What is the Secret to Healthy and Radiant Skin?

“Your skin looks terrific, it’s SO healthy, what are you doing?”

“Your skin looks terrific…what are you doing?”That’s what my dermatologist asked me at a recent visit. She kept remarking how good my skin looked, repeating it again and again. When your skin doctor asks you for your secret, you know you must be doing something right!

The truth is: the secret to glowing, radiant skin isn’t just creams or serums — it starts from within. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine improve circulation, digestion, and hormonal balance while calming stress. These inner shifts show up on the surface as healthier, brighter skin.

I love the way the sun feels on my skin, the warmth and I can almost sense the crackling activation of Vit-D, and while I don’t avoid the sunlight or slather gobs of sunscreen I also don’t allow myself to get burned. 

Lifestyle habits matter too: nourishing foods, hydration, stress management, and quality sleep are key. Acupuncture helps regulate all of these systems so your skin reflects inner balance.

Healthy skin isn’t about creams or serums, it’s about cultivating health and restoring harmony inside your body.

Your skin is the largest organ of your body and skin health is an indicator of your overall health.

What is skin? It is the largest organ in the body!

Not to get too geeky about this, but skin is the largest organ in the body, and part of the integumentary system which is a complex organ system. This complex system includes skin,hair, nails and glands. It provides a barrier of protection to the body and a mediator of exchange from internal and external environments.

Your skin is an active organ (an integral part of the nervous system) that regulates temperature , filters out toxins via sweat and even helps synthesize Vit-D (from a type of cholesterol). As an integral part of circulation and detoxification pathways it produces oils for lubrication and moisture retention and works with the lymphatic system to protect against infections. 

Why Your Skin Reflects Your Internal Health

In Chinese medicine your skin is a mirror of what’s happening inside. Dullness, acne, fine lines, or dryness often point to imbalances in digestion, circulation, or stress. That’s why I don’t just look at your skin, I also look at your overall health, energy, and lifestyle.

When we restore balance to your body, your skin reflects that harmony. We look at the face , eyes and tongue. How is the skin complexion?  There is much to take in at first glance and  are clues to what organ pattern and meridians may be out of balance and causing illness even before symptoms emerge.

In Chinese medicine the Lung and Large Intestine are a Yin and Yang pair,  the skin is considered a “third Lung”. 

Our skin, though not the same as the Lung organ, our skin “organ” does exchange oxygen and gases in what is called cutaneous respiration. 

People with digestive problems with the Large intestine can often experience more pungent body odor, more skin acne, cysts and skin infections.  

How Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Help Your Skin

Improving Blood Flow & Microcirculation

Acupuncture stimulates circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients to your skin. This promotes collagen production and supports a youthful, healthy glow.

Reducing Inflammation & Stress

Chronic stress and inflammation can accelerate aging. Acupuncture calms the nervous system and reduces inflammatory markers — which means less redness, puffiness, and breakouts.

Balancing Hormones & Digestion

Hormonal shifts, gut health, and liver function all influence your skin. By using acupuncture and Chinese medicine, we regulate cycles, support digestion, and reduce toxic overload — creating the foundation for radiant skin.

Acupuncture for overall health and wellness as well as supplements for anti-aging and facial rejuvenation will contribute to healthy skin, but there is more.

Great skin, it means looking at your health from the inside and cultivating practices to improve health and reverse aging that will show up on the outside.  It takes time to create new “habits” and weave them into a lifestyle. 

Lifestyle Habits That Support Radiant Skin

Gut Health & Nutrition

Your gut is central to how your skin looks. Poor digestion can show up as breakouts, dryness, or dullness. Supporting gut health with whole foods, herbs, and acupuncture makes a visible difference.

Recommendation:Take a good probiotic such as Megaspore to balance the microbiome and support the immune system.

Food /Diet: What you consume your body uses to keep you alive and to thrive. The quality of food matters, organic, whole foods that are in season will have higher nutrient density and are easier for your body to absorb.  Processed foods are not balanced in the way your body needs to access, digest, process nutrients, while clearing out the metabolic waste from.  

Recommendation: Avoid processed and fast foods, or substituting real meals with protein shakes or energy bars.  As “healthy” as these foods promote, they are not better than eating whole foods.

Do more of your own cooking, and eat more plant based and organic foods that are in season. This will maximize the nutrient density of what you are eating and be in rhythm with nature. Keep meals simple. Preparing your own food means you know what ingredients are going into it and adding energy and “virtue” into what you are eating. 

Hydration & Detoxification

Proper hydration and lymphatic flow keep skin clear and bright. Acupuncture improves microcirculation and lymphatic drainage, enhancing your skin’s natural detox process.

