Acupuncture for Natural Skincare

“My idea of a nightmare is someone sticking needles into my face,” Nehdal Stelio writes in the Sydney Morning Herald. Without context, who would disagree? Doesn’t sound very pleasant.

However, Stelio is referring to her journey with facial acupuncture. There is a massive industry built around how we look and choose to view ourselves. The cosmetics industry in the United States in 2016 raked in over $84 billion—with skincare making up nearly 40% of the products in that market. People are spending lots of money on products to try and get rid of wrinkles, sagging skin, and other perceived imperfections.

Many times, these products are filled with chemicals and other unnatural elements that consumers should be wary of. But while we look at our skin and think that the solutions to our requests should be topical, our skin is a reflection of the health and wellness of our total body, our internal energy, strength, and balance. Acupuncture is uniquely positioned to help those like Stelio who are hoping for something to help their wrinkles.

“It’s the functioning and the energy of the organs that we want to work better. For example, sagging muscles are about the spleen,” Stelio was told by her acupuncturist, Yvette Forbes. “Every treatment is different according to the needs of the client.”

So whether the patient is treating generic skin wrinkles brought upon by aging or a dermatological condition like psoriasis, acupuncture is able to treat the root cause, restoring balance to the area of the body that is triggering the condition.

“Acupuncture addresses any imbalances in the body,” says Irene Prantalos, a Chinese medicine practitioner. “When someone says they have puffy circles or darkness around eyes, it indicates an adrenal issue, the bags can be about the spleen. If someone has a lot of wrinkles, dullness or dryness, that’s a yin deficiency.”

Aging is nothing to be ashamed about. But if you personally choose to fight back, don’t spend your money on expensive creams or serums. That will just be a cosmetic fix.