In this article, I delve into the intricate world of neck acupuncture, a realm that has traditionally posed challenges for acupuncturists. When our patients come to us for cosmetic acupuncture, frequently their major area of concern is their neck. Due to the delicate nature of the skin on the neck and the sparsity of acupuncture points, using traditional cosmetic acupuncture protocols is not always enough to address the various signs of aging that become a concern for many individuals starting at age 50.
Techniques such as motor-point submuscular needling, microneedling and red-light therapy can help to improve the firmness and appearance of the neck, addressing common signs of aging and enhancing overall youthfulness.
Decade of the Skin
Many of my patients come to see me when they’re in their 50s, sometimes referred to as the “decade of the skin.” That’s when they start to notice fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging, especially under the neck. Nora Ephron wrote a book titled I Feel Bad About My Neck.1 When I was in my 40s, I found this book hilarious. When I turned 50, it wasn’t so funny anymore.
As we age, skin becomes more lax, the hormones that keep our skin plump decrease, and we lose our estrogen (both men and women have estrogen), causing thinning skin and discoloration.
Under the Chin & Jowls / Anterior Digastric
In the aging process, the area under the chin can undergo noticeable changes, often characterized by the development of loose or sagging skin, commonly referred to as a “turkey neck.” As skin elasticity diminishes and underlying structures weaken over time, addressing these concerns becomes essential in maintaining a youthful and revitalized appearance.
I use two methods to address these concerns: motor points and submuscular needling.
The motor point for the anterior digastric is ST 5. I like to needle into ST 5 and then thread the needle underneath the masseter, thereby using ST 5 as a motor point and taking advantage of submuscular needling of the masseter at the same time.
This is a fabulous technique for lifting the jowls and treating the anterior digastric simultaneously. The anterior digastric helps support the underside of the chin. When this happens, it can result in the so-called turkey neck appearance.
For a neck as shown in the figure, submuscular needling for the anterior digastric is highly recommended. You can thread 8-12 needles through the bellies of the two heads of the muscle, depending on the length of the jaw.
Neck Lines and Platysma Bands / Platysma and Posterior Digastric
As we age, platysma bands and horizontal lines can form. Treating these concerns can be very difficult with acupuncture. The platysma bands are caused by the activity of the platysma muscle.2 Using a combination of submuscular needling of the platysma and the motor point for the platysma and posterior digastric, SI 17, can both tighten the muscle through its motor point and its attachment points. The platysma is a very thin muscle. It lies over the entire lower part of our jaw and drapes down onto the clavicle.
The innervation of the platysma is the cervical branch of the facial nerve. One of its functions is to tense the neck over time. Interestingly, the cervical branch of the facial nerve, CN VII, innervates both the platysma and the posterior digastric muscle. It starts at the parotid gland, and runs inferior and anterior to the platysma.
The motor point for the posterior digastric and the platysma is SI 17. The motor point is found just behind the angle of the mandible and just in front of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM).
Editor’s Note: This article consists of several excerpts from Michