How to Gua Sha Using a Facial Roller

Gua Sha, also known as “coining”, “skin scraping”, or “pressure stroking” is an ancient instrument-assisted lymphatic technique utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The best way to learn how to do gua sha on the face is by watching a demonstration, so I’ve included an in-depth video tutorial at the end of this post. 

When done on the face, gua sha can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, restore firmness and elasticity, promote a brighter complexion, relieve jaw tension, promote lymphatic drainage, and decrease puffiness. It can also help with sinus congestion and headaches. I find that when I do it in the morning it helps with mental clarity and reducing brain fog.  

Gua sha on the body (back, shoulders, and neck are the most common areas) and gua sha on the face are performed quite differently. While the point of gua sha on the body is to draw out transient therapeutic bruising, you do not want to do that when practicing on your face. 

I first got into gua sha when looking for something to help patients with eye strain which is a symptom that patients started complaining about more when the pandemic hit.  A lot of people working from home had to increase their screen time.  I have also seen gua sha help with other symptoms related to vision such as light sensitivity and eye dryness. 

I also have chronically reactive lymph nodes behind my ears (I suffered from a lot of ear infections as a child) and many tender points on my face (especially in front of my ears and along my hairline) which correspond to specific acupuncture points that have benefited from stimulating daily with gua sha.

BODY VS FACIAL GUA SHA

In Chinese medicine, gua sha on the upper back, shoulders, and neck is a common treatment for colds, influenza, and fevers. It is also good to do if you have been exposed to someone who is sick or if you feel a virus coming on. 

If you are interested to know more about the science of body gua sha, PUBMED includes studies that have found gua sha to effective in treating back and neck pain, migraines, liver inflammation, perimenopausal symptoms, and breast distention/mastitis.  

Because body gua sha is painful and the point is to dig deep enough to create bruising for healing it can be uncomfortable and make people not want to do it.  That’s why I fell in love with the lymphstar machine that we use for lymphatic drainage session in the office.  With this type of technology you get the lymphatic healing benefits without the bruising or pain during a relaxing 30 minute or 60 minute session.  

Having fallen in love with the health benefits of lymphatic drainage I was super excited to be able to show patients how to do it for the face at home.  I would not try body gua sha at home.  So what are the benefits of facial gua sha? Facial gua sha is great for lymphatic drainage of the face which helps with detox from the brain and mouth and also less puffiness which people tend to get around the eyes.  It’s advertised as anti-aging for wrinkles but I want people to understand that less wrinkles is secondary to the movement of lymph and toxins which is very healing.

Facial gua sha also helps relieve muscle tension in the head and neck which not only helps with TMJ problems, headaches and neck pain but can also prevent them.  I am so surprised when I do the facial gua sha how many tender spots I feel.  Spending extra time on the tender spots brings circulation to the area helping to prevent pain.  

Since this is a technique that originates in Chinese medicine,I find it fascinating to look at all of the acupuncture channels (meridians) that are on the face and  neck that you can stimulate with facial gua sha.  

Starting at the center of the face moving outward and down, these are the channels that run down the face:  

• Governing Vessel, also called Du (GV); 

• Urinary Bladder (UB); 

• Gallbladder (GB); 

• Stomach (ST); 

• San Jiao, also called Triple Heater/Triple Burner (SJ); 

• Small Intenstine (SI); 

• Large Intestine (LI)There are different gua sha tools you can use made of different stones. There are flat stones that are made for scrapping and to get in deeper.  There is also rollers that have a softer affect that I prefer because I realized patients were using the flat stones too intensely which helped but also caused too much inflammation in the process.  So I do highly suggest the roller over the flat stones.  

We carry in the office 3 different stones because I couldn’t decide on just one stone.  We have jade, rose quartz and opal facial rollers.  I prefer to muscle test each person for which one works best for their body.

Rose Quartz Roller: Increase Circulation, Promotes Production of Collagen, and Calms Sensitive Skin. Best Used at Night and for Soothing.

Green Jade Roller: Helps Reduce Puffiness, Help Tone and Firm Skin Cells, and Stimulate Collagen Production. Best Used in the Morning and for Balance.

Opal Roller: Good for all Skin Types, Can help to Cool and Refresh Fatigued Skin.

