Do you wake up looking puffy and tired? Consider a simple technique to de-puff your face, called gua sha (pronounced gwah-sha).

What is Gua Sha?

This time-tested muscular sculpting technique is based in traditional Chinese medicine.

A type of massage that can relieve tension in the face, it also helps lower inflammation, improve blood circulation, increase skin elasticity, and smooth out wrinkles and smile lines.

Benefits of Gua Sha

Regular gua sha facial massage can help contour the face, lift the jaw and eyebrows, lessen dark circles, and reduce puffiness.

Some even report this technique helps relieve sinus pressure, tension headaches, neck pain, TMJ, and migraines.

About Gua Sha Tools

To perform a gua sha on yourself, you need a gua sha tool.

These scraping devices are typically made from jade stone. You may find one that’s rose quartz, obsidian, glass, or even wood.

Each material offers its own benefits. Jade is the most common and generally preferred, since it’s firm, cool to the touch, and soothing to the skin.

Gua sha tools are unique looking. Typically, they are flat and smooth with a shape like an elongated heart. You may come across moon designs, as well as different rectangular or oblong versions.

What they all have in common are smooth, rounded edges. These edges gently scrape over the contours of the face, providing a healing facial massage.

Performing Facial Gua Sha

Here’s how to perform a facial gua sha on yourself.

1. Preparation

   Prep your face by patting over a facial oil. This allows the gua sha tool to slide over the skin smoothly and easily.

   If you prefer using a cream lotion, you may need to apply it more than once during the massage.

   Make sure your hands and the gua sha tool are clean.

2. Jawline

   Hold the gua sha tool at a slight angle (about 30 to 45 degrees). Position the notch of the tool (that’s the top of the heart), so it hugs the center part of your chin along your jawline. You can also use the long, slightly indented, and curved side of the tool.

   With gua sha tool in hand, glide it along the edge of your jawline moving up toward each ear. (Holding your chin firmly with your free hand may make this easier.) Use long, sweeping motions to help contour the area.

   Repeat for a total of five times on each side of the jaw. You may want to hold the gua sha in place for a second or two at the end of each sweeping motion.

3. Forehead

   Move on to the forehead. Divide this area into three sections, starting at the forehead’s center. Glide the gua sha tool up and out toward your hairline. Drag the tool up and over each brow bone, moving from the center of your face out.

4. Cheeks

   Now on to the cheeks. Start on one side of the nose and sweep up toward your ear. Repeat with the other cheek. Move down the cheek two more times on each side, repeating the movement. 

5. Lips

   If you wish to work the lip area, firmly hold the skin above one side of the lip. Glide the gua sha tool over the lips to create a plumping effect. 

Precautions

During the massage, avoid rubbing the gua sha tool up and down or back and forth. This will only stretch and aggravate your skin.

You want to see a little redness on the skin, but never enough that the face starts to hurt.

Frequency

To avoid bruises and bursting capillaries, don’t press too hard when using the tool.

How often should you do a gua sha facial massage?

Consistency creates the best results, so aim for three to five times a week with about three minutes per session.

Beyond the Face

If you have a bloated abdomen, you can also use your gua sha tool to massage your belly.

1. Start by moving the tool in a downward motion across the upper abdominal area six times. Repeat. 
2. Next, go to the lower abdominal area near the hips. Move the tool down and in toward your pubic bone. 
3. Last, move it in a counterclockwise, circular motion about 24 times. 

A gua sha massage on the abdomen can be done every day, but even a few times a week can be effective.

This technique is best performed on an empty stomach, so there’s no interference with the digestive process.

You can also try using the gua sha tool behind your neck to alleviate tension.

For an extra cooling effect, place the tool in the fridge for 30 minutes before using. 

Keep it Clean

Occasionally disinfect the gua sha tool by placing it in boiling water (if the material allows for this).

You can also immerse the tool in a watered-down bleach solution for a few minutes.

If the tool chips or breaks, discard it. 

The use of Botox and dermal fillers to help treat facial wrinkles and sagging skin carries certain risks. Allergic reactions, pain, and swelling are common, and more serious side effects can occur. Facial rejuvenation acupuncture stimulates the body’s own production of skin-supporting collagen instead.

