Effect of Facial Acupuncture Stimulation: MRI-Based Masseter Muscle Volume Analysis and Questionnaire Evaluation

Cosmetic acupuncture may reduce wrinkles, swelling, sagging, and facial asymmetry and may lift facial contours.

To investigate the impact of cosmetic acupuncture on masseter muscle volume and its implications for facial aesthetics.

The authors included 10 apparently healthy adult females (average age, 50.3 ± 6.45 years) and performed acupuncture once a week for 8 weeks. MRI was conducted before acupuncture stimulation and 3 days after the treatment. The collected image data were analyzed using ZioCube software (ZioSoft Co., Ltd, Tokyo). Before and after the intervention, 2 evaluators measured the masseter muscle volume 3 times each and calculated the average value.

The average total volume of the left and right masseter muscles decreased from 40.73 ± 8.2 to 37.81 ± 8.57 cm³ after cosmetic acupuncture, a significant reduction of 2.92 ± 2.48 cm³ (7.37%, P < .05). All 10 subjective evaluation items showed significant decreases, particularly in facial sagging, contour, and asymmetry, confirming aesthetic improvements and psychological satisfaction among participants. Cosmetic acupuncture reduced masseter muscle volume, leading to noticeable aesthetic benefits.

Acupuncture stimulation at acupoints around the masseter muscle can reduce the muscle volume because of muscle relaxation. The improvement in subjective evaluation and changes and decreases in masseter muscle shape enable the attainment of facial contour aesthetics, contributing to the evidence in support of cosmetic acupuncture.