Facial Cupping: What Is It, Benefits, Risks & How To Do It At Home

If the word "cupping" evokes images of Olympic athletes and painful-looking bruises, you're not alone. However, there's a gentler version of the ancient practice that's said to leave you with sculpted, glowy skin: facial cupping. What is this cheekbone-carving procedure, and how does it work? Here's our deep dive.

Cupping is an ancient practice with roots in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), where the skin is suctioned away from the rest of the body in order to stimulate the flow of qi (routinely applied on the back and legs as a way to decrease inflammation, rejuvenate fatigued muscles, and alleviate aches). And as you may guess, facial cupping follows the same beat—it's just targeted to, well, your face.    

Suctioning your skin with the small, soft cups can also help decrease puffiness and move lymph around, sculpting the face, neck, and jawline; by gliding the cups in upward strokes, you can help tone and lift the skin as well.

Facial cups are also typically made of soft silicone, while the ones meant for your body are usually larger in size and made of glass. So before you write off the procedure for fear of leaving the house covered in welts, know that facial cupping is way less intense. 

As always, check in with a professional before attempting any new skin care procedures, at-home or otherwise. “I always recommend people consult a licensed acupuncturist for personalized advice,” Yang says.

While facial cupping is a noninvasive procedure, professional treatments are a bit more targeted than at-home tools. Let’s dive into them both:

Post-treatment, she notes it’s important to stay hydrated: “I usually recommend my patients have some water with lemon and honey, or water with a pinch of sea salt,” she notes, for an extra hit of electrolytes to help regulate fluid balance2.

Like many at-home beauty tools, they might not give you the same targeted results you'd see from a professional (looking at you, dermaplane), but you can try it out for yourself for a little jaw-sculpting routine. Here's what many of those kits recommend: 

Let’s sum up some of the most common questions about facial cupping. 

The biggest difference is the intensity of the treatment. A professional knows exactly where the acupuncture channels run along your face, neck, and decolletage, so you may experience more targeted results. 

With body cupping, the cups are static, which means they sit on your skin for longer periods of time (and why you may experience bruising). Facial cups glide across the skin to promote blood circulation and seldom sit in once place for extended periods of time. 

Short answer? With a professional treatment it’s unlikely (unless you have sensitive skin), but bruises are much more common among the DIY kits. That’s because many people let the cups sit on their face for too long, especially around less fleshy areas like the forehead and around the eyes. 

Whether you opt for a professional or at-home treatment, holistic esthetician Britta Plug recommends sticking to facial cupping once a week in order to avoid negatively affecting the skin's elasticity with overuse. 

Results vary for everyone, but many people do report back with benefits (i.e., supple, taut skin, sculpted cheekbones, and an overall brighter complexion). See here for a personal recount with tips for DIY, but ultimately you won’t know how it works for you until you try it safely. 

Facial cupping has been used for thousands of years in TCM, and offers plenty of rejuvenating, skin-sculpting benefits. However, be mindful of the potential risks here—especially if you're attempting an at-home tutorial—and if you have any questions or concerns, it's probably best to see a professional.