An interventional study of Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA) in Facial Aging, Wrinkles and Skin Aging, sponsored by Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-24.
Sponsored by Far Eastern Memorial Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study aims to investigate the effects of a single session of facial rejuvenation acupuncture on skin structure and personal satisfaction with facial appearance. As facial aging involves complex changes in muscles, skin, and soft tissues, facial acupuncture is considered a potential minimally invasive treatment to help restore balance and promote tissue repair.
Researchers will enroll 60 healthy adults aged 30 to 60 who are concerned about facial aging. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention group will receive one session of facial acupuncture at the start of the study. The control group will continue their normal daily skincare routine for 6 weeks, after which they will receive the same single acupuncture treatment.
All participants will be monitored weekly for 6 weeks. The research team will use non-invasive tools, including high-frequency skin ultrasound, 3D facial scanning, and a digital complexion analysis system, to objectively measure changes in skin thickness, facial volume, and wrinkles. Participants will also complete questionnaires at various time points to share their satisfaction with their appearance, self-confidence, and quality of life.
Facial aging is a complex, multi-layered process involving cranial bone resorption, fat pad redistribution, and biomechanical imbalances within the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system (SMAS) and facial expression muscles. While conventional aesthetic treatments like botulinum toxin, dermal fillers, and surgical facelifts are effective, they are associated with potential limitations such as expression stiffness, vascular risks, high costs, and extended recovery times. Consequently, Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA) has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative designed to promote endogenous tissue repair with minimal downtime.
The potential physiological mechanisms of FRA include: regulating myofascial tension by targeting specific expression muscles to restore biomechanical balance; initiating a wound-healing cascade via micro-trauma to stimulate collagen synthesis; and enhancing local microcirculation through axon reflexes. Despite its growing clinical popularity, most existing research focuses on the cumulative effects of 5 to 10 sessions, leaving a significant gap in understanding the temporal dynamics of a single intervention. It remains unclear whether a single FRA session produces only a short-term "Cinderella effect" or initiates a sustained tissue remodeling process. Furthermore, previous studies have heavily relied on subjective assessments rather than objective quantification.
To address these gaps, this single-blind, randomized, waitlist-controlled trial aims to systematically evaluate the short-to-mid-term biological effects of a single FRA session over a 6-week period. Sixty eligible adults (aged 30-60) will be randomly allocated via sealed envelopes to an intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention group receives a single comprehensive FRA treatment at Week 0, targeting 20 specific anatomical structures across the neck, jaw, perioral, cheek, periorbital, and fascial regions to release ligament adhesions and adjust muscle tension. The control group maintains routine non-invasive skincare for 6 weeks before receiving a compensatory FRA treatment. To establish robust evidence, objective multi-modal imaging and assessments will be conducted weekly for all participants.
These tools include:
1.High-Frequency Skin Ultrasound (DUB Cutis): To measure changes in dermal thickness and assess collagen density via echogenicity.
2.3D Facial Scanning (Morpheus 3D): To quantify mid-to-lower face soft tissue volume changes and evaluate lifting effects via curved length measurements. 3.Digital Skin Analysis (VISIA): To objectively assess wrinkle depth, quantity, and overall skin surface texture.
In parallel with objective imaging, Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) will track subjective changes in appearance satisfaction, self-confidence, and quality of life. Data collected across the 7 time points (Baseline to Week 6) will be analyzed using Linear Mixed Models (LMM) to evaluate the dynamic trends and interactions of the treatment effects over time.
877 studies on the registry are indexed under Patient Satisfaction; 202 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 96 across 624 interventional studies indexed under Patient Satisfaction.
Browse Patient Satisfaction studies →Far Eastern Memorial Hospital is the lead sponsor of 260 studies on the registry; 40 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants randomized to this arm will receive a single, comprehensive Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA) session at Week 0. The treatment targets 20 key anatomical structures, including facial and neck muscles, as well as specific ligaments, to balance myofascial tension and stimulate tissue repair. Following the single intervention, participants will use only routine non-invasive skincare (moisturizer/lotion) and undergo weekly assessments using ultrasound, 3D scanning, and digital complexion analysis for 6 weeks.
Procedure: Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA)
Participants randomized to this arm will not receive any active treatment during the primary 6-week study period. They are instructed to maintain their routine non-invasive daily skincare (using only basic moisturizer or lotion). During these 6 weeks, they will undergo the same weekly assessments as the experimental group. After the Week 6 assessments are completed, participants in this waitlist group will receive a compensatory single session of the same Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA) provided to the experimental arm.
This intervention consists of a single, comprehensive session of Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA). The procedure targets 20 specific anatomical structures across the neck, jaw, perioral, cheek, periorbital, and upper face regions. The acupuncturist uses specific needling techniques (e.g., flat, oblique, and deep insertions) to balance myofascial tension-relaxing hypertonic muscles (such as the corrugator and masseter) and stimulating hypotonic muscles (such as the zygomaticus major/minor). Additionally, ligament release techniques are applied to vertical and horizontal retaining ligaments to stimulate tissue remodeling. The intervention is administered once at Week 0 for the experimental arm, and once at Week 6 for the waitlist control arm.
Also known as: Single-Session Facial Acupuncture, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture, FRA
Change in Dermal Thickness
Measured as the change in thickness (in µm) from the sub-epidermis to the upper margin of the subcutaneous fat layer using high-frequency skin ultrasound (DUB Cutis). This objective metric reflects the microstructural changes and extracellular matrix remodeling stimulated by the intervention.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Change in Facial Volume and Contour
Measured as the difference in mid-to-lower face soft tissue volume (in cc) and changes in lifting curved length (e.g., from tragus to the corner of the mouth) using 3D facial scanning (Morpheus 3D Scanner).
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Change in Skin Density
Assessed by analyzing the change in dermal echogenicity using a high-frequency skin ultrasound (DUB Cutis). Echogenicity is measured quantitatively as the pixel density, reported in percentage (%)
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Change in Wrinkle Depth
Quantified measurement of wrinkle depth using a digital complexion analysis system (VISIA). Reported in millimeters (mm).
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Change in Wrinkle Quantity
Quantified measurement of the absolute number of wrinkles using a digital complexion analysis system (VISIA). Reported as a count.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Change in Patient-Reported Appearance Satisfaction
Assessed using standardized questionnaires to evaluate the patient's subjective changes in appearance satisfaction, self-confidence, and quality of life/social function scores.
Time frame: Assessed using the FACE-Q Satisfaction with Appearance Scale. Higher scores indicate a better outcome (greater satisfaction with appearance).
Change in Skin Surface Smoothness
Quantified measurement of overall skin surface smoothness using a digital complexion analysis system (VISIA). Reported in Absolute Score where a higher value indicates smoother skin.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Change in Quality of Life
Description: Assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome (greater negative impact on quality of life).
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Plan to share: No — We do not plan to share Individual Participant Data (IPD) with other researchers. According to the approved Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol and informed consent form, all participant data will be strictly de-identified and managed under the principle of minimum necessary use. The data will be securely stored on encrypted drives accessible only to authorized research team members. To protect participant privacy and strictly comply with data protection regulations, individual-level data will not be made publicly available, nor will it be shared for secondary research purposes outside the scope of this specific trial.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital →