An effective way to combat wrinkles that you can do yourself – that would be something. If you could see the results straight away after the treatment, that would be even better! Gua Sha on the face can do just that. This centuries-old method from Traditional Chinese Medicine delivers results in a way that no cream, however expensive, can match. It makes sense to tackle facial ageing holistically, rather than filling in individual wrinkles with injections.
What is Gua Sha?
Gua Sha – which means ‘scraping’ in German – is an ancient massage technique in which oiled skin is repeatedly scraped with a rounded object (a porcelain spoon, coin, or a scraper made of horn or jade). It is mainly used on the back and muscles to detoxify the tissue. On the face, however, the technique is much gentler.
Gua Sha on the face
On the face, scraping is carried out very gently, just strongly enough to reach the deeper connective tissue. The result should be well-circulated, rosy skin. How long this takes and how firmly you need to scrape varies from person to person. A lack of energy in certain areas is often indicated by the redness fading quickly – in those places, you can safely give it a bit more attention.
How often should you scrape, and when is the best time to do so?
The best time to perform Gua Sha is in the evening. Gua Sha stimulates the facial fasciae, causing the tissue to work at full capacity afterwards. As you open the „energy gates“, the skin is particularly able to absorb skincare ingredients, but it is also more sensitive to wind or sun. Two to three sessions a week are ideal.
You can expect these effects from Gua Sha
Your complexion will become more radiant and even-toned. Deep wrinkles are softened, whilst fine lines and puffiness often disappear completely. Gua Sha is an effective treatment for bags under the eyes. In the long term, your skin will become less problematic as it is better able to retain moisture. Regular use of Gua Sha keeps tissues and blood vessels healthy.
What does Gua Sha do for the skin on your face?
Gua Sha smooths out
After the treatment, the skin looks as smooth as if it had been ironed. This is easy to see if you first scrape just one half of the face and compare the results.
Stimulates lymph flow & detoxifies
The massage helps the lymphatic system to flush out waste products, which reduces swelling. It opens the „energy gates“ to allow for deeper detoxification.
Relieves tension in the fascia and releases stiffness
Gua Sha relieves muscle tension, particularly in the jaw area (stress muscles). This prevents you from unconsciously furrowing your brow or pursing your lips, which helps to prevent new wrinkles from forming.
Apply Gua Sha yourself
Cleanse your skin thoroughly and apply a high-quality oil. The scraper should glide across the skin at a 30-degree angle. An important rule of thumb: always scrape from the centre of the face outwards. To master this technique with confidence, I recommend my online course.
The neck is part of it
Always start at the neck! If you stimulate lymph flow in the face whilst there is a build-up in the neck, you’ll only irritate the tissue unnecessarily. First ensure that lymph can drain freely from the neck area.
The most common mistakes in free tutorials
- The neck is excluded (risk of lymphatic congestion).
- Rub back and forth (on the face, please only in one direction!).
- Too short a section of the scraper is being used (resulting in streaks rather than a smooth finish).
- The skin is „pushed“ rather than „dragging the scraper behind“.
- The skin is pushed together, forming new creases during the massage.
Integrate the neck
You can rub the back of your neck more vigorously (at a 90-degree angle). Rub from top to bottom, parallel to the spine. This helps with tension, headaches and colds. Cover the back of your neck with something warm afterwards.
Learn with me!
I have summarised these methods – to which I owe my appearance – in my book *Chi statt Botox* and in the accompanying online course. There, you’ll find theory and practical videos that allow you to practise one-to-one with me. The videos are yours to keep for life.
26 thoughts on “Gua Sha im Gesicht: Alles über das Anti-Falten-Wunder”
Hello Mrs Schmid,
I read your article with great enthusiasm. Can I also use Gua Sha if I have a tendency to couperose?
I would be pleased to receive a reply.
Yours sincerely
Petra Schulz
Dear Petra!
It is particularly recommended for couperose as it has a decongestant effect and reduces the pressure on the veins. If the couperose is pronounced, I would not scrape over the red areas, but definitely underneath and especially on the neck and nape. This is the recommendation - please discuss this with your doctor.
