Does Gua Sha Work? What the Research Says About Facial Gua Sha

Gua sha works, within limits. In the strongest study so far, an 8-week randomized trial of 34 women, facial gua sha used five times a week shortened facial contour measurements by 2.2 to 2.4 mm (Ahn et al., 2025). That supports a more sculpted, de-puffed look. It does not lift sagging skin, erase wrinkles or replace in-office care.

We make a powered gua sha tool, our GlowLift™ Infinity face sculpting device, so we have every reason to read the studies carefully. Below we cover what facial gua sha is, how it seems to work and what each study measured. Then we compare a stone with a powered tool and show how to use either one the way the research did.

Does gua sha actually work?

Facial gua sha works for modest cosmetic goals. One randomized trial measured small changes in facial contour and a more relaxed jaw muscle after eight weeks of regular use, and circulation studies show short-lived increases in blood flow. The evidence is early and the studies are small, and none shows lasting lift or wrinkle removal.

The key trial compared gua sha with a facial roller. Both groups improved their contour measurements, and the roller group changed slightly more (2.75 to 3.26 mm), with no significant difference between the two. The gua sha group also showed a softer, less stiff masseter, the large chewing muscle at the angle of the jaw, while its skin elasticity did not change. The authors concluded that "both interventions effectively improved facial contours through distinct physiological mechanisms" (Ahn et al., 2025).

One design point keeps the result honest: there was no untreated control group, so some of the change could reflect time or expectation rather than the strokes themselves. Read it as an encouraging first trial, not proof.

What is facial gua sha?

Facial gua sha is a gentle massage in which a smooth-edged tool glides over oiled skin in slow, upward and outward strokes. It comes from a traditional East Asian body technique of the same name, but the facial version uses far lighter pressure and aims for a relaxed, de-puffed look, never marks on the skin.

Traditional gua sha is "press-stroking": the body surface is scraped with a smooth-edged instrument to deliberately raise small red spots called petechiae, which last two to five days (Lauche et al., 2012). Those spots are tiny areas of blood leaking from capillaries under the skin, which is why clinics are advised to disinfect their instruments between clients (Nielsen et al., 2012).

Facial gua sha keeps the stroke and drops the bruising. In the 8-week trial, participants were told to press "firm enough to grip and move the superficial tissue, but not so firm as to cause discomfort or bruising" (Ahn et al., 2025). The trial's tool was a plastic-and-metal handheld device with a curved gua sha edge, not a jade or rose quartz stone. The result speaks to the technique, not to any particular stone.

How does gua sha work on the face?

Gua sha appears to work through mechanical effects on the skin and the muscle beneath it. Stroking briefly raises blood flow in the treated area, and regular sessions were linked to a more relaxed masseter muscle. These effects are short-lived or gradual, and none of them permanently changes the structure of the skin.

• Blood flow. In a pilot study of 11 healthy adults, one traditional gua sha session on the back raised surface microcirculation fourfold for the first 7.5 minutes. It stayed above baseline for the full 25 minutes measured (Nielsen et al., 2007). On the face, five minutes with a massage roller raised cheek blood flow for at least 10 minutes. Five weeks of daily use improved how the cheek's vessels responded to warmth (Miyaji et al., 2018).
• Muscle tone. After eight weeks of facial gua sha, the masseter measured 2.02 Hz lower in resting tone and 56.46 N/m lower in stiffness, a sign of a more relaxed muscle (Ahn et al., 2025).
• A de-puffed look. Slow outward strokes are widely used for morning puffiness, though no facial gua sha study has measured fluid directly. Our guide on how to depuff your face covers the full five-minute protocol.

Myth vs evidence

Myth: the red marks of body gua sha are toxins leaving the body. Evidence: they are petechiae, small leaks of blood from capillaries, and facial gua sha should not produce them. Myth: gua sha lifts sagging skin. Evidence: in the only facial trial, skin elasticity did not change in the gua sha group.

What have facial gua sha studies measured?

Facial gua sha research is still thin: one randomized trial of gua sha on the face, plus small studies of rollers, hand massage and body gua sha. Together they point to measurable, modest changes in contour, circulation and muscle tone. Most published gua sha research concerns body pain, not skin, and even there reviewers call the evidence inconclusive.

