Crow’s feet wrinkles (eye wrinkles), forehead wrinkles, wrinkles around lip and mouth, wrinkles, wrinkles… as we all know, wrinkles are inevitable for ageing skin, especially after middle age, when signs of our body organs ageing become noticeable. As the biggest organ of our body, our skin ages along with the rest. Can we protect our skin from ageing; can we prolong our youthful skin quality? Before answering this, let’s look at the reasons for skin ageing.
According to ancient Chinese medical books, it is believed most women’s Yang energy starts to become weak, and skin starts getting dull and suffers lack of nutrition after age 35. Most women’s Yang energy drops sharply and skin tone noticeably worsens after age 42.
In our 40s, the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to break down. Our skin becomes dryer, the blood flow begins to slow down and new cell production decreases. All these factors help increase wrinkle formation. At the same time, the underlying fat cells in our face shrink and the excess skin produced begins to sag.
Of course, some people experience skin ageing earlier than this. As we all know wrinkles can be brought about by habitual facial expressions, sun damage, smoking, poor skin hydration etc.
So what is the solution to this ageing skin and associated wrinkles? Anti-ageing cream or anti-wrinkle treatment, Ccosmetic surgery, laser resurfacing, Botox injections, collagen injections have been known about and used for quite a while now. They are quick, but can cause unpleasant side effects.
If there is an alternative more natural way to flatten away wrinkles this would prove very useful to many people. Facial acupuncture and facial acupressure may provide us with a better solution.
Let’s talk about the reasons for ageing skin. TCM believes there are 5 principle reasons for skin ageing, apart from external skin damage. These are:
1. Kidney essential vacuity
The significance of Kidney in terms of Chinese medicine is more complex than simply the kidney organs only. It refers to the reproductive system, adrenal cortex, and bone marrow, which produces red and white blood cells, and which are responsible for antibody production – therefore the immune system must be considered as part of the TCM concept of Kidney.
2. Stomach and spleen imbalance
If we say kidney qi (or chi, life’s energy force) is the natural essence, the stomach and spleen qi will be the postnatal sources of our body energy, blood and body fluid. If the spleen and stomach qi has a deficiency, then our internal body organs and viscera as well as our skin can’t get enough moisture and nutrition and this inexorably leads to an ageing result.
3. Heart Chi (Qi) deficiency
There are 12 meridians which are related to our different body organs. The heart is the dominant organ for blood and vessels and facial complexion. As blood vessels deliver loaded supply to the facial area, the colour and lustre of the complexion usually reflects the sufficiency or insufficiency of the blood supply and heart qi.
4. Lung Chi (Qi) obstruction
Lungs are in charge of qi, breathing, connecting externally with skin and hair. The lung is related to defensive qi, and its function is to distribute the essential nutrients to the skin and hair.
If lung qi is weak and deficient, defensive qi is not dispersed and essential nutrients are not distributed. This causes hypo-activity of the defensive qi as well as rough skin and dry hair.
5. Emotional imbalance
Emotions are mental stimuli that, in extremes, can disturb the mind and spirit and alter the balance of the internal organs and the harmony of qi and blood. These extremes can be caused by a stressful lifestyle. The lack of bodily harmony created can also serve to prolong physical and mental symptoms.
Balancing the interconnected systems of the human body to maintain healthy function is one of the main philosophical concepts that TCM is based on.
Facial acupuncture
Facial acupuncture is not only concerned with treating the face but also treating the whole body. Acupuncture helps to reduce stress, strengthen the stomach and spleen qi and immune system, energising the Kidney qi and harmony Lung qi, soothing Liver qi, and increasing circulation of the blood and lymph and to maintain healthy skin and muscle tone.
Facial acupuncture can also stimulate the body’s natural processes of cell reproduction and growth. Needling facial skin brings about an active production of collagen and the structural protein which holds the skin together and helps keep it tight. Although needling the skin causes short-term injury, this heals readily and is in fact a wakeup call to collagen production.