Once stimulated, the qi can help increase blood circulation and collagen production and replenish moisture, according to practitioners of cosmetic acupuncture. Procedures can smooth out fine lines, reduce the appearance of deeper wrinkles, plump out the texture of skin and help tone underlying muscles to tighten saggy cheeks and droopy necks.

In their quest to look and feel better, they are turning to the ancient practice of acupuncture.

Several area doctors of Oriental medicine say cosmetic acupuncture or facial rejuvenation can bring postmodern faces the same youthful appearance it has achieved for Asian royalty for centuries without the trauma or expense of surgery.

Eva Allred, 46, says she definitely sees an improvement after 12 sessions with Kathleen Mathews, a doctor of Oriental medicine at the Downtown Acupuncture Clinic in Albuquerque.

"I'm thrilled with the result," she says. "The lines aren't as deep and that puckery stuff under my chin is gone. The dark circles under my eyes are gone too."

Stimulates the Qi

Cosmetic acupuncture uses a variety of needle techniques at strategic locations on the face and body to stimulate the circulation of qi (say chee), the body's life or energy force in Oriental medicine, to the face and neck.

Once stimulated, the qi can help increase blood circulation and collagen production and replenish moisture, according to practitioners. Procedures can smooth out fine lines, reduce the appearance of deeper wrinkles, plump out the texture of skin and help tone underlying muscles to tighten saggy cheeks and droopy necks, according to those who practice them.

Allred says she didn't have high expectations when she started treatments. She hadn't tried acupuncture before, but she thought it would at least help her relax after a stressful move from San Francisco. The needles didn't hurt, she says, adding that she not only looks younger, but also feels better. "It's a lot for me. It was like I was looking tired all the time."

How much younger? Maybe five years, maybe a little more. "I look different. It's like a vibrant glow that wasn't there before. I look relaxed and healthy."

Allred says she didn't want to look 30 again, or even 35, and she wouldn't consider a face-lift. "People who have face-lifts look like they've had face-lifts; I didn't want that."

She also didn't want to risk any side effects from Botox. "I didn't want my face to look dead. I didn't want my face to have that frozen look people get when they have Botox injections."

She might have considered collagen or other filler injections for some of her deeper lines, but when Mathews told her the acupuncture treatments would stimulate the production of collagen, she liked that idea better. "I would definitely recommend it for anyone who would like to look younger, but doesn't want to do anything invasive."

Restoring Balance

Mathews says the therapy works from the inside out by helping restore balance among internal systems that diminish with age.

She and other acupuncturists say they begin with a thorough intake and examination to understand a person's lifestyle and to treat underlying conditions. "We treat other disharmonies," she says.

Each client receives an individual treatment plan based on the results of the examination. Someone with dry, thin skin with fine lines would require a different approach than someone with saggy cheeks and dark circles under the eyes, she explains.

"There are so many baby boomers coming along who could just use a little something to feel and look better," she says. "I know. I'm one of them. I'm 52."

Most people require 10 or 12 treatments and usually begin to see results after the sixth treatment, although some see improvement sooner, she says. She charges about $80 a treatment.

Mathews uses about 40 hairthin needles placed on the surface of the face, but it depends on how old or how much aging appears on a person's face. She also recommends herbs to help balance the body.

People with high blood pressure, seizures, pacemakers, cancer or other serious medical conditions, or who are pregnant, aren't good candidates for cosmetic acupuncture, she says.

More Energy, Vitality and Stamina

Sometimes working on other conditions has an unexpected benefit of improving appearance, says Joseph Kyriacou, a doctor of Oriental medicine at the Natural Healing Medical Center on Chama NE.

Kyriacou says Chinese medicine works on the principle that all parts of the body are interconnected -- affecting one part influences the entire system.

"In Chinese medicine ... the body has naturally occurring meridians (energy lines) which carry qi. The meridians have more than 300 intersecting points through which qi can be stimulated for natural healing and rejuvenation. Because the sites are interrelated and used for more than one purpose, the treatment is not limited to facial rejuvenation.

"Overall the person regains more energy, vitality and stamina as well as a more youthful appearance, naturally."

Patient Patie Kay says she came to see Kyriacou when her vision began to fail several years after an auto accident in which she experienced severe whiplash.

"I couldn't see. And light was painful on my eyes. I was walking into walls," says Kay, a writer and artist. She had the usual eye exams for cataracts, glaucoma or other disease. "Nothing was wrong. I just couldn't see."

She says she was more than legally blind, with 20-400 in one eye and 20-1,000 in the other. She was familiar with acupuncture from a previous experience.

Kyriacou says Kay's Chinese medicine diagnosis was that her liver, which has connecting meridians to the eyes, was blocked. After many treatments, Kay says her vision is coming back. She can see images on a television screen. That also means she can resume her writing and commercial art. But most surprising, she says, is the skin around her eyes and even her eyes began to regain their youthful luster.

"The puffiness and the bags around my eyes were gone. The dark circles vanished. You know how your eyes begin to lose their sparkle as you age? My eyes are bright and shiny again."

For the best effect Kyriacou recommends herbs and an herbal mask in between treatments. He suggests 10 to 15 treatments, with two treatments a week for four to six weeks and then once a week for several weeks. He charges $140 for a treatment, but has a package price available.

Therapy Questioned

Not everyone is convinced cosmetic acupuncture works. Albuquerque cosmetic surgeon Patrick Hudson says everyone would like to find an easy way to turn back the clock and regain a youthful appearance.

"No one is immune. I'm not," he says, adding that the surgical techniques and medical treatments he offers "have a proven track record."

He says the appeal of cosmetic acupuncture and other less invasive treatments is easy to understand. "Compared to surgery, it must seem risk-free," he says. "But there is no scientific evidence that it works. I always tell my patients that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, controlled studies for acupuncture are difficult to devise. Many that exist offer no conclusive results. However, some studies demonstrate acupuncture's benefit for pain and nausea control.

A 2002 survey showed that 8.2 million Americans have tried acupuncture.

Even some acupuncturists have been critical of using the practice for cosmetic application.

Janet Padma Mandell, a doctor of Oriental medicine for 13 years, also in Santa Fe, says she resisted learning facial rejuvenation. "My patients were asking for it. I resisted learning it because I am about helping people with health and I didn't want to do something cosmetic. But I have seen people with one treatment look better. It increases vitality in general and there is a glow that is apparent and, of course, there is no recovery time."

(c:) Albuquerque Journal
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