What is Gua Sha? The Inside Scoop on the Skin Care Trend Everyone is Talking About

There is a saying that everything old is new again, and that is certainly true on social media. With thousands of years of history to lean on, very little that happens on social media is truly original, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Such is the case with gua sha, the skin care regimen and beauty treatment that is currently taking the internet by storm. If you have been spending time on TikTok, you have no doubt seen the influencers talking about gua sha and extolling its many benefits, but just what is this skin care regimen and why is it suddenly so popular?

The huge number of TikTok videos about gua sha mostly share the same basic format – a TikTok star films themselves applying a special smooth angled stone to their face, passing it over their forehead, cheeks and jaw and leaving behind a smoother, shinier and more sculpted appearance. Gua sha boosters claim that the regular use of these special stones can reduce wrinkles, eliminate puffiness, relieve redness and leave their skin looking better than ever before. Given the enormous popularity of gua sha on TikTok and other social media platforms, it is easy to think that the trend is brand new, but like so much on social media gua sha has been around far longer than the online world.

In fact the use of gua sha stones dates back to ancient China, and this traditional form of medicine has found a new audience in the modern age. Back then gua sha was used to treat illness, but TikTok users and others have now discovered its potential to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and leave skin looking younger and more vibrant.

The term gua sha translates to scratch sand, but the sand in question refers to the redness on the skin instead of particles on the beach. According to ancient Chinese medicine, the redness in question is caused by toxins, viruses and bacteria in the skin, and it is the presence of these impurities the treatment is designed to address.

You might be interested to know that gua sha treatment has traditionally been used on other parts of the body in addition to the face. While many of those TikTok stars focus on removing wrinkles and facial blemishes, the same stones can be used to smooth and rejuvenate skin elsewhere on the body.

In traditional gua sha treatment various solutions are applied to the skin, including water and special facial oil, although many modern practitioners may use petroleum jelly instead. Once the solution ahs been applied gua sha practitioners use a number of special tools, most often smoothed stones or jade plates, to smooth the skin and leave it looking better.

No matter what form it takes or where it is used on the body, those who use gua sha point to a number of important benefits. The regular use of gua sha stones and plates can reduce redness and puffiness by promoting the proper drainage of lymphatic fluid, for instance, rejuvenating older skin and leaving it looking far younger in just a few treatments.

Gua sha treatment can also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, an important consideration for those who are beginning to look a bit older than their years. With so much to offer, it is easy to understand why this ancient form of Chinese healing has found new life in the modern era, and there is good reason so many social media influencers and TikTok superstars are jumping onboard. If you want to look younger and feel better, now may be the time to explore the gua sha revolution, one that combines the best of traditional Chinese medicine with the enormous reach of the internet.