Purpose : To verify whether facial impression is improved by third-party evaluation after cosmetic facial acupuncture treatment.

Methods : Self-evaluation and third-party photo evaluation were conducted after facial acupuncture treatment for 43 female subjects. The photo evaluations were performed by 66 assessors who were blinded to pre- or post-treatment facial photographs. The percentage of the blinded assessors who reported that the post-treatment photos looked better was tentatively called the “correct response rate”. Then the “correct response rate” of all subject photos was compared to the “incorrect response rate” of those who reported that the pre-treatment photos looked better.

Results : In the self-evaluation, 86% of subjects reported looking better when asked immediately after and 74% did so three days after the treatment. Improvements in eye area and lifting were noticed by more than half of the subjects, but were short-term. Feeling of refreshment and improvement of the entire face and complexion lasted for 3 days. In the photo evaluation, the “correct response rate” was significantly higher than the “incorrect response rate” for overall impression, skin luster, and skin firmness. Female assessors had significantly higher “correct response rates” than male assessors for the four items of impression, luster, firmness, and sagging. The “correct response rate” of the photographs of the positive rating subject group was significantly higher than that of the negative rating subject group for the general impression, and a higher trend was also seen for skin firmness.

Conclusion : It is suggested that some of the facial impressions, areas, and conditions after cosmetic facial acupuncture treatment became better even if observed by a third person. Regarding general impressions of the face, however, it is possible that the subjects’ self-evaluation was reflected in their facial expressions.

Introduction : A literature review was conducted with the aim of understanding the current state of research on cosmetic acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan.

Methods : Literature up to December 31, 2020 was searched on April 26, 2021, using the Ichushi web. Only original papers evaluating the effect of cosmetic acupuncture and moxibustion were included ; proceeding reviews and articles published in commercial magazines were excluded.

Results : Three hundred and fifty-five cases were searched, and 44 were extracted. Most of the papers (28) were published in The Journal of Japan College Association of Oriental Medicine. The most used study designs were quasi-randomized control trials and pre-post study, reported in 12 papers. Seventeen treatments were aimed at creating beautiful faces. Subjective evaluation was the most common means of assessment, with 19 cases. The most used intervention method was manual acupuncture stimulation in 45 cases.

Conclusion : Domestic literature on cosmetic acupuncture and moxibustion has been on the rise since 2007. However, few have been published as peer-reviewed academic papers. In the future, it is necessary to conduct clinical research with a study design that provides a higher evidence level and to better evaluate the effectiveness of cosmetic acupuncture and moxibustion.