We all care about our faces because it’s the first thing that people see when they look at us, and facial acupressure can improve skin elasticity, reduce eye puffiness, and much more.
Many people get a high-quality facial massage known as facial acupressure, in combination with a spa facial, or just on its own.
As much as possible, we want our face – and the skin on our face – to look the best it possibly can. That’s why it can be frustrating when even the high-end skincare products don’t address our skin concerns.
Here’s a secret: Some individuals attest that the secret to a fresh, beautiful, and youthful face rests right at your fingertips. With facial acupressure, you could reduce the appearance of wrinkles, get brighter and more luminous skin by improving blood flow to the face through acupressure, and smooth the skin. Facial acupressure can also relax facial muscles, reduce eye puffiness and dark circles, improve skin elasticity, and enhance your overall appearance.
So many of us get routine body massages to alleviate tension and stress in our back, neck and shoulders. However, most of us don’t treat our faces to the same benefits. It’s unfortunate that when it comes to massage and acupressure, many of us neglect our faces, because we stand to gain many benefits from pressure-point massages on the face.
Face acupressure is also incredibly soothing and relaxing. It is said to work wonders on the skin and overall health. Find out more about this simple process, below, a process which you can even do at home.
What Exactly is Facial Acupressure?
Acupressure is akin to acupuncture without the needles, which stems from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This therapeutic practice applies pressure to specific acupoints which correspond to internal meridians or channels of energy, known as the Qi. These pressure points are said to rebalance and align our energy flow for optimal wellness.
Our face is considered a microsystem of certain internal organs, meaning specific areas or acupoints correspond to different internal organs which serve as points for healing. According to Dr. Shari Auth, an acupuncture and TCM practitioner in NYC, facial mapping helps diagnose and bring the body back into balance.
Moreover, stimulating the face’s acupoints sends messages to the brain responsible for regulating certain organs in our body. The facial acupressure massage therefore could benefit the correlating organs, and could provide many therapeutic benefits.
For example, pressure points on the temples could relieve headaches, alleviate congestion, or reduce fever and chills. This traditional healing method has now morphed into something mainstream as more people use it (some even with tools like a jade roller) for anti-aging, stress relief, improving sleep, and more.
Benefits of Facial Acupressure
Acupressure has been used since time immemorial by ancient civilizations for tension relief, stress reduction and relaxation. Applying pressure to specific points on the face, also known as utilizing facial reflexology techniques, doesn’t only reduce stress. One of its primary benefits is a ripple effect, resulting in a healthier-looking skin complexion, among other wellness benefits. Facial acupressure is good for the skin because it could lead to lesser inflammation and fewer breakouts.
This facial pressure point massage will relax strained facial muscles and potentially stimulate lymphatic drainage, promoting the elimination of toxins.
The acupressure technique of movement touches on the facial lymphatic points, which flush out stagnant fluids that often result in puffiness in the face or dull skin tone. Thanks to its detoxification effects, you could restore skin vitality, reduce the appearance of lines, and expect lesser acne formation.
Since acupressure relaxes strained facial muscles, it improves blood flow and circulation. Consequently, you enjoy a rosy, pinkish glow making your skin look healthier and more beautiful. You could also expect better skin elasticity with regular facial acupressure.
Furthermore, facial acupressure enhances the skin’s metabolic processes, leading to a reduction of skin sallowness, dullness and sluggishness. Acupressure benefits all skin types, including sensitive and aging skin, often resulting in a more even skin tone with a healthier radiance.
