Healthytalk8 What Is Facial Acupuncture?
Contents
Facial acupuncture is a technique where practitioners stimulate specific points on the face, by inserting thin needles through the skin.
It is one of the old traditions in Chinese medicine, which still has been done by other countries (1).
Facial Cosmetic acupuncture (FCA) is used to enhance beauty and preserve a youthful appearance.
It is applied to the head, face, and neck. However, there is less evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of FCA.
Why are these needles so popular? what does this do to our bodies?
In this, a very thin needle is inserted into your face skin, where the partitioner knows where to pin it on the face to bring benefits.
According to the traditional Chinese medicine theory, the disease can disrupt the flow of vital energy or “chi” in the body.
Chi is thought to flow along pathways in the body known as meridians.
To remove a blockage in the flow of chi and restore mental health, practitioners insert very thin needles into the skin (2).
At specific points on the face that connect with these meridians.
It believes that it allows the energy to flow and move which reduces the illness chances and relieves diseases.
Research has shown that cosmetic acupuncture has been introduced as an intervention for skin rejuvenation.
Does it really effective?
There are many studies showing that it increases blood flow and stimulated the immune system, also reduces jaw tension or relieves anxiety.
It also suggests that facial acupuncture is more effective than the treatment of LED light therapy (3).
DiLibero says that it can help with anxiety, jaw tension, headache, allergies, and stomach issues.
Much clinical research showed that it doesn’t matter where you stick the needles it also doesn’t matter if you stick the needles.
But what does this means – it means that this acupuncture doesn’t work for any indication
Benefits
Evidence suggests that facial acupuncture has many benefits on the skin (4) which include:
- reduce wrinkles
- decrease of facial edema
- improvement of facial muscle tone
- tighter pores
- decrease acne
- improved skin texture
- decrease of sagging around the eyes, cheeks, chin, and neck
A 2012 case study reported that, the increased water and oil content of facial skin after Facial Cosmetic acupuncture (FCA).
Facial acupuncture vs Micro-needling
| Facial acupuncture | Micro-needling |
| Acupuncture is where thin hair needles insert into a certain spot of the skin | Whereas, micro-needling is tiny, super-fast pinpricks to the skin |
| This one session is about 20 to 30 minutes | Microneedling is also known as collagen induction therapy because it increases collagen production. |
| Facial acupuncture is used for enhances beauty and preserve a youthful appearance. | As a result, the skin will be rebuilt stronger and with better structure than before. |
| It is commonly used to help treat back pain, neck pain, depression, and headaches. | It is commonly treated for skin conditions like wrinkles, sagging skin, stretch marks, sun damage, roughness, and acne. |
| It is a thousand of years of old technique that is principle-based on belief. | Its recommended as one of the best ways to increase collagen naturally. |
Is it Safe? what does the research say?
Large-scale studies have shown that facial acupuncture is safe, and serious adverse effects and death by acupuncture therapy are rare (5).
Facial acupuncture is reported that a safer and alternative option than surgery or botox (6).
Other evidence says that it is a non-invasive safe, natural, cost-effective, and effective, with minimum side effects.
Through, Micro healing, triggers multiple factors of aging, from smoothing lines to enhancing the volume of the skin (7).
Whereas, Botox cosmetic way can influence the health of the skin, working on more than the superficial signs of premature aging.
Adverse effect
Acupuncture needling can cause serious adverse effects when inserted by an unprofessional acupuncturist
NOTE: The most common side effect of facial acupuncture is bruising.
If people are going to receive the treatment then they should have good health for maximum healing capabilities. Same for micro-needling.
That is why people who have type II diabetes or uncontrolled, arthritis, zinc deficiency, etc should avoid acupuncture.
How to find a facial acupuncture practitioner
Anyone can do acupuncture, for this, find an acupuncture practitioner which will teach you like a child.
You can find practitioners online, you can also get a recommendation from yoga, meditation, and massage clinic.
NOTE: The acupuncture session lasts about 30 minutes.
BOTTOM LINE
Facial acupuncture is one a thousand years Chinese techniques to enhance beauty and preserve a youthful appearance, which is still so popular.
Its mostly consider safe, but most researchers say that it may have adverse effects that can be caused by many factors.