Study	Who and what	Protocol	What was measured	Caveat
Ahn et al., 2025	34 women aged 20–50; randomized, gua sha vs facial roller	10 min, 5 times a week, 8 weeks, with facial oil	Contour distances down 2.23–2.40 mm; masseter tone and stiffness lower; elasticity unchanged	No untreated control; small sample
Nielsen et al., 2007	11 healthy adults; pilot	One traditional session on the back	Surface microcirculation 4 times higher for 7.5 min, raised for 25 min	Back, not face; bruising pressure; no control
Miyaji et al., 2018	12 and 14 adults	5 min facial roller on one cheek; 5 weeks of daily use	Cheek blood flow up for at least 10 min; better vessel response to warmth	Roller, not gua sha; co-author from a beauty-tool maker
Flament et al., 2023	50 women aged 40–60; open study	3-min hand self-massage daily for 2 weeks	Radiance score up 16.7%; fine-lines score down 23.8%	Hands, not a tool; no control; L'Oréal researchers

For context, a review of 75 randomized trials of traditional Chinese medicine for neck and back pain found that gua sha "showed fair effects, but we were unable to draw any definite conclusions" (Yuan et al., 2015). Skin research is at an even earlier stage.

What the studies did not test

No study has compared jade, rose quartz and stainless steel. None followed people after they stopped, so we do not know how long changes last. The facial trial included women aged 20 to 50 and excluded anyone with eczema, severe acne or rosacea. And no published trial has tested a powered gua sha tool that adds warmth, cold, vibration or EMS, including GlowLift™.

Stone or powered: which gua sha tool suits you?

A smooth stone or steel gua sha is all the trial needed, so a manual tool is a fair place to start. A powered gua sha tool adds what a stone cannot, such as warmth, cold and EMS muscle stimulation, which suits people who want one short ritual that combines techniques. No study has compared the two directly.

GlowLift™ Infinity is a 5-in-1 at-home face sculpting device that combines contrast therapy (warm and cold modes), EMS muscle stimulation, LED light, high-frequency vibration and gua sha-inspired sculpting to support firmer-looking, more defined skin. It is FDA-cleared, its sculpted edge is stainless steel, and a full session takes five to seven minutes. EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) has its own research. In a 12-week randomized trial of 108 women, a facial EMS device used 20 minutes a day was associated with an 18.6% increase in cheek-muscle thickness (Kavanagh et al., 2012). That trial and the gua sha trial tested other tools in longer sessions, so read them as evidence for the techniques, not for any single product. Our guide to EMS vs microcurrent explains how the two technologies differ.

Factor	Manual gua sha (stone or steel)	Powered gua sha (GlowLift™ Infinity)
What it does	Stroke and pressure	Stainless-steel gua sha edge plus warm and cold modes, EMS, LED light and high-frequency vibration
Evidence	The stroke technique was tested in an 8-week randomized trial	Gua sha strokes and facial EMS were each studied separately; the combination has not been tested
Session	10 min, 5 times a week in the trial	5–7 min, 5–7 times a week per the GlowLift™ instructions
Upkeep	Clean after each use as the maker advises	Wipe the head with a damp cloth; USB-C charging; never submerge
Trade-offs	Low cost and travel-friendly, but no warmth, cold or EMS	Costs more and needs charging; EMS is not for everyone
Best for	Trying gua sha simply	Combining warmth, sculpting and a cool finish in one ritual

How do you use gua sha the way the studies did?

To match the research, apply facial oil or serum for slip and press firmly enough to move the skin without discomfort or bruising. Stroke upward and outward from the neck and jaw toward the ears and temples, about five times a week. The trial asked for steady practice over eight weeks, not force.

1. Start with clean, dry skin. A clean surface lets the tool glide evenly and keeps it clean too.
2. Add slip. Press in a few drops of serum or facial oil. In the morning, our Radiant C-F Glow Drops vitamin C + ferulic serum works well under the strokes.
3. Warm and sculpt with GlowLift™ for 2–3 minutes. In warm mode, glide the stainless-steel edge from the chin along the jawline toward the ear, then under the cheekbones toward the temples, always upward and outward. With a manual stone, follow the same paths for about 10 minutes, as in the trial.
4. Add EMS for 2–3 minutes. Start on Level 1 and trace the jaw and cheekbones again. Build intensity only when the sensation feels comfortable.
5. Finish cool for 1–2 minutes. Cold mode sweeps outward under the eyes and over puffiness-prone areas for a refreshed look.
6. Repeat five or more times a week. The contour and muscle-tone changes in the trial were measured after a target of 40 sessions over eight weeks.

