“I Tried It:” Acupuncture Face-Lift

By Barbara Hey

My face looks a bit like a newspaper that’s been folded too many times—quite different than its unlined appearance of years past. So I decided to try facial acupuncture, a technique that addresses all-over health issues to help counteract fine lines, sagging, and puffiness.

The Procedure: At session one, Sylvia Salcedo Rojas, LAc, a Denver-based acupuncturist, starts with questions: Am I stressed? Yes. Have trouble sleeping? Yes. She checks my pulses, tongue, and finally my skin, which shows ebbing elasticity, lackluster tone, and those ever-present squint and smile lines.

Rojas begins by putting needles on my body, targeting the weak pulses of the kidney and liver meridians, which signal flaccid vitality and lethargic circulation (the face mirrors the body’s state of well-being). She places needles at multiple points on my feet, ankles, forearms, and the top of my head to restore the free flow of energy. An imbalance of energy, she explains, contributes to less-than-glowing skin.

On my face, she gently taps needles (total count: 48) into areas that need a boost: fine eye lines, furrowed brow, hairline, nose-to-lip creases, and jaw. The sensation? Not soothing, like a facial, but not painful either. Some points sting, which Rojas tells me could signal blocked qi, and my jaw muscles ache at first. Forty-five minutes later, I emerge feeling the familiar ahhh that follows acupuncture.

The Verdict: Although my lines have not disappeared, I’m happy that this acupuncture treatment has left me feeling renewed—whether or not those pesky wrinkles go away for good. $120 per session; www.chiakra.com or www.cosmeticacupunctureseminars.com.