Move over Botox there's a new treatment in town, except it's not exactly new but an ancient Chinese acupuncture treatment that all the celebrities are raving about. It’s certainly proving popular in the states with Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Graham and Kim Kardashian posting selfies on their social media with needles all over their faces.
Samantha McNamara runs the Acupuncture place in Pocklington and has had an extensive career in the beauty industry, what impressed me most was her dedication and passion for Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal treatments which led her to gaining a BSC Hons degree in those subjects in her early forties. I’ve experienced Acupuncture as a pain relief treatment before but never heard it could be used as a facial beauty treatment, so I paid Samantha a visit to find out more.
Samantha carefully explains the process as she started placing needles in various parts of my body; knees, ankles at wrists, at first I didn’t even feel them. The needle by my right ankle initially throbbed, it wasn’t painful, more like a dull ache, but it quickly disappeared.
I’d been most nervous about the needles in my face as you imagine that to be more sensitive to pain. The needles are varying in size and help to bring fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients to your skin which encourages collagen and elastin production. In total Samantha placed around 50 needles of varying sizes all over my face and I wouldn’t have known where they were.
Next came the Dermalux LED therapy mask for half an hour. This process is a non-evasive treatment that uses therapeutic light energy to help trigger the skins natural rejuvenation and repair process whilst you relax. After a few minutes I fell into a deep state of relaxation. During this 30 minutes Samantha worked on reflex points on my feet and due to my relaxed state, I was hardly aware of what was going on but felt very grounded.
Once the needles are removed you don’t feel it and Samantha then followed with the cupping. treatment. It’s another way of boosting the circulation and removing any build-up of fluids. It’s a strange sensation, I could almost feel the tension being sucked away from my face.
The ancient Chinese Gua Sha tool gently scrapes over your moisturised face with a gentle pressure and again improves lymphatic flow and circulation. Samantha used the Jade tool on me, which is the most traditional stone associated with rejuvenation, but other stones are available with differing properties. I’ve seen skin rollers in shops and wondered what their benefits are, so I’ll definitely buy one to add to my skin care routine. Not only does the roller aid absorption but it has a cooling effect on the skin which is perfect for helping the menopausal over heating symptoms.
I left with glowing healthy-looking skin and a lot more rested than I went in. I am really interested to find out more about alternative treatments to help with my general health and well-being, so this has been a positive start. I would definitely recommend trying it and I can see how having regular acupuncture facials could make a real difference. To gain the full benefit of this treatment it's recommended to have a couple a week over a 6-week period.
To find out more about Samantha McNamara and The Acupuncture Place
https://www.the-acupuncture-place.com/
by Rachel Peru
www.rachelperumodel.com
*Whilst this treatment was gifted from The Acupuncture Place, I am under no obligation and my opinions of this treatment have not been swayed by the fact that it was a gift.
