A restaurant owner in her early 50s visited Northern Medical Center in New York seeking an aesthetic treatment, according to an account published by The Epoch Times. The woman declined surgical procedures, fillers, and Botox, choosing instead facial acupuncture, a needle-based technique rooted in traditional Chinese medicine that stimulates acupoints on the face to promote skin rejuvenation, the report stated.
Serene Feng, a TCM practitioner at Northern Medical Center, developed a personalized plan with two stated goals: facial rejuvenation and 20 pounds of weight loss, according to Feng's remarks to The Epoch Times. Feng used photographs of the woman from several years earlier as a reference, aiming to restore her facial appearance to its prior state. The woman agreed to follow weight-loss guidelines that included eating dinner before 6 p.m., going to bed before midnight, increasing water intake, and eating less oily food, the report stated.
After a 25-minute session in which she slept soundly, the woman said, "It felt like I slept an entire night in just 25 minutes," according to the account. Her complexion appeared more radiant, and compared with pre-treatment photographs, her chin looked noticeably firmer, the report stated. She received weekly treatments for six weeks, followed by monthly maintenance sessions. "Despite having difficulty losing weight in the past, she lost 20 pounds within three months," Feng told The Epoch Times.
Treatment Protocol and Reported Expectations
Feng inserts needles finer than a strand of hair into facial acupoints and leaves them in place for 25 minutes, according to her statements to The Epoch Times. The treatment aims to stimulate acupoints along meridian pathways, networks that TCM associates with internal organs such as the liver, stomach, heart, and kidneys, the report stated. Stimulating facial acupoints, in this framework, does not act solely on facial muscles or skin but also sends signals along these pathways to help regulate internal organ function, according to Feng.
Results can be seen immediately after a single treatment, Feng said, with muscle lifting and complexion improvement often observed. Based on a person's physical condition, she typically recommends four to six sessions performed once per week, she told The Epoch Times. Acupuncture needles generally are left in place for a period of time after insertion while the practitioner assesses the patient's condition, and the needles should not cause pain but might produce a brief tingling sensation [1].
Feng also incorporates body acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, diet therapy, and moxibustion when those approaches are tailored to a patient's constitution, according to the report. Writing on the therapeutic rationale behind such treatments, authors James F. Balch and Mark Stengler described acupuncturists as trained to work the harmonic nature of the meridians with needles, seeking particular points that lead to a vital organ and tuning the body's system [2]. When a TCM assessment indicates poor digestive function, the methods Feng uses may aim to strengthen the spleen and stomach, an area the report linked to sagging skin and a dull complexion.
Research Findings on Facial Acupuncture
A 2025 randomized, waitlist-controlled trial involving 72 women found that 12 sessions of combined facial and body acupuncture over six weeks significantly reduced glabellar frown line severity and improved quality of life, with very few minor side effects, according to the study.
A 2020 study suggested that facial acupuncture may help improve signs of aging, including sagging skin, wrinkles, muscle loss, and uneven skin tone, according to the report. Most participants in that study reported noticeable improvement, and adverse effects were minimal, the report stated. Researchers noted that further studies are needed because facial acupuncture is difficult to evaluate using controlled experimental designs, according to the report.
Other clinical literature has examined related applications of the technique. A study conducted by researchers in South Korea confirmed that stroke patients experiencing insomnia may benefit more from acupuncture than drug treatments, with findings published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine [3]. A separate study published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine found that acupuncture reduced the sensitivity of the median nerve [4]. Researchers have also found that acupuncture, when used in combination with conventional diabetes treatments, could cause significant improvements in blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and body weight for people with Type 2 diabetes [5], and the therapy has long been described as one of the oldest healing practices in the world [6].
Reported Effects Beyond Appearance
Feng said many patients report improvements in headaches, sleep quality, and emotional well-being after facial acupuncture, according to her statements to The Epoch Times. "The face is like a mirror," Feng said.
From a TCM perspective, stimulating facial acupoints may send signals along meridian pathways and help regulate internal organ function, Feng said. Gentle needle stimulation may modulate the autonomic nervous system, helping shift the body out of a stress-dominant state and into one that supports rest, digestion, and repair, she noted. Improved local circulation in the face may also reflect broader improvements in blood and energy flow, which TCM associates with better organ nourishment and balance, according to the report.
Acupuncture may also help alleviate certain side effects associated with cosmetic medical procedures, such as facial paralysis and other nerve-related complications, according to the report. Researchers have turned to acupuncture for a range of health conditions beyond appearance, including relief of chronic pain, high blood pressure, and nausea and easing of side effects from cancer drugs [7].
Precautions and Complementary Approaches
Feng said the needles cause little to no pain and that many patients report a warm sensation in the face during treatment, often falling asleep and waking up feeling relaxed and refreshed. Some patients do experience mild discomfort, particularly those with weaker physical constitutions, Feng said, comparing the sensation to a light mosquito bite. People who regularly stay up late may feel more soreness or pressure, although this is generally not described as pain, she noted.
People with reduced blood vessel elasticity or clotting disorders may experience slight bleeding or minor bruising under the skin, which usually resolves on its own within a few days, according to Feng. She said such sensations are far milder than those associated with cosmetic procedures such as mesotherapy or microneedling and that they typically subside after two or three treatments as the body relaxes.
Feng recalled a 40-year-old patient with prominent nasolabial folds whose folds became less noticeable after treatment focused on strengthening the spleen and stomach, according to the report. In TCM theory, the spleen and the gastrointestinal tract are considered part of the same energy system, and the stomach meridian is believed to run upward to the face, with pronounced nasolabial folds often associated with digestive imbalances, the report stated. Feng also encourages lifestyle and dietary changes during a course of treatment, suggesting Chinese yam and lotus root soup with pork ribs for people with poor digestive function and sagging skin, and papaya soup with pork ribs for those experiencing emotional strain and frequent late nights, according to the report.
References
- Acupuncture -- sources health benefits at NaturalPediacom - NaturalNews.com, December 15, 2017.
- Prescription for Natural Cures revised. by James F Balch And Mark Stengler Revised
- Stroke patients suffering from insomnia can find relief with acupuncture - NaturalNews.com, September 11, 2018.
- Acupuncture found to reduce nerve sensitivity - NaturalNews.com, September 10, 2019.
- Researchers explore the potential of acupuncture in diabetes treatments - NaturalNews.com, April 30, 2020.
- Acupuncture Your Way to Health - NaturalNews.com, March 09, 2009.
- Acupuncture Real or Not Can Ease Side Effec - Mercola.com, January 06, 2014.
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