True or False? Gua Sha Myth Buster!

With the growing popularity of gua sha tools, more and more people are trying out this miraculous Eastern traditional beauty tool. As the trend rises, various hot gua sha myth topics emerge, such as whether gua sha can whiten the skin or help with weight loss. Where there are topics, there are answers, and for the same question, you’ll find various responses online, sometimes even polarized.

Today, we gather the three most common topics from the internet and verify the accuracy of these answers through hands-on experiments. We are the Gua Sha Myth Busters!

Gua Sha Myth Topic 1: Can Gua Sha Slim the Face?

The most common online responses are:

1. Gua sha can slim the face with miraculous effects.
2. Gua sha can slim the face to some extent but has a limited duration.
3. Gua sha is ineffective for slimming the face; it’s just a marketing gimmick.

For this topic, we invited our colleague, Ms. Sun, who is passionate about beauty products, to participate in the experiment.

• The experiment duration is one week.
• Sun will perform approximately 15 minutes of facial gua sha every morning and evening.
• Sun will record her facial condition immediately after use, after one hour, and after five hours.
• At the end of the experiment, we will compare Ms. Sun’s facial condition before and after a week of use.
• This experiment does not apply any AI beauty enhancements.

After a week of experimentation and observing all the facial images Ms. Sun captured during that week, the results are as follows:

• Immediately after using gua sha, Ms. Sun’s face showed a noticeable slimming effect and had a healthy glow.
• The slimming effect persisted after one hour, but the redness on her face returned to its original state.
• After five hours, the slimming effect seemed to have faded, and her face returned to a state similar to before use.
• Comparing the before and after effects of using gua sha for a week, Ms. Sun did not have a significant slimming effect on her face, but her facial skin condition was better than before.

Conclusion: Gua sha does have a certain slimming effect, but it is temporary and typically disappears after 5 hours. However, it can improve the overall condition of the facial skin. Keep in mind that this experiment had a relatively short duration, and different results might occur with a longer experimental period.

Gua Sha Myths Ended : Gua sha can slim the face to some extent, but it has a limited duration. 2 is true!

Gua Sha Myth Topic 2: Does Gua Sha Cause Scarring?

The most popular online answers are:

1. Yes, gua sha can lead to permanent scarring.
2. No, gua sha does not produce any scars; it is entirely safe.
3. It depends on the situation. Gua sha may cause scarring under different circumstances, but with proper use, scarring can be avoided.

For this topic, we invited another colleague, Mr. Xie, who works long hours at a computer and suffers from neck and shoulder pain.

• The experiment lasted for two weeks.
• Each gua sha session was spaced two days apart.
• Each session lasted 15 minutes, and only one session was conducted each day.
• We compared the immediate effects after use and the effects two days later.
• We also compared the conditions before and after the experiment.

In this experiment, we had the expertise of Dr. Deng, with 20 years of clinical experience in traditional Chinese medicine, perform gua sha on Mr. Xie. After two weeks of experimentation, we observed the following:

• Xie had noticeable dark red patches in the areas where gua sha was performed on his neck and shoulders, both during and after the sessions.
• These red patches did not fade within the first day and showed signs of deepening.
• Two days after use, the redness had still not subsided.
• By the fifth day, the red patches had largely faded, and we decided to conduct a second round of gua sha. Similar red patterns appeared, but they were lighter.
• The red patterns from the second round dissipated even more quickly.
• At the end of the experiment, the red block patterns on Mr. Xie’s neck and shoulders had completely disappeared.

So, is the answer to the first question correct? It’s not that simple. We asked Dr. Deng for his opinion, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Gua sha works by applying a certain level of scraping force to the affected area, promoting the flow of blood and Qi, and clearing any blockages. This can lead to the appearance of subcutaneous patterns due to the rupture of tiny blood vessels.
2. Gua sha can potentially lead to permanent scarring or long-term scarring conditions, primarily in individuals prone to scarring. People without such tendencies usually do not experience these effects.

Gua sha myth ended: 3 is true. Gua sha may lead to scarring, but it depends on specific factors, so it’s crucial to consult a healthcare professional to determine if gua sha is suitable for you before using it.

Topic 3: Can Gua Sha Relieve Headaches and Neck/Shoulder Pain?

As this topic is closely related to the second one, we conducted both experiments simultaneously. Therefore, we’ll skip the process and jump to the results:

1. After the first use of gua sha, Mr. Xie’s neck and shoulder pain improved significantly, while his headaches were still present but somewhat alleviated.
2. After the second gua sha session, Mr. Xie’s neck and shoulder pain had nearly disappeared, and his headaches showed significant improvement.
3. After the third session, Mr. Xie’s symptoms had completely resolved.

The conclusion is that gua sha can indeed effectively alleviate headaches and neck/shoulder pain but is limited to conditions caused by blockages in the flow of blood and Qi.

We consulted Dr. Deng for an explanation:

1. Xie’s prolonged sitting at a computer desk had led to poor circulation of blood and Qi in localized areas.
2. The habit of holding his arms up, elevating his shoulders, and protruding his neck forward over extended periods had caused the muscles in his neck and shoulders to remain in a tense state. This also resulted in a degree of misalignment in his shoulder vertebrae, leading to neck and shoulder pain.
3. Gua sha cleared the flow of blood and Qi in the neck and shoulder areas, relieving muscle tension and ultimately alleviating neck and shoulder pain and improving headaches.

As the popularity of gua sha continues to grow, more topics related to it will emerge. What’s important is to approach gua sha with an open mind, avoiding excessive myths or demonization. If you have doubts about certain topics, reach out to us, and we will help you verify them because we are the Gua Sha Myth Busters!