Best regards,
Christina
I read your article with enthusiasm! Where is the best place to buy such a scraper? I have a bit of respect for simply ordering it from Amazon... all the best!
Dear Anna Alexia,
if you don't want to buy on amazon, wait a few more days, I'm currently setting up an online shop on my homepage so that people here can get everything from a single source and I can pass on exactly the products that I recommend. It won't take more than a week to 10 days, then I'll be ready and you can order them from me here. Is that an option for you?
Kind regards,
Christina
Dear Mrs Schmidt, thank you for your valuable instructions and tips! I am a Gua Sha beginner and suffer particularly from swelling of the bags under my eyes. I have a question about the direction of the strokes on the neck: from top to bottom seems quite logical to me in order to stimulate the lymph flow. Other expert opinions, on the other hand, speak of the bottom-up method as the original method, i.e. with the blood flow. What is the best way to do it? Many thanks and best wishes from Vienna Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
You are absolutely right and in principle both are possible. Nevertheless, I recommend - and especially in the case of bags under the eyes - the direction from top to bottom. Let's not forget that these are very old methods, people lived differently back then and had enough exercise. As this is not the case today, I see this lymphatic congestion in almost everyone without exception. Lymphatic activity slows down with age, so I think it's important to help here. It simply makes the skin look better. But feel free to try the other way round and stick with it if it works better for you.
Best regards,
Christina
Hello dear Christina.
I would like to ask from how many weeks you can see the success.
And I see your exercises on You Tube, I am totally inspired by you.
Please send many more exercises.
With kind regards
Petra Indenbirken
Dear Petra,
Success depends on several factors - age and the quality of your skin and connective tissue, but of course also on how much you do. Unfortunately, I can't give away all the exercises for free, I have to earn my living too 😉 You can find really intensive training that is also suitable for everyday use, as well as instructions on cupping, scraping and Dien Cham in my online course: https://chi-statt-botox.com/online-kurs/
All my love,
Christina
Good evening, Mrs Schmid,
I bought your book: Chi instead of Botox. I am very excited about all the information! Unfortunately, however, I don't quite understand the "wrinkle cutting". Would it be possible for you to demonstrate this technique on YouTube? That would be very nice.
Thank you very much for your efforts and I wish you a good time.
Kind regards,
Tanja
Dear Tanja,
sorry for the late reply, I had a few days off.
Crease cutting: I'll explain it to you using the frown lines. These run from top to bottom, i.e. vertically. You place the fish scraper "inside", i.e. hold it vertically so that its tail is pointing downwards and the head upwards. Its edge is now inside the fold. Now move it back and forth to the right and left, i.e. across the crease. Is that a bit clearer?
I'm making a note of this and will rather make a short video for Instagram or Facebook - are you on these platforms?
Kind regards,
Christina
Dear Christina,
Thank you very much for the good explanation/instructions for "pleat cutting".
I only have access to Instagram via my son. I don't have Facebook...
I mainly follow you on YouTube.
But thank you very much for your efforts! I really appreciate it.
Best regards,
Tanja
Dear Tanja,
Thank you for the kind words. It may just take a little while, I'm finishing my new book and am not posting as intensively at the moment. So please be patient... 🙂
Best regards,
Christina
Dear Christina,
Do I necessarily have to use two scrapers for gua sha? On the one hand, I find it incredibly difficult, on the other hand, my skin has already lost a lot of elasticity, so I have the feeling that it is being "pushed" with two scrapers. A huge THANK YOU in advance!
Kind regards Bärbel
Dear Bärbel,
Two scrapers - used correctly - are much better, especially for skin that is already a little withered. If you massage the skin from the centre to the ears with one scraper, you push it together at the ears. By using the technique with two fish scrapers, the skin is always left out along the way so that we don't push anything here.
Kind regards,
Christina
Dear Christina,
I would like to ask whether the scraping technique can also be used in the neck area?
I would be very pleased to receive a reply.
Best regards
Sandra
Dear Sandra,
Yes, you can also scrape the neck. Under the ears gently downwards for the lymph and/or from the centre diagonally sideways & upwards a little more firmly against wrinkles.
