Do you suffer from dry skin, deep wrinkles or both that becomes aggravated in the winter? Well, investing in cosmetic acupuncture to care for these areas of your face can be very uplifting (pun intended!) and free from the myriad of constituents in skin care products.
Winter time can produce very dry skin and this can increase the appearance of deeper set wrinkles on the face. During the winter I recommend to use a deeper facial needling technique to stimulate and activate muscle tone. This is done by inserting needles directly into deeper set wrinkles to promote blood flow and diminish their appearance. Deep set wrinkles often appear on the forehead and between our eyebrows, where we visibly show stress. The winter glare and cold can cause people to squint more and further tighten the face. To combat this tightening effect acupuncture needles placed at certain spots on the face cause a relaxing effect in muscle tissue, a tonifying effect whereby microcirculation is increased in the area to promote cellular healing. When this is done consecutively, I notice visible changes after only a few sessions.
You can support your facial acupuncture regimen by incorporating a ‘Yin’ or fluid nourishing diet as well. In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine ‘Yin’ is considered thick and thin body fluids, including the blood and water in our bodies. A goal during this season is to increase Yin to nourish and help to heal skin that is dry or damaged. From a TCM perspective, food has qualities that can produce cooling, warming, drying or moistening effects in the body. At this time of the year when skin tends to be dry from external factors, moistening foods can have an extremely positive effect.
The goal is to have a healthy diet to promote the production of body fluids that can help rejuvenate the skin. Here is a list to take to your grocery store and start to introduce into your diet.
- water chestnuts
- seaweed
- pears
- apples
- tofu
- pumpkins and squash
- steamed greens
- beans (especially darker)
- spinach
- honey
- sesame seeds
- pine nuts
In addition to moistening foods, be sure to drink plenty of water and liquids that are free of caffeine and sugars.
Loving your skin and caring for it starts with the foods we ingest…what we put in our bodies shows outwardly on our skin. Combining an adequate fluid nourishing diet with a regular facial acupuncture regimen can be a powerful and healthy healing treatment plan for your skin.
If you would like to speak with our resident facial acupuncturist, Lara Tisseur, about how you can start to heal your skin during the coldest season of the year, contact us today.