By Stephanie Deline
We are very excited that we are offering facial acupuncture by Registered Acupuncturist Kristina Soroff and wanted to share more about this treatment.
Facial acupuncture is a treatment that is offered in combination with body acupuncture and is often referred to as a natural alternative to Botox. This service offers a myriad of benefits for healthier, rejuvenated skin with a more radiant, youthful glow.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice that involves the insertion of tiny needles as a treatment for a variety of physical, mental and emotional afflictions. It has been used for more than two thousand years to promote health in body and mind, through strategically placed needles, which target pressure points all over the body. These pressure points (practitioners say there are thousands of them) are connected to each other through meridians, often referred to as pathways. According to TCM, Qi, the energy or life force that everything is made of, can become imbalanced, causing health issues. Acupuncture stimulates the meridians, restoring Qi and thus helping to establish better overall wellness.
In the hands of a skilled and informed practitioner, acupuncture can be an effective means of treating headaches, joint pain, depression, dental pain, menstrual problems, respiratory disorders and more. But did you know that the benefits of acupuncture can extend to your largest organ? Facial acupuncture can be a transformative skin solution for a plethora of concerns, from anti-aging to acne to overall improvement of the skin’s health.
What is facial acupuncture?
Facial acupuncture is the same as body acupuncture, with the needles applied to different areas of the face. It targets skin from the inside out and can be instrumental in the treatment of headaches, jaw and facial disorders, aging concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, dull skin, and more. The needles create tiny wounds, which trigger the healing response within the body. That response leads to increased blood flow, which in turn increases oxygen, collagen, and elastin production. This results in brighter, clearer, and younger-looking skin.
Here’s what Kristina has to say about her unique approach and philosophy with respect to facial acupuncture:
“It’s a whole system protocol where we look to create a sense of health and wellbeing. I believe that a natural glow comes from having a healthy balanced body, mind and spirit. You also must relax the body to relax the mind, so body points are essential to the treatment. Our first focus is the organ systems- good digestion, circulation and healthy lungs bring more resources to the skin. So we want to make sure your whole system is working optimally. When there is balance in the body and health, there is a natural radiance.
From there, we bring an extra focus to the face, the needles bring qi and blood to the face to impart that natural glow, as well as to relax tight muscles. Sometimes we have a habit of continually clenching or holding muscles in our face (the frown lines between the eyebrows, also known as the ‘11’s is an example of this.) When we are focused or tense, jaw tension is very common. Facial acupuncture targets the points of tension to release these tight muscles directly.
We use points to calm the mind and spirit- Many of which are on the face already! Creating a sense of relaxation and well-being at the level of body, mind and spirit. Which also helps to relieve tension and create a spaciousness in the mind and more awareness of our patterns. And because the whole system is all connected it should be noted that the Chinese meridians for the stomach, gallbladder, bladder, and large intestine also run along the face, so we are also creating a whole system benefit with these facial points.”
For more information, or to book a consultation with Kristina, reach out to My Rest.