Facial Acupuncture Changed My Mind about Getting Botox
Not ready for injectables? Try this instead.
1 JULY, 2021
Working in the beauty industry, I’ve been lucky enough to try out many different facial treatments over the years. From cryotherapy to seaweed wraps – if there’s a buzzy skincare technique out there, my face is fair game. But, having tried out many a whacky facial, I now approach treatments with a fair amount of scepticism.
If someone had told me having just one facial would make me reconsider getting botox, I probably wouldn't believe them.
But that’s exactly what happened after I had a recent facial with celebrity skin & wellness expert Ada Ooi.
Hell yes I needed a fix. My skin has been playing up since I got my cats (yes I am such a worrying mom you don't want to have human children with me 😆). I can't tell you how important it is to get sufficient sleep and not only that you need good quality of sleep. Throughout this period (until now) I haven't been able to deep sleep, both of my cheeks have age spots peeping through (well age of course play a part I just turned 41 last week), and I have also been having on and off spots at random places plus a patch of dry bumpy stress acne across my forehead (last time I had that was 13 yrs old). I can't wait until lock down to finish, even when its lifted though, I need to get over my "commitment phobia" to finally book a treatment and set it in stone on my diary. So tonight I needle all over my face, skull and body to really stimulate key meridians, draw blood to the areas, release tension and most importantly I switched off the light, turned on some music, had a heavy duvet over me and focused on breathing into my core.
Still feeling drowsy now but I am happy to already be seeing a much more happy, flushed and revitalised face 😊
Please guys, share with me, what are the things you do to wake up your skin or simply pamper yourself at home?
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What is acupuncture and how can it benefit skin?
”Acupuncture helps to stimulate the body's natural processes of cell reproduction and growth", says international facialist and TCM practitioner Ada Ooi. "It has been shown to increase blood circulation throughout the body, meaning more efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients, it also increases lymphatic activities to flush out excessive toxins and water, which can help depuff and brighten the skin.”
"For lines and wrinkles, acne/pigmentation or scars, I apply the ‘surround the dragon’ methodology. I surround the concerned area with multiples needles or micro intra-pins to help boost metabolism while stimulating new cells to grow or recover from the issue.”
My acupuncture facial with Ada Ooi
With a celebrity client roster which includes Rooney Mara, Lily Allen and Ellie Goulding (plus some royals thrown in there too), Ada is known in the beauty business for her unique take on skincare therapy, which often combines traditional Chinese Medicine with facial-massage techniques. Her treatments don’t come cheap, but oh boy do you notice a difference straight away.
Ada started off by steaming and cleansing my face, before performing a thorough facial massage. This wasn't a soothing process FYI, we’re talking deep tissue massage, lymphatic drainage and ‘ouch-that-hurts-but-ok-carry-on’ pummelling. Ada performed the massage on half of my face first, before showing me the difference in my skin. Sure enough, the left hand side of my face looked lifted, tightened and more sculpted.
After the facial massage came the acupuncture – the real star of the show.
Frown lines are caused by repeated action of underlying muscles associated with facial expression. Squinting and frowning consistently tend to leave deep wrinkles in the skin between the eyebrows and on the bridge of the nose, across the forehead and at the corners of the eyes. Yes I can use different techniques to treat them including this "surround the dragon" method to stimulate regrowth activities, regulate liver qi and we have had great case studies. But individuals' daily habits are equally important. Now the sun is out here are a few things that can really help prevent any further formation of frown lines: . 🕶 Wear sunglasses, it prevents you from squinting from the sun .
🌞 Don't forget to SPF your forehead .
💧 Hydrate and moisturise the forehead 👐 Massage, tap / stretch the skin with serum/ moisturiser .
🚭 Don't smoke. Smoking breaks down collagen contributing factor of wrinkles, not to also mention the habitual lines across the entire face for the inhale gesture .
📨 To book facial acupuncture treatment: bookings@001skincare.com
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Ada positioned needles all over my face (as well as a few in my feet and ankles) and left me to relax for a few minutes. She then pinpointed my frown lines – which have become deeper and a permanent fixture on my forehead in the last year or so – with thicker, larger needles. The idea is that these larger needles would create trauma in the area (similar to microneedling) which results in blood rushing to the area, boosting collagen production and in turn, plumping the skin.
When my facial was over and I was handed a mirror, I definitely thought my face looked tighter, more lifted and seriously glowy – but Ada assured me that my skin (and in particular, my frown lines) would appear even better as the days went on and she was absolutely right.
In the next 2-3 days I noticed that my frown lines were 100% smoother than they were previously. Had they completely vanished? No, but that botox appointment I’d been considering for the last six months had gone straight to the bottom of my priorities.
©@chloeburcham
It’s now been about 8-weeks since my facial with Ada and I’d say that my frown lines are beginning to slowly reappear. So while it may not be an ultra-long lasting alternative to botox, if you’re looking for something to give your skin a youthful boost, acupuncture might just be it.
BOOK THE PINPOINT WELLNESS™ TREATMENT with Ada Ooi
Article by Chloe Burcham - Grazia