While there are still not many scientific studies to back up this ancient practice, many people who get facial acupressure done regularly attest to its benefits and the difference it makes. Many practitioners and believers provide anecdotal evidence that this simple process works and has been working for thousands of years. Apart from promoting healthier-looking skin, facial acupressure could help with the following:
- Reduce eye puffiness and general puffiness in the face
- Reduced dark circles and potentially eliminate eye bags
- Relieve jaw tension
- Soothe headaches or migraines
- Promotes better sleep
- Promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety
- Boosts your mood
- Calmer and more focused mind
- Improved skin elasticity over time
- Improved blood circulation, resulting in younger, brighter and rosier skin
- Clearer sinuses
- Positive impact on sensory organs
- Smoother skin and anti-aging benefits
- Sense of revitalization and increase energy
Facial Acupressure as Part of Holistic Health
Though facial acupressure proffers excellent relaxation and skin benefits, its primary goal is still holistic health. Most practitioners don’t merely aim for good skin, though it is an excellent side effect of facial acupressure. Practitioners of this technique strive for overall rebalancing of one’s wellness. When the internal systems work harmoniously together, you will look and feel more relaxed and radiant. More importantly, your immune system could function more optimally, protecting your body against foreign invaders and warding off chronic illnesses.
For instance, a comparative study between facial massage and foot massage conducted in 2007 stated that participants experienced more relaxation in a facial massage. On top of that, the participants’ blood pressure was significantly more reduced after the facial massage, which induced sleepiness. This study indicated that facial massages are good complementary therapy for treating stress, anxiety and sleep disorders. Moreover, a study conducted in 2018 shared that facial massages are effective for decreasing pain sites such as facial pains and headaches.
Many people now ascribe to facial acupressure because it is convenient. You can even press down on specific acupoints using your own fingers in the comforts of your own home using a guided facial acupressure YouTube tutorial. There are no adverse consequences to doing this from home, so there’s no harm in giving it a try to see if it works for you. And at the very least, doing a facial massage on yourself is extremely relaxing.
How to Do Facial Acupressure at Home
Yes, facial acupressure can be done at a spa or professional medical aesthetics clinic. However, you can also teach yourself how to do it at home in between professional treatments. You can go to a professional acupuncturist or reflexologist for an initial acupressure session to learn techniques. However, if you don’t have a TCM practitioner near you, you can also try to DIY a facial acupressure massage at home. You can perform an acupressure routine any time of the day to soothe yourself and rebalance your energy.
For instance, you can do this facial massage after staring at your work computer for the longest time to relieve eye strain or headaches from the bright screen.
Alternatively, you can do an at-home facial acupressure massage to revive your face and give it a healthy glow before date night. You just have to make sure your hands have been washed and sanitized before you touch your face, or use tools such as jade rollers. Check out these easy steps:
Step 1: After cleaning your hands and washing your face, face a few drops of essential oil. You can use tea tree oil for acne-prone skin or rosewood extract for aging skin. These essential oils will also double up as aromatherapy to help you relax.
Step 2: Begin pressing the space between your eyebrows using medium pressure. Press down for several seconds while inhaling and exhaling deeply. Check out this comprehensive facial acupressure video tutorial from Dr. Gurudatta.
Step 3: Continue pressing on the pressure points of your temples, brow bone, upper lip, cheekbones, and sides of the jaw. Aim to move outwards from the center of the face.
Step 4: Make it a point to take deep breaths through your nose and exhale through the mouth every time you press on an acupoint.
Step 5: Repeat this process to help you feel relaxed. You can even use a tool for assistance like a face acupressure wand or jade roller. Just sanitize it and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. This creates a more cooling and relaxing sensation while helping reduce swelling and inflammation.
Many people don’t realize how many added benefits there are of keeping their facial roller in the fridge. Since the cooling helps reduce swelling, you’ll also reduce unwanted puffiness in the face.
A facial massage is also a great way to start your day to awaken your senses. Just be mindful to do it before you apply your skincare and makeup products. It can also be used as a pick-me-up when you’re stressing out at work. And, of course, you can use the same technique for winding down before bed. If you’re doing it to wake up, that’s when the cool tools are even better because the cool sensation can help awaken your senses.
This simple facial acupressure practice is very convenient and can be done anytime, anywhere. It’s also nice to sometimes get it done at a spa from a professional.
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