Woman resting with fine acupuncture needles placed on her face

Rozelle Acupuncture · Sydney's Inner West

Sixty minutes,nothing injected.

Cosmetic acupuncture: a 60-minute session of body and facial needling, jade gua sha, facial cupping, massage, and LED light therapy to finish.

60 minutesAHPRA-registered practitionerHICAPS claims where eligible

01 · The philosophy

We treat the face. And the person behind it.

Every session starts with body acupuncture chosen from a Chinese Medicine diagnosis, because sleep, stress and digestion are part of what we are looking at. Then the face: ultra-fine needles, gua sha, cupping, massage. The proposed rationale for the facial needling is a small local healing response in the skin, and the trials in cosmetic acupuncture specifically are small ones, so we offer that as our reasoning rather than a promise. Nothing is injected and nothing is frozen.

2,000+

years of acupuncture tradition behind the practice

60

minutes, start to finish

0

injectables or fillers involved

60 min

of stillness you will not want to end

02 · The 60-minute ritual

Four movements, one hour.

Fine acupuncture needles placed on a relaxed face
01

Fine needling

Ultra-fine needles are placed at points on the face and body. The proposed rationale is a small, local healing response in the skin. What you will actually feel is a brief warmth, or more often nothing at all.

Jade gua sha tool gliding along a jawline
02

Jade gua sha

Cool jade drawn slowly along the jaw, cheeks, and brow. In Chinese Medicine this is described as moving local stagnation; in the room it is the part most patients say they could stay in all afternoon.

Small glass cupping domes on a cheek during treatment
03

Facial cupping

Small glass domes rest on the skin and lift the tissue gently, moved in slow passes across the cheeks and jaw. It feels like the opposite of gravity, if only for a few minutes.

Rose quartz roller and jade comb with dried botanicals
04

Massage & light

A therapeutic facial massage with rose quartz tools, finished with the Celluma LED light therapy panel on selected points: a gentle red and near-infrared light with no heat and no UV. You leave lighter than you arrived.

03 · Where the needles go

A map only your face can draw.

Every treatment is charted to your face on the day. These are the six zones we visit most: touch one to see what we do there.

01 / 06

Brow & frown lines

Fine needles at points between and above the brows, the spot people point to first when they talk about frown lines. It is also where tension tends to sit, and most patients feel the forehead let go partway through the session.

04 · An honest comparison

Two different approaches to facial ageing.

Both are legitimate choices, and some patients use both. Here is how they differ, stated plainly.

Cosmetic acupunctureInjectables & fillers
The methodVery fine needles at facial and body points; the proposed rationale is a local healing response in the skinA product relaxes muscle or adds volume at the treatment site
Your expressionFull facial movement stays yours throughoutSome treatments intentionally reduce muscle movement
RecoveryNo recovery period. Redness is common for an hour or two, and a small bruise happens in a minority of sessionsVaries by treatment: swelling or bruising can occur
Typical scheduleA course of 6 to 10 weekly sessions, then monthly upkeepRepeat treatments as effects wear off, typically every few months
The approachWhole-body: sleep, stress, and skin considered togetherFocused on the specific area being treated

Cosmetic acupuncture is a different modality from cosmetic injectables and not a clinical equivalent. The two have not been compared against each other in trials, and the trial evidence in cosmetic acupuncture on its own is limited to small studies. How much change any individual notices varies, and some people notice very little.

05 · What we work with

Bring us the face you have.

The concerns cosmetic acupuncture is most commonly sought for. We will ask about your sleep and your stress alongside them, because in Chinese Medicine the skin is never read on its own.

01Fine lines & wrinkles02Dull or uneven tone03Loss of facial contour04Crow's feet05Eye puffiness06Acne scarring07Dry or oily complexion08Redness & blotchiness
Caring for the Inner West since 1988Maria Cappello · BHSc Chinese Medicine (UTS)AHPRA-registered practitionerSingle-use sterile needles$140 flat · HICAPS claims where eligible
Rose quartz roller and jade gua sha comb among dried botanicals

06 · The investment

$140/ 60 min session
  • Facial + whole-body acupuncture
  • Jade gua sha & facial cupping
  • Therapeutic facial massage
  • Celluma LED light therapy
  • On-the-spot HICAPS claims where your extras cover includes acupuncture

A course of 6 to 10 weekly sessions is what we typically recommend, then monthly upkeep, though how much change you notice varies between individuals. Redness for an hour or two is common and a small bruise happens in a minority of sessions, so leave a week before a big event. We'll map an honest plan at your first visit.

07 · Before you ask

Honest answers, no fine print.

The needles we use on the face are among the finest made, closer to a human hair than to anything you have met at a blood test. Most patients describe a brief warmth or nothing at all, and a surprising number fall asleep mid-treatment. Relaxation is not a side effect of this treatment; it is half the point.
Every session includes body acupuncture chosen from your Chinese Medicine diagnosis, fine facial needling, gua sha with jade or rose quartz tools, gentle facial cupping, a therapeutic facial massage, and a finishing treatment with the Celluma LED light therapy panel on selected facial points. You do not have to do anything but lie there.
A single session is a lovely hour and plenty of patients book one before an event. Beyond that, a course of 6 to 10 weekly treatments is what we typically recommend, followed by monthly maintenance, though how much change you notice varies a great deal between individuals. We will give you an honest recommendation at your first visit, never a hard sell.
It is a different approach rather than a substitute, and the two are not clinically equivalent. Injectables introduce a product to alter the face. Cosmetic acupuncture uses very fine needles, and the proposed rationale is that they prompt a small local healing response in the skin: that is the reasoning practitioners work from, not a demonstrated result, and the trial evidence in cosmetic acupuncture specifically is limited to small studies. What we can say without hedging is that nothing is injected, every one of your expressions stays yours, and there is no recovery period beyond some redness and the occasional bruise. Some patients use both; many come to us because they prefer needles to product.
Treatment is provided by an AHPRA-registered practitioner using single-use sterile needles. No needling is risk-free, and facial needling does bruise some people: short-lived redness is common, and a small bruise that takes a few days to fade happens often enough that we would leave a week between a session and a wedding or a big event. Please let us know when booking if you are pregnant, on blood-thinning medication, or have had recent cosmetic procedures, and we will tailor the treatment around that.
Yes, if your extras cover includes acupuncture, you can claim on the spot with our HICAPS terminal and pay only the gap. Check your level of cover with your fund before your visit.

Rozelle · Sydney's Inner West

Begin with a single hour.

One session is a genuinely lovely hour, and plenty of patients book one and leave it there. If you want to go further, you will get an honest recommendation and never a hard sell.