Kellie tried CUPPING her Face - Is it an INSTANT FACELIFT?

By BR Kellie

I was scrolling through Instagram recently, watching new makeup and new looks whizz by, when a video stopped me in my finger-swishing tracks. It was farahdukai doing some weird looking thing with some weird looking apparatus. In caps were the words 'Instant Facelift' - well colour me intrigued. An instant facelift you say? Using some plastic kinda-rude-looking things? Down the Google-hole I fell.

Turns out Farah was face cupping, which is kind of like regular cupping (the kind Gwynnie P does, or did years ago, I don't know I've not seen her bruise-covered back anytime lately) but for the face. So at this point I was no longer intrigued, more like 'yeah, whatevs' - mainly because after my car was rear-ended years ago and suffering whiplash as a result, the physio had used cupping as part of the recovery process and it had done squat. If anything the cups just kept popping off my skin before they did anything, that's if they were going to do anything, so my skepticism based on that one experience was very real. Still, after further reading I kind of wanted to give it a go. 

Cupping itself has been around since the old days, as in really old, as in ancient. It was used to help with pain and inflammation, to increase blood flow, and as a massage technique. (Oh and if you want a somewhat entertaining and what feels distinctly anti-cupping read, check out the Wiki entry... ). So what does cupping do when the method is applied to the face? Claims go along the lines of it being good for lymphatic drainage and sinus congestion. Apparently it can stimulate collagen, tighten skin, make you glow, yadda yadda yadda. You can tell how much I thought it was going to be a load of hooey, right? Still, I bought myself a kit off the interweb, oiled my face up as instructed and followed this YouTube tutorial. 

So here's my cleansed and oiled up face (no filter, apologies for that, haha.)

(Looks like a blimmin' passport photo...)

Note the wrinkles, the puffiness, the hang-dog nature of my face. And my sinuses were all congested too. Basically I was the idea candidate for this process. So I started the massage as per the video. Now, it took a bit to get a hang of. You have to put the cup on your face, squeeze until it sticks and then let it go so it stays sticking, then you drag it along your face, making sure to follow the lymphatic lines. The smaller cup I used to suck and release around my eye and lip area as shown in the Farah Instagram video. I was totally worried about bruising my skin, but all that happened was it went a pleasant pink, which settled down quickly. I worked on one side of my face first so I could do a comparison shot. Here's where I actually noticed something happening. My sinuses began to clear and the icky gunk felt like it was running down my throat. Which was gross, but honestly, I would rather it do that than leave my sinus area sore and congested. I couldn't believe it was doing something! Instant facelift? Maybe not. Clearing the clog. YES. Score one for the face cupping, Zero to skeptical old me. So here's how I looked after working on the left side of my face...

Oh my god, why didn't I do my brows beforehand?

Um, is it just me, or does that left side look a little higher? A little less puffy? A little firmer? Not wanting to waltz around with a lopsided face all day I finished off the massage. Again the icky gunk ran down my throat and I had to have a Coke Zero to deal with the rancid taste of it. Again the pinkening of the skin occured and then settled, with no bruising to be seen. So here's the end result...

Ok, so I'm smiling a little, which gives a lift to the face - but I was pleased with the results. A bit stunned too. I really didn't think anything was going to happen. And yet my skin looks refreshed, and my face looks thinner. It's recommended that you do face cupping at home two to three times a week for around fifteen minutes, and with results like these I'm cupping-keen!

So, have you tried face cupping before? How about regular cupping? What was your experience? Are you keen to try face cupping? (As always if you do try face cupping test a little area first and stop if it looks or feels uncomfortable.) Chat away!