Even though I have been considered a skincare expert for over 20 years, and have been practicing Chinese Medicine for over 10 years, I am constantly learning new information and techniques to improve your health and the natural beauty of your skin.
I attended a seminar last weekend discussing techniques in Facial Rejuvenation. I went expecting to be somewhat bored but was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Liu was very knowledgeable and provided information that I had never heard before. She stated that it was completely possible to take 5, 10 or even 15 years off your face with a combination of acupuncture, herbs and "homework". This "homework" is what I would like to share, as this simple yet remarkable technique alone can take years off your face.
Gua Sha is a technique that has been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years and basically involves scraping the skin. Traditionally, it is done with a piece of water buffalo horn but a tablespoon will work just fine. I have used this technique on the back of a body for relieving cold symptoms, but never on the face. Dr. Liu stated that in as little as 10 minutes a day, you can see amazing results on your face. Here is what you do:
Start with a clean face - pat on your favorite moisturizer (very lightly). Divide both the left and right side of your face into 6 zones (you will have 12 zones total), 1.) high forehead 2.) low forehead 3.) zygomatic bone 4.) labial groove 5.) middle of chin and 6) jawbone. Using the edge of the spoon, start at the middle of each zone and scrape towards the hairline and down to the ear. The direction you are scraping is exactly how a plastic surgeon would pull the face back towards the hairline and the ear. Apply enough pressure so that you feel the scraping but not enough to cause pain. Your skin might turn a little red because you are encouraging blood flow to the area. Repeat scraping motion 10 times in each zone. For best results, perform this technique nightly.
The results from this simple procedure are truly amazing! Your skin will immediately look brighter and healthier. Why does this work so well?? Gua Sha encourages blood flow to the area bringing nutrients to the skin and promoting the removal of toxins. Additionally, you are exfoliating the skin by removing dead and dying skin cells and exposing younger, plumper healthier looking skin. Lastly, reflexology teaches that the entire body is represented in the face therefore we are effectively giving ourselves a whole body treatment with this simple technique. Before bed is the best time to do this because it is very relaxing. By focusing some time and energy on our face, we can lift years and help our skin look as young and healthy as possible.