around the change of seasons, and they’ve gotten worse since I moved to the Midwest where the humidity comes up more suddenly.
For a few weeks each year, in April and October, I would be completely helpless. One spring, when I could feel the barometric pressure rising, I decided to give those tiny acupuncture needles a shot. And I was scared, and it felt weird, but the holistic approach worked! I got one migraine that spring, and it was the mildest one I had gotten since moving here.
The idea, in traditional Chinese medicine, in that the flow of qi gets interrupted, leading to injury and other ailments. Chronic pain or migraines like mine are the result of blocked energy flow. They can be corrected through the use of specific acupuncture points that correct the flow of energy. Honestly it’s not a quick fix, and I should be going regularly. But when I do get in, there’s a legitimate improvement from those tiny thin needles!
What is facial accupuncture?
So, facial acupuncture isn’t about migraines! It’s a cosmetic acupuncture treatment that improves the appearance of the skin and reduces signs of aging.
Within the philosophy of Chinese medicine, excessive early skin aging is caused by blockages in your flow of energy. Note that word ‘excessive’ — facial acupuncture treatments are intended to address a problem in your energy flow. The treatment has several other cosmetic benefits though: improved collagen production, improved blood flow, and a reduction in the appearance of fine lines.
So, in theory, it’s working on two levels: the potential benefits of improving your energy flow throughout your body (which I know some people may not believe) and then also the healing processes that result from the positive microtraumas from the fine needles. This part is well-documented scientifically and is the basis of many other cosmetic treatment options, most notably microneedling! In both facial acupuncture and microneedling, tiny needles enter your body at specific points, improving blood circulation and triggering the production of collagen in the treatment area.
Is facial acupuncture the same as microneedling?
No, not really. Though they both work by creating tiny wounds in the skin, a facial acupuncture session will use 40-70 needles, meaning 40-70 wounds. In a microneedling session, the insertion of needles happens over and over again, creating thousands of small wounds.
It’s not accurate to say that microneedling is necessarily better than acupuncture or has more of the benefits of facial acupuncture. Because if you value the flow of energy or view qi as part of the health of the skin, microneedling doesn’t address that. And someone who’s struggling with health problems may find that microneedling creates new collagen but doesn’t address the root health issue that’s causing skin aging.
On the other hand, a healthy person dealing with normal, not excessive, skin aging might get the best results from microneedling.
If you choose facial acupuncture, it’s important to go into it understanding what you’re looking for. Like, if your overall health needs improvement or you want healthier skin, not just younger skin, acupuncture is a good choice. If you feel that your vital energy is fine, facial acupuncture aims might not be for you.
Facial acupuncture benefits
So, the biggest facial acupuncture benefits are going to be a slowing of the aging process and improvements in the appearance of your skin.
Your practitioner will decide exactly how your treatment should go. They decide based on your medical history, any health issues you might be having, and the overall appearance of your skin. That influences where they put the needles. You’re also likely to get a massage of the facial muscles that will drain your lymphatic system. It’s similar to a gua sha. This means that you’re likely to see a more youthful appearance pretty much right away, depending on your individual needs. Lymphatic drainage can improve the appearance of your face by reducing bloating and puffiness!
In addition to the results of the facial massage, you are likely to see improved skin health. That should include smoother skin texture and reduced wrinkles. As you continue with facial rejuvenation acupuncture, you’ll see your skin elasticity improve and fine lines reduced. They call this the “acupuncture facelift”: when your optimal results begin to age you backwards.
Facial acupuncture isn’t a quick fix — you’re making long-term changes and committing to maintenance sessions. But if you feel strongly that your skin aging has a root cause other than simply getting older, it might be wiser to look into acupuncture rather than plastic surgery or other cosmetic treatments. That way you can actually solve the problem in a non-invasive way.
Am I a good candidate for facial acupuncture?
The facial acupuncture benefits are going to work for most everyone. There might be some potential side effects like slight bruising at the needle site. (You can try to avoid this by avoiding blood thinners and painkillers before your appointment and strenuous exercise after your appointment.)
My experience as a patient has been that acupuncturists are very cautious around pregnancy. This is consistent with their belief that everything that happens in the entire body is connected. My treatments plan for migraines was changed significantly while I was pregnant with each of my kids. So, if you are currently pregnant, expect that there might be a change in your treatment, or that you might even have a practitioner suggest you come back after your pregnancy, if you’re here for cosmetic reasons.
(There are other pregnancy-safe acupuncture treatments, though. Some people go in the first trimester to alleviate nausea, or later in pregnancy to manage back pain.)
The only thing that limits facial acupuncture is actually full-body acupuncture treatment — you can’t do both on the same day! So book your sessions of facial acupuncture separately to avoid causing skin congestion.
I’m still mostly a peer-reviewed girl, and I’ve written here about how my primary anti-aging skincare is microneedling at home. But I think facial acupuncture is a good strategy for when you just feel like something’s off in your body.
