Is Acupuncture Good for Puffiness? Causes of Swelling and Recommended Treatments

Does morning or evening “puffiness” bother you? A face that looks different in size in the morning versus at night, legs that feel heavy and sluggish, shoes that suddenly feel tight — puffiness may well be the cause.

Improving puffiness through acupuncture might resolve concerns you’ve carried for a long time. But did you know there are many other ways to improve puffiness besides acupuncture? Some of you may already be trying compression wear, massage, or half-body baths.

So why is acupuncture recommended? We explain in detail below — do use it as a reference.

First, let’s explain the causes of puffiness thoroughly.

What Causes Puffiness?

Do you know exactly what puffiness is, to begin with?

Puffiness is a state in which unneeded fluid, having leaked out of the blood vessels, accumulates in the subcutaneous tissue. Normally, a fluid called interstitial fluid exists between cells in the subcutaneous tissue to protect the tissue. When fluid leaks from the vessels and pools there, interstitial fluid abnormally increases and appears as puffiness.

However, fluid leaking from blood vessels is itself a normal process. The interstitial fluid and leaked fluid are kept in balance because they are expelled through the lymph vessels, along with sweat and other excretions. Here, poor lymphatic flow is also one cause of puffiness.

So what specifically causes puffiness?

Insufficient Water or Minerals

Both excessive water intake and severe deficiency are major factors behind puffiness. The idea that “drinking water causes puffiness” is a significant misconception. When the body becomes dehydrated, it tries to hold onto water, which causes puffiness.

Minerals, too, are packed with components essential to a human body that is roughly 60% water. When minerals run short, fluid balance is thrown off, and the body tries to retain excess water — causing puffiness.

Lifestyle Habits Such as Drinking

Alcohol is a substance the body cannot break down internally. Consuming alcohol raises the alcohol concentration in the blood; the body tries to normalize this by expelling fluid, but if processing can’t keep up, puffiness can appear.

Alcohol also has a vessel-dilating effect, and dilated vessels become more permeable — meaning fluid leaks out more easily.

Menstruation and Pregnancy

The female hormone progesterone works to retain fluid in the body. This is why women often notice puffiness before and during their period.

During pregnancy, similar hormonal effects come into play. In addition, the growing belly compresses the inferior vena cava, causing poor circulation and making leg puffiness more noticeable.

Illness

Diseases of the liver, heart, kidneys, and other organs can also cause puffiness. Puffiness caused by illness is often a sign of advanced progression, so seek medical evaluation promptly.

Kidney Failure

Kidney failure is one of the most commonly cited illnesses behind puffiness symptoms. The kidneys play a crucial role in expelling waste and are essential for urination. In kidney failure, where kidney function declines, urine cannot be produced properly, and waste and fluid tend to accumulate in the body. Puffiness results. When manageable through medication, diuretics and fluid restriction can help control it. However, if it worsens, dialysis may become necessary — this is not an illness to take lightly.

Malnutrition and Hypoproteinemia

Albumin is deeply involved in malnutrition and hypoproteinemia. Blood tests check albumin levels to assess whether sufficient nutrition is being taken in. When albumin levels are low, the fluid balance between the inside and outside of blood vessels is disrupted, causing abnormal fluid leakage outside the vessels. This results in puffiness. Hypoproteinemia is the condition that occurs when albumin levels drop.

Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s Disease)

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped organ located just below the Adam’s apple, involved in secreting various hormones. When thyroid function declines and hormone secretion drops, metabolism slows, fluid retention becomes more likely, and puffiness occurs.

Acupuncture Is Recommended for Puffiness!

There are various ways to improve puffiness. This section explains why acupuncture is recommended, along with three of its benefits.

Regulating the Flow of Energy (“Qi”) in the Body

What circulates through the body is not only blood, but also invisible energy. This energy, called “qi,” has long been regarded as an important, flowing substance that sustains human life. In a sense, a person’s motivation, vigor, and vitality can also be classified as part of it.

Acupuncture stimulates the acupoints along the flow of this qi, and for puffiness, it can be expected to promote blood flow and improve lymphatic circulation, leading to improvement.

Regulating the Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. When irregular living, poor lifestyle habits, or stress disrupt the balance between the two, the autonomic nervous system falls out of balance, and a wide range of symptoms can appear — fatigue, sleeplessness, palpitations, diarrhea, constipation, and more.

As mentioned above, acupuncture stimulates the countless acupoints on the body and regulates the flow of qi. This can be expected to balance the workings of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and normalize them — regulating the autonomic nervous system.

When the autonomic nervous system is regulated, organ function and blood flow also normalize, and waste is expelled more smoothly. This, in turn, leads to improved puffiness.

Promoting Blood and Lymph Flow in the Body

Stimulation from acupuncture promotes the dilation of blood vessels. As a result, blood flow is promoted and circulation improves. At the same time, stimulating lymph flow allows waste carried in the bloodstream to flow smoothly into the lymph system and follow the route toward expulsion.

Fundamentally, puffiness occurs when fluid that has leaked from blood vessels fails to be expelled through the lymph system and remains in the body. Furthermore, when waste accumulates or lymph flow is poor, even more fluid stays trapped, appearing as puffiness. Therefore, improving blood and lymph flow eliminates the retention of unneeded fluid and improves puffiness as well.

For other benefits of acupuncture, see these articles as well.

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KADOMORI’s “Hedgehog Beauty Acupuncture” Is Recommended for Improving Puffiness!

KADOMORI’s “Hedgehog Beauty Acupuncture” treatment begins with a hand massage to assess your condition. Grasping the balance of muscle, fat, and bone structure helps guide the needles to the right positions — while the pleasant massage lets you relax.

Recommended for These Concerns Beyond Puffiness

Hedgehog Beauty Acupuncture can be expected to deliver various beauty benefits beyond puffiness. Do you have concerns that appear with age, or facial concerns that bother you?

Hedgehog Beauty Acupuncture may help you achieve the clean, ideal skin you’re looking for. Here are three benefits that make it worth recommending — do use it as a reference.

Concerned About Sagging or Nasolabial Folds

When skin loses firmness and elasticity, concerns like sagging and wrinkles arise. Beauty acupuncture stimulates the dermis and promotes the production of skin-beautifying components — collagen and elastin — so regaining firmness and elasticity can be expected. This can lead to improvement in sagging, wrinkles, nasolabial folds, and other concerns that increase with age.

Want to Clean Up Your Facial Line

As lifting and sagging improve, improvement in a double chin can also be expected. With the double chin improved, a clean facial line emerges, and the neck looks longer — so a smaller-face effect can also be expected.

Want to Improve Skin Quality

Skin trouble arises readily from waste accumulation and disrupted turnover caused by poor circulation. Promote circulation to clear the causes of skin trouble from within, and gain healthy skin.

Production of skin-beautifying components like collagen and elastin declines with age. Promoting them can also be expected to bring a younger look and better skin quality.

Troubled by Puffiness? Consult KADOMORI!

Puffiness is also a signal from your body. It can arise from fluid imbalance, symptoms of an underlying illness, or hormonal changes. Women in particular tend to experience puffiness due to hormonal influences and poor circulation. Simply improving puffiness can lead to a cleaner body line, a cleaner facial line, and even better diet results. First, it’s important to expel accumulated waste, promote circulation, and improve lymph flow, building a body less prone to puffiness. If puffiness troubles you, please consult KADOMORI.

For more on acupuncture, see this article too.

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