Facial Acupuncture
Considering that due to technological advances, modern acupuncture needles have become very thin, you might think that facial acupuncture is a new application of the ancient method, but it is not so. Ever since the earliest written evidence of acupuncture was discovered, it already mentioned the use of acupuncture along with other traditional Chinese medical modalities to enhance facial appearance. In fact, one of the earliest classics of traditional Chinese medicine the Huang Di Nei Jing, written more than 2,000 years ago, describes the effects of aging on skin and appearance and recommends using acupuncture, moxibustion, facial massage, diet modifications, and qigong for slowing it down. The first Chinese text on herbal medicine, the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, written around 220 AD, lists and describes 43 herbal cosmetology references. Later texts, written during the next thousand years or so, describe hundreds more methods and techniques of facial rejuvenation. The practitioners at the Advanced Holistic Center’s Miami Beach Facial Acupuncture and Downtown Miami Facial Acupuncture branches studied the classic texts and keep up to date with the latest discoveries in facial acupuncture techniques, to provide our patients with the best options available today.
Can Acupuncture Tighten Facial Skin & Remove Wrinkles?
A large-scale facial acupuncture study published in 1996 in the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture reported that 90% of the 300 participants exhibited marked effects after one course of treatment, which included at least ten acupuncture sessions, improvement in skin color and texture, reduction in wrinkles’ size, depths, and numbers, and increased skin elasticity. A 2007 report in the European Journal of Oriental Medicine stated that the outcome of facial rejuvenation depends a lot on individual patient’s lifestyle, but in most instances patients’ fine lines can disappear, deeper wrinkles can become shallower and therefore less visible, improvements in drooping eyelids and eyebrows, in size of under-eye bags, in face puffiness and double chin. The article also states that the quality of results depend on individual patient’s health, lifestyle, and hereditary physical appearance, as well as the practitioner’s skills. At the Advanced Holistic Center’s Miami Beach Facial Acupuncture and Downtown Miami Facial Acupuncture branches, our practitioners have long training, and they keep honing their professional skills whenever they have a chance.
The Science behind Facial Acupuncture: Does Acupuncture Stimulate Collagen Production?
In theory, superficial acupuncture needle insertion in skin promotes increased collagen production in that area, and evidence from research studies confirms that collagen actually becomes produced more as a result of local needle insertions. Facial acupuncture’s effectiveness appears to be greater than it was anticipated, though, and an article published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine in October of 2016 proposes a new theory, which describes a wider variety of biological mechanisms occurring during and after facial acupuncture sessions. An article published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal admits that facial acupuncture can work as a stand-alone therapy when the needed degree of enhancement in physical appearance is small, and it can also work well as a complementary modality after a plastic surgery or procedure. Our practitioners at the Advanced Holistic Center’s Miami Beach Facial Acupuncture and Downtown Miami Facial Acupuncture branches can help in either instance. What research articles mention but do not quite explain is that facial acupuncture involves treatment not only the face but the whole organism, because classical acupuncture is a holistic method, which makes the results even better.
Something Else
Advanced Holistic Center is a NYC based acupuncture and holistic healthcare clinic. Advanced Holistic Center has more locations and longer open hours than almost any complementary and alternative healthcare facility in all of NYC. With four offices manned by our fully licensed and board certified acupuncturists and herbalists, a team of highly-qualified: assistants, meditation teachers.
Facial Acupuncture Benefits
An article published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal reports that needles in acupuncture used primarily either for boosting or sedating effects. Boosting or tonification techniques used in facial acupuncture help to increase muscle tone and to promote blood circulation, while sedation techniques help reduce inflammation and acne. A 2007 report in the European Journal of Oriental Medicine tells more, by stating that “acupuncture is known to have neuro-endocrine effects and benefit hormones.” Considering that in women estrogen production declines with age, its lower levels tend to accelerate worsening of the visual appearance of facial skin. Acupuncture can considerably slow down this process, if it is used regularly. Research also suggests that acupuncture benefits the thyroid functions and the brain, possibly as side effects of improvement of circulation and hormonal balance. The effects of facial acupuncture can be enhanced even further when it’s combined with other modalities from traditional Chinese medicine, an integrative and holistic approach that the practitioners at the Advanced Holistic Center’s Miami Beach Facial Acupuncture and Downtown Miami Facial Acupuncture branches recommend to most of our patients, because of its greater effectiveness and larger number of health benefits.
Micro-needling
Micro-needling is a relatively new, safe, minimally invasive procedure, which involves the strategic superficial insertion of extremely thin sterile, disposable needles. Micro-needling, according to a recent article published in the scholarly journal Dermatologic Surgery “effective esthetic treatment for several different dermatologic conditions including acne and other scars, rhytides, and striae.” Experts strongly recommend trying it before turning to more invasive procedures, which also have a longer recovery time and more side effects, such as laser resurfacing and chemical peeling. The practitioners at the Advanced Holistic Center’s Downtown Miami Guided Meditation and Miami Beach Guided Meditation branches are trained in the latest techniques of micro-needling, and they keep learning any new available practices and approaches to this method.
Collagen Injections
Collagen injections have been used for various purposes in recent years, even to improve heart function after cardiac infarction. At the Advanced Holistic Center’s Downtown Miami collagen injections and Miami Beach collagen injections are used only to enhance facial appearance. Collagen is the most common protein within the human body. It is a building block of connective tissues and can be used to promote wound healing. Collagen injections trigger only a minor immune response and rarely cause side effects, which makes them very popular for appearance enhancement. Also, the quality and variety of fillers constantly increase, thus increasing the range of possibilities of facial feature enhancements. Our practitioners stay current with the latest products and recommendations, to provide our patients with the best options available.
Does it hurt?
Advanced Holistic Center is a NYC based acupuncture and holistic healthcare clinic. Advanced Holistic Center has more locations and longer open hours than almost any complementary and alternative healthcare facility in all of NYC. With four offices manned by our fully licensed and board certified acupuncturists and herbalists, a team of highly-qualified: assistants, meditation teachers.