By Jamie Kliewe, Owner, Licensed Therapist & Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner
In the world of Anti-Aging Medicine, beauty and skin health are important factors in perceived quality of life. Currently, numerous solutions are offered for skin rejuvenation and anti-skin aging including treatments for facial wrinkles, facial muscle tone, and elasticity. Recently, Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture has been introduced as a solution for skin rejuvenation.
Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture (FCA) is the use of acupuncture on the head, face, and neck for cosmetic purposes. Several different types of FCA are currently practiced, and many possible mechanisms underlying these techniques have been proposed such as increasing or balancing Qi energy, the circulating life force whose properties are the basis of Chinese medicine, balancing the internal organs, increasing blood flow by inserting needles at certain acupoints, and increasing muscle tone.
Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture is based on the core principles of traditional acupuncture.
Acupuncture theory is based on the belief that the human body has several channels of vital energy flow. There are numerous branches to these main channels. If there are any disruptions to these channels, the acupuncture theory believes that it will lead to illness and other health issues.
So, for Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture, what the Acupuncture Physician will do is to use needles to stimulate the patient’s blood circulation. Improved blood circulation is believed to improve the vital energy of the patient, which in turn will lead to a tighter skin condition without any surgery.
For thousands of years, the Chinese have known that beauty comes from the inside. At least as early as the Sung Dynasty (960AD-1270AD) Acupuncture rejuvenation practices were employed for the Empress and the Emperor’s concubines. These practices migrated from China to Vietnam, and then to France – Land of Beauty – where they were then developed and refined.
Acupuncture balances the energy flow within the body to initiate the healing process of rejuvenation. According to a famous Chinese axiom, Where Qi goes, blood flows.
Even those unfamiliar with the principles of Chinese Medicine know that increased circulation helps the body look and feel better. Common sense tells us that treating the underlying cause of aging is preferable to masking the outward symptoms and allowing further decline and dysfunction to continue within the body. This can involve other factors, such as diet and exercise, as well using these Acupuncture techniques to change the physiology of the body and skin.
Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture entails no incisions, sutures or acid peels and it will not produce sudden, drastic changes in underlying structures. Properly trained practitioners may also recommend and perform homeopathic injections in addition to the acupuncture to enhance the body’s own processes of collagen and elastin production, as well as healing of some damaged skin cells. Proper expectations of this type of treatment is, however, something that should be discussed with your Practitioner. It took decades of stress, sun damage and exposure to environmental toxins for your skin to reach a state of crisis, and the damage will not be instantly undone. The remedy cosmetic acupuncture may offer is the reduction or erasure of fine lines and the softening of deeper ones. Additionally, patients may experience the firming of jowls and a reduction in the size of under-eye bags. It is not unusual for clients to report enhanced skin tone, increased energy and eyes that sparkle. But it doesn’t stop there, since facial acupuncture is based on time-tested principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a person’s overall health may also benefit. Insomnia may be corrected and weight gain may be controlled. Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture is, after all, a whole-body treatment. In the Traditional Chinese Medicine view, a person’s face is affected selectively by his or her metabolism. Facial features reflect organic strengths, and as internal organs are fortified, one’s face reflects the improvement. Besides addressing a patient’s condition holistically, the practitioner will probably work locally, inserting painless, ultra-fine needles into–and around–specific wrinkles, acu-points or muscle points, depending on the technique employed. Techniques can involve between 16 and 80 needles, and practitioners will often incorporate herbal poultices, moisturizers, Ultrasound, microcurrent, pulsed light or essential oils into a treatment.
Typically you will have a 15 minute consultation with your practitioner to assess your needs as well as an estimate of the cost and the number of treatments required. A course of ten treatments is standard, with periodic follow-up visits as needed. These sessions are labor intensive and will be priced differently than customary acupuncture treatments. Not surprisingly, if you are a smoker or sun-worshipper, you will need to make a longer commitment in order to achieve results. Depending on the technique used, there is a slight chance of minor temporary bruising, although your practitioner may lessen the possibility by starting your session with a homeopathic remedy. If your features are tired, your eyes are baggy and your skin is without luster, yet you do not feel the need for cosmetic surgery, then Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture may be for you. The freedom from post-treatment downtime and the experience of enhanced vitality contribute to the ever-increasing popularity of this Asian art. If you are willing to try something different and new, you may find that facial acupuncture is the perfect partner in your quest for rejuvenation and renewal.
Dr. Luann Pham LAc, DOM, ECFMG
Certified (MD France)
Dr. Loan Pham was an MD in France in Family medicine, graduated in Paris in 1989 and came to alternative medicine very early in her career path after personal struggles with upper respiratory infections which lead to
asthma, chronic sinusitis, gastritis, and one day to an anaphylactic shock after conventional medicine treatment.
She decided back then to broaden her horizons with formal education in Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Western herbology, mesotherapy and implemented them throughout her 20 years of clinical work in France with noticeable success for herself, her family and patients.
In the USA, Dr. Loan Pham is an ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Graduate) certified, an Oriental Medicine Physician NCCAOM certified, licensed in Florida. Her lifelong experience in both Western and Eastern medicine allows her to master a holistic approach in addressing patients’ health conditions and ailments and she can effectively communicate your status and progress to your medical doctor, if necessary.
Among her different treatments, Dr. Pham offers acupuncture procedures, Chinese herbology , nutritional advices and other complementary nutritional supplements and therapies addressing anti-aging, pain management, digestive issues, sleep disorders, general health support and woman health: infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome and heavy or irregular menstrual periods.
In addition, she offers to her clients a signature holistic facial rejuvenation treatment combining an acupuncture facelift procedure and injection of a homeopathic formula with Made collagen. This special acupuncture facelift procedure encompasses not only acupoints on the face but also those throughout the body in an effort to balance the energy, the Qi, flow in the entire body to restore facial youthful appearance. This has proven an excellent alternative to invasive facelift procedures or Botox and fillers with associated hazardous long-term side effects.
OMNI BALANCED LIFE CENTER
720 Goodlette Rd., Ste 205, Naples, FL 34102
239-234-1608
www.OmniNaples.com