An Interview with Gudrun Snyder

Gudrun Snyder is the founder of Moon Rabbit Acupuncture in Chicago. We spoke to her about the procedure.

Many people have a fear of needles. How do you ease those fears when a patient schedules a session?

One of the most common questions we receive is “does acupuncture hurt?” The short answer is it depends, but overall acupuncture should not be painful. First, it is important to know that acupuncturists use hair-thin needles that are 30 to 40 times thinner than anything you would experience at your physician’s office.

I usually show our most apprehensive patients what the needle looks like, and they immediately breathe a sigh of relief, exclaiming “I had no idea the needles are so tiny!” They are so thin that some patients report not even feeling them go in. That said, everyone has a different sensitivity to touch and pain. Most likely, when you get acupuncture, you will feel it, but it shouldn’t hurt. Often people feel a sense of calm once the needles are inserted, and some even fall asleep!

Tell us how a typical facial acupuncture treatment works.

Cosmetic acupuncture, aka facial rejuvenation acupuncture, works by stimulating the body’s natural production of collagen. Similar to microneedling, it creates microtraumas in the skin and triggers the body’s natural healing response. This starts a cascade of biochemical reactions that result in increased blood flow, as well as increasing collagen and elastin. Wrinkles are often created by a decrease in this collagen and elasticity and by the chronic overuse of certain muscles in the face.

Often, we have a facial expression that we make that is uniquely our own, whether it be smiling more on one side than the other or furrowing the brows. Cosmetic acupuncture relieves the tension of these overused muscles—so instead of freezing them like Botox, it relaxes your face. All of this combined helps achieve a more youthful, glowing appearance.

At your first appointment, you will meet with your acupuncturist to discuss your health concerns and wellness goals. Depending on your skin care goals, current skin situation, and age, your treatment will be between 30 and 60 minutes. Primarily we treat fine lines and wrinkles, scarring, and minor to moderate acne. In general we recommend multiple sessions—ideally 10—that are relatively close together (one time per week or biweekly) to achieve the best results.

At every cosmetic acupuncture treatment with Moon Rabbit we also treat your overall well-being goals. Because, as we all know, beauty really does come from within, and when you aren’t feeling your best, you can’t look your best. The treatment is completed with either jade rolling, gua sha, or face cupping accompanied with the application of a facial serum chosen for individual needs.  

How long do the effects of facial rejuvenation acupuncture last?

The effects are cumulative, so the more you do it, the more lasting results you will see. Some people report up to five years of lasting change after their initial 10 sessions, with only monthly or seasonal tune-up sessions. 

After the first treatment, the results will be subtle and you should expect to see an improvement in skin tone, texture, and overall glow due to improved circulation. As you progress in your treatments, you may notice a reduction in fine lines, puffiness, and, as a bonus, better sleep and overall health. 

In an ideal world we like to see you twice a week for a total of 10 sessions. I have patients who report incredible results by coming for every-other-week sessions ongoing. One patient (a former Botox lover) even reported that when she went to get additional Botox, her injector said she didn’t need anything done. All due to acupuncture and her ongoing wellness and beauty routines!

What are the risks associated with conventional cosmetic procedures?

So many women (and men!) are feeling the pressure to have a youthful appearance, thus the surge in Botox, fillers, and other facial treatments and plastic surgery. There are many risks associated with injections, chemical peels, and other beauty treatments. I leave it up to the medical experts who work with these systems to discuss in detail what the specific risks are, but as an Eastern medicine doctor we look at beauty holistically and try to offer an alternative to some of the more risky treatments that are available.

Are there side effects from facial rejuvenation acupuncture?

The wonderful thing about facial rejuvenation acupuncture is that it addresses wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, and puffiness, but it does not have the relatively more risky side effects associated with Botox, fillers, or surgery.

The most common side effect for facial acupuncture is bruising. This usually resolves within a few days. Additionally, unlike Botox or fillers, cosmetic acupuncture is not a quick fix. You should not expect to see drastic changes in your appearance after your first treatment. The idea is to create small changes over time that lead to long-term changes in your skin and body’s health.