Auricular Acupuncture for Facial Aesthetics: A Preliminary Retrospective Clinical Study of 217 Cases

Auricular acupuncture was associated with improvements in both immediate and intermediate-term evaluations. The immediate effects include facial slimming, lifting, reduction of nasolabial folds, and improvement of nasolabial lines. Intermediate-term effects include tightening of the face, promotion of facial rejuvenation, overall facial enhancement, and an increase in participant satisfaction. Nonetheless, in view of multiple inherent limitations as a retrospective study, the findings should be regarded as preliminary and interpreted with caution, and future studies should employ prospective, adequately powered multicenter designs with longer follow-up, validated patient-reported outcomes, standardized image acquisition, and integration of objective imaging and biomechanical metrics.