The flow of lymph only goes one way: towards the heart. So when you use the gua sha the strokes should be from the center of the face outward and moving down the face and neck (see video for demonstration). 

One of the biggest positive cosmetic benefits I notice when I perform facial gua sha on myself is a reduction of facial puffiness, most notable in my cheeks. You could say that it sculpts my cheeks. Others may notice de-puffing of their eyelids, jawline, under their eyes, or in the forehead. The reason that facial gua sha reduces puffiness is due to the drainage of lymph out of the face and neck. The lymph’s job is to carry toxins so that’s why I say it’s good for detox. 

I also notice a reduction in the appearance of fine lines, especially the number ones between my eyebrows. If I wake up from a night of frowning in my sleep, the evidence disappears quickly after my morning gua sha session. So here’s my advice, use my video as a starting place to explore gua sha.  If you don’t do it hard enough or if it’s too hard you aren’t going to damage anything so it really is safe. Pull the tool across your face, don’t push it. Think of spreading butter on toast. Pulling comes more naturally when you use the same hand as the side of the face you are working on; if you try to use the opposite hand you’ll be more likely to try to push the tool. 

For the gentlest and most relaxing type of gua sha facial, use long, slow, meditative strokes with a thicker tool laid as close to flat against your skin as possible. You can vary the pressure from light to more firm. You can even turn it into a type of moving meditation by coordinating your breathing with the strokes. When doing this style, it’s best to anchor the skin where you begin each stroke using your other hand. You’ll need to allot more time for this style, ideally at least 5-10 minutes, but you can drag it out even longer if you wish. For a more invigorating facial, use rapid, short strokes with light pressure.  Use firm pressure when doing gua sha on your neck, medium pressure on your face, and feather light pressure around your eyes. And don’t forget to take before and after photos so you can see how these techniques affect your skin!

The stones are smooth so you don’t have to use lotions or oils.  I prefer to do it on bare skin after I wash my face in the morning since it helps my mental clarity and reduces brain fog. But you can do it at night, too. 

Contraindications:

Do not do gua sha on fresh botox. Talk to the provider who injected it to find out how soon you can safely implement facial massage.

Do not do gua sha on top of injected fillers in the face.

It’s best to talk with us first if you are dealing with any kind of skin problems like acne or rosacea. It’s best not to do scraping on top of areas of active inflammation, but to instead do the strokes on the other areas of the face, and especially on the neck to promote lymphatic drainage in order to get the inflammation down. 

You can place your gua sha stones and rollers in the fridge or in a bowl of ice water (just dry it off first) and press it gently into areas of inflammation. If you suffer from puffiness using a cold roller or flat stone could give more benefits.  

If you are still uncertain whether gua sha is something you should add into your daily routine please let us know at your next visit and we can help you decide with our expertise and then muscle test you also for which stone would be best: jade, rose quartz or opal.  

This video contains a demonstration to empower you to begin your own facial gua sha practice. 

The Art of Mewing

It wasn’t until a dentist named Dr. Mike Mew came along that I even thought about exercising the facial muscles to help the alignment of the head and neck.  I thought it was up to the orthodontists only to align the teeth and open up the mouth.  It is important to have strong facial muscles to keep the mouth and airways open for easier breathing and keep the teeth in alignment and his exercises can help do that.  His technique, called Mewing, can change the structure of your face for the better by expanding the palate and moving the lower jaw forward.  Photos online show the changes and a picture is worth a thousand words.  This photo is after 12 months of daily Mewing.  

By doing the Mewing exercises it strengthens certain facial muscles and expands the mouth.  A wider mouth is important for better nose breathing because the base of the sinuses is the roof of the mouth.  Trust me, it’s all connected.  Unfortunately I don’t think Mewing will help everyone but I do think it’s for some people. If you want better facial features, help with snoring, help with sleep apnea, or if you suffer from COPD or asthma then let’s analyze your jaw at your next visit to see if Mewing can help you. 

