Guasha Facial Treatment: A Whole Lot More Than Holistic Beauty
When we feel good, we feel good about how we look.
I have been offering Guasha Facial Treatments for over 5 years and in that time, I’ve noticed a major shift in the trend, with more and more people becoming aware of Guasha as a way to improve skin vitality. What I love about the Guasha Facial Treatments that I offer, because they are combined with body acupuncture, is that they are also therapeutic and can be used to address a variety of health issues. Also, unlike Cosmetic Acupuncture, they are safe in pregnancy, as well as for those who suffer from migraines or high blood pressure. In the following article I will describe what to expect, what can be treated and who would most benefit from a Guasha Facial Treatment.
What Is Guasha?
Let’s start at the beginning, what is Guasha and how is it used in a facial treatment?
Guasha is a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique using a tool in a scraping motion over the skin. Guasha can be used in a sports massage setting on any part of the body to create muscle and fascial release, and in these cases is often quite vigorous.
When used on the face, the tool is stone and typically made from jade or quartz with rounded edges and applied using very gentle repetitive stroke. The sensation tends to be soothing and done correctly it should not cause bruising for most people. The purpose of Guasha is primarily to encourage circulation, or as we say in TCM “move qi and blood”, move lymph fluid, reduce inflammation and generally invigorate the skin.
What Is A Facial Guasha Treatment?
I originally began offering the Facial Guasha Treatment as a way to offer a facial rejuvenation treatment similar to Cosmetic acupuncture, but accessible during pregnancy (unfortunately Cosmetic Acu is considered contraindicated in pregnancy due to the volume of facial needles). Combining Facial Guasha with a therapeutic Acupuncture treatment turned out to create a holistic beauty treatment that appealed to a much wider range of clients than I had originally anticipated. Many of them told me they had felt nervous about Cosmetic Acu because they didn’t love the idea of facial needling but were interested in the effects.
In a Facial Guasha Treatment, we start with a health intake so I can get a sense of your constitution and how best to support your body. In TCM we are always trying to create balance and internal harmony. When working on skin vitality, we look at the systems that regulate circulation, blood flow, healing and regeneration, stress and hormone regulation as well general health. As we know, when our bodies and minds are healthy and balanced, it shows in the face!
What to expect during a Facial Guasha Treatment:
The Guasha Facial Treatment begins as all acupuncture treatments do with a quick check in about how you’re feeling. We typically ask about things like sleep, digestion and energy. This is a great time to let me know any health issues you may be having, skin related or otherwise. Once the intake is completed, the needles are gently inserted, followed by a face wash and a warm towel. For the next period, roughly 10-15 minutes, you rest by yourself to let the needles take effect and gently shift you into a parasympathetic state, or the “Rest and Digest” state, as it’s sometimes called. Once you’re all the way in the zone, I’ll come back for what I like to call “the fun part”. After applying a high quality facial serum, I’ll perform facial Guasha by doing a high volume of gentle upward strokes over your whole face. The Guasha is followed by facial cupping using a small silicone suction cup and similar upward strokes. Depending on the needs of your skin, I may use tiny eye cups underneath your eyes, or the jade roller to gently diminish inflammation in your face. We finish with a facial and scalp massage, using Tuina (TCM acupressure massage) techniques to relieve any remaining tension.
What Health Conditions Can A Facial Guasha Treatment Address?
Many people come for Guasha Facial Treatments simply for relaxation and stress relief, or general balancing and skin boosting. However, the treatment can also be used to address specific health issues. Here are just a few:
- Headaches: Acupuncture by itself can be a great way to treat headaches and migraines but combined with Facial Guasha we are able to address the muscle tension of the neck, head, face and jaw with increased efficacy, as well as helping relieve overall stress. Often the tension in these areas contributes to or is even the source of headaches, so a multi-faceted approach can make a big difference.
- Jaw Tension and Pain: Similarly to headaches, jaw tension is something we frequently treat with acupuncture that can greatly benefit from adding Guasha and facial cupping. Being able to reduce inflammation in the joint, down-regulate the nervous system to address underlying stress that may trigger tension in the jaw and bring relaxation to the whole face can greatly reduce the overall tension and pain, whether it’s a newer issue or an older, chronic issue.
- Bell’s Palsy: It has been documented in medical studies that acupuncture can increase the positive outcomes for people experiencing recent onset Bell’s Palsy. It can also be very beneficial for those who continue to experience some symptoms years after the initial onset, and is often used to improve movement and mobility in the areas that have experienced paralysis. Adding the Facial Guasha and cupping can be an excellent way to bring more blood flow to the affected area and help fluid move evenly throughout the face, therefore improving muscle tone and movement.
Facial Guasha Treatments for Fertility and Prenatal Patients:
Fertility journeys can be challenging physically and emotionally. Many people opt to use Acupuncture to help both their chances of getting pregnant and relieving the stress that can come with the fertility process. Because Acupuncture treatments for fertility need to be consistent and quite regular, I have found that a lot of my clients love mixing in the Guasha Facial Treatments, swapping out some or even all their weekly fertility treatments with Guasha Facials. Because we can continue with the same fertility supporting needle protocols we would be using in the standard treatment, there is only the added benefit of relaxation and destressing by including the Guasha Facial.
Once pregnant, the Guasha Facial Treatments are not only safe, they can also be an excellent way to treat pregnancy symptoms while improving skin and bringing stress relief. Each trimester offers potential challenges and symptoms and most of all can be quite stressful, especially when folks are working and/or have other children. Acupuncture can be very effective for treating most pregnancy related symptoms and combining that with Facial Guasha can offer a much needed relaxing treat.
Treat Yourself!
Whether you are coming to address a particular health issue, to have a relaxing spa-like experience, or just out of curiosity, the Facial Guasha Treatment is a lovely way to show yourself some self-care.
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Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your main healthcare provider if you are experiencing any of the symptoms outlined in this article.