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Gua Sha has been and continues to be a healing practice in Chinese medicine. It involves scraping the body using a smooth tool designed using quartz or precious stones and improving the skin by decreasing inflammation, increasing inflammation, and bettering skin circulation.
🌿 What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha has evolved to a more gentle approach with facial techniques in modern medicine. Unlike the ancient practice, they are aimed less at aches and more at puffiness by improving circulation and encouraging lymph drainage, thus rejuvenating the skin.
Tools Employed with Gua Sha
In ancient times, Gua Sha techniques were aimed at resolving the stasis of blood beneath the skin, or Gua ‘Scraping’ the body surface with smooth-edged, often herbal, healing tools, to stimulate the blood layer below. These healing edges evolved over the years, particularly the use of blades fashioned from contemporary units like floral, light transparent or polished rose quartz, and smooth finished imitations of precious stones which abound freely and are pleasing to the eye.
Getting Ready for Gua Sha
Wash Your Face: Open the pores and clear the surface of the skin to reduce the spread of bacteria and increase the efficiency of the products used.
Apply a moisturizing facial oil or serum: Smoothened skin helps the Gua Sha tool to slide better without pulling or friction.
Routine for Gua Sha
Incorporating Gua Sha into your everyday skin care routine can aid relaxation and provide long-term health benefits.
Here are the instructions:
Neck
Technique: With the rounded edge of the tool, stroke the base of the neck to the area just below the jaw in an upwards direction.
Repetitions: 5 strokes on each side.
Tip: Improves lymphatic drainage and prepares the face for upcoming exercises.
Jaw
Technique: Move the tool from the center of the chin upwards toward the ear lobes, then along the jawline.
Repetitions: 5 times on each side.
Tip: Helps in limbic relaxation while enhancing jawline definition.
Cheeks
Technique: Move the tool from the side of your nose in the direction of your temple while gliding outward.
Repetitions: Five strokes on each side.
Tip: Improves blood circulation and enhances healthy skin glow.
Under Eye Area
Technique: Using the smaller curve of the tool, start at the inner corners of the eye and slide gently to the temples.
Repetitions: Five times on each side.
Tip: Puffiness and dark circles respond favorably to this treatment.
Eyebrows
Technique: Using the tool, stroke along the brow ridge starting from the inner brow to the temple in one stroke.
Repetitions: Five strokes on each side.
Tip: This can help with freeing tension and may assist with lifting the brow area.
Forehead
Technique: Using the tool, start at the center of the forehead and, using gliding motions, move outward to the temples.
Repetitions: Five times on each side.
Tip: This treatment smooths any fine lines and tension.
Benefits of Regular Gua Sha
Regular practice of Gua Sha comes with numerous skin benefits, including:
Increased Blood Circulation: Increased blood circulation, and therefore all the nutrients and oxygen necessary for the tissues to thrive.
Absorption and Release of Fluids: Skin detox and reduction of facial fluid retention and overall swelling.
Relief of Muscle Tension: Decreased overall tone in facial muscles resulting in a more relaxed face.
Improved Skin Elasticity: Skin tightening resulting from boosted collagen production.
Most Optimal Time of the Day to Use Gua Sha
This technique has numerous benefits, including reduced puffiness, eased muscle tension, and improved circulation, and its effectiveness is still goal-dependent.
Rising Sun, For a Bright, Lifted Face
Why it shines:
- Sleeping induces fluid retention, resulting in a puffy appearance, especially on the face and jaw.
- First-thing-Morning Gua Sha adds a gentle flood of lymph to the face that lifts and puffs it, creating the firm feeling of ‘freshed’ skin.
- The rush of blood circulation makes the skin complexion and blood flow radiate the face and brings a subtle glow as well.
Best buddy: Any light weights like facial oil or a serum. Splash your face with cool water first, or store your Gua Sha in the cold for a refreshing face wake-up.
Setting Sun, For Calm and Nighttime Repair
Why it glows:
- Gentle stroking of the tool smooths the tension knots that develop, calming the face.
- This device allows the face to bask in the revitalizing benefits of rich night creams and serums, ensuring maximum absorption.
Best paired with: A soothing facial oil and gentle strokes. You can incorporate it into a calming skincare routine for an extra chill.
Warnings and Suggestions
Strength: Skipping gentle contact can cause bruising and irritation.
Medical Conditions of the Skin: Inflammatory skin conditions and the area of any active acne should not be subjected to Gua Sha.
Skin Hygiene: Your Gua Sha tool should be treated with the same importance as the other implements you’ve used and should be cleansed to preserve the hygiene of the skin after every single use.
Frequency: Optimal use of Gua Sha is about 2-3 times a week.
With the use of Gua Sha tools, the routine of self-care that is enhanced with modern-day tools is transformed, becoming an ancient self-care ritual. These tools offer a multitude of benefits improving overall health and skin.
Gua Sha Before and After: Most Asked Questions
Q: Does Gua Sha really work?
A: Yes, Gua Sha can actually work depending on what you wish to achieve. It is mostly beneficial for temporary skin changes.
Q: How is it possible that it reduces puffiness?
A: Gua Sha tools promote lymphatic drainage: circulation is stimulated, stagnant fluid is moved, and swelling, especially around the eyes, the cheeks, and the jawline, disappears.
Q: Can it sculpt the face?
A: Regular use will give the face a more lifted sculpted appearance especially under the chin and along the edges of the cheekbones. These changes are slight, but with consistency, they become noticeable.
Q: Is it safe for all skin types?
A: In general, it works for all skin types. However, it must be performed with gentleness, with the use of certain oils, so that skin irritation does not occur.
Q: How long does it take before I see results?
A: In the first 5-7 days, some changes in puffiness and skin texture may be observed, but more pronounced changes may be seen after 2 weeks of application daily.
Q: Is it a substitute for professional treatments?
A: Gua Sha does not replace the use of dermatological or aesthetic procedures, but it sadly does not take the place of the skincare routine either.
