You’ve heard of microneedling and you may have even tried it at home or in a spa setting. You definitely want to look and feel your very best. You know that you don’t like the way stress or time or past choices are marking your face, chin, neck, or décolletage. But have you ever thought about the root causes underlying the changes to your skin? Microneedling is an amazing tool in your aesthetic toolbox, but when you expand your horizons to include holistic treatments curated just for you…well, that is when the magic begins!
And if you have questions, then here are some answers…
Question: What is it?
Also known as collagen induction therapy (CIT), microneedling is a cosmetic procedure that is minimally invasive and entails puncturing the surface of the skin with tiny, fine needles. The skin then repairs the resulting micro-traumas and produces new elastin and fresh collagen. Microneedling is amazing, really. Did you know that it can smooth wrinkles, revitalize saggy skin, soften or revise scars, improve the appearance of stretch marks, and reduce the bumpiness of cellulite? Microneedling can also be used to treat hair loss.
Question: Why try it with an acupuncturist when you could go to a med spa or an aesthetician?
The principles behind a cosmetic treatment delivered by an acupuncturist are different than those of an aesthetician or a med spa staff member. The techniques are similar, but the reasoning behind them and the value placed on certain approaches are context-specific.
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Question: What does this mean for you?
An aesthetician cannot treat your insides. They work on your external skin and that is it. A licensed acupuncturist can identify a syndrome or pattern, and support your healing process both inside and out. An aesthetician can give you an exemplary treatment for your surface but they are not qualified to prescribe herbal medicine or to provide the type of care that can shift your general state of wellbeing. In addition, scope of practice laws regulate whether or not aestheticians are able to provide this service and, in fact, in California they are not allowed to provide such treatment.
If you go to a dermatologist’s office, you can get pharmaceutical prescriptions and you may be able to get recommendations for supplements there and at a med spa. But it’s not the same as working with a licensed acupuncturist. We look at the whole self, not just one system, and we create your unique treatment plan accordingly.
Do you want to get to the root cause of your skin issue, and would you like for your practitioner to take a holistic approach to your aesthetic treatment? In that case, whatever the acupuncturist will do via the microneedling pen can be enhanced by treating your constitution, or overall wellbeing, too.
I actually have experienced microneedling as performed by a talented aesthetician and I had no complaints afterward. And yet…I did feel that this would have been a better treatment had she known how to microneedle along the planes of the channels as we, in Chinese medicine, view them. I thought that this would have been a much better treatment had it followed the principles of holistic medicine.
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As a practitioner who microneedles, I now give the treatment I would have preferred, especially since I make use of this tool for reasons other than the strictly cosmetic. Scar revision is one of my super-specialties (this is the topic of a whole different blog post, as is the topic of microneedling for hair loss), for example. Consequently, I am especially mindful of how microneedling fits into a bigger picture that intends to change not just the external but also the internal structures. In my practice, the microneedle pen is an incredible tool when imbedded into a layered treatment strategy.
In sum: the kind of treatment available to you at your acupuncturist’s office can leave you beautiful inside and out.
Question: What are some amazing alternatives to needle treatment?
Microneedling is not painful–or at least, it shouldn’t be. I’ve seen some of the TikTok videos and Instagram reels where the patient’s face is a bloody mess after treatment and I am not impressed at all. In my estimation, ripping up a patient’s face is the sign of a practitioner who lacks nuance. What can I say other than: I am a snob? Microneedling can be an art, and ham-handed treatments lack finesse. #Fact.
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That said, not everyone is keen to have any needles on their face, much less a bunch of them zapping in and out of the microneedle pen like tiny death rays. Ok, I hear you. Take a look at “Facelift With no Downtime? (With Needles or Without, Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Make it Happen),” and you’ll see how many options you actually do have if you want an aesthetic treatment that does not rely on needles. And don’t forget, many of us (myself included) have integrated LED light therapy into our service menus and LED alone can do a lot for your complexion. You absolutely can get an excellent aesthetic treatment that does not rely on any needles at all if that is your preference.
One of Chinese medicine’s hidden treasures that I love most of all is the manual therapy called tui na (pronounced twee-nah). This modality is a relaxing and valuable part of a cosmetic microneedling treatment for the face and/or neck, too. Intrigued? Keep reading and discover for yourself the magic of Chinese-style manual therapy!
Question: Why tui na, especially?
There are a lot of reasons why a person’s face loses its youthful glow and firm contour that don’t involve collagen. These reasons can affect underlying muscle and fascia.
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Think about it…you know that If a person has been under a lot of stress for a long time, their muscles hold the memory. If they have been angry or grieving, their muscles hold these emotions too. It really doesn’t matter how much you tend to the surface skin if the muscles underneath hold unquiet emotions.
You can have the silkiest epidermis in the world, but if you have fascial adhesions or tight muscles that are the result of holding certain facial expressions for years? Your unwrinkled exterior isn’t going to stay smooth for long…
In my estimation, a person who truly wants to revitalize their face (or smooth their neck but again, that’s a different blog post) gets the most benefit when they start with a tui na treatment so that the practitioner can feel, tangibly, what is going on with their muscles and bones. And if you don’t have a cosmetic tui na practitioner near you? See if you can work with a practitioner who offers gua sha or jade rolling treatments. Any manual therapy of these types are an opportunity for you, the patient, to relax tight muscles while your practitioner unbinds fascial adhesions and/or knots in your muscles.
Once the sub-surface is understood and tended to, THEN the next step can be microneedling.
Think about it this way: you, dear reader, are a living, breathing work of art. And just as a sculptor wants to engage with the material and get a sense of its potential, the practitioner will get best results for you if she palpates the fascia, muscles, and bones in question. For that reason, I always suggest at least one facial tui na treatment for patients who want the very best out of their cosmetic treatment. Either way, though? Microneedling as a one-off appointment, or as part of a larger program to create your best, most glowing face, is magical and definitely worth experiencing at your acupuncturist’s office.
Are you ready to experience the awesomeness?
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Paula Bruno, Ph.D., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, an AOBTA-CP traditional Chinese bodywork therapist, and a wellness educator and health coach. She maintains an active and growing practice at her Austin, TX office. Dr. Bruno is also available for distance appointments for wellness consultation or coaching.
In her first career, she was a Spanish professor.
Dr. Bruno’s specialties as a Chinese medicine practitioner include: • Musculoskeletal health (acute or chronic pain relief; Ehlers Danlos syndrome & hypermobility support) • Digestive support, gut health, and weight loss • Aesthetic treatment, including scar revision • Men’s health • General preventative care and immune support for all persons.
She is the author of Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide. Dr. Bruno also maintains a second website, holistichealthandheds.com, with resources and information curated specifically for people with hEDS and HSD.
When you are ready to discover what traditional medicine plus a vibrant and engaged approach to holistic health can do for you, either contact Dr. Bruno or book an appointment online.
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Note: Material on this web site site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, illness, or ailment. A Chinese medicine practitioner in Texas identifies syndrome patterns but does not diagnose illness. Material on this web site does not purport to identify syndrome patterns.
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