Lymphatic reset:Our lymphatic system is what filters and moves metabolic waste collected under the skin and the glands to be removed from the body. Clogged glands can become swollen and inflamed such as the tonsils leading to sore throats and infections. The breast contains glandular tissue so doing lymphatic massage for the breasts should not be left out.  Improve lymphatic flow, clear inflammation and detoxify. 

Recommendation: I have adapted, including Tai Qi and Qi Gong practices. This supports moving inflammation out of the system. It has nine steps that follow a sequence and takes 5 minutes to do.

For best results, it  should do it one or two times a day, making it part of a morning practice.  Self breast massage is an important part of lymphatic flow and self care. 

Lymphatic reset handout. 

Hydration: Our bodies are 65-70% water. Our body continuously filtering, absorbing, processing, and excreting.  When there is enough water our body is “cleansed” and our skin is full and holds moisture. We lose about  500ml (2 cups) of water from our skin a day and around 1500ml (6 cups) of urine output. Perspiration output can increase water loss depending on activity (exercise) and heat. We do absorb water from some of the foods we eat, however the energy to digest utilizes water (fluid), drinking coffee or tea can dehydrate the body because they increase urine output.

Recommendation:  In order to replenish lost water that means drinking at least 8 cups of water a day to avoid dehydration. The amount of water you drink should equal your urine output. Healthy urine is pale yellow and clear, if your urine is dark it means you are a bit dehydrated. Another indication of dehydration is that you are thirsty and the body is sending signals that it needs water. 

Sleep & Stress Management

Beauty sleep isn’t just a saying, your skin repairs itself overnight. Stress and poor sleep interfere with this natural repair cycle. Acupuncture helps calm the mind and support restorative sleep.

Sleep. It’s called beauty sleep for a reason. Getting deep and restorative sleep is likely the most important activity you can do to improve your health and get glowing skin. There is so much metabolic clean up activity that your body is performing during sleep including detoxification, neuronal activity that cleans brain fluid,  tissue repair, hormonal balancing and production of growth hormones.

Recommendation: Treat sleep as a sacred activity.  Deep sleep is where the body regenerates, so quality, not just the number of hours 7-8. The simplest way to get deep restorative sleep is to sync with the circadian rhythm (sleep and wake cycle) that aligns with day and night. Using a 3,2,1 rule, start 3 hours before bed, shut off smart phones and computers, have a note pad to write down any thoughts for the next day, 2 hours before bed do a relaxing activity if watching  TV, wear blue light glasses, 1 hour before journal or think of at least 3 positive things. 

More tips for restorative sleep here. MBG article.

De-stress, stress hormones released in the body break down collagen fibers (these are part of the matrix that hold our body together). Oxidative stress is the cause of inflammation and many diseases. Clear signs are sagging skin, memory loss, joint pain, inflammation and muscle stiffness.  Stress causes  inflammation that then damages our mitochondria (cell structure and repair mechanism). Continued stress will inhibit healing and age us.

Recommendation: A mindfulness practice that helps to relieve and dissipate stress.  Breathing exercises are great because they have an active component( that will also move lymphatic flow), breathwork is also ideal for people that get anxious or have busy minds. Guided meditation with visualization and binaural beat music helps shift the nervous system.. Tai chi or Qi gong are moving meditation that can be done anywhere. 

Simple breathing meditation exercise here.

On a personal level my skin health is also a result of lifestyle choices (food, drink, exercise) that I arrived at, and something to explore for yourself.  Here are some things to consider.

Don’t consume or Avoid:

Alcohol, soda or diet drinks, processed foods, fast foods or energy drinks, artificial sweeteners, dairy

What I do instead:

sparkling water with lemon or a mock tail, water or homemade ginger beer, home cooked and plant forward, or simple meals that you can identify the ingredients when dining out (rice and beans, salad etc), either use some real sugar or substitue honey, maple syrup or monk fruit. I make my own nut milk with almonds, cashews and pistachios , rarely have milk products

FAQS About Acupuncture for Skin

Does acupuncture really improve skin health?

Yes. Acupuncture supports circulation, reduces stress, and balances internal systems , all of which show up as healthier, more radiant skin.

How many sessions before I see results?
Many patients notice subtle changes within 4–6 sessions. Deeper transformations, like improved texture, tone, and glow can take 2–3 month, but with supplements, nutrition, gut health and circulation it can be faster.

Is facial acupuncture safe?
Yes. Facial acupuncture uses very fine, sterile needles and is a natural alternative to more invasive cosmetic procedures.

Ready to Glow from the Inside Out?

Healthy skin starts within. If you’re curious about how acupuncture can support your skin health, schedule a facial acupuncture consultation at my Union Square, NYC clinic.