It’s safe to say, we’re pretty comfortable with moving past topical treatments when it comes to tackling ageing. According to the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia, our annual spend on minimally or non-invasive cosmetic procedures (think chemical peels and anti-wrinkle injections) topped the $1 billion mark for the first time last year. That’s a lot of frown lines.

But what about those of us who are looking for a more natural route in line with our clean living lifestyles? Enter: cosmetic acupuncture, which works at three different levels as an anti-ageing treatment. Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Cosmetic Acupuncturist Dr Vivian Tam says it’s a ‘triple threat’ approach as it targets weakened and drooping muscles to tighten, lift and tone. Nice.

“Secondly, it works on the soft tissue level stimulating collagen and elastin production to soften lines and promote firmness. Thirdly, but not least importantly, the needles help boost blood circulation to the face, helping promote oxygenation to the cells, resulting in a glow from the inside out,” says Dr Tam.

So, what’s in a treatment?

So what happens to your skin once the needles are inserted? The painless insertion of ultra-fine needles (0.12mm) causes a ‘microtrauma’ in the local area, signalling the body’s healing cells (fibroblasts) to start a process of collagen and elastin production to repair the area. The increase of density of collagen and elastin in the local area helps with loss of volume and firmness in the face. The results are instant with hydrated, softened and glowing skin visible within one to two sessions.