Amalia May | Massage Therapist | Yoga | Come Alive Herbals
Cupping Therapy has gained so much attention in the past few years.
If you hear someone talk about ‘Cupping’ you probably think of Micheal Phelps with flaunting his dark purple bruises at the Olympics.. Or maybe Netflix’s Goop series. It’s gaining popularity, but it’s an ancient
way to health. As a form of natural medicine, a gentle heated suction was placed locally on one’s skin to treat imbalances and disease. This modality originated in China, Egypt and the Middle East and still commonly used. I think it’s really cool it’s dated back so far in history and still so popular. Almost every spa offers a form of cupping. In my treatment room, I also offer Facial Cupping.
I know. Sounds weird. But don’t worry. Your face won’t be covered in those "dark hickey looking things" and it shouldn’t hurt...it should actually feel really soothing and relaxing.
Facial Cupping’s intent is to boost blood circulation and stimulate the cells in charge of collagen production. Basically, this can brighten your skin, minimize the look of wrinkles, dark circles & saggy skin, and fine lines. Over time, it even can tone your jaw by redirection your lymph and decreasing puffiness. This is a small fraction of all the awesome benefits to this modality.
I am going to walk you how and why I think it’s important that you implement this into your life. (Note that a trained professional is the #1 option here, but with the way the world is right now.. this might be your best bet. I usually do this two or three times a week as ritual- oh boy that spa bill would add up!!)
* In my opinion, I honestly don’t see anything wrong with doing this at home if you are cautious. I think it's a cool way to build a relationship with the skin you are living in. Just.. PLEASE don't wing it, scroll to the bottom of the page and follow my steps...*
Here's how it can help you.
Facial Cupping:
Alleviates Migraines
Relieves TMJ
Minimizes wrinkles dark circles, fine lines, and scars
Decreases puffiness
Tones jaw, chin, neck
Brightens skin
Relax facial muscles (...do you catch yourself clenching your jaw during the day?)
Improves nutrient delivery
Improve your daily moisturizer and product absorption
Helps anxiety
Who doesn’t want to brighten and tone up their face naturally while also aiding facial stress?
And I am not joking. It feels AMAZING. Anyone that has had a treatment done can attest that it feels really freaking good.
Personally, I feel like I have just have puffy face syndrome.. or maybe I don't drink enough water before bed.. or maybe sometimes I don't get good sleep. Here's a raw picture of me some mornings, as you can see, I have inflammation and puffiness written all over my dang face. Just a few minutes of facial cupping to a brighter, slimmer, more awake look.
How Does It Work?
Under the Skin
Your Lymphatic System. Facial Cupping stimulates your lymphatic system- in short, this is what helps drain out toxins and everything your body doesn’t need... just keeping your insides clean. When done right, this method creates a systematic “flushing” of the drainage system to carry out all the crap or kick stagnant fluid in gear. Because cupping uses a suction aka the negative pressure aka the “vaccum” effect, it allows breathe and life to flow back into the area! Through this magical process, it helps TMJ, relaxing your muscles, and everyone’s favorites like brightening your face and tightening up loose skin.
Where Do I Buy a Set?
There are different kinds of cupping sets- glass, plastic, silicone- suction, fire and probably more I don’t even know about. But when it comes to your face, I suggest sticking to the specific silicone small cups. You can find them here.
How Do I Do It?
Where you move the cup, the fluid will follow. Remember, we want to go in the same pathway that the lymph system flows. But let’s back up. Where do we begin?
I usually start by stimulating the face in some way. This could be a light massage with your finger tips, a exfoliate of some sort, or dry brushing.
Step 1:
Before we get down to it, we need to put on some kind of oil or salve on our face and neck so the cups can move around more easily.
Step 2:
Stimulate the collar bone area. This is where the fluid under your skin will drain into.
Step 3:
Squeeze. I usually start at the neck or chin. You begin the cupping treatment by grabbing one cup (or both if you are really coordinated.. I am not. Lol) holding between your thumb and your fingertip, pinching it and placing it on your skin to create a seal.
Step 4:
When I go to release the cup, I start moving it in the direction of the lymphatic lines. It’s really important you start moving your cups right away.. If you don’t, you’ll look like you got in a fight with an octopus.
Step 5:
Continue this process until you cover every part of the face.. You can take your sweet time and go a half hour if you want. Your face might get a bit red, but it will go away. That’s just proof it’s doin’ it’s thang.
A Few Things..
Don’t get too crazy. Remember this is a gentle treatment and it’s very stimulating to whats right under the skin, so a little suction actually goes a long way. It could break capillaries, or collagen fibers.. And that’s pretty much the complete opposite of what we want here. If you have touchy skin, this might not be for you. I’m not a doctor and my intent is not to offer medical advice. Please talk with your Doc before you dive in. So, with that being said, if you have touchy sensitive skin but have an issue you think cupping would help, maybe hold off on this DIY and set up an one on one appointment with me. You can shoot me an email amaliamaylmt@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.
And PLEASE DRINK WATER!
I love this modality, the biggest thing for me is decreasing morning puffiness and helping me through anxiety. I hope you try it out and and enjoy this awesome health source. The more I learn about how smart the human body is, the more I appreciate it. Your body is caring for you 24/7, tending to every part of you without you consciously having to think about it. Your body is on your team, but sometimes it needs a friendly push into gear when it’s stagnant and still.
Namaste, Amalia May :)
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