Effects of Jae-Seng Acupuncture Treatment on the Improvement of Nasolabial Folds and Eye Wrinkles

Abstract

The microneedle therapy system (MTS), a mechanical method involving making minute multiple holes in the skin, reportedly improves skin condition, such as by reducing flushing and melanin. A newly attempted bloodletting therapy, Jae-Seng Acupuncture, has several advantages over traditional mechanical punching methods because it allows the practitioner to regulate the depth and direction of needle stimulations and to choose whether to stimulate the muscle layers. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of Jae-Seng Acupuncture in the treatment of nasolabial folds and eye wrinkles. The nasolabial folds and eye wrinkles of 107 patients ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s were subjected to DermaVision, a digital skin image analyzer, before the treatment and one to six months after treatment. Additionally, stimulation of the meridians, such as Taeyang, Tongjaryo, Chongmyong, Sungup, Sabaek, Yonghyang, Chichang, Taeyong, was performed to improve the function of the stomach, large intestine. Analyses of the images indicate that Jae-Seng Acupuncture improved nasolabial folds and eye wrinkles, suggesting that this technique is a safe and effective method for the improvement of facial skin conditions.

Non-Traditional and Non-Invasive Approaches in Facial Rejuvenation: A Brief Review

“…Additionally, both the facial acupuncture only and the facial plus body acupuncture groups experienced a mean area reduction of 2.4 cm 2 and 2.6 cm 2 respectively (p < 0.001) [16]. The only study to measure the length of rhytides before and after acupuncture was performed by Cho et al and showed a statistically significant decrease in the length of the left and right nasolabial folds and eye wrinkles for all age ranges included in the study [15]. The remaining study was a case series performed by Donoyama et al to assess changes in water and oil content after five consecutive acupuncture treatments [13].…”

“…A total of eight studies were reviewed, four of which involved facial acupuncture and four involving facial exercises [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. The countries represented in the studies involving acupuncture include Korea (n = 2), Thailand (n = 1), and Japan (n = 1).…”

“…The mean age of participants receiving facial acupuncture was 46.8, whereas the mean age of participants performing facial exercises was 46.1. The majority of facial acupuncture studies included female patients only, with the exception being the study by Cho et al, which did not specify the age or gender of each participant, but did report data from male subjects [15]. All four of the facial exercise studies included female participants only.…”

“…All four of the facial exercise studies included female participants only. Seven of the studies took ethical considerations into account, but the remaining study by Cho et al on facial acupuncture did not explicitly mention the process of ethics approval or written informed consent by patients [15].…”

“…Facial acupuncture Increase in skin oil content [13] Performed by hand, so can be used more readily on sensitive or narrow areas not amenable to certain instruments [15] Decrease in size of nasolabial folds and eye wrinkles [15] Decrease in overall melasma area and pigment darkness [16] Bruising, edema, pain at needle site [14] Foreign body granuloma [18,19] Atypical mycobacterium infection [20,21] Facial exercises Decrease in self-reported severity of wrinkles and jawline sagging [11] Increase in muscle thickness and cross-sectional area [11,12] Increase in physician-rated upper and lower cheek fullness [17] Potential to cause dynamic rhytides [10] No other adverse events reported in the literature…”