2022 Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Auricular acupuncture was found to improve physical and emotional aspects in patients with temporomandibular disorders, with similar results to occlusal splint treatment.
Acupuncture for Facial & 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.
What does the research say?
The following insights are obtained from systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for facial & cosmetic conditions.
2020 Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
Acupuncture, regardless of whether on specific or non-specific points, substantially decreases non-chronic pain in patients suffering from Temporomandibular Disorders.
2020 Revista Internacional de Acupuntura
Acupuncture therapy seems to decrease frequency and intensity of trigeminal neuralgia pain episodes, alone or in combination with gold standard medications.
2020 Cosmetics
Both facial acupuncture and facial exercises have the potential to improve the skin laxity, wrinkle length, muscle thickness, and pigmentary changes associated with aging.
2018 Journal of Cosmetic Medicine
The safety of cosmetic acupuncture appears tolerable, however, well-designed high-quality studies, are needed to determine its effects on facial cosmetic conditions.
2017 Medicine
Acupuncture therapy is effective in reducing the degree of pain in patients with temporomandibular disorders, especially those with myofascial pain symptoms.
2015 PLOS One
Acupuncture proves to be a promising alternative therapy for treating Bell's palsy, despite some controversy surrounding its use.
2015 Neurology
The majority of trials demonstrate a positive effect of acupuncture over control condition in the treatment of neuropathy.
2010 Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies
Chinese acupuncture is safe and can be efficient in alleviating pain in patients suffering from temporomandibular disorder without clear joint pathology.
2010 The Clinical Journal of Pain
Acupuncture is a reasonable adjunctive treatment for producing a short-term analgesic effect in patients with painful temporomandibular disorder symptoms.
Seek personalised healthcare and advice
Although well-conducted clinical research can help members of the public to make better-informed decisions about their healthcare, we cannot claim that any particular treatment may be effective for any individual person.
When you consult with our Chinese medicine practitioners, you’ll receive personalised advice and treatment based on your symptoms and Chinese medicine diagnosis.
Research papers
Browse our collection of scientific clinical research on acupuncture for facial & cosmetic conditions.
It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.
2022, Aug
Auricular acupuncture in TMD — A sham-controlled, randomized, clinical trial
Complementary Therapies in Medicine
In conclusion, this study demonstrated that auricular acupuncture (AA) applied at a specific temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ear point was able to bring about improvements in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), with outcomes similar to those in patients treated with an occlusal splints (OS).
Aroca JP, Cardoso PMF, Favarão J, Zanini MM, Camilotti V, Busato MCA, Mendonça MJ, Alanis LRA Full Article
2020, Mar 09
Comparison of acupuncture on specific and nonâ€specific points for the treatment of painful temporomandibular disorders: A randomised controlled trial
Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
Acupuncture on both specific and non-specific points reduces the non-dysfunctional pain of temporomandibular disorder (TMD). patients. The effect of acupuncture on painful TMD cannot be attributed to the specific point selection.
Åžen S, Orhan G, Sertel S, Schmitter M, Schindler HJ, Lux CJ, Giannakopoulos NN Full Article
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 M Full Article
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
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
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
2015, May 14
Efficacy of Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
PLOS One Public Library of Science
This review suggests that acupuncture may be an effective therapy for Bell’s palsy compared to drug therapy, but there was insufficient evidence to support the efficacy and safety of acupuncture.
Li, P., Qiu, T., & Qin, C. Full Article
2015, May 8
Effects of Acupuncture on Neuropathic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Neurology American Academy of Neurology
The majority of trials demonstrate a positive effect of acupuncture over control condition in the treatment of neuropathy. Further more rigorously designed studies are needed to better characterize this effect.
Alexandra Dimitrova, Charles Murchison, Barry Oken Full Article
2010, Dec
Acupuncture for treating temporomandibular disorder: retrospective study on safety and efficacy
Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute
This article not just highlight the importance of acupuncture in relieving pain for TMJ disorders. It also showcase how acupuncture reduces stress and sleep quality, factors that have been demonstrated as risk factors for TMD and pain in general.
Noiman M, Garty A, Maimon Y, Miller U, Lev-Ari S. Full Article
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-DÃaz-Parreño S, Mesa J, Hernández M Full Article
It is by virtue of the twelve channels that human life exists, that disease arises, that human beings can be treated and illness cured. The twelve channels are where beginners start and masters end.