Alright, confession time, I had never done facial acupuncture prior to this fall.  I had always wanted to, but between a busy schedule and a feeling that I should just accept my aging as natural and beautiful, I had always put it off and decided that facial rejuvenation acupuncture wasn’t for me. Working with both Katie and Kathy who practice facial rejuvenation acupuncture, and seeing what they were doing for their clients, inspired me to give it a go.

Spoiler alert, there were improvements. Zoom in for yourself and check it out (before is on the top and the after on the bottom).

So first off, I am being real vulnerable here and letting you all see my face without any makeup and without touch ups.  I haven’t looked at my face this closely ever, and it was a bit challenging to see the way it has changed as I have gotten older. Fair skin combined with the love of being in the sun I inherited from my father, the idea that ‘getting a good solid burn to build your tan base’  I embraced as a teen, and the cigarettes that I thought made me look cool in the early 90’s, it was all adding up.  I was seeing more and more dark spots on my face. Little wrinkles around my eyes and mouth were becoming a bit more than ‘little wrinkles’. I take good care of myself for the most part, drink my water every day, try to get enough sleep, and eat and move appropriately. I don’t think that my skin looked terrible, but there was room for improvement, and I wanted to see what the series facial rejuvenation acupuncture treatments could do for my skin.

What did I notice?  Right away my skin felt more elastic and less droopy.  Over time there was a mild lift along my jawline and around my eyes. I noticed that some sun spots were lightening, and the deep frown line on my forehead was definitely becoming smaller.  But the biggest change I noticed was a lightening of the dark circles under my eyes, which have been present, I believe, since the day I was born (thanks Mom).

The nuts and bolts:  there are two types of facial acupuncture treatments we offer at Selby Acupuncture. One is more geared towards older skin (people like me, mid to late 40’s and beyond) and the other is geared toward younger skin.  The more damage you have experienced the more treatment you will need to see results.  For most people to see results we recommend starting with the 10 facial acupuncture series, which is done twice a week for 5 weeks.  Following that, maintenance treatments can be done every few months as needed to help maintain the skin.   If you are younger and experiencing less skin damage, you may be able to start with a smaller dose to see great results.  Your provider can help you determine what is best for you.

So, what was a facial acupuncture treatment like? It starts with a gentle cleansing of your face. Then, (a lot) of small needles are inserted very superficially into your skin in specific areas. It was a bit sharp at first, but then it really didn’t feel like much, and I was super surprised when I later learned how many needles were used! After the needles are inserted you rest underneath LED lights which help increase collagen production and decrease inflammation. I pretty much napped during the whole thing. After the needles were removed, a serum was placed on my skin and I was given a mini facial massage using jade rollers which further decreases inflammation and felt wonderful.

The changes were not huge, this was not a ‘facelift’ by any means.  It was something better than that for me.  I want to still look like myself, but I also appreciated the ability of my skin to heal from damage, just like my body.

What was unexpected, but I should have known would happen, was the overall effect to my whole body.  I felt myself less reactive to stress, my sleep improved, and my digestion was stronger.  Now, theoretically this all makes sense under the lens of Chinese medicine.  But, experiencing something makes it ring true on a much deeper level.

So, would I recommend this service?  First, we all must recognize my bias as an acupuncturist who has committed her life to sharing this medicine, I would most likely say yes no matter what.  And that is true.  I recommend it.  It felt good to care for myself, to honor my aging and desire, and to heal and care for my skin as I do for the rest of my body.  It is  something that I hope everyone can get to experience.

Interested to learn more?  Call to set up a free 15 minute consultation with Kathy or Katie, they can answer your questions and help you to understand if this is right for you.