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.
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