Acupuncture as a beauty modality
Dr. Ruan Jin Zhao
(Ph.D, O.M.D, L.A.c.)
Board Certified Acupuncture Physician
Acupuncture as a beauty modality has been used in the Asian countries for years. It is now becoming more popular and fashionable in other parts of the world.
This phenomenon puzzles many people. How can acupuncture be used for beauty purposes? And what is the program for facial rejuvenation? What is the outcome?
There is one question we need to answer. What is the definition of beauty? Basically, it indicates the outward appearance of a person, the skin quality, and the spirit reflected from the skin. Skin quality is divided into many categories. Skin color (sallow, pale, too red); skin texture (fine or coarse, wrinkly, loose, fragile); skin shape (puffy, tightness); and finally, skin problems (pigmentation including age spots; pimples, acne, and environmentally damaged skin). The purpose of cosmetic acupuncture is to help keep a healthy spirit and healthy skin. Good spirit and good skin are related to each other in Chinese medicine, good spirit is related to the harmony or our vital organs and how they affect each other.
The skin is the largest organ in our body. In Chinese medicine, skin is classified into the Lung category. The lung's function decides the skin's quality. People with lung problems never have healthy skin. Smoking, asthma, and emphysema damage the skin. Any disease that lowers the lung's function also decreases skin quality. smoking, in fact, makes the skin wrinkle and lose its healthy glow. Keeping your lungs healthy is the key to beautiful skin.
Acupuncture can increase the lung's energy and improve the distribution of Wei Qi. Acupuncture can also improve spleen function and stomach energy and can directly improve blood circulation in the skin. Acupuncture can insure proper blood supply and nutrients to facial skin cells. Thus, skin quality becomes healthy and radiates beauty. To increase the lung's energy, we choose points in the lung meridian for needling and also apply herbal medicine for energy enhancement. Chinese medicine emphasizes the inter-relationship among the organs. The lung is closely related to the large intestine, which we call the exterior-interior relationship. Abnormal bowel movement will affect the lung's function, and damaged lungs can cause constipation or diarrhea. To be sure the lung functions well in skin care, we must take care of the large intestine. To keep the large intestine functioning well and properly eliminating waste from the body, detoxification herbal medicine should be used periodically. This is important for patients who have skin with pimples and acne.