Kind regards,
Christina
Hello dear Christina
Unfortunately, I am very unsure about how hard to scrape. My skin has unfortunately lost a lot of its elasticity and I don't want to make things worse by applying too much pressure. Is there perhaps a point of reference? Thank you in advance! Best regards
Dear Bärbel,
you scrape so that the skin is warm and well supplied with blood after the massage. That would be a starting point. But you can also work your way up slowly. Scrape gently and then more and more firmly until you feel it is right for you. As I said, the skin should feel warm after the massage.
Best regards,
Christina
Dear Christina,
You wrote above that scraping is suitable for couperose - does this also apply to cupping? I would be worried that everything would get even wilder...
If it is still suitable: which tools from your shop do you recommend for this (for scraping and cupping?
Many thanks and best regards
Ela
Dear Ela,
it is not cupped over the couperose areas, but it is important on the neck, décolleté (from the centre outwards to the armpits) and neck, and then on the face in unaffected areas. This relieves congestion, which reduces the pressure on the blood vessels.
When it comes to rosacea, I wouldn't scrape over the affected areas either, of course. Most people who ask me simply use the term couperose to refer to broken veins, which almost all of us have. You can just scrape over them.
As far as the instruments are concerned, take a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib7eKgIB01c&t=21s
Kind regards,
Christina
Hello dear Christina, can I also scrape my décolleté in the morning. I am hoping to get rid of my sleep wrinkles. Thank you for your answer
Dear Jeanette,
Yes, you can, just don't scrape too hard. You should only scrape really intensively in the evening when the skin is not exposed to sun or wind. Or you can also scrape your décolleté intensively in the morning if you wear something that covers it completely. Then it is protected and scraping is no problem.
Best regards,
Christina
Dear Christina,
I love your videos and have just ordered a few things from your shop, including the fish scrapers. I noticed that the rose quartz scraper is no longer online.
You only scrape with the fish scrapers? Why and what is the difference to rose quartz and jade, which you see everywhere else?
Thank you!
Kind regards
Magdalena
Dear Magdalena,
We do not offer rose quartz scrapers, only a jade Gua Sha comb. But for the face, I only recommend horn scrapers for the following reason: If you compare rose quartz or jade scrapers with the horn scrapers, you can clearly see that their edge is rounder and thicker. This edge does not produce the same intensive results on the face as the horn scraper.
Stone scrapers slide along the skin too superficially (you can work with more pressure on the rest of the body, where they are great, but not on the face), so you don't get deep enough into the tissue. Stone scrapers are excellent for lymphatic drainage on the face - for example, our Gua Sha comb - but the horn scraper is simply the best for working on wrinkles. It also feels much better in the hand. Nevertheless, we are working on a vegan alternative, more on that soon. Until then, you'll have to make do with the horn scraper, but we'll do quality control for you - we only give you scrapers that really get results (no edges that are too thick).
Kind regards,
Christina
Dear Christina,
I bought your online course at the end of the year and am enthusiastically practising facial yoga/wellness every morning. I also scrape twice a week and am getting to grips with cupping. It's really good for me and I'm already noticing the first changes.
However, I have noticed this week that I often get slight pustules on my face, which are visible but can be felt. The skin also feels warmer in these areas. Could this be a reaction to the toxins being removed - I cleanse my face very thoroughly afterwards - or perhaps a reaction to the main oil (organic argan oil with lavender)? Over the course of the day and overnight, the skin calms down again.
Thank you for your answer, I am very happy to have found you!
Silvia
P.S. After 35 years of mouth breathing and numerous visits to the ENT, I actually managed to switch to nasal breathing - the starting point was his article on bags under the eyes, which are often related to this. After some further research and a few exercises, it actually worked and I feel much better rested and more efficient since then :). It takes patience, but it's worth it!
Dear Silvia,
The skin can react, especially at first, if there are toxins in the tissue. Both cupping and scraping are draining methods and can lead to a detoxification reaction. This should calm down over time. I don't think it's the oil.
And CONGRATULATIONS on breathing through your nose! It's an important thing, not just for your appearance. It's also very important for your lungs in times like these. Great that you have conquered it. ????????
All my love,
Christina