I tried Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture. Here are my thoughts…

Last week I wrote a rather passionate article (in my mind) on what I feel are the benefits of Botox. I realize though, that there are and will always be women who regardless of how deep their wrinkles get, they will be just as deep in their resolve to avoid Botox.

If that’s you, and I did a poor job convincing you to stick needles in your face, don’t worry, I’ve got you, Chickie. I’m here to recommend an alternative, and it involves, well…needles — but this time without the toxin.

I’m talking about cosmetic acupuncture. And it may be your alternative anti-aging treatment.

As a former acupuncture virgin (I had my cherry pierced two weeks ago), I’d heard about the benefits of acupuncture but my curiosity never went beyond mild. That’s until I read that it could potentially rejuvenate the face…and then, it shot up to super-freaking-curious-I-must-try-this-thing.

So I wanted to pass along my thoughts and tell you about my experience so you can decide whether this is or is not something you may want to try.

I found a local acupuncture clinic through Instagram and booked an appointment at Root Acupuncture in Miami Beach. The office (if you can call it an office) looks like you’d imagine an acupuncture place to look like: super chill with a funky retro vibe surely because it’s smack in the middle of South Beach.

I arrived a little early to fill out a medical history form and then had the consultation with Sandy Root, Acupuncturist and founder of Root Acupuncture who explained the procedure and asked me about my concerns. My immediate thought: how much time do you have, Sandy? But I kept it short and mentioned only my main concerns: loss of elasticity, loss of elasticity, and loss of elasticity. (Yes, I meant to repeat that for emphasis.)

She then looked took my pulse and looked at my tongue and took notes. I didn’t think to ask what she discovered (do I need to use a tongue scraper?), but I was anxious to get on with the needle insertion. She then had me lie down, where she cleansed my skin thoroughly before beginning.

Then, she inserted about 30 tiny needles in my face, and some more on my wrists, hands, ankles, and feet. It didn’t hurt at all, but then again, I get Botox without numbing cream so my skin is used to being pricked and poked. But really, all you feel is a tiny prick. (And I can go into a whole other conversation here, but I won’t, cuz this isn’t that kind of blog.)

The pricks create wounds which are called positive microtraumas. When your body senses these wounds, it goes into repair mode. similar to the response from microneedling, except acupuncture is a bit less intense. They also stimulate your lymphatic and circulatory system, which work together to deliver nutrients and oxygen to your skin cells, nourishing skin from the inside out — my preferred way to nourish my skin. And also stimulate the production of collagen.

Once she was done inserting all of the needles I had to lie (lay?) still for 20 minutes in which time I tried to meditate to give myself a complete zen experience, but the thought of having needles inserted in my person (although not painful) was distracting me from going deep and so I resorted to going over my mental to-do list…don’t recommend it.

After the 20 minutes were up, Sandy came back into the room and removed the needles. She applied a mask and then used the gua sha and jade roller to massage my face and to further get that blood flowing.

I left the session feeling well-rested and radiant. Like I had just had a facial, but better. My face felt and looked a little brighter and I definitely saw a tightening and a lifting of the sides of my mouth.

So how exactly does it work?

According to Sandy, this cosmetic treatment is said to naturally help make the skin look younger, smoother, and healthier by increasing blood flow and collagen production. It works internally with the health and function of your skin.

Some bonus benefits of poking your face with needles:

♥ tightening pores,

Is there science behind this?

There’s a 1996 article in the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture that is on Root Acucumpture’s website that reported that “among 300 cases treated with cosmetic facial acupuncture, 90% had marked effects with one course of treatment.”  The subjects in the study were said to show improvement in skin texture, elasticity, brightening, reduced wrinkles, skin smoothing and an overall feeling of rejuvenation.

You know I love me some science, so I found this study that at the very least shows that this treatment does have some anti-aging effects.

How often do you need it?

Sandy recommends a series of 10-12 sessions to get the maximum benefit…once or twice per week. At $185 dollars per session, it’s not cheap. But neither is anything else, and this does have a positive effect on your overall body, not just your face.

Can this help with skin sagging?

According to Sandy, yes. By restoring blood flow and helping to increase collagen production the result is a tightening of the overall appearance of the skin. In fact, she’s currently working on a client to tighten her neck.

Now, you know me, if that works on the neck, you may see me walking around with permanent needles stuck in mine. Not even the slightest bit kidding.

Who should not have Cosmetic Acupuncture?

Women who are pregnant should not get cosmetic acupuncture. But if that ship has sailed for you, carry on!

Other people who should avoid cosmetic acupuncture include people with blood clotting disorders or people who are taking blood-thinning medication.

Also if you recently had Botox or filler, you should avoid face acupuncture. It may make the product migrate or lose efficacy.

Is it safe? 

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years. It’s recognized by the World Health Organization with established guidelines for practice. In the United States, acupuncturists are licensed by their state’s department of health.

Now, I’ve only had one session, so I didn’t see dramatic results. I’d be curious though to see what a full 10-12 sessions could do. I can say that if you’re looking for something safe, with no downtime, and don’t like the idea of a toxin or other product injected into your skin for whatever reason, then this may be your answer for rejuvenated skin.

Now you: Have you tired Cosmetic Acupuncture? I’d love to read your results.

xoxo