Tracey has been successfully using cosmetic acupuncture on her patients since 2010. Cosmetic Acupuncture is an extraordinary method of keeping your skin as youthful as possible, in the most natural and gentle way possible.

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How does it work?

 

Very small, fine needles are inserted into the body and face to circulate Qi and blood to the face, rebuilding and igniting the elastin and collagen in the skin. 

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Specific points and combination of points are used to tone the muscles just like you would do at the gym. Regular Acupuncture and Microcurrent retrain the facial muscles to relax or tighten, stimulating ATP and therefore collagen and elastin. The treatments are cumulative so, a block of treatments are advised. Usually 10-12 treatments however this can also be determined by your age and skin condition (see below). 

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What to Expect with your treatment? 

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- Skin analysis and discussion about the desired areas most important to treat.

- Acupuncture on the body for general health and to boost the facial acupuncture.

- Facial acupuncture 

- Microcurrent on your most important areas. *This is an exclusive BONUS treatment to Tracey’s cosmetic acupuncture treatments.

- Gua Sha

- Chinese Medicine diet advice if needed.

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How many treatments do you need?

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The quantity of treatments will depend on a few things. These include your internal health, your history of sun exposure and environmental damage and your age. 

Also, as we age our cell turnover (regeneration) slows down. For example in our 20’s cell turnover takes approximately 21 days. By the time we reach 40 this has doubled.

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• Therefore, in your 20’s using cosmetic acupuncture is wonderful for prevention and health of your skin ) so you may only need 3 treatments initially with monthly or every 2 months treatment.

• In your 30’s prevention and treating fine lines, pigmentation and the start of sagging - you may need 6-8 treatments.

• In your 40’s and over fine lines, deeper wrinkles, sagging and pigmentation - you may need 10-15 treatments.

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What results to expect?

- Glowing skin

- Better general health and wellbeing

- Tighter skin, lifting

- Less pigmentation

- Less fine lines and deep lines

- Scarring will start disappearing

- Reduces puffiness and redness 

- Softening and brightening of the skin

- Oxygenation

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*All results depend on each persons internal wellbeing, emotional wellbeing and diet - these things will be discussed/advised on in the consultations.

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Lines and wrinkles

This is painless but very effective. The insertion of these needles all cause  what we call a “microtrauma” to the face (ie: your body will see the needles as a foreign object causing “trauma” to the face and it will respond by going into ‘repair mode’.) In response to this stimulation, your skin will respond by producing collagen and elastin – the building blocks of the skin – in the local area to try to ‘fix’ it.

This will have the effect of softening the lines and plumping up the face from underneath, resulting in more youthful and vibrant skin.

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Sagging, drooping and loss of firmness

Sagging and drooping usually is a result of the loss of firmness and elasticity of the skin and tissue in the face. Cosmetic acupuncture works on the regeneration of fibers in the face by stimulating the production of collagen, elastic and healthy tissue. In an little as 4 – 5 weeks, the skin feels firmer and denser, resulting in a more plump and tighter appearance.

Needling the correct muscles to elicit a response can stimulate a muscle to tighten and strengthen, lifting certain areas of the face and giving your face a firmer appearance. 

We will do a thorough assessment of your general health and provide acupuncture for the whole body to make sure that you leave as relaxed as possible. 

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Dryness, flakiness and dullness

Cosmetic Acupuncture can hydrate and nourish your dry skin almost instantly!

Dryness and dullness is treated using a technique of needling in facial acupuncture that encourages blood flow to the face. Not only does this help surface dryness and flakiness, it also very strongly stimulates and revitalises the health and integrity of the flesh and soft tissue of the face.

Cosmetic Acupuncture will allow the flesh and skin to immediately have an instant delivery of blood flow to the face which will help the skin and connective soft tissue become healthier. This all allows moisture and hydration to be retained much better, making your skin more manageable and hydrated. Patients rave about the difference to their skin after just one session!

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Pigmentation and uneven skin tone

Have you noticed as you’ve gotten older that your skin, although in good condition, is starting to look dull and uneven? Have you also noticed the dark patches of pigmentation form around the sides of the face and around the cheeks? Cosmetic acupuncture can help reduce the severity of dark spots and give you a nice and even skin tone, without patchiness and discolouration.

Pigmentation is seen as blockages and the lack of circulation in certain areas in the face causing the unevenness of skin in your face. Needling certain areas and breaking and dispersing stagnation (blockages) can help fade and diminish dark spots by allowing fresh blood to the surface, destroying the stagnant pigments that cause discolouration.

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Melasma 

It causes brown to gray patches on the face, nose, and chin. In addition, one of the most common causes is extended sun exposure. Melasma is not painful and does not cause any health risks but the patchy spots can last for decades. There are limited conventional treatment options available and people often seek alternative care for improving appearance of their skin.

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A recent study looked at the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of facial melasma. The study was done to see what the best protocol was for optimal effectiveness, just facial acupuncture or face and body acupuncture points. In this study women suffering from melasma were randomly assigned to facial-only group or facial and body points group. Each group was given 2 facial cosmetic acupuncture treatments per week for 8 weeks. During this time Melasma areas of darkness and pigmentation were assessed using advanced digital images and topography. The study found that 95.2% of participants in facial/body and 90% of the facial acupuncture group had decreased melasma areas compared to their baselines (p-value = 0.482). Therefore, facial acupuncture, with or without body acupuncture, was shown to be effective in decreasing the size of melasma areas.

Acupuncture vs. conventional treatment:

In a systematic review of dozens of randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of acupuncture on melasma. The review looked at how acupuncture compared to typical conventional treatments as well as the specific acupuncture techniques and protocols in effectiveness on treating melasma. Typical treatments include oral medications, vitamin C, vitamin A, topical 20% azelaic acid, and no treatment.

What the meta-analysis showed was that all types of acupuncture techniques were found to be safe and beneficial for women with melasma, also no adverse events were reported with acupuncture treatments. Of the studies examined, seven showed acupuncture groups had significantly better outcomes on melasma appearance than conventional treatments.

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Tension in the face

With the busy lifestyle we all have adopted and the hustle and bustle of today’s world, an increasing number of women are reporting tension in the face- especially in the forehead and between the eyebrows. This of course is uncomfortable and also can create or worsen lines in the forehead, frown lines and the furrow in between the brow.

During our treatments, not only is Cosmetic Acupuncture used to relax and release the targeted muscle in the face, but general acupuncture is also used on the body to distress and re-balance the body. We will do a thorough assessment of your general health and provide acupuncture for the whole body to make sure that you leave as relaxed as possible.

Acupuncture is fantastic for relieving stress and anxiety and is very commonly used to treat depression and stress disorders of all types.

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Acne scarring + scars

Scarring is very commonly seen in the clinic as we see so many patients that suffer from Acne.

Often if the skin condition has been severe or longstanding, acne sufferers will present with scarring in the form of dark red & purple spots, pitting, and little holes in the skin. Severe cystic acne sufferers will be left with lumps and bumps and very uneven skin texture.

Cosmetic Acupuncture moves the blood and boosts circulation in the skin- something that is extremely important in the healing process. Purple spots and scars will fade by moving the stagnant blood from the face, allowing fresh blood to come to the area. Scarring in the form of unevenness and pitting is softened as you are encouraging your skin to renew and regenerate tissue by promoting the production of collagen.

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Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26850796

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1136/acupmed-2014-010633

https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/unmasking-the-causes-and-treatments-of-melasma

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1744388115300128?via%3Dihub

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