Gua sha benefits: what the research supports

What is gua sha, and how is the facial version different?

Gua sha is a traditional East Asian technique, also called coining, scraping or spooning. In its original form, a practitioner rubs the skin of the back or shoulders firmly with a smooth-edged tool until small red-purple marks appear. Those marks are tiny spots of bleeding under the skin, and in the traditional method they are the point.

The version on social media is a different thing. It is done on the face with a flat stone or metal tool and very light pressure. Cleveland Clinic quotes an acupuncturist who calls it a tool-assisted type of massage. Dermatology Times, a trade journal for dermatologists, noted in August 2026 that the claims around it now run from morning de-puffing to a permanently sculpted jaw.

Gua sha benefits people claim, and what the evidence says

One line per claim, with the study behind it. Full references are under Sources.

What the one facial trial actually found

The trial ran at Yonsei University in Korea in 2024 and was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in May 2025. Thirty-four women aged 20 to 50 were randomly split between gua sha and a facial roller, two ends of the same dual tool. Each used it with a small amount of facial oil, 10 minutes a session, five times a week, for 8 weeks. One roller user dropped out.

Both groups ended with slightly smaller measurements across the face on a 3D scanner: 2.23 to 2.40 mm with gua sha, and 2.75 to 3.26 mm with the roller. The gua sha group also had lower muscle tone readings, which the authors read as more relaxed facial muscles. Its elasticity scores barely moved.

Three limits matter. Every woman used a tool, so there was no group doing nothing to compare against. The study lasted 8 weeks, and the authors say they do not know how long the change holds. And the paper does not report the participants' ethnicity or skin type, so it tells us nothing specific about darker skin.

How to use a gua sha tool on your face

1. 1Start with a clean toolCleveland Clinic says some tools can be sanitized in boiling water or a diluted bleach solution. Replace a tool that chips.
2. 2Add slipSmooth on a lotion, serum or facial oil first so the tool glides instead of dragging. The Korean trial used a small amount of facial oil.
3. 3Press lightlyFacial skin is thinner than the skin on your back. A little pinkness is fine. Pain is not.
4. 4Work outward, one directionStart near the nose and move toward the ears and hairline in smooth, straight strokes. Cleveland Clinic advises against rubbing back and forth, which stretches the skin.
5. 5Skip swollen or broken skinPressing hard on a swollen spot can burst small blood vessels and leave a bruise. Never use it over a rash, a wound, a breakout or sunburn.
6. 6Keep it shortThe trial used 10 minutes. Longer sessions have not been shown to do more.

On melanin-rich skin, go lighter

The traditional goal of gua sha, raising red-purple marks, is exactly what you want to avoid on your face. Cleveland Clinic warns that scraping too hard can cause bruising or skin discoloration, and the August 2026 Dermatology Times review lists post-inflammatory pigmentation as a risk that depends on technique. On Black and brown skin, that kind of mark can outlast any de-puffing by months.

So keep the pressure feather-light, stop at the first sign of tenderness, and stay off any area with active breakouts. If you already have dark marks from acne or irritation, read the guide to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation before you add any tool that rubs the skin.

Does Karisma offer gua sha?

Not as a listed service. Karisma's menu has no gua sha treatment. If your goal is a facial that leaves skin calm and comfortable, the Signature Facial is $125 for 60 minutes, with a skin consultation included. If you are curious about a device that works the skin mechanically, Endermologie Face is on the menu at $120; its page explains what the evidence does and does not show. Results vary.