Facial Gua Sha vs. Facial Cupping: Which is Right for You?
If you’ve been looking for a natural way to lift, tone, and depuff your skin, you’ve likely come across Facial Gua Sha and Facial Cupping. While both are rooted in ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine and offer fantastic alternatives to invasive fillers, they work in very different ways.
The Best of Both Worlds: At The Acupuncture Point, you don’t have to choose. We believe in a comprehensive approach to skin health, which is why every Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture treatment includes both Facial Gua Sha and Facial Cupping.
By combining these techniques, we address your skin from every angle—moving fluid, releasing muscle tension, and stimulating cellular repair in a single session.
Facial Gua Sha: The Sculptor
Gua Sha involves using a flat, specially contoured stone (typically jade) to apply "press-stroke" movements across the skin.
How it works: It focuses on the fascia—the connective tissue that wraps around your facial muscles. By releasing "stuck" fascia and muscle tension, it helps reposition facial fat and smooth out the skin.
Best for: * Contouring: Defining the jawline and cheekbones.
Tension Release: Relieving jaw clenching (TMJ) and softening "11 lines" between the brows.
Smoothing: Breaking up the adhesions that contribute to deep-set wrinkles.
Facial Cupping: The Revitalizer
Facial cupping uses small, soft suction cups to create a gentle vacuum effect. Unlike body cupping, these cups are kept in constant motion to ensure a bruise-free, relaxing experience.
How it works: Instead of applying pressure down (like Gua Sha), cupping pulls the tissue upward. This suction creates a vacuum that draws oxygen-rich blood to the surface and creates a drainage path for stagnant fluids.
Best for: Depuffing: The ultimate tool for lymphatic drainage and reducing under-eye bags.
Instant Glow: The suction brings immediate blood flow, giving you a rosy, vibrant complexion.
Plumping: The lifting action helps stimulate the skin’s surface, making it look fuller and more awake.
The Perfect Pairing
Why do we include both in your treatment? Because they are better together. At The Acupuncture Point, we use Facial Cupping first to move stagnant lymph and "clear the path." We then follow with Gua Sha to deeply sculpt the muscles and smooth the skin once the puffiness is removed.
Combined with acupuncture needles to stimulate collagen at a structural level, this trio provides a natural, radiant lift that works from the inside out.