Mewing is 4 daily exercises:

1. Tongue posture

It’s important your tongue puts pressure on a specific part of the roof of your mouth when the mouth is at rest. At rest the tip of my tongue is in the right place but my tongue should be touching as much of the palate as possible with a slight suction. The tip of the tongue should be right where the roof of the mouth begins on the arch behind the front upper teeth.  The suction and pressure should not be too much for the mouth is at rest.  Try to hold this tongue posture 100% of the time.  To confirm exactly where your tongue should be do a big smile for 5 seconds and then swallow.  This action will put your tongue in place.  This position should be where the tongue is at rest with mouth closed as you breathe in and out of your nose with your molars gently resting on each other.  If your tongue is fat and wide, you might have difficulty initially, but over time, with practice, you’ll be able to do it effortlessly. 

It is when we are tired we let our jaw drop and our mouth opens.  The goal is not to do this but to really train the mouth and jaw to stay closed.  This, however slight pressure, is constant and is enough to make a change.  That’s how braces and retainers work, constant slight pressure.  

2. Proper swallowing

Take the time to chew your food into mush.  I don’t care if it’s 6 chews or 36 chews.  It all depends on what you are eating.  As long as it’s chewed well that’s what matters.  Digestion starts in the mouth with your saliva breaking down carbohydrates.  If this is done well in the mouth then there is less stress on the stomach to digest.  Once the food is chewed well then swallow correctly.  A good swallow uses the tongue more than we are used to.  Collect what you want to swallow and then by pulling it towards the back of the mouth it create a wave motion that continues down the throat as you keep a suction with the front of the tongue to the roof of the mouth.

3. Lots of chewing

Dr. Mew actually suggests large masses of gum chewing to help create strong masseter muscles on the side of the face where the jaw joints are. A lot of people tend to hold tension in the jaw and grind at night so they overwork these muscles already. A lot of times as a chiropractor I help open up the mouth more by releasing the tight masseter muscles.  This step might not be for everyone.  If you have jaw pain you will want to skip this step.  If this step will help you I do suggest chewing Pur gum that you can find at Whole Foods or online for the healthiest gum.

4. McKenzie Chin tuck

I use this exercise as a chiropractor to help create a better shape of the neck.  I use it when people hold their head too far forward.  This helps pull the head back in alignment.  Find the back of the skull where it meets the neck and you want to pull that part up as you tuck in your chin as far back as it will go. Yes, give yourself as many double chins as possible and hold 30 seconds doing 5 rounds twice a day.  You know you are in the right place when the middle of the ear is right over the middle of the shoulder.  

If you do decide to try it and work consistently at it you should see a slight improvement after a month.  Remember to take before and after photos because the change is slow. If there is no change after a month the technique may not be for you. Great results can take up to a year.  Using this Mew technique we apply pressure to certain parts of the jaw and mouth stimulating new bone to grow and the face structure to change for the better, less wrinkles and an increase in bone density.  It's easier to gain bone density the younger you are but I have seen changes of people in their 70s, but just like watching your hair grow, it takes time. You need to commit to the daily pressure to make the changes and luckily Mewing can be done anywhere easily.  

For a video of Dr. Armitstead explaining Mewing: https://youtu.be/XBngYI2Tt8c

Spa Day at Healing Arts NYC Wellness Center

Spa Day

We want you to enjoy all that the new Wellness Center has to offer at Healing Arts so we put together a "Spa Day" where you will spend about 2-3 hours at the wellness center doing different therapeutic services to help detox, rejuvenate and relax. It also comes with one personalized hot tea blend and a personalized homeopathic tincture.  The tincture you will take daily for 2 weeks in order to continue the rejuvenation process after your spa day. You can pick 4 different services for $150 and save $59. We also have a la carte options to make your spa day exactly what you want it to be.  You can also choose all 5 services for an extra $20 at $170 for the day!

Choose 4 for $150:

1) Foot Bath - helps to pull toxins out of the body through the feet by putting ions in the water of which your feet are soaking in. These ions have a negative charge. The negative charge attracts the positively charged toxins in your body. The ions in the foot bath water hold a charge that enables them to bind to any heavy metals and toxins in your body, similar to how a magnet works. This allows the toxins to be pulled out through the bottoms of your feet.

