Tune into any red carpet and it's abundantly clear, the pressure is on for celebrities and their skin to be superhumanly glowing and poreless for the HD cameras. We know that stars go to great lengths (opens in new tab) to put their best face forward, but the latest facial trend makes us decidedly squeamish—though, not because it's unfamiliar. In fact, if you cheered on Michael Phelps during the Olympics, or happen to be one of Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP disciples, you've got the gist. Cupping therapy, which treats the body and leaves large circular purple marks in its wake, is now being performed on the face.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab), facial cupping treatments are among the most popular anti-aging treatments in Hollywood right now. Small heated glass or silicone cups are used for suction to drain the lymph nodes and "rid of any sign of a jowl and fight[ing] inflammation for a perfect profile or over-the-shoulder photo moment," says Santa Monica Beauty Par (opens in new tab)k (opens in new tab) nurse Jamie Sherrill. "The facial muscles work as hard as the rest of the muscles, so facial cupping can help alleviate the effects of stress." She also adds that it's a great treatment if you've had "many late nights." And we know all about those...
If it makes you feel better, the facial treatment is actually just a modern iteration of age-old beauty and health rituals. In ancient cultures in Egypt, Asia, and the Middle East, cupping therapy was used as an alternative medicine for a variety of ailments, from decreasing pain to alleviating menstrual cramps.
And while that may not make the premise of leaving hickeys on your face less terrifying (we kid, it won't actually be that aggressive), if celebrities are entrusting the treatment with their precious faces, there must be something to it.
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