If you’re new to acupuncture and gua sha, you might not know what to expect when it comes to the intensity of these services. Know right off the bat that these services should not hurt or leave you bruised. If you find yourself digging your nails into the table or tensing up a great deal at any point during your session, you need to let the practitioner know immediately so they can adjust accordingly. He adds: “With gua sha, acupuncture and TCM, we look at a host of illnesses. If you don’t have that smooth flow of blood and energy throughout your body, it can manifest as muscle knots, soreness, weakness or pain. Acupuncture along with gua sha is just going to help promote that blood supply and the conduction of everything through the tissues healthily so we can get your body as homeostatic as possible.” Gua sha for the body

If you’re looking to start practicing gua sha on your face, the first step experts recommend is cleansing. By starting with a clean face, you can ensure your face is free from any impurities that may get into your skin when scraping. From there, lather facial oil to protect your top layer of skin from abrasion. Gua sha is a very standard kind of treatment modality that most acupuncturists will use. Its meaning loosely translates to ‘scraping, rubbing or pushing.’ Essentially, gua sha is just a tool-assisted type of massage,” explains Sobo. The difference between gua sha and the Graston Technique If you’ve been on TikTok in the past month, you may have come across gua sha tutorials — or videos in which users apply a smooth, angled stone on their face. Gua sha has recently surged in popularity — so much so, in fact, that at the time of publishing, the hashtag #guasha has accumulated more than 432 million views on TikTok, with users claiming the appliance has cleared their skin, reduced wrinkles and provided a more sculpted appearance. However, while the facial tool has recently exploded in popularity on social media platforms, the practice is nothing new. It actually predates modern medicine and originated in China, where the stones were once used to treat various illnesses. Gua sha, or 刮痧, directly translates to “scratch” and “sand” (here, the sand refers to the raised redness on the skin instead of actual sand). “‘Sha’ is caused by the bacteria or virus toxins, which break the capillaries and form hyperemia areas, or spots in the skin or mucus, and form sand-like scattered or condensed areas,” said Wang. The sand analogy stemmed from the act of performing gua sha, where technicians gently scrape the skin and see tiny dots under the skin emerge; these little granules resemble pieces of sand, which led to their name, Wang elaborated. After applying gua sha, it is common for users to experience redness or tenderness (a sign of blood renewal), but those effects will subside within a few days. According to celebrity aesthetician Angela Caglia, the benefits of regular facial massages are manifold. "It will stimulate blood flow for instant glow, and also help to relax your facial muscles, which reduces stress," she says "If done properly, a face massage can also assist with reducing puffiness and give a temporary sculpting effect to the face." Caglia recommends prepping the skin with a lightweight face oil for slip and applying "gentle pressure in upwards and outwards directions".

How does Gua Sha work?

Sobo adds that while acupuncturists are trained in gua sha, it’s not always offered during acupuncture sessions. This could come down to it not making sense for the areas of the body being treated or an acupuncturist just opting not to do it. But if you’re interested in experiencing gua sha, you can always request it when making your appointment. Does gua sha hurt? Skin Care Wellness All Skin Care Moisturizers Mineral Sunscreens Sunscreens for Kids Sunscreens for Dark Skin Acne Teen Acne Rosacea SPF Lip Balms Under Eye Patches Cleanse the skin:“Begin your routine with cleansed skin.For evening,we recommend double cleansingto ensure make-up, sunscreen, dirt and excess oil is fully removed.”

Oral Care Wellness All Oral Care Electric Toothbrushes Toothpastes Whiteners Floss Mouthwashes Water Flossers Relieves tension from muscles. Experts noted that by applying pressure with a gua sha tool regularly, users can untangle knotted areas and release built-up muscular tension. Shape:“Using precision gua sha tools can help target acupressure points, improve blood circulation and remove heat from the face.” Consider those with angled edges or a concave edge to really hug the facial contours. “Other smooth and rounded gua sha tools can help with massaging wider surface areas and relieving jaw tension.”

How we tested

Reading that gua sha involves “scraping,” might make you cringe. However, a practitioner won’t be scraping your body like a car windshield in the middle of winter. Gua sha is gentle overall, and the intensity can build depending on the types of knots that your acupuncturist encounters. Hair Care Wellness All Hair Care Shampoos Purple Shampoos Thinning Hair Head Shavers Flat Irons Hair Dryers