Your essential guide to facial acupuncture

Back in 2007, The New York Times proclaimed: “Hold the chemicals, bring on the needles.” This seal of approval for facial acupuncture had been a long time coming; its older cousin, body acupuncture, has been used for millennia in Chinese medicine to rebalance energy and cure all manner of ills. Over the past decade or so, more and more of us have moved away from invasive procedures, like Botox, to this natural anti-ageing solution. So today we’re going to talk you through everything you need to know about facial acupuncture.
 
What does it involve?
 
Hair-fine needles are gently placed along key tension points across your face. If you hold a lot of tension in your forehead or your jaw, for example, your facial acupuncture practitioner should insert needles there. In constitutional facial acupuncture, which we specialise in, your practitioner will look for signs of bodily stresses that show up in your complexion – a lacklustre skin tone might suggest digestive problems, for example. They’ll then place needles elsewhere on the body to unblock that energy as well, for a full-body approach to natural beauty.
 
You’ll need to remove your make-up before an acupuncture facial, just as you would for any other skincare treatment. At Marlene Method, we complete a thorough holistic health check with our clients at this point, helping to identify particular issues to target. We also provide our clients with wellbeing recommendations to support the natural rejuvenation of the skin post-facial.
 
How does it work?
 
At a very basic level, acupuncture works by unblocking ‘stuck’ energy (known as the chi), while boosting circulation and releasing endorphins. The combined effect is a relaxed, nurtured state, reducing tension in the muscles that can lead to wrinkles. It can also help stimulate the production of collagen, as the body reacts to the insertion of needles as if they’re minor traumas. This is especially the case when combined with collagen induction therapy, a slightly more intensive treatment that uses a dermaroller to promote new skin cell growth.
 
What are the results?
 
Clients tend to notice an immediate effect in both their mood and appearance: anxiety floats away and the skin glows. Over a course of sessions, wrinkles are reduced, your complexion brightens and your skin looks more plump and taught. Essentially, it gives you results similar to those of Botox, without the unnatural freezing of muscles and without the unnatural intervention of poison. 
 
If you’d like to find out more about facial acupuncture, or are interested in booking an appointment, please contact our founder Marlene. A former student of Mary Elizabeth Wakefield, one of the world’s foremost facial acupuncture practitioners, Marlene draws on her wealth of experience to deliver superior anti-ageing results for her clients.