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The world of skincare trends is constantly changing and almost always surprising. Rolling balls of ice under your eyes if you’re looking puffy. Taking up ‘face yoga’ for a snatched jawline. Even using slices of potato to help with acne – maybe that’s where you should draw the line. But among these many hacks, one of the most searched TikTok terms is ‘gua sha’.
Gen Z influencers didn’t invent it. Gua sha is actually a 700-year-old traditional Chinese healing method which has been lauded in recent years as a hack to deliver healthy, glowing skin with minimal effort required. While many of these fads are quickly relegated to woo woo wellness rubbish, we caught up with some experts in the field to find out the truth behind the gua sha trend.
What is gua sha?
“Gua means to scrape and sha means toxins. Scraping the toxins out of the body is the best translation” says Professor Song Ke, the founder and principal of Asanté Academy of Chinese Medicine , who understands gua sha as the age-old medicinal technique. “It’s basically using a tool to scrape the skin repeatedly in one place to release the toxins, and it can often result in redness or even bruises – you normally do it on the neck, back or the elbow.”
Traditionally, then, it’s nothing to do with skincare. “Let’s say for example, you have the flu. You’re aching, you’re in pain, your joints hurt, you’re hot and cold. Gua sha is a way of unblocking the toxins that have entered your body from outside. It’s quite painful but it can have immediate results,” Song Ke says.
More recently, though, the concept’s been taken on by the beauty industry as a rejuvenating facial massage treatment. Now, it’s the moulded S-shaped tool the western world refers to as a ‘gua sha’, and it’s usually made from jade or rose quartz. It’s designed to be used in upwards strokes over the contours of your face, and it’s lauded to promote lymphatic drainage and redirect energy flow.
“Gua sha offers various benefits for your skin, primarily aiding in lymphatic drainage, which helps reduce puffiness, enhance facial contours, and alleviate redness and irritation due to its naturally cooling properties,” says Naomi Ulbricht, Head of Education at Facegym. “Additionally, it can release muscle tension and improve skin clarity by eliminating toxin buildup.”
Who else is doing gua sha?
Needless to say, it’s an influencer favourite. Jacob Seickell is often seen perfecting his glow on social media and has been practising gua sha ever since hearing its advantages when he lived in Japan. For him, it had instant effects: “I found that I could see short term results almost immediately. It would depuff and tone my face first thing in the morning.”
“I started to see my long term results after about 6 weeks of doing daily exercises in combination with a better diet,” says Seickell. “My face became more contoured, my skin texture and tone improved with less visible fine lines and wrinkles.”
It’s a trend that goes beyond the viral videos, too. Reportedly used by Hailey Bieber and wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow, not to mention seasoned gent Patrick Dempsey, countless radiant celebs swear by the skincare technique. But, how did it go from a centuries-old technique to becoming a skincare trend in recent years?
“There's a growing interest in traditional Eastern wellness practices as people seek holistic approaches to self-care,” says Ulbricht. “Furthermore, the tangible results and relaxing experience of gua sha contribute to its appeal, making it a sought-after skincare ritual for many.”
How are you supposed to gua sha?
Although facial gua sha is less intense than the traditional method, it’s still important to practise properly. For best results, you should apply a facial oil before using the tool in upward sweeping motions from the chest all the way to your cheekbones.
“The tools are designed to fit the contours of the face and each edge works on specific parts for the best results” says Helen Cain, the Global Director of Spa at OTO Wellbeing. “Use it towards the lymph nodes to encourage the flow and cover all areas of the face and neck, including the jaw line, in sections.”
If you’re still a little lost, Seickell’s tip might help you out: “I would recommend looking at YouTube gua sha workouts to become familiar with routines and get some guidance. I like Tina Engeo’s YouTube tutorials because they’re concise and simple, you can just follow along.”
Does facial gua sha actually work?
The jury’s still out on this one. Since it’s relatively new to the world of beauty, so far there’s no conclusive evidence that proves its efficacy. “At this point, the beauty enhancements of gua sha have been reported anecdotally because the method hasn’t been properly put to the test,” says Dr Yannis Alexandrides, founder and medical director of luxury skincare brand 111Skin. “Even if there were some improvements, this could be attributed to fluid retention, and not anything permanent.”
But, the good news is that there are studies which show positive results from a health perspective. A 2016 study suggests gua sha helps improve immune functions of the skin and body, as well as boost skin circulation and its response against intradermal antigens. Another proves it causes a “fourfold increase in microcirculation”, meaning an increase in blood flow through the smallest vessels in your system which supply oxygen and nutrition to body tissue.
So, while there’s no clinical proof it’s beneficial for lymphatic drainage or sculpting, there is some evidence of promising results.
Which gua sha should you be using?
Since most tools are crafted using crystals, it’s a technique that goes hand in hand with another hot topic on social media – crystal healing. Rose quartz is said to help with circulatory problems while jade is believed to aid in collagen production and toning – so it’s the latter that’s recommended for facial massage.
“I use a white jade gua sha which you can get from The White Company,” says Seickell. “I’ve also used green jade and didn’t see any noticeable improvement so I’m not entirely sure whether the crystal makes a difference. I do, however, think it’s important to use a material that sits at a lower temperature for the best de-puffing results.”