Judy Chapman interviews Joel Granik, licensed Acupuncturist and CEO of “FloLo Holistic”.
A natural alternative to Botox so well worth exploring is Facial Acupuncture that also works on the connective tissues (fascia) that improves elasticity and collagen in the skin.
As a devotee of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I have long respected the amazing benefits of body acupuncture so it was a privilege to meet and experience a Facial Acupuncture (FA) treatment with Joel Granik, a licensed Acupuncturist and co-founder of ‘FloLo Holistic’ healing spa in Manhattan.
My take? I would move to New York to take regular sessions with this guy!
Joel explains that Facial Acupuncture works in a similar way to Botox in that it softens the muscles and this in turn reduces the appearance of fine lines. However, the issue with Botox is that it paralyzes the facial muscles (stagnating qi flow) whereas Facial Acupuncture is designed to improve circulation and chi flow that ultimately feels healthier.
‘Loss of facial tone and fine lines occur due to the natural breakdown of collagen and elastin,’ explains Joel. ‘As we age, our skin cells produce less of these proteins while external forces like UV rays and pollutants break them down’.
The beauty of Joel’s Facial Acupuncture, is that his needles are strategically placed not only to lift and tone your skin but also deeply calm your mind. Ddid you know that all of our human growth hormone which repairs damaged collagen, reducing fine lines and improving skin elasticity is secreted during a deep sleep?
Most of us know aging of the skin increases with stress, anxiety, lack of sleep and poor diet so another bonus with Facial Acupuncture is that it works on the whole body. As Joel explains, stress affects the free flow of qi within the body that results in stagnation, excessive heat and poor blood circulation – also known as ‘inflammation’ in Western medicine.
The Lowdown: Joel’s sessions begin with the highly qualified Esthetician cleansing and exfoliating your skin to prepare you for the treatment. Joel then gently inserts needles on your feet and lower legs to ground your energy, after which he applies several needles to areas on the face that will benefit from lifting and toning and the reducing of wrinkles (such as around my mouth, eyes and foreheads where those fine lines just love to gather).
Twenty-minutes of incredible calm follows (I fell into a deep slumber). After Joel gently removed the needles, the Esthetician returned to perform an ultra sound application that she explained penetrates at a tissue-level to further boost collagen. The finale, a facial massage delivered with super-hydrating aloe and hyaluronic acid.
In a nutshell: I have never slept so well after a facial in years. All this plus I emerged flushed and glowing, feeling good on the inside and out. My feeling is that even if you don’t want to give up your Botox, fillers, Facial Acupuncture is an excellent compliment to these – just to get the qi and circulation moving!
What to expect: While you can often see an immediate lift and tightening after 1-2 sessions, usually it takes 6-10 treatments to see results. Facial Acupuncture is a longer (but healthier) anti-aging journey
