Will facial acupuncture replace Botox?
Let’s be honest, no. It won’t.
But this is more a sign of our times than a reflection on the treatment itself.
Acupuncture and Botox couldn’t be more different in energetic terms, even if they tried. One cannot replace the other, because they serve two very opposing purposes under the same guise, our quest to slow down evidence of ageing on our faces.
Cosmetic acupuncture is gaining some limelight, not least because of a recent article in the New York Times; however, it’s been a secret/not-secret treatment that those into wellness have long adopted.
Facial Rejuvenation treatments, as some acupuncturists like to call them, have been seen to produce effects on the face that some people are looking for. We are talking tighter skin, vitality in colour, reduction of fine lines and lifting of areas that have been more heavily subjected to the gravitational pull of our emotional states.
And it works…a recent study by Haghir, Hossein et al. (2025) demonstrated that facial and body acupuncture is an effective and safe method for reducing frown lines. This randomised controlled trial was conducted with 72 participants and found that by week 7, 63% of the intervention group showed reduced frown lines at rest, and 72% during maximum frowning, which significantly outperformed the control group. Hurrah. Finally, a trial that has worked in our favour.
So, it’s official (for now), facial acupuncture brings life back to your face.
But perhaps not the kind of results that you may have come to expect from Botox or similar treatments. Which is why a comparison is futile.
Chinese medical philosophy uses our understanding and respect for change and transformation to treat our face. We are taught that the deeper well-being and health of a person manifests in their face.
If we spend a little time pondering this, we can see how a person who continually feels anger might show furrowed brows, or someone who finds disappointment in their surroundings daily might smile less (and the lines on the sides of their mouths may tip downwards eventually), in the same way that a joyful person who spends a lot of their time laughing exhibits ‘crows feet’ around their eyes. These are emotional examples, but from our understanding, there are many other signs of physical manifestations on our faces which can tell us a lot about a person’s health.
There is a book by Lillian Bridges (linked below) that delves into these ideas deeply, should this spark interest for you.
The only constant we can rely on is change, and this is a very important idea in Chinese medicine. We simply cannot escape it; it is the only reason we experience life in the first place. Facial Rejuvenation treatments use this very concept; during a course (usually a minimum of 6, weekly), they will bring out the brightness, vitality and richness back. This affects not only what shows on your face, but you receive more bang for your buck, because it can target whole body issues simultaneously. Chinese medicine works holographically after all.
Acupuncturists aim to stimulate tiny changes which promote the skin’s natural repairing and protecting processes. These are the processes that slow down and become blocked with age. Instead of adding something to your face, we are simply removing obstacles.
Our approach is gradual, sustainable and complementary to the natural way of things. Cultivating vitality is a considered and mindful practice, which can be in addition to other sustainable ways of living you’ve chosen. It’s a mindset choice, one that has ripple effects you may not see immediately.
Facial acupuncture treatments encourage:
Stimulation of collagen production
Softening of lines and wrinkles
Blood flow increases to the face
Rebalances fluids
Evens out skin colouring
Skin health and vitality restored
Nerve innovation and sentience awaken
Now let’s think about Botox.
Energetically, I am imagining that Botox aligns with the opposite concept of change; it freezes your muscles in time. It does the job by eliminating change; its function is to prevent movement. Let’s not brush under the carpet that movement is an expression. Expression is emotion. Emotion is energy in motion — literally e-motion.
Not knowing a huge amount about it, ChatGPT told me how Botox actually worked, and I learned that ‘Botulinum toxin’ blocks the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that signals muscles to contract.
What is my understanding of ‘contracting’ in Chinese medicine terms?
It’s an action governed by the Metal element, think autumn, think lungs and large intestines, the natural movement that occurs as a prerequisite to expansion. It’s letting go, pulling in tight to release what we no longer need, like squeezing the old bath water out of a wet sponge, to allow the space within to fill once more with clean, soapy suds.
But what happens if we do not have the contraction? Whatever it was that could not be released finds itself building up. And what do we know about building up, without release? That, my dear friends, is what we call a blockage, which will eventually have to come out by other means.
Using Botox is subtly choosing stillness over flow, control over spontaneity, stasis over transformation. Halting your face’s natural healing ability to regenerate.
Please know that there is no judgment here. I believe that everyone is free to do what they like to feel good; never say never. Having had no experience of being older than I am, I’m humble enough to know I cannot predict how that might feel and what my reactions might be to an ageing face.
However, as with all the choices that we make, we at least have to screen them to understand if they align with the intentions we have for ourselves. One thing we are very lucky to be able to express is our power of choice.
My new favourite quote: slow and steady wins the race.
Facial Rejuvenation Treatments are available at both Brighton and Lewes clinics.
Haghir, H., Yazdanpanah, M. J., Farahmand, S. K., Khadem-Rezaiyan, M., & Azizi, H. (2025). Is Acupuncture Effective in Diminishing Frown Lines? Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 24(4), e70144. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70144
Bridges, L. (2012). Face reading in Chinese medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier.