“针灸美容”风靡日本

Japanese pin hopes on acupuncture as beauty secret

Forget cosmetic surgery. The ancient treatment of acupuncture is gaining new popularity as a beauty secret in Japan about 1,500 years after it first came there from China.

As aesthetic sessions increasingly go organic or employ traditional remedies, women at the "Beauty World Japan" exhibition this week lined up to try acupuncture, long known for its health advantages.

Inserting tiny needles into faces, boosts natural facial healing powers, says therapist Takeshi Kitagawa.

"This is not a medical or surgical procedure," said Kitagawa, acupuncture therapist and owner of Yojo spa.

"We use the healing powers that a person's body naturally possesses, and within the general trend toward a more 'natural beauty' our acupuncture is very well accepted."

Japan is the world's number two market for beauty products and services, with sales estimated at over $15 billion last year alone.

Acupuncturist licensing began during Japan's Meiji Era, about 130 years ago, and Kitagawa says his clients, mainly in their 30s, are increasingly pinning their hopes on the treatment, seeing cosmetics or facelifts as pricey and not as healthy.

"It's different from plastic surgery, it doesn't have the risk of failure. Besides, it uses the innate power of human body to create beauty, and that's the reason I like it," said Rie Hayashida.

Japan has an estimated 40,000 registered acupuncturists and over 150 schools, mainly focused on traditional uses.

别再想着去整容了！约1500年前由中国传入日本的古代“针灸疗法”目前作为一种美容秘诀在日本再掀新潮流。

如今美容界越来越推崇有机美容和传统美容法。上周在日本举办的“美丽世界美容展”上，女性朋友们纷纷排队尝试针灸美容。针灸疗法的健康功效久负盛名。

据优可水疗馆老板、针灸师武北川介绍，面部针灸可提高面部肌肤的自愈能力。

“不属于外科手术或医学治疗的范畴。”

“我们借助的是人体天生的自愈能力。针灸美容符合‘自然美’这一流行趋势，大受人们青睐。”

日本是全球第二大美容产品与服务市场，仅去年一年的销售额就超过150亿美元。

日本的针灸师执业许可始于约130年前的明治天皇时期。据北川介绍，他的顾客年龄大都在30多岁，因为觉得化妆品和整容手术价格昂贵且不利于健康，所以寄希望于针灸美容。

林田理惠说：“针灸和整容不同，没有失败的风险。而且它是利用人体天生的能力来达到美容的目的，所以我很喜欢。”

据估计，日本目前有4万名注册针灸师，以及150多所针灸学校，主要用在传统的针灸治疗领域。