Acupuncture – natural botox for celebrities

Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cher are having weekly “acupuncture facelifts” to ward off their wrinkles.

The latest beauty trend that’s got Hollywood stars like Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cher raving is called facial acupuncture. I know, I know, it sounds a bit scary, but apparently, it can make you look 10 years younger in just 20 minutes!

So, what’s the deal? A doctor of Oriental Medicine, or OMD, inserts super-thin needles into wrinkles and frown lines on your face, and it’s said to help reduce the signs of aging. The idea is that the needles stimulate collagen production and relax facial muscles, which can help with sagging skin. After a few sessions, your eyes are supposed to look brighter, your skin firmer, and your lips plumper.

Precious Williams was so intrigued that she booked an appointment with a New York-based OMD, Clarence Lu. When she asked him about facial acupuncture, he wasn’t exactly thrilled – he told her it was a better option than Botox, but he didn’t see the point of focusing just on the face when traditional acupuncture is meant to help the whole body. He even refused to perform facial acupuncture on her!

But, she didn’t give up. After a particularly long night, another acupuncturist, Billy Villano, agreed that Precious looked tired enough to give facial acupuncture a go. He checked her pulse, looked at her tongue, and figured out she had “spleen qi deficiency” – don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds! It just means her spleen energy was a bit low, which might make her look a bit bloated.

Villano then inserted needles into Precious’s cheeks, forehead, chin, ears, and even the top of her head. She’ll be honest, it was a bit painful when she smiled, but it was supposed to be a good thing – it meant her qi was circulating around her face. And, surprisingly, she drifted off to sleep during the session.

When it was all done, her skin looked brighter and fresher than before, and she felt so energised that she skipped her planned nap and went out to lunch with a friend. And guess what? Her friend noticed her skin looking amazing too!

So, facial acupuncture might be a bit extravagant and pricey, but it seems like it’s working for some celebs and maybe even for regular folks like Precious Williams. If you’re up for a beauty treatment that’s a bit out of the ordinary, give it a try – but maybe check with your doctor first!

Read the story on Telegraph | Health | A few pointers for a new face