Is there are a natural way to get a smoother, firmer and a much younger complexion? Yes there definitely is and gua sha facial massage therapy is guaranteed to give you just that.
Pronounced as “gwa zha,”Gua sha therapy is an age old Chinese healing technique that’s been used for hundreds of years as a way to restore or maintain health. And today, gua sha massage methods are popping up offering you a way to rejuvenate your face. Promoters of gua sha facial therapy firmly believe its outcome can lessen or halt breakouts and dryness of the skin and enhance definition and increase firmness.
First, Gua Sha Massage Therapy, What is It?
Gua sha massage treatments use a flat-edged small tool for massaging the skin. This instrument may be made from different types of smooth objects, like rose quarts, jade, or wood.
The tool used in gua sha is massaged onto the skin, producing reddish and small bruises. The redness and bruises are actually a vital aspect of the treatment. Gua sha therapists view the bruises as proof of toxin build up inside the body.
Unfortunately, the bruises are a bit of a put-off to some people. However, administering gua sha facial massage is much less invasive than a full body gua sha massage.
Administered on the body, gua sha therapy is designed to achieve the following results:
Strengthen the immune system
Decrease irritation
Alleviate tension and stiffness in the muscles
Boost blood flow in the body
Relax muscular stiffness
And it seems that evidence exist proving gua sha therapies do have certain positive and real effects. A 2011 study demonstrated that people suffering from neck pain felt a temporary decrease in their symptoms through the use of gua sha.
And a more recent 2017 study revealed that gua sha therapy on elderly patients suffering from low back pain felt a lessening of irritation and better mobility.
Better Complexion through Facial Gua Sha Treatments
Compared to gua sha practices administered on the body, gua sha therapies done on the face are less invasive. Actually, this procedure does not leave bruising of any kind on the skin. The gua sha instrument is swiped gently across the skin surface in long or short strokes. These strokes are performed in a certain manner on the face attaining the desired outcomes.
But, Can Gua Sha Help Lift your Face?
Proof for gua sha face treatments is primarily anecdotal, so far. Lots of people who have tried the procedure swear by this treatment as a way to attain a more attractive look, whilst reducing puffiness near the eyes, limiting the amount of breakouts, and boosting skin hydration.
One common belief why this oriental beauty enhancement method may give your skin a rejuvenated look is its ability to empty excess lymph fluid. Skin conditions may arise if the fluid accumulates to dangerous levels.
What’s a lymph?
Lymph fluid naturally exists in the body. It’s comprised of fats, proteins, and white blood cells.
Lymph is a component of the lymphatic system that helps the body rid itself of toxins and waste and contributes significantly in the function of the immune system.
Gua sha practitioners/therapists believe that pressure applied during the therapy relaxes tightness in the connective tissues and muscles. And when they relieve tension in that area, it promotes the removal of the excess fluid. This freeing of tightness also decreases the development of wrinkles, and helps smooth the skin. Clients and practitioners state that the skin immediately becomes smoother right after a gua sha procedure.
Scientific proof exists proving gua sha massages do bolster blood flow to the body part wherein the procedures are administered. This rise in blood flow benefits the skin in a lot of ways. To stay in optimal health, your skin, like any part of your body, requires a constant supply of blood. Nutrients and blood is distributed to cells, and carry away waste and toxins from the cells.
Relaxation and Its Benefits
Massages are definitely both relaxing and reinvigorating. And a relaxed state of being is very good for your skin’s health.
And are you aware that stress actually impacts your DNA? The DNA in your body are strings of molecules that tell your body on how to function, develop, and grow. At the tip of each DNA strand are insulating casings known as “telomeres.”
A cell loses some of its telomeres every time it divides. The human body normally regenerates telomeres. But large amounts of stress hormones and chronic stress can disrupt this process; when these insulating telomeres aren’t replaced, the body can experience irritation or even die. It also speeds up the process of aging.
So, if you happen to enjoy relaxing facials and massages, then, you will definitely enjoy a gua sha facial massage that will provide you with meaningful advantages to your complexion.
You would obviously want to seek the services of a licensed and experienced practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who knows what he or she is doing. This professional will assess your skin, and – if required – instruct you how to administer the technique yourself.
Massaging to Enhance Your Complexion
Gua sha facial massage therapies are still in being thoroughly studied. Will its popularity take off the way traditional Chinese healing practices like acupuncture have? This will be seen in due time. Still, a bit relaxation wouldn’t hurt anyone so you should now consider giving it a try.