TO YOUR HEALTH
Facial Acupuncture For Skin Care and Self Care
BY HELENA AMOS, M.AC., L.AC., EURO. PHYSICIAN
There is a great deal of science behind the concept of “look good, feel good.” The psychological and physiological links between our appearance and our emotions has been studied extensively, increasing our under- standing of how the adage is a very self-fulling function in the body. And ZHUHDOL]HWKHZHOOQHVVEHQH¿WVRIWKLVFRQQHFWLRQORQJDIWHUWKHPDNHXS ZHDUVR̆ RUZHSXWRXUVZHDWSDQWVDQGVOLSSHUVEDFNRQ Facial acupuncture is an underappreciated approach for nurturing the look good-feel good health rewards. Also referred to as acupuncture fa- cial rejuvenation or cosmetic acupuncture, this treatment uses tradition- DO&KLQHVHPHGLFLQH 7&0 SULQFLSOHVWRHQKDQFHWKHDSSHDUDQFHRIWKH face and body. The growing popularity of this ancient practice is attribut- ed to its potential for both aesthetics and self care by adopting a holistic perspective, often integrating dietary advice, lifestyle changes, and other 7&0SUDFWLFHVWRSURPRWHRYHUDOOKHDOWKDORQJVLGHEHDXW\ 6RPHRIWKHVLJQL¿FDQWEHQH¿WVWRVNLQFDUHDQGKHDOWKFDUHSURYLGHGE\ facial acupuncture include: • Increased Collagen Production — Collagen, a vital protein that KHOSVPDLQWDLQVNLQHODVWLFLW\DQG¿UPQHVVLVRIWHQOLQNHGWRUHGXFHG¿QH lines and wrinkles. Furthermore, by targeting areas of tension with regu- lar treatments, facial acupuncture helps relax the muscles, thereby reduc- ing their appearance over time for a more youthful appearance. • Improved Blood Circulation — The insertion of needles enhances EORRGÀRZWRWKHWUHDWHGDUHDVSURYLGLQJHVVHQWLDOQXWULHQWVDQGR[\JHQ to the skin, which can help achieve a healthy glow and more even skin WRQH(QKDQFLQJFLUFXODWLRQZLWKDFXSXQFWXUHDOVRSURPRWHVWKHERG\¶V natural healing processes overall. • Promotes Lymphatic Drainage — Facial acupuncture may help fa- FLOLWDWHO\PSKDWLFGUDLQDJHUHGXFLQJVZHOOLQJDQGSẊ QHVV7KLVGHWR[L - I\LQJH̆ HFWFDQHQKDQFHIDFLDOFRQWRXUDQGRYHUDOOIDFLDOV\PPHWU\ • Addresses Underlying Issues ²0DQ\RIWKHVLJQVRIDJLQJFDQEH exacerbated by stress, hormonal imbalance, and other lifestyle factors. Acupuncture can help alleviate stress and promote overall health, poten- tially addressing some underlying causes of skin or other health issues. • Balances Energy Flow (Qi) ²,Q7&0KHDOWKLVOLQNHGWRWKHEDODQFH of energy, or Qi, within the body. Facial acupuncture aims to restore this balance, which can lead to improvements in the skin as well as for overall :LWKLQ7&0PXFKOLNHWKHLPSRUWDQFHRIEDODQFLQJ4LLW¶VDOVRYDOX - able to understand that facial diagnosis plays a key role by connecting spe- FL¿FDUHDVRIWKHIDFHZLWKFRUUHVSRQGLQJRUJDQVDQGV\VWHPVLQWKHERG\ These main areas are riddled with the acupuncture points necessary for WUHDWLQJVSHFL¿FFRQFHUQVDQGRUVWLPXODWLQJNH\WULJJHUSRLQWVIRUKHDOWK and wellness. For example, the forehead corresponds to the bladder and small intestine. Two acupuncture points that can be applied to this area are Yintang (EX-HN3) ZKLFK D̆ HFWV WKH PLQG DQG SURPRWHV UHOD[ - ation; and Taiyang (EX-HN5 ZKLFKUHOLHYHVKHDGDFKHVDQGSURPRWHV circulation. +HUH LV DQ RYHUYLHZ RI WKH RWKHU PDLQ DUHDV RI WKH IDFH WKHLU FRUUH - sponding organs, and associated acupuncture points, many of which are XVHGGXULQJIDFLDODFXSXQFWXUH 6HHGLDJUDP health and emotional well-being. The Face: A TCM Roadmap
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PATHWAYS—Summer 25—21
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