At her holistic Helia House in Miami Beach, you can feel the good energy pulsing through Dr. Elizabeth Trattner’s LEED-certified walls—from the light flooding into every room and the thousands of crystals embedded in the ground, she’s created a nontoxic oasis that helps connect the outside to the inside. In addition to healing acupuncture sessions to help stimulate the nervous system and remove toxins from the body, she also provides cosmetic facial acupuncture that she says can recontour and lift areas like the cheeks and jawline. After trying facial acupuncture myself, I had to find out exactly how it can be as much of a benefit as our daily microcurrent treatments and gua sha practice.
While undergoing her signature treatment (which also includes cupping and LED) we got to chatting about how this process rooted in Chinese medicine could produce a cosmetic result for those into anti-aging the holistic way.
What is facial acupuncture?
“What I call facial rejuvenation acupuncture, or cosmetic acupuncture, can help improve conditions like rosacea, lax skin, wrinkles, acne, hormone imbalances and more. It can also help reduce puffiness. I start with a detailed consultation and we go over dietary recommendations, lifestyle changes, supplements and other suggestions on what you need to do to support your skin. Facial acupuncture uses the same principles of traditional acupuncture and targets the signs of aging. While working with dermatologists and plastic surgeons l created my Gemstone Facial almost 20 years ago.”
What does facial acupuncture entail?
“This is a great treatment for anyone who doesn’t want to to undergo injectables or maybe they’ve tried them and are not happy with the results. When I do my cosmetic acupuncture treatments, I use various tools and techniques like facial cupping, facial rolling, microcurrent, gua sha, and more for a relaxing 90 minutes on a heated gemstone bed. The facial cupping really moves a lot of land. It’s like a reverse massage. It brings blood and a lot of stuck energy through the muscle up to the surface. It creates a lot of circulation. Then we have gua sha, which means to scrape. When done on the body it’s sometimes a medical modalitity and can be done much more vigorously than on the face. Once I do that, I have a much better feel for what is affecting my patient. Once I go up the neck, I can see if you’re left or right-handed or even how you’re moving your mouse at your desk.”
How does it help recontour certain areas?
“Stress manifests everywhere on the body, even in the face. Once that stress is eliminated you appear much calmer and younger. In addition to appearing more relaxed and youthful, cosmetic acupuncture can improve dermal contraction and muscle tone in both the neck and face. Some studies indicate it stimulates elastin and collagen to help firm skin and reduce sagging in the face, neck and eyes.”
How do crystals help with healing?
“I use crystal in every single treatment that I do. They have the ability to alter the frequencies that occupy the same space. With my treatments you’re getting what’s called ‘stone medicine’ or ‘crystal healing’ and I also have BioMats on all of my beds to help with rebalancing.”
How long before you notice results?
“For most patients, results start to appear halfway through a series of 10 to 20 treatments and maintenance acupuncture facial rejuvenation treatments can last for years. Patients can expect prolonged results when continuing maintenance sessions after their initial treatment.”
