Plastic surgery can yield good results, but it carries a host of risks and complications along with it. Plastic surgery involves anesthesia, a lengthy procedure, and a two-week minimum recovery time during which the face is bruised, tender, and swollen. Is there any other way?

A newer and much safer way to reach desirable cosmetic results has come about. Cosmetic acupuncture does not enlist the side effects that would have to endure if they were to go under the knife. While one may be getting an instant facelift, the results do become pleasantly noticeable after a period of time. It absolutely beats having someone cut your skin open and perform gruesome tasks that might leave you with scars for weeks!

A practitioner will insert tiny, thin needles into wrinkles and frown lines. The needles stimulate energy to flow around the face; blood rushes to the surface, and the muscles relax. The muscles then tighten, which decreases sagging of facial skin. The needles also stimulate the cells to create new collagen fibers under wrinkles, filling in fine lines. A recent study by the International Journal of Clinical acupuncture claims that 90% of those who tried facial acupuncture saw positive results such as softening of facial lines, improvement in skin tone, reduction of under-eye circles, and a general facial rejuvenation.

Practitioners charge different fees and differ in the number of treatments they plan to administer. You should be careful, therefore, to choose a licensed practitioner for your cosmetic acupuncture needs. Licensed practitioners have been trained by qualified teachers.

Patients undergoing acupuncture as treatment for skin conditions will be pleasantly surprised to find that acupuncture has an uplifting effect on their well-being as a whole. Acupuncture has been used for a long list of complaints, including stress, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Many individuals question the effectiveness of facial acupuncture, but it's easy to see that when one's overall health improves so should the appearance of one's skin.

Opponents of the procedure will remind you that it is only a short term solution, lasting no more than a handful of years. However, surgical facelifts also have a limited period of effectiveness. There is no solution that will last forever. In less than a decade, the ravages of time will begin to show again, regardless of the number of surgeries completed.