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Hey there y'all.
While perusing TikTok and Instagram, I came across a rather interesting traditional Chinese medical practice referred to as Gua Sha (or kerokan, if you hail from Indonesia).
Normally, Gua Sha refers to the act of scraping one's skin with a tool to induce Petechiae (little freckle-like red spots that are the result of the hemorrhaging of tiny blood vessels).
In theory, the induction of these spots is supposed to help the body rid itself of toxic blood that's in stasis, and promote the flow of fresh blood into the scraped area. These claims have not been substantiated by any scientific papers, to my knowledge.
However, Gua Sha nowadays is used primarily for the purposes of lymphatic drainage. The practice has become popular on social media among beauty influencers, with many claiming that the use of a Gua Sha stone helped them attain a slimmer face.
Normally, Gua Sha refers to the act of scraping one's skin with a tool to induce Petechiae (little freckle-like red spots that are the result of the hemorrhaging of tiny blood vessels).
In theory, the induction of these spots is supposed to help the body rid itself of toxic blood that's in stasis, and promote the flow of fresh blood into the scraped area. These claims have not been substantiated by any scientific papers, to my knowledge.
However, Gua Sha nowadays is used primarily for the purposes of lymphatic drainage. The practice has become popular on social media among beauty influencers, with many claiming that the use of a Gua Sha stone helped them attain a slimmer face.
As someone who has always had exceptionally puffy cheeks (to the point where I was nicknamed "Jowls" and "Hamster" by bullies in elementary school), I decided that there was no harm in trying. I am a STEM major at heart, and there's little I love more than testing the effectiveness of certain treatments.
I ordered a Gua Sha stone off of Shein (it's just a simple tool of white resin, nothing special) and got out my finest facial oils. I made sure to gently scrape along the sides of my face (particularly the cheekbones and the jaw), doing so twice every day for two weeks straight.
From my observations, the treatment seems to somewhat work. I did notice that my cheekbones and jaw were slightly more defined, with my cheeks becoming visibly more hollow.
However, when I stopped doing the treatment for approximately three days, I noticed that all the cheek volume I had scrapped away immediately returned with a vengeance.
Therefore, I conclude that this treatment does work, but only a tad bit + ceasing it will result in all the lymph fluid (assuming that the lymph fluid is indeed what was being scraped away) immediately returning.
However, when I stopped doing the treatment for approximately three days, I noticed that all the cheek volume I had scrapped away immediately returned with a vengeance.
Therefore, I conclude that this treatment does work, but only a tad bit + ceasing it will result in all the lymph fluid (assuming that the lymph fluid is indeed what was being scraped away) immediately returning.
TL;DR: For the purposes of facial slimming, Gua Sha does work, but only by a little bit and ceasing the scraping will immediately reverse its effects.
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