Screwing up the courage to have a couple of Botox injections is one thing. But lying on a bed with 15 pins stuck in your face entails a higher degree of courage. That is what's required in cosmetic acupuncture, the latest non-surgical weapon in vanity's struggle with the forces of time.
Botox injections and face-lifts may be on the increase, but now you can turn back the clock without resorting to poison or surgery.The acupuncture face-lift, used in China for thousands
of years, is becoming the treatment of choice for the rich, the vain and the famous who don't want their faces frozen or cut. Madonna, Gwyneth and Cher are all rumoured to be fans of the treatment, which has just become available in Ireland
While most of us are familiar with using acupuncture for stress relief, back ache and helping to give up smoking, its emergence as a beauty treatment is relatively new in the West. Like all acupuncture, it works by targeting specific pressure points in the body, boosting energy, increasing bloodflow and all-round wellbeing.
But as well as tackling areas in the body, it can be used directly on your wrinkles and frown lines.The stimulation from the needles is said to bring blood rushing to the face. The clearing of various blockages in the body apparently make your eyes look brighter, your skin feel firmer, lips become plumper and blemishes vanish.
"Facial acupuncture actually stimulates the cells to lay down new
collagen fibres under wrinkles, thereby filling them in," says
successful Dublin-based acupuncturist, 42-year-old Brigitte Horszowski (who looks about 30).
"And the needles tone muscles, which combats sagging. The results are amazing," she says. Brigitte is from Johannesburg originally but has been living with her partner in Dublin for 15 years. She recognised a gap in the market for the many Irish women who wanted to address the ageing process but were reluctant to use Botox or go under the knife.
"I started to use it because I wanted to find a natural way to deal with the ageing process," she says. And the steady stream of clients to her clinic on Dame Street is a testament to the effectiveness of facial acupuncture.
Part of the beauty of these face-lifts is their accessibility; they take no longer than a manicure. Afterwards, there is no scar and no permanently surprised expression. "This is a very non aggressive form of treatment; no one is going to say 'Oh my God, you've had a non surgical face-lift and you look ten years younger, "says Brigitte."That's not the way that it works; it's an internal glow and a very subtle transformation. You won't be totally line free, but some lines will disappear. The face will look younger and fresher."
"All channels of the body come out in the face and all our emotions and stresses are shown there. Acupuncture addresses energy blockages - the 'qi' - and helps it flow.' Skin is clearer, dark circles under the eyes diminish and the face is more relaxed,'' she says. "And where wrinkles are concerned, the cells of the face are stimulated and collagen fibres are regenerated under the skin to help it become smoother", Brigitte reveals.
The treatment is the same as standard acupuncture, except the needles used and the placing are somewhat different. Two sizes of needle are used, larger ones are placed on key areas of
the face to stimulate energy, blood and lymph flow, and smaller
intradermal needles are placed on localised wrinkles. The smaller
needles are key to correcting those wrinkles.
Several are placed along the line of a wrinkle, and slid sideways along it (this, in theory, works similarly to the way a laser works).
The effect of the piercing on the skin leads the underlying blood
vessels to believe they are under attack. They, in turn, release
collagen, nature's healing agent, to counteract the threat of assault. This collagen over time rises to the surface of the skin, filling out the wrinkle. The need for a course of treatment is because the deeper the line, the more collagen needed.
According to Brigitte, after a course of 6 - 10 treatments, bags under the eyes are reduced, there is visible lifting in the skin, and
puffiness and sagging are dramatically lessened. Other benefits include improved general muscle tone, dermal contraction and increased collagen production.
If this sounds too good to be true, then consider a research study in the International Journal of Clinical Acupuncture, which reported that of 300 people treated, 90 per cent made marked progress with one course. The effects included "improvement of elasticity of facial muscles, ruddier complexion and overall rejuvenation".
Perhaps the Sung Dynasty got it right, and it's only taken us a thousand years to realise it.
www.qirooms.com
Ranelagh and City Centre
Dublin 2
Phone: 087 909 2400