For the full stroke-by-stroke map, with morning and evening versions, see our gua sha routine.

EMS is not for everyone. Do not use an EMS device if you are pregnant or have a pacemaker, implanted defibrillator or other active electronic implant, or on broken, irritated or infected skin. If you have epilepsy or a diagnosed skin condition, check with your doctor first.

Is gua sha safe, and when should you see a dermatologist?

Gentle facial gua sha is low-risk for most people when the tool is clean and the pressure stays comfortable. Bruising, broken skin and infection are linked to hard, traditional scraping, so stop if your skin marks or hurts. See a board-certified dermatologist before you start if you have a skin condition, and about any lump or lasting change.

Small gua sha studies have reported no adverse reactions (Nielsen et al., 2007), and the rare problems on record come from force or poor hygiene. Doctors in Korea reported a skin infection after body-contouring gua sha at a practitioner and called for standard safety protocols (Park et al., 2021). A separate case report describes a neck muscle rupture after long-term, vigorous facial massage with a hard wooden block (Jung et al., 2024). Both are single cases, and both are reminders that more pressure is not better.

Talk to a dermatologist first if you have rosacea, eczema, active acne or very sensitive skin, or if you bruise easily. See one promptly about a new lump, swelling or a change on one side of the face. Gua sha is a cosmetic ritual, not a diagnosis or treatment. If you have questions about whether GlowLift™ suits your skin, reach us through our contact form.

The bottom line

Does gua sha work? For a more sculpted, de-puffed and relaxed look, early research says yes, modestly: an 8-week trial measured millimeter-scale changes in facial contour, and circulation studies show brief rises in blood flow. It will not lift skin or replace in-office care. Start with gentle, regular sessions five times a week, with a stone or with GlowLift™ Infinity if you want warmth, EMS and a cool finish in one tool. At Radiant, we see gua sha as skin longevity in practice, small rituals that add up over months, which is our approach to skin longevity.

Sources

1. Ahn SH, Hwang UJ, Han HS, et al. Comparative effects of facial roller and gua sha massage on facial contour, muscle tone, and skin elasticity: randomized controlled trial. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025;24(6):e70236. doi:10.1111/jocd.70236. PubMed 40439289
2. Lauche R, Wübbeling K, Lüdtke R, et al. Randomized controlled pilot study: pain intensity and pressure pain thresholds in patients with neck and low back pain before and after traditional East Asian "gua sha" therapy. Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(5):905–917. doi:10.1142/S0192415X1250067X. PubMed 22928824
3. Nielsen A, Kligler B, Koll BS. Safety protocols for gua sha (press-stroking) and baguan (cupping). Complement Ther Med. 2012;20(5):340–344. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2012.05.004. PubMed 22863649
4. Nielsen A, Knoblauch NTM, Dobos GJ, Michalsen A, Kaptchuk TJ. The effect of Gua Sha treatment on the microcirculation of surface tissue: a pilot study in healthy subjects. Explore (NY). 2007;3(5):456–466. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2007.06.001. PubMed 17905355
5. Miyaji A, Sugimori K, Hayashi N. Short- and long-term effects of using a facial massage roller on facial skin blood flow and vascular reactivity. Complement Ther Med. 2018;41:271–276. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2018.09.009. PubMed 30477852
6. Flament F, Maudet A, Bayer-Vanmoen M. The objective and subjective impact of a daily self-massage on visible signs of stress on the skin and emotional well-being. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2023;45(6):761–768. doi:10.1111/ics.12884. PubMed 37483121
7. Yuan QL, Guo TM, Liu L, Sun F, Zhang YG. Traditional Chinese medicine for neck pain and low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(2):e0117146. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117146. PubMed 25710765
8. Kavanagh S, Newell J, Hennessy M, Sadick N. Use of a neuromuscular electrical stimulation device for facial muscle toning: a randomized, controlled trial. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2012;11(4):261–266. doi:10.1111/jocd.12007. PubMed 23174048
9. Park SW, Kwak HB, Lee SK, et al. Cutaneous infection caused by skin coining "gua sha" in Korean healthy female. Ann Dermatol. 2021;33(6):572–576. doi:10.5021/ad.2021.33.6.572. PubMed 34858010
10. Jung KH, Yang EJ, Lee W. Unilateral platysma muscle rupture as an effect of using a hard wooden block for facial massage. Arch Plast Surg. 2024;51(1):27–29. doi:10.1055/a-2175-8052. PubMed 38425863