Cosmetic and facial Acupuncture is perfect in helping you to look and feel vibrant and youthful. Inner health shows on your face, if you feel good you look good. This is where cosmetic acupuncture differs from topical applications to only treat specific areas, facial acupuncture treats the areas in need and it works on a deeper level to help restore, renew and bring you back to balance.
The stimulation of key points on your head face and neck will help the tone of your facial muscles by tightening the muscle fibre and improve blood circulation, texture, collagen production and elasticity of your skin, helping with slackness, tightening smoothing out of wrinkles, deep lines and issues with the jawline and decolletage. It is also be used to target areas such as the jowls and chin area, brighten the eyes and can help as part of the rehabilitation process for those who have suffered facial paralysis (Bells palsy for instance) or stroke.
Acupuncture points here are also carefully selected to help your body reduce stress and anxiety which often shows in the face and your treatment also helps to improves your general health and wellbeing by assisting with lymphatic drainage, increased blood circulation and detoxification and can be used to target specific concerns you may have such as puffiness of the face, dark circles and bringing back the sparkle in your eyes. This is functional beauty at it’s best, we are not only helping you look your best but also aiding and improving your general health as well.
The positive effects of Cosmetic Acupuncture can be profound and long-lasting. International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture reported that out of 300 test subjects, over 90% showed significant improvements after one course of Cosmetic Acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture is very holistic; conventional cosmetic therapies do little or nothing to enhance the patient’s underlying health condition.
What Can I expect at my first session?
When we first meet I will take a thorough medical history and look at any underlying health problems you may have, if necessary a simple detox session may be performed prior to commencing your facial treatment. This is because quite often the body can store waste products it needs to get rid of to allow you to ‘function on all cylinders’ again, giving a nice clean slate for your treatments to really take effect.
We will then discuss the key areas you wish to have targeted, these treatments are tailored to help you not only with overall radiance to specifically target areas you wish to improve. I will then place needles in the legs and arms to enhance the procedures’ effects and help keep you as comfortable as possible, then small disposable needles are placed in specific areas along the head, face and neck.
Once these are removed, after around 20 minutes you will then receive a facial acupressure massage to make you feel even more amazing and to help the underlying facial muscles lock in that good work we did earlier. Typically I use squalene for this as the antioxidants found in this also fight skin damage and free radicals and can also boost collagen production further helping to firm the skin. At this point I will also use jade rollering or gua sha treatment too.
How many treatments do I need?
A course of at least 6 to 8 treatments once or twice weekly are required to see dynamic change in the face although many people notice a difference in the way their face looks and feels after one or two. Sessions are ideally weekly for this course with a monthly ‘top up’ on average. Everybody will respond in their own unique way in accordance with current skin condition and lifestyle.
Treatments will last between 90 and 120 minutes and please wear comfortable loose clothing when you arrive.
When compared to surgical intervention and injectable cosmetic procedures, cosmetic acupuncture will not give such stark results or leave you with an ‘overly filled’ or ‘frozen’ face. It requires no downtime and ensures the essence of you is visible.
Are there any contraindications?
If you are trying to conceive pregnant or breastfeeding you must consult with your doctor/midwife prior to commencing treatment.
If you have had Botox there is a chance that that the toxin used may still be in the skin so a 6 month wait is required before treatment. For procedures such as laser resurfacing, microdermabrasion, fillers or surgical intervention you will have to wait 3 months before receiving treatment.
On rare occasions I may ask you to consult with your main healthcare provider before treatment, if you suffer from certain health conditions including chronic migraines, uncontrolled hypertension, haemophilia, taking anti coagulants, diabetes, heart abnormalities, cancer, infectious disease, hepatitis or tuberculosis, lymphoedema or skin conditions such as eczema or cellulitis.
How much will it cost?
I treatment is offered at £80 although a course of 4 sessions – a month’s worth of treatment can be booked at a discounted price of £240. For recurring customers, the cost of a ‘top up’ is £70 after the completion of a course.