What Exactly is Gua Sha?
I'm sure you've heard of it by now. It's been all over social media, from TikTok to Twitter, influencers and members of the online beauty community alike have been raving about the facial massage. People claim to reap benefits like facial slimming, and some even going as far as suggesting borderline reconstruction of facial features.
When we break it down to the basics, Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese practice where a small, asymmetrically shaped tool is lightly pressed along the face. Generally these tools are made of jade, or quartz, but really any hard, cooling material works.
But now you're probably wondering, what does it do? As far as science goes, technically nothing. As someone who is aware of this fact, but still uses her gua sha tool almost daily, I'll elaborate on my more personal reasoning.
Realistic Expectations for Gua Sha
Now I am not going to tell you that the little tool you can buy from any retail store with a wellness aisle is going to mold your face however you choose, however I am going to let you know my personal experience.
It's one of my favorite parts of my morning. It isn't uncommon for me to wake up with puffiness around my eyes, especially when I was up a bit too late the night before. The coolness of the tools, as well as the light pressure pulling whatever stagnant liquid in the area away from my face, works wonders for me.
It may be a placebo, but I have found that any light, naturally-occuring swelling in my face and neck can be fixed with some facial oil and a little piece of quartz.
How did it get so Popular?
Like I had previously mentioned, there are a lot of misconceptions about what exactly the practice of Gua Sha is capable of. I've even seen "results" that look more like a rhinoplasty than a facial massage.
I'm not entirely sure why people feel the need to falsify their results, but it sure does work. People love quick, miracle-like fixes. You tell someone that there's a little slice of jade that you can buy for $4.99 that will fix their nose hump and double-chin within three short months, and you expect them to not jump on that? You have high expectations for the generation that received most of their news from the Twitter trending page.
So in short, no, gua sha will not alter your facial features. However, I fully believe that it can indeed "slim" your face by depuffing.
What do you think?
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