“The Chinese character for ‘Gua’ (刮) is composed of the character for ‘tongue’ on the left and ’knife’ on the right. After applying gua sha, it is common for users to experience redness or tenderness (a sign of blood renewal), but those effects will subside within a few days.Īnd like many words in the Chinese language, the characters that make up “gua sha” provide insight into what the practice is, as Lee shared. The sand analogy stemmed from the act of performing gua sha, where technicians gently scrape the skin and see tiny dots under the skin emerge these little granules resemble pieces of sand, which led to their name, Wang elaborated. “‘Sha’ is caused by the bacteria or virus toxins, which break the capillaries and form hyperemia areas, or spots in the skin or mucus, and form sand-like scattered or condensed areas,” said Wang. Gua sha, or 刮痧, directly translates to “scratch” and “sand” (here, the sand refers to the raised redness on the skin instead of actual sand). Shopping What to know before using vitamin C serum What is a gua sha? ![]() They shared the cultural significance of gua sha, the best gua sha techniques and some products to consider if you’re looking to try out this centuries-old practice. It actually predates modern medicine and originated in China, where the stones were once used to treat various illnesses.īut what exactly is a gua sha and how can a stone offer so many beauty benefits? To answer these questions, we consulted two traditional Chinese medicine practitioners: board-certified acupuncturists and traditional Chinese medicine experts Shaobai Wang, MD, and Sonia Lee, DACM, LAc. However, while the facial tool has recently exploded in popularity on social media platforms, the practice is nothing new. Gua sha has recently surged in popularity - so much so, in fact, that at the time of publishing, the hashtag #guasha has accumulated more than 432 million views on TikTok, with users claiming the appliance has cleared their skin, reduced wrinkles and provided a more sculpted appearance. If you’ve been on TikTok in the past month, you may have come across gua sha tutorials - or videos in which users apply a smooth, angled stone on their face.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |