Facial Cupping

As I have become a certain age, facial acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) beauty techniques have become a front-and-center focus in my personal and professional life. Determined to remain natural, I have scoped all that is available and so far I am happy to report I have remained plastic procedure and filler free!

My dear friend from acupuncture school who is a decade in age ahead of me graciously gifted me a facial cupping set about 8 years ago, not knowing that she followed a strict routine of facial cupping with her own set. Recently I asked her what has kept her skin glowing and gorgeous. She told me that she uses her facial cups at least once a week and does gua sha on her face while driving in SF Bay Area traffic. In full disclosure, her Polish heritage also helps her look younger than me! Inspired by her, I dug out the cups and started to play around and follow the meridian lines and facial acupuncture protocols I learned long ago.

So far I love the results. My neck tends to be slightly swollen from a Hashimoto’s diagnosis thanks to pandemic burnout. Since starting a regular routine of about every 2 nights on myself and my willing guinea pig husband we are both noticing results. My neck swelling has decreased giving me better jawbone definition, and my handsome husband even got a compliment yesterday on his skin! This may seem far-fetched but honestly, from such a simple routine we are noticing more Shen, that’s TCM talk for vibrancy and glow in the eyes and face.

Creating more lymph and blood flow to the face area allows for the exchange of nutrients to areas that were otherwise laying somewhat dormant. Continuing to wake up this area allows for cells called fibroblasts and stem cells to stimulate collagen production which gives our skin buoyancy. So instead of using fillers that can get blotchy and lumpy, using these simple, natural techniques can actually heal the skin and generate health, not make it more stagnant, and lifeless looking.

Who should not do facial acupuncture, facial gua sha, or cupping?

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure cases

• Those taking blood thinners that cause bruising, or those easy to bruise for any reason

• Spider veins can sometimes get worse with some of these techniques as its best to use body acupuncture to treat those veins, and work on taking heat out of the body

• Unstabilized fillers - anything less than 30 days old should not be bothered as it has the potential to displace the filler

• Wait until healing has occurred from any chemical peels, dental procedures, or other aesthetic adventures you may have tried

• Pregnancy

We also want to avoid treating anyone that is prone to Liver Yang rising diagnosis. This is a compilation of symptoms that causes the energy to course up the body and can cause further complications. Therefore, you should always go to a well-educated TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner for these procedures. Going to another kind of skilled worker that is offering this service “ad hoc” - meaning they have not completed a full Masters of Science program in TCM. Not going to a TCM practitioner you risk having someone perform techniques that may not be appropriate and cause internal problems.

Facial Cupping can be added to your treatment in my Scottsdale acupuncture clinic, or we can schedule a teaching session where I train you how to perform a routine at home. I am also available via Telehealth on Zoom.