After a regular full-body acupuncture treatment, the acupuncturist will move on to the facial portion of the treatment. If the practitioner only does the facial part of the treatment

“If you were just going to put a large number of needles in the face and not the full body, this would result in energy congestion in the face,” she says. “A client can experience dullness, headache, and discomfort.” When you start with the body, you can experience a full flow of energy that helps support the facial acupuncture.

On the face, the acupuncturist will insert 40 to 70 tiny and painless needles. As the needles puncture the skin, they create wounds within its threshold, which are called positive microtraumas. When your body senses these wounds, it goes into repair mode. This is the same idea microneedling uses to get bright, anti-aging results — except acupuncture is a bit less intense, averaging about 50 punctures. Microneedling applies hundreds of pricks through a rolling device.

These punctures stimulate your lymphatic and circulatory system, which work together to deliver nutrients and oxygen to your skin cells, nourishing skin from the inside out. This helps even out your complexion and promote your skin’s glow. The positive microtraumas also stimulates the production of collagen. This helps improve elasticity, minimizing fine lines and wrinkles.