Facial Conditions & Cosmetic Acupuncture

Acupuncture for Facial and Cosmetic Conditions

Acupuncture for Facial and Cosmetic Conditions

Conditions affecting the face can be greatly distressing and impact the quality of life of those affected. Facial paralysis and Bell's palsy, trigeminal neuralgia and temporomandibular disorders causing jaw pain and tension are common conditions which can be treated by acupuncture.

While injectables, lasers, and surgical interventions have traditionally been used to reverse the changes associated with facial ageing, therapies such as facial acupuncture are now being studied for facial rejuvenation. Reviews of data from clinical studies suggest that facial acupuncture has the potential to improve skin elasticity, wrinkle length, muscle thickness, and pigment changes associated with ageing.

Facial Conditions, Signs & Symptoms

  • Facial pain & muscle tension
  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Facial paralysis (Bell's palsy)
  • Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders: jaw clenching and pain
  • Facial rejuvenation: skin elasticity, pigmentation, fine lines & wrinkles

What Does The Research Say?

The following insights are obtained from scientific studies, systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Facial Conditions.

Scientific References

Browse our collection of scientific research on Facial Conditions. It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.

World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion

2021, Dec

Effect of warm needling therapy and acupuncture in the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies

The results of this meta-analysis showed that warm needling therapy is superior to acupuncture in treating peripheral facial paralysis, providing a therapeutic option for the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis. However, due to the small sample size and the low quality of the included studies, the above conclusion still needs to be validated with high-quality, large-scale, randomized, blinded controlled trials.

Jiang-peng CAO, Ai-hong YUAN, Yang ZHANG, Jun YANG, Xiao-ge SONG Full Article

Revista Internacional de Acupuntura

2020, Jul

Acupuncture therapy in trigeminal neuralgia: An integrative literature review
Revista Internacional de Acupuntura

This literature review indicated the decrease frequency and intensity of TN pain episodes in acupuncture patients.

Aquino, I., Nascimento, M., Aquino, T., & Kosminsky Maurício Full Article

Acupuncture in Medicine

2020, Jun

Acupuncture in the management of trigeminal neuralgia
Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

This article highlights the efficacy of acupuncture in trigeminal neuralgia. Patients reported to have alleviation of pain and reduction of secondary myofascial pain. The article also showcased that acupuncture is a safer treatment compared to long term side effects from pharmaceutical drugs

Edwards, J. W., & Shaw, V. Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2020, Mar 31

Electroacupuncture Is Effective for Peripheral Facial Paralysis: A Meta-Analysis
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Patients with PFP received EA (used separately or combined with other treatments) resulting in a better prognosis. However, the quality of evidence was very low-to-moderate. Considering the poor quality of evidence, we are not very confident in the results. We look forward to more research and update results in the future and improve the evidence quality.

Wei-Hua Wang, Ruo-Wen Jiang, Na-Chuan Liu Full Article

Cosmetics

2020, Feb 12

Non-Traditional and Non-Invasive Approaches in Facial Rejuvenation: A Brief Review
Cosmetics

Data from these studies suggest that both facial acupuncture and facial exercises have the potential to improve the skin laxity, wrinkle length, muscle thickness, and pigmentary changes associated with aging. Patients frequently reported improvement and experienced very few side effects. However, further research is necessary before these modalities are widely accepted as effective by the medical community, though the results of these studies may ultimately make providers less hesitant when patients seek out these services.

M. Smith, A. Ferris, T. K. Nahar, V. Sharma, M. Full Article

Medicine

2019, May

Compare the efficacy of acupuncture with drugs in the treatment of Bell's palsy A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs
Medicine

Although there was not enough evidence to prove its safety, acupuncture seems to be an effective therapy for Bell's palsy. Results of the present meta-analysis showed that acupuncture was associated with increased cure rate and total effective rate of the treatment of Bell's palsy in comparison with drugs. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously, because of the poor quality and heterogeneity of the included studies. In the future, more and more high quality randomized controlled trials (RCT) are needed to prove the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture.

Zhang, Rongchao, Wu, Tao, Wang, Ruihui, Wang, Dong, Liu, Qi Full Article

Journal of Cosmetic Medicine

2018, Dec 31

Acupuncture for cosmetic use: a systematic review of prospective studies
Journal of Cosmetic Medicine Korean Society of Korean Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine

This systematic review suggests that a few trials regarding acupuncture for cosmetic use have incorporated rigorous designs. Although the studies reported generally positive results with tolerable safety, the methodology of the trials should be updated in a rigorous manner, including the use of randomized, sham-controlled studies with standardized interventions, in order to provide sufficient evidence regarding the effects of cosmetic acupuncture.

