Gua Sha has become a global beauty trend, popularized by social media influencers and skincare experts. Numerous social media posts purporting to promote gua sha for face slim and double chin reduction have appeared. This leads us to ponder: Does guasha truly work? Are there any hidden risks?
Today, we analyze and deconstruct these topics, exploring their mysteries.
Can Gua Sha for Face Slim and Get Rid of Double Chins?
Gua Sha is one of the hottest topics besides brightening skin. Numerous videos and images are shared on mainstream social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
It’s no secret that these videos are particularly popular with young women, who are willing to invest significant time and money to achieve even more perfect facial appearance, even if they’re already beautiful.
But is there any real scientific basis behind the numerous videos and images claiming that Gua Sha can “slim the face” and “remove double chins”？
Scientific Theoretical Research on Gua Sha
Numerous modern medical and cosmetic studies have demonstrated that gua sha has significant benefits:
- Promotes blood circulation and helps reduce swelling.
- Relieves local muscle tension, allowing facial lines to relax.
- Improves skin elasticity in the short term, creating a more radiant complexion.
From the aforementioned effects, it’s clear that may have some effect about gua sha for face slim and double chin reduction. However, there’s currently no reliable evidence that gua sha can alter facial muscle, bone structure, or fat distribution over the long term. In other words, the facial slimming effects of gua sha are likely short-term physical changes, not a fundamental reduction in facial weight.
If you’re looking to slim your face, maintaining a healthy routine and increasing exercise to achieve overall fat loss is the most effective approach.。
Gua Sha Safety and Potential Risks
Overall, gua sha is a relatively gentle and safe treatment method, especially for facial beauty. However, if used incorrectly, there are certain risks. Moreover, gua sha is not suitable for everyone and varies from person to person.
1. Common Risks of Gua Sha
- Bruising: Localized subcutaneous bleeding forms “sha scars,” which typically disappear within a few days, but may be disfiguring and disruptive to social interaction. However, these scars typically only occur with strong force on the body; facial gua sha does not normally produce scars.
- Skin Injury: Excessive force or the use of rough tools can easily cause scratches on the skin. This is why it’s important to apply a lubricant before gua sha.
- Infection: Failure to clean and disinfect tools can increase the risk of skin infection. This is because gua sha dilates the pores of the body, weakening the body’s barrier.
2. People Not Suitable for Gua Sha
Given that Gua Sha can stimulate blood flow and potentially rupture subcutaneous capillaries, the following groups are not recommended or suitable for guasha:
- People taking anticoagulants may experience aggravated subcutaneous bleeding due to the medication.
- People with skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema. Irritation to the affected area may worsen the condition.
- People with impaired blood circulation or coagulation disorders. The principle is similar to the first point and may worsen the “sha” condition.
- People with localized skin inflammation, allergies, or open wounds. Using Gua Sha in these situations may aggravate the wound or condition.
- Pregnant women should avoid Gua Sha on the body; facial guasha is permitted as appropriate.
3. Gua Sha Safety Guidelines
Gua Sha is simple and doesn’t require extensive learning. However, there are some details you should be aware of:
- Gua Sha Intensity: The intensity of the guasha should be adjusted for different areas of the body. As a general rule, areas with less muscle or fat should have a lighter intensity, while areas with less muscle or fat should have a heavier intensity. For facial Gua Sha, maintain a gentle intensity regardless of the situation.
- Appropriate Gua Sha Frequency: For facial Gua Sha, a daily frequency is recommended. For body guasha, allow 2-3 days between sessions. If the “sha spots” persist, increase the intervals.
- Gua Sha Material Selection: Safe Gua Sha tools are the first step in reducing the risks of guasha. We recommend using well-polished jade/crystal or stainless steel. These materials are safer and more conducive to Gua Sha.
Cross-cultural misunderstandings and controversies surrounding Gua Sha
- Although Gua Sha has a history of thousands of years in China, it has only truly become popular abroad in the past decade or so. Consequently, the concept and application of guasha are not well-known abroad, leading to numerous cultural conflicts:
- In some Western countries, the “sha spots” left after Gua Sha have been misinterpreted as signs of domestic violence or abuse, causing social and legal misunderstandings. This demonstrates the need for greater scientific understanding and explanation of guasha to avoid misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication.
- Driven by the beauty and influencer economy, Gua Sha has been over-packaged as an “anti-aging miracle” and even used as a selling point in skincare products. This commercialization has often reduced traditional healing practices to mere “quick-fix beauty tools,” while their inherent therapeutic value has been overlooked.
- This raises the question: How can we maintain respect and a proper understanding of traditional medical practices amidst the globalization of beauty trends?
Summary of the effects of Gua Sha for Face Slim
Numerous user experiences demonstrate that gua sha can indeed offer significant short-term benefits for facial beauty, such as reducing facial edema, relaxing facial muscles, and brightening the complexion. However, the claim that guasha can magically slim the face is misleading. It cannot achieve long-term facial slimming effects, nor can it alter the physiological structure of our bones and muscles.
However, there is no doubt that gua sha does have many positive effects, both in terms of facial beauty and health. The key is to approach guasha rationally and adhere to the correct techniques.
