Gua Sha Facial Benefits: How To Achieve Tighter and Healthier Skin with Ancient Techniques
We are all looking for healthy, glowing skin without invasive procedures or injections. Before researching a plastic surgeon, have you considered other ways to achieve similar results?
Gua Sha facials may help you reach the skin of your dreams without using harsh procedures. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Read on to learn more about the history of Gua Sha techniques, how they work, and what kind of benefits you can expect from a Gua Sha facial.
Table of Contents
What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine that dates back centuries. The goal of Gua Sha is to gently promote healthy blood flow through the use of a smooth-edged tool for facial massage. This tool is often made from stone, such as rose quartz, jade, or Bian stone. They can also be made from ceramic or steel.
The Gua Sha tool is gently scraped against the skin, using a serum to increase blood flow. There are different types of gua sha techniques with different benefits:
Body Gua Sha: A body massage with a Gua Sha tool for muscle tension and improved circulation.
Point-Specific Gua Sha: Massaging pressure points with a specialty Gua Sha tool shapes.
Scalp Gua Sha: A comb-shaped Gua Sha tool is used to stimulate hair growth in the scalp.
Lastly, Gua Sha facials offer numerous skincare benefits. By smoothly and gently scraping the Gua Sha tool against the face and neck, the practitioner increases blood flow to the smaller blood vessels and encourages lymphatic drainage. Each side of the Gua Sha tool has a specific purpose:
Long edge for cheeks and neck area
Shorter curve for under the eyes and forehead
Curved edge for the jawline and around the nose
When practiced correctly, a Gua Sha facial massage has amazing benefits.
8 Benefits of Gua Sha Facial Massages
#1: Improves Blood Circulation
One of the biggest benefits of Gua Sha facials is improved blood circulation. Studies show that correctly applied Gua Sha techniques can increase the microcirculation in skin for up to 25 minutes after treatment. This increased blood circulation comes with heaps of skin benefits and leaves skin looking healthy and rosy.
#2: Promotes Lymphatic Drainage
The lymphatic system is a system of nodes, tissues, and organs designed to support your immune system, prevent infection, and move fluids through the body to the bloodstream.
The face is home to large amounts of lymphoid tissue, which flushes fluid from the face to the bloodstream. Sometimes this drainage can get sluggish, causing the face to look puffy. A Gua Sha facial massage has the benefit of encouraging lymphatic drainage in the face, reducing puffiness, and improving lymphatic functioning.
#3: Improves Acne Healing
Stubborn acne overstaying its welcome? Consider a Gua Sha facial.
When properly applied, Gua Sha facials can promote circulation in the small blood vessels of the face. This improved circulation, combined with lymphatic drainage benefits, can help “move through” the small infections in your pores that cause acne, speeding healing.
If you want a Gua Sha facial to improve acne, be sure to inform your esthetician so they can use an oil product that does not clog pores and is suitable for sensitive, inflamed skin.
#4: Relieves Muscular Tension
A Gua Sha facial has a massaging element that is great for relieving muscle tension. We tend to subconsciously hold stress in our facial muscles. A professional facial massage, such as a Gua Sha facial from My Skin Detail, can help relieve muscular tension in the face and promote overall relaxation.
#5: Sculpts Facial Muscles
Gua Sha massages can help sculpt or define facial muscles by increasing blood flow and reducing surrounding inflammation.
Many times, face tissue can retain excess fluid from a blocked lymphatic drainage system, allergies, stress, recovering from a cold, or high-sodium foods. A Gua Sha facial encourages blood flow, leaving more defined facial muscles. It can also help increase lymphatic drainage to inflamed jaw muscles and lymph nodes in the neck, leaving a more defined jawline.
#6: Decreases Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Facial massages, like Gua Sha facials, help decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by increasing collagen levels in the skin. Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in the skin that improves skin firmness and texture.
The delicate movements of the Gua Sha tool improve cell turnover and blood flow in the face. This can lead to fresher, more youthful-looking skin.
#7: Eases Tension Headaches and Migraines
If you suffer from sinus pain, tension headaches, and even migraines, consider getting a Gua Sha facial massage.
Gua Sha can help break up inflammation in the sinus cavities while promoting blood flow and muscle relaxation in the face. One of the biggest triggers for tension headaches is muscle tension, so while a Gua Sha facial massage cannot cure a tension headache, it may be able to soothe its symptoms.
#8: Helps Decrease Anxiety
People tend to hold a lot of stress in their facial muscles. These tense muscles can lead to discomfort and headaches, as well as an overall feeling of anxiety.
American stress experts agree that face massages may help decrease overall anxiety. If you are feeling stressed, tense, and overwhelmed, consider booking a relaxing Gua Sha facial with My Skin Detail.
How To Prep Your Skin To Maximize the Benefits of Gua Sha Facial
Prepare for your professional Gua Sha facial by:
Using a gentle face cleanser
Applying a heavy cream or face oil
If you are getting a Gua Sha facial from a high-level spa like My Skin Detail, your esthetician will be able to recommend an appropriate moisturizer or oil for your skin type.
After treatment, it is usually recommended that the client remove excess oils or moisturizer, especially if they have sensitive, oily skin. Your esthetician will be able to recommend take-home products to get the most out of your skincare experience.
Gua Sha Facial Limitations and Possible Side Effects
Gua Sha Massage Limitations
A Gua Sha facial massage has many benefits, but it is not for everyone. Gua Sha facials and massages are not good for people who have the following health conditions:
Blood circulation issues
Take blood thinners
Have gotten facial botox injections
Suffer from rosacea, psoriasis, or perioral dermatitis
Should not get gua sha facial massages, as it could worsen your condition or cause excess internal bleeding.
Common Side Effects
Gua Sha is a non-invasive procedure, so there are no major negative side effects.
However, some people experience skin redness and muscle tenderness in facial muscles after a Gua Sha treatment. You may also see very small red dots similar to a rash — this is called petechiae, and it is a harmless side effect caused by burst micro blood vessels.
Do Gua Sha Facials Actually Work?
Yes! A well-done Gua Sha facial is a wonderful, relaxing, and enjoyable way to restore your skin.
Gua Sha facials offer improved circulation and lymphatic drainage to the facial tissues, while relaxing tense jaw muscles and pressure points. If you are looking to unwind and rejuvenate your skin, enjoy the Gua Sha facial benefits at My Skin Detail.
Let My Skin Detail Help You Unlock the Full Benefits of Gua Sha Facials — Relax, Restore, and Glow
My Skin Detail is Bend, OR’s premier esthetician and waxing spa. We offer Gua Sha facials with benefits you can’t get at home. Our estheticians work with the highest grade products on the market.
All of our facial services, including Gua Sha, start with a complete consultation and esthetician skin analysis. That way, your facial and all the products used are curated to your exact skin care needs.
Check out our website to book your perfect facial today.