2) Ozone Sauna - you sit in a sauna pod that covers you from the neck down and induces sweating using steam from distilled water.  This sweating opens up pores to allow the ozone gas to be absorbed by the skin. With the ozone gas the extra oxygen that goes in has such great anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects.  Ozone sauna therapy is believed to be a powerful treatment which may be comparable to IV ozone administrations just without the needle.  Ozone therapy breaks up lactic acid, increases cellular respiration in muscles, speeds up recovery of damaged tissue and accelerates growth of muscle for those who have tight, sore muscles. Ozone sauna is great for after surgery or an injury. Ozone therapy improves blood circulation, improves vitamin and mineral absorption, fights inflammation, and is wonderful at killing mold, parasites, candida, viruses and bacteria.

3) Salt Booth - Our unique S.A.L.T. Booth® is an enclosed dry salt therapy unit to give you privacy during your salt therapy experience. With the salt booth, unlike the salt room, the concentration of salt particles can be adjusted to offer a more individualized and targeted salt therapy session. Because the concentration of salt is higher in the booth than a salt room sessions only take 10 minutes.

4) PEMF - an acronym for Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field. PEMF therapy consists of a mat which emits pulses of energy waves. This energy courses through the body directly to inflamed or injured areas. The energy is also drawn to areas experiencing chronic pain. The energy waves of the PEMF mat passes through the organs and tissues and into the cells of your body, amplifying the cellular energy. The increase in energy promotes a natural reaction that regenerates and enhances the efficiency of the cell’s function. This natural process stimulates healing and helps to improve your overall well-being including cellular rejuvenation.

5) Chakra Light Therapy - Lay down and relax under seven Vogel-cut quartz crystals lit up by very specific light frequencies. Receive the frequencies produced by the UV laser and magnetic energy from the coil in the holder cancel each other out once they interact, this is how scalar energy is generated. It is then focused through the Vogel-cut crystals and into your chakras. Open and balanced chakras can allow you to heal faster and also give you higher levels of peace, focus, awareness and ability to relax and sleep better.

Do all 5 services for an extra $20. $170 for the day.

Included in each Spa Day:

Infoceuticals: Personalized Homeopathic Tincture to take for 4 weeks

Tea Bar: Personalized cup of tea made from 3 different herbs.  

A La Carte

add an hour Massage for $120

add 30 min. Lymphatic drainage therapy $70

add Nutrition Response Testing $80

add Initial Nutrition Response Testing $140

add Chiropractic $80

Healing Arts Special 

If the "Spa Day" seems like too much time or too many services we also have the Healing Arts Special where if you get a massage OR lymphatic therapy AND Nutrition Response Testing on the same day we will mail you a coupon for one free service of your choice: PEMF, Salt Booth or Chakra Light Therapy.

It is important to Dr. Armitstead that you truly get the health benefits of all that the new Wellness Center has to offer.   

Envy Pillow for a Good Night's Sleep

A good night's sleep is priceless. I have helped patients with sleep problems for over a decade now and I have realized that getting a good night's sleep depends on a multitude of factors. Stress level, caffeine and sugar consumption, how late dinner was and what you do right before bed are some of the factors that can make or break a good night's sleep. One tip I give is that it is ideal to go to sleep and wake up about the same time every night so you can train your body into a rhythm. Meditation before bed can help as well, to calm down the mind and enable you to sleep more deeply. Lavender oil is great to spray on your pillow or put into a diffuser. Lavender is known to be relaxing. 

As a chiropractor, the right support also matters. It wasn't until Envy pillow came along that I could recommend one pillow that would help the majority of patients. I am always trying to help patients find the right mattress or suggest a pillow to go between the knees (if they sleep on their side) to help. When it came to suggesting a pillow for the head and neck I was always at a loss, for there was never the perfect pillow that seemed to help. I would suggest a few and then the patient was left to figure it out for themselves. 

Once I was using Envy pillow and getting great feedback from patients I was so happy to find it! Envy pillow is memory foam with a bamboo pillow case that has sloped sides that cradle and tilt your head slightly, minimizing face-to-pillow contact AND in optimal neck support and alignment. It also has an elevated pattern in the center of the pillow that improves circulation by distributing weight and reducing pressure on the face. In this way reducing wrinkles and is wonderful after any face or sinus surgery.  

If it's something you are interested in we have pillows in the office that you can try! Your body will thank you.