Gua-sha, Jade Roller, And Facial Massage: Are There Benefits Within Dermatology?
Jul 17, 2023
To the Editor,
Gua-sha, Jade Rollers, and facial massages are alternative treatments that improve blood flow and lymphatic drainage resulting in clearer skin. Gua-sha and Jade Rollers originated from ancient China, becoming part of the Western beauty routines during the 1970s. Today, they are popular due to recent social media trends.1 Guasha treatment uses a polished jade stone to scrape the skin gently. Jade Rollers resemble small paint rollers made of jade stone used to massage the skin. Both methods require an upward and outward motion to reduce inflammation, improve skin complexion, and decrease wrinkles. We aim to compare these techniques and the content of the top 10 websites of the respective technique as determined by the Google search algorithm.
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【For more info:george.deng@wecistanche.com / WhatApp:86 13632399501】
Google search was performed using “Gua-sha,” “Jade Roller,” and “Facial Massage.” The top 10 website results were reviewed for content, including proposed benefits, proposed risks, mentioned studies, references cited, and quoted experts. Websites for advertising and selling products were excluded.
The most common websites (Table 1) were beauty websites (11 websites), followed by health websites (10 websites) and news websites (9 websites). Common benefits proposed included reduced inflammation, decreased wrinkles, reduced puffiness, improved blood circulation, improved lymphatic drainage, muscle tension relief, and migraine relief (Table 1). Common proposed risks included bruising, risk of infection, and skin irritation (Table 1). Five websites cited studies, and study types included randomized control trials, systemic reviews, and case reports (Table 1). Experts quoted were aestheticians (27%), dermatologists (16%), Chinese medicine providers (16%), acupuncturists (11%), healthcare providers (2.3%), massage therapists (2.3%), and 25% did not specify (Figure 1).
Gua-sha, Jade Rollers, and facial massages involve mechanically manipulating the skin to enhance the immune function of the skin. Gua-sha has been shown to increase both blood and lymphatic flow.2 Additionally, one study showed that short-term (5 min) facial massaging with a Jade Roller increases blood flow and lymphatics, while long-term use improves the body's vascular dilatation response.3 It may also have anti-aging effects under proper stimulation.4 Other proposed benefits of Gua-sha therapy are not well understood, and further research is warranted to evaluate their true effects on the immune, central nervous, and respiratory systems. As alternative medical techniques like Gua-sha increase in the United States, patients interested in these techniques may turn to search engines such as Google for education. However, as this study demonstrates, these websites have proposed many benefits, with very little research to support them. Furthermore, only 30% of websites recognized potential risks that have been described in the literature, such as contact dermatitis, minor burns, and infection.5 Thus, to properly educate their patients and ensure their safety, dermatologists should be aware of these techniques, potential benefits, and side effects, as well as the information on the internet.
Gua-sha, Jade Rollers, and facial messages carry many proposed benefits, few of which have been illustrated in the literature. As these techniques continue to increase, further research into their true benefits is warranted. Dermatologists may contribute to these efforts through research and raising awareness of these techniques' known benefits and risks.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
A.H., J.A., M.L., and J.B.A. performed the research. A.H., J.A., M.L., and J.B.A. designed the research study. C.P., C.R., and R.D. contributed essential reagents or tools. M.L. and J.B.A. analyzed the data. A.H., J.A., M.L., J.B.A, C.P., and C.R. wrote the paper. R.D. provided editing and oversight. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
FUNDING INFORMATION
None
KEYWORDS
aging, alternative medicine, anti-aging, general dermatology, spa therapy
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None declared.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Data sharing does not apply to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.
REFERENCES
Palma P. Unexpected healers: Chinese medicine in the age of global migration (Lima and California, 1850-1930). Hist Cienc Saude-Manguinhos. 2018;25:13-31. doi:10.1590/S0104-59702018000100002
Chen T, Liu N, Liu J, et al. Gua Sha, a press-stroke treatment of the skin, boosts the immune response to intradermal vaccination. PeerJ. 2016;4:e2451. doi:10.7717/peers.2451
Miyaji A, Sugimori K, Hayashi N. Short- and long-term effects of using a facial massage roller on facial skin blood flow and vascular reactivity. Complement Ther Med. 2018;41:271-276. doi:10.1016/j. Tim.2018.09.009
Caberlotto E, Ruiz L, Miller Z, Poletti M, Tadlock L. Effects of a skin massaging device on the ex-vivo expression of human dermis proteins and in-vivo facial wrinkles. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0172624. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172624
Vashi NA, Patzelt N, Wirya S, Maymone MBC, Kundu RV. Dermatoses caused by cultural practices: Cosmetic cultural practices. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;79(1):19-30. doi:10.1016/j. jaad.2017.06.160
【For more info:george.deng@wecistanche.com / WhatApp:86 13632399501】