Byung-Cheul Shin & Kyeong-Tae Lim Full Article

Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine

2017, Dec

Acupuncture (針灸 Zhēn Jiǔ) – An Emerging Adjunct in Routine Oral Care
Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan

This article highlights the efficacy of acupuncture in reducing dental pain (eg. TMJ.facial paralysis) and lower risk of oral diseases.

Gupta, D., Dalai, D., Swapnadeep, Mehta, P.D., Indra, B., Rastogi, S., Jain, A., Chaturvedi, M., Sharma, S., Singh, S., Gill, S., Singh, N., & Gupta, R. (2014). Acupuncture (針灸 Zhēn Jiǔ) – An Emerging Adjunct in Routine Oral Care. Journal of Tradi Full Article

Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache

2017, Jul

Acupuncture in Temporomandibular Disorder Myofascial Pain Treatment: A Systematic Review
Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache American Academy of Orofacial Pain

This article highlighted the acupuncture treatment appears to relieve the signs and symptoms of pain in myofascial TMD

Ana Carla Bezerra De Carvalho Justo Fernandes, DDS, MSc/Dayanne Monielle Duarte Moura, DDS, MSc/Laura Géssica Dantas Da Silva, DDS, MSc/Erika Oliveira De Almeida, DDS, MSc, PhD/Gustavo Augusto Seabra Barbosa, DDS, MSc, PhD Full Article

Medicine

2017, Mar

Acupuncture therapy in the management of the clinical outcomes for temporomandibular disorders
Medicine

The result of this article indicate that acupuncture is effective in reducing the degree of pain in patients with TMD, especially those with myofascial pain symptoms

Wu, Jun-Yi MD; Zhang, Chao MD; Xu, Yang-Peng MM; Yu, Ya-Yu MD; Peng, Le PhD; Leng, Wei-Dong PhD; Niu, Yu-Ming PhD; Deng, Mo-Hong PhD Full Article

Acupuncture in Medicine

2015, Aug 1

Acupuncture for Melasma in Women: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials
Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

Manual acupuncture appeared to be beneficial and safe for women with melasma, but insufficient evidence was found to reach conclusions. The encircling needling method, the quick needling method, intensive needle manipulations and individualised points’ selection were widely used. Well-designed trials are required.

Chai Q, Fei Y, Cao H, Wang C, Tian J, Liu J Full Article

Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies

2014, Dec

Could Acupuncture Be Useful in the Treatment of Temporomandibular Dysfunction?
Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute

Acupuncture reduced the intensity of TMD pain and promoted the benefits of mandibular movement. When the treatments were compared, both reduced pain intensity and increased mouth opening equally, and may be considered strategies for control of chronic pain related to TMD.

Grillo CM, Canales Gde L, Wada RS, Alves MC, Barbosa CM, Berzin F, et al. Full Article

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine

2010, Nov

A systematic review on acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia
Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine

The evidence reviewed suggests that acupuncture reduce effects of trigeminal neuralgia. Patients reported to have less aversion to pain and also reliance on pharmaceutical drugs

Liu H, Li H, Xu M, Chung KF, Zhang SP Full Article

Evidence-Based Dentistry

2010, Oct 7

Limited evidence that acupuncture is effective for treating temporomandibular disorders
Evidence-Based Dentistry British Dental Association

This systematic review highlighted that acupuncture is effective in alleviating pain and masseter muscle tenderness in TMD.

Jens C Türp Full Article

The Clinical Journal of Pain

2010, Jul

Acupuncture in the treatment of pain in temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
The Clinical Journal of Pain

The results of this meta-analysis suggest that acupuncture is a reasonable adjunctive treatment for producing a short-term analgesic effect in patients with painful TMD symptoms. Although the results described are positive, the relevance of these results was limited by the fact that substantial bias was present. These findings must be confirmed by future RCTs that improve the methodologic deficiencies of the studies evaluated in this meta-analysis.

La Touche R, Goddard G, De-la-Hoz JL, Wang K, Paris-Alemany A, Angulo-Díaz-Parreño S, Mesa J, Hernández M Full Article

Contact Us Clinic & Appointment Enquiries


Trusted name in traditional Chinese medicine since 1992

Caring and experienced team in Perth and Melbourne

Professional and friendly response to your questions


This form is securely encrypted. We guarantee 100% privacy. Your personal information will never be shared.