My acupuncturist just called me hot. Well, in a sense. She told me that I had excess heat in my body, as evidenced by her rapid pulse. My red and slightly cracked tongue. and cystic scars on the jaw.
I’m at Oh Glory, a holistic health spa in North Park that offers facials, massages, cupping, and acupuncture. I applied for the latter today, specifically cosmetic acupuncture. This is a treatment that is said to tone the face, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and stimulate collagen and elastin production.
According to my donor, Dr. Pier Franco, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine have been stabbing people for cosmetic reasons since around 200 B.C., when royal concubines were known for their health and youthful appearance. I was undergoing acupuncture treatment to maintain my condition. And yes, you’ll be sticking needles in your face.
But thanks to Dr. Franco, my nerves have already eased. Begin your consultation with a cup of herbal tea in Oh Glory’s serene, impeccably decorated reception space. As I sip, she asks me about, well, everything. She not only addresses my beauty concerns (continuous breakouts and fine lines that appear on my forehead), but also my digestion, sleep, diet, menstrual cycle, and general physical and mental health. I will ask.
I told her about my stomach problems and the recurring pain in my left shoulder, my muscles so stiff I can’t lift my arm. All cosmetic acupuncture sessions (called “You Are Glowing” on the spa’s menu) involve head-to-toe needle placement, so we’ll also discuss those here.
“I don’t think it’s really possible to just do cosmetic acupuncture without integrating whole body acupuncture,” Franco says. “[It] Included to touch on the underlying imbalances in why cosmetic complaints occur. If there are wrinkles on the forehead, it indicates that the liver system is out of balance, so to deal with how it appears on the face, you need to touch the body and adjust the liver system . ”
Franco checks my pulse and asks to see my tongue. These are two other ways Chinese medicine doctors identify imbalances, she says. People with too high a fever may have a red face, have trouble sleeping, or have trouble stopping their ruminations. On the other hand, excessive cold can manifest as bloating, digestive upset, and abnormal menstrual cycles, she continues. Your pulse may slow and your tongue may turn blue. Acupuncture aims to help restore balance, no matter which side of the scale you are on.
In the treatment room, I strip down to my skirt, get under a cozy blanket, and sit down to be poked. But first, Franco applies a microcurrent machine to my face. It’s a small, handheld device that “flows a sub-sensory electric current that mimics our body’s natural flow of electricity, meaning you don’t feel it.” Designed to stimulate collagen and elastin production and tighten facial muscles, this machine helps create a more lifted, sculpted facial appearance. “It’s like taking your face to the gym,” Franco added.
Afterwards, Franco said he stroked my hands and feet, looking for any abnormalities. “It may feel like a hole or a lump of energy,” she tells me. These areas are the best places to insert acupuncture needles.
“Does it feel nice here?” she often asks. Usually she’s right. She inserted each needle by quickly driving them through the metal tube and into my skin.
“This is essentially creating a tsunami of healing,” Franco explained, gently placing the needle near my lips. The small incisions stimulate a repair response at the site of the needle entry, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the area and promoting collagen production. More broadly, acupuncture “tells” [brain] It releases specific hormones that are needed for imbalances in the body,” says Franco. “that [sends] A blueprint for healing. ”
Important question: Is it painful? Not much. I’m aware there’s a needle, but it’s too small to actually stick. When Franco adjusts the needle in more sensitive areas, such as my hands and face, I feel a slight discomfort, but it quickly subsides. It’s not difficult to relax.
Franco not only inserted needles around my chin, forehead, cheeks, and mouth, but also found acupuncture spots in my legs, hands, arms, legs, left shoulder, and back of my neck. She then placed a small shield over my eyes and put an LED light mask on my face and programmed it to flash blue and red. “Red light penetrates the muscle layers and reaches the wrinkles,” Franco says. “Blue light can penetrate just below the dermal layer and kill bacteria. [targeting acne]”
She steps outside for 15 minutes and lets the mask and needles work their magic. I lay as still as I could and felt a (not unpleasant) tingling sensation all over my body. Honestly, I feel great. You can even take a nap like this.
When she returned, Franco carefully removed the needles one by one and applied a light facial to my skin in preparation for gua sha, a traditional Chinese medicine practice in which the face and neck are gently rubbed with a small, flat instrument. I applied oil. The purpose is to improve blood circulation and promote lymph flow. “It basically gives your whole face a glow,” says Franco. Once that was done, she wiped my face with a hot towel and sent me back into the world.
That night, the recurring shoulder pain actually became more intense. Probably because I was nervous expecting to get the needle. However, as the next day progressed, the severe joint pain suddenly and visibly disappeared, and I noticed that I could lift my left arm again without the tension and pain stopping me from moving. My skin looks healthy and bright and the puffiness on my face has gone away. Cystic acne won’t go away overnight, but Pia is an acupuncturist, not a magician.
Over the long term, patients who have been consistently treated report plumper and lifted skin, fewer wrinkles, better digestion, and a healthier respiratory system. “I recommend coming in about once a week to see the results,” says esthetician Serena Karlen, co-owner of Oh Glory.
But of all the potential benefits, one stands out as the most surprising and most important. “I think that on an emotional level, it helps a woman accept her appearance and rethink the way she thinks about aging,” says Franco. “[It encourages them] To celebrate their journey as they grow older. ”
