FACIAL ACUPUNCTURE

Typical Courses of Facial Acupuncture

Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation (aka AFR)

The course of treatment may vary depending upon the patient’s constitution and concerns. Typically, the initial course consists of 6 to 12 weekly treatments depending on the concerns. After that, a maintenance schedule is recommended – from monthly to weekly, depending on each patient’s response and goals.

"Facelift" Acupuncture

Most patients who opt for Facelift Acupuncture do so because they have particular concerns they want to work on, such as sagging, jowls, lines, etc. Some people see differences after just one treatment. We usually will see more dramatic and lasting effects after about 7 treatments. For this work to be most effective, a course of 12 treatments is recommended over a period of 9 or 12 weeks.

After the initial course of treatments, monthly maintenance "Facelift" Acupuncture treatments are recommended to protect your investment. For further benefit, it is best to schedule one or more Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation treatments in between your monthly Facelift Acupuncture treatments if possible.

Follow-up intensive treatment courses may be helpful in 2 – 5 years, depending on your results, age, and lifestyle choices.

Lifestyle choices have a great influence on maintaining results, so please reference the following Self Care Handouts during and after your initial course of treatment:

• Ways To Enhance And Maintain Your Acupuncture for Beauty Results
• Beauty Tips From Japanese Grandmothers
• Daily Facial Self-Massage Protocol

Treatment Days - AFR & "Facelift"

• Best to avoid caffeine and alcohol on treatment days.
• Remove makeup before treatment. We provide makeup removing washcloths if you cannot arrive with a clean face.
• Remove contact lenses.
• Use the restroom before your treatment begins (the sessions are long!)
• AFR Deluxe appointments are 90 minutes.
• "Facelift" are 2 hours.
• AFR Lite are 1 hour.

If You Catch A Cold, Flu…

Colds, flu, and other acute illness: If you are experiencing an acute illness such as a cold, flu, stomach virus, severe allergy attack, cold sore or other herpes outbreak, etc., please contact our office immediately. Depending on the nature of the illness, we will either need to change your appointment to a regular acupuncture treatment to address the acute issue, or, in rare cases, we may need to cancel your appointment. In order to make those changes without incurring a late cancellation fee, you must contact us as soon as possible.

Why is this such an important issue? When you have an acute illness, your body needs to use its energetic resources to attend to getting better. Acupuncture for Beauty treatments utilize your energy for different purposes, and so cannot be done during an acute illness.

Download a printable version of the About Acupuncture For Beauty Handout. 

Talk To Your Acupuncturist Regarding The Following:

• Pregnancy: Please notify your acupuncturist immediately should you become pregnant.

• Any significant change in your health status: If at any point during your treatments you develop a new health issue or experience a recurrence of a previous issue, notify your acupuncturist immediately. There are some conditions for which Facelift Acupuncture is contraindicated, so you need to keep your acupuncturist advised of all health issues.

• Headaches, Dizziness, rising Blood Pressure, feelings of heat rising to your head: If you begin experiencing any of these signs or symptoms during the course of your "Facelift" acupuncture series, please inform your acupuncturist right away, in advance of your next scheduled session.

These types of issues require a very different re-directing of energies than what we utilize in our "Facelift" protocol. For this reason, all of these problems are contraindicated for Facelift acupuncture.

If you begin experiencing any of these symptoms during your "Facelift" acupuncture treatment course, you and your acupuncturist may discuss the option of finishing your course using the AFR protocol, with appropriate changes in pricing.

Facelift Pre & Post Care

• If you tend to bruise easily, begin the following protocol at least one week (and up to one month) before your first treatment:
  OPC Synergy: 1 capsule, 3 times a day
  contact our Front Desk to pick up this formula
  continue taking throughout the course of treatment

• If you are taking non-prescription blood thinners, including aspirin, Vitamin E and natto kinase, it is recommended that you stop during the course of this treatment.

• If you are getting medical facial work done, please schedule your first treatment with Energy Matters at least 3 weeks after having laser resurfacing, and 2 -4 weeks (depending on the intensity of the treatment) after receiving peels or microdermabrasion.

Managing Bruising

At some point during your treatments you may develop a bruise after a treatment. Here are several options to help the bruise dissipate more quickly:
Managing Bruising (continued)

• Apply an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel to the area of bruising every 2-3 hours for 20 minutes each time for the rest of the day.
• Take Arnica Montana 6c (available at Energy Matters or at most health food stores) internally: 4 pellets, 4x/day until the bruise has resolved.
• Apply T-Relief (available at Energy Matters or most health food stores) or other type of arnica cream on the site of bruising every 1-2 hours for the remainder of the day; then 4-6 times a day until the bruise is resolved.
• Do moxibustion treatment at home, twice a day for 15 minutes until resolved; your acupuncturist can teach you how to do this.

New Patient Paperwork

Please fill out your New Patient Intake forms online, at least two (2) days prior to your appointment. 

• New Patient Information & Medical History

Downloadable Copies of Patient Policies & Fees

• Covid-19 Protocols: Guidelines for Your In-Person Acupuncture Treatment
  
• Informed Consent to Treat
• Treatment Fee Schedule
• Late Cancellation Fees

Please note that our late cancellation policy is different for AFB appointments. The advanced notice window is as follows:

• AFR Lite - 24 hours
• AFR Deluxe - 48 hours
• Facelift - 72 hours

View the late cancellation fees* for your particular AFB appointment.

In addition, if you arrive 15 or more minutes late for your appointment, your treatment likely will need to be abbreviated or canceled, depending on the practitioner’s schedule that day. Though we will do our best to work you however if we cannot, this will result in a missed appointment fee.

*This fee is only waived for exceptional extenuating circumstances such as hospitalization, death in the family, etc.

Exceptions for Covid Precautions

Cancel your appointment:

• If you begin to experience Covid-like symptoms.
• Are exposed to someone who is positive for Covid.
• Or test positive for Covid yourself .

You will not be charged a late cancel fee. You may reschedule after you have quarantined for the recommended amount of time.

How to Find Us

4341 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA
[Directions]

p: 510-597-9923
e: [email protected]

We are located on the 2nd floor with elevator access.

Our Front Desk is staffed,
Mon - Fri from 9 am to 3:30 pm

If your appointment is outside of these hours, or you arrive and our front desk staff is unavailable:

• Text: 510-597-9923 to alert your practitioner of your arrival
• Then have a seat and your practitioner will be out momentarily. 

We ask that all staff and clients wear a surgical, N95, KN95 or comparable mask while in common areas of the clinic regardless of vaccination status. If you arrive without a mask, or with a cloth mask, we will provide you with a surgical mask to wear.