Rejuvenate your face with minimal intervention.

Visible signs of aging are notoriously tricky to outmaneuver. Sure, you could go the injection route, freezing your facial muscles, filling your tear troughs, nipping, tucking, and recovering. You can achieve your skin care dreams with dramatic procedures of varying degrees. But invasive approaches might just not be for you, for whatever reason. That doesn’t mean you don’t care about results.

Enter facial rejuvenation acupuncture, also referred to as cosmetic acupuncture. An extension of traditional acupuncture, cosmetic acupuncture improves the look of your skin and face using various modalities such as facial intradermal needles, cupping, and gua sha. No injections or downtime necessary.

What does cosmetic acupuncture treat?

“[Cosmetic acupuncture] promotes skin rejuvenation via increased facial circulation. It eliminates puffiness by improving metabolism, helps to promote collagen, and improves hormonal balance and hormone-based skin conditions,” explains Slope Wellness and NYS licensed acupuncturist Jacqueline Fazzalari, who trained under facial rejuvenation pioneer Virgina Doran.

Cosmetic acupuncture can “balance sebaceous secretions to treat dry and oily skin,” Fazzalari says. The result is smaller-appearing pores. These customized treatments can also eliminate general puffiness, reduce eye bags, diminish fine lines, tone facial muscles, and tighten skin.

How does cosmetic acupuncture work?

Facial rejuvenation acupuncture comes from the same principles as full-body acupuncture: An acupuncturist places fine needles into specific points of your body, and the needles stimulate sensory nerves under the skin and in your muscles, boosting blood and oxygen flow to the insertion point. Cosmetic acupuncture works much the same way, with an increased focus on aesthetics.

The treatment might also include elements that help relieve lingering swelling or puffiness. “Using gua sha afterward is a nice way to seal the treatment and smooth any lines. Cupping is great as well for lymphatic drainage.” Gua sha is a technique where a smooth-edged tool is run across your skin to release stagnation; cupping is an ancient alternative therapy that uses suction to help with blood flow. Check out our private acupuncture treatments and the gua sha facial if you’re unfamiliar with these techniques.

What does a session look like?

A treatment at Slope Wellness starts with an intake form so your practitioner can get to know you, your health history, and your treatment goals. Though the face is the focus, your practitioner considers your whole body, taking your pulse to gauge your energy levels, looking at your tongue to see what it says (your tongue has the uncanny ability to show signs of subtle internal organ imbalances), and asking a few basic questions about your cosmetic concerns. Lines on your forehead? Nasolabial creases got you down? Your practitioner will consider all of these elements when designing a treatment.

Wear soft, loose clothing because your acupuncturist will likely place needles at other points beyond your head, such as your feet, belly, and arms. “Acupuncture takes a holistic approach,” Fazallari says. Once the needles are in place, you’ll relax on the heated table for about 30 minutes, likely drifting into a restorative, peaceful deep sleep, aka the acunap.

Level up your treatment by adding on dermarolling (as long as you purchase a personal dermaroller), which creates tiny punctures in the skin to induce collagen and elastin production; microcurrent, a low-voltage electrical current that stimulates facial muscles to lift and tone the skin; and LED pulsed light therapy, which increases circulation allowing nutrient-rich blood to flow to nerves and tissues.

Is cosmetic acupuncture better than botox®?

While they’re both effective in reducing aging’s evidence, the reality is they’re fundamentally different procedures, and it’s up to you to decide what you want from your beauty treatments. Cosmetic acupuncture is a proven-safe procedure; while injectable research is still emerging.

You’ll need several sessions to see noticeable improvements with cosmetic acupuncture (we recommend a series of ten); Botox® has quick results. But each cosmetic acupuncture treatment will leave you feeling more balanced and relaxed—a boon to your long-term health, longevity, and, of course, looks. “Know that cosmetic acupuncture doesn’t work overnight. It’s not magic! But it’s natural. It boosts your overall health,” Fazallari says. “The results overall speak for themselves.”

What are cosmetic acupuncture’s side effects?

Cosmetic acupuncture has minimal side effects. Maybe you’ll feel a little pinch from a needle or bruise temporarily at a placement site. You can go about your normal activities immediately after your treatment. Cosmetic acupuncture is for anyone who prioritizes their inner and outer health, though those with pituitary tumors, high blood pressure, diabetes, or epilepsy, nor Botox®, might not be good candidates. We want to be sure the treatment is right for you, which is why you can’t book a cosmetic acupuncture treatment on our appointments page.

Instead, call us at 718-415-0738 to chat and we’ll book you a visit with one of our fabulous practitioners.