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Chiu always moved her tools in an upward motion, sweeping with long and short strokes and varying pressures. The way she moved the stones had a rhythm so soothing that I felt like I was falling into a trance-like state. (I would have fallen asleep if I hadn’t been talking to Chiu.) As she worked up my neck, lower third of my face, and my forehead, she used a lighter hand; She used medium pressure along the curves of my jaw and cheekbones. It was never painful, but my cheeks felt warm from her repeated kneading (as they do when blood rushes to them when they blush).
My Gua Sha: Before and After
Treatment by Lanshin
Board-certified dermatologist Neda Mehr, MD, has previously said Curls that Gua Sha helps reduce swelling through lymphatic drainage. I found this to be true to an extent, but my visible results were subtle.
In the images above you can see what my face and neck looked like immediately before and after my gua sha treatment. (The bruising makes the treatment’s cupping feel brutal, but again, it was only intense for a few minutes at most.) If you look closely at my chin and cheeks, you can see that the areas were very lightly lifted. “Gua Sha moves fluid in a manner similar to a lymphatic massage,” says Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. But he adds that it’s important to set realistic expectations. “Know that this effect is not permanent.”
You may also notice that my double chin hasn’t gone away. As a reminder, a double chin is completely normal. They can occur due to a lack of healthy diet or exercise, while some people have a genetic predisposition to it (*raises hand*). The point: gua sha is not enough to get rid of your double chin.
Jesa Marie Calaor
I put on my makeup the day after my Gua Sha treatment. Taking a selfie in the car, I noticed my jaw line looked more defined. My face was depuffed, ever so slightly raised and glowing. My skin looked great. Overall, i felt Great.
Common misconceptions about Gua Sha
With the social media boom of gua sha, questions have arisen among TCM practitioners as to whether or not to appropriate it. “In a way, I feel like gua sha is being appropriated,” says Stephanie Zheng, esthetician and founder of Mount Lai, a line of gua sha tools. “Many wellness and beauty practices like Gua Sha are rooted in culture and heritage. As gua sha becomes more popular, we see many brands launching their own gua sha products without any connection to the practice.” She adds, “It’s important to understand the origins to understand the roots and to celebrate the rich history these practices come from, rather than just treating them like a ‘popular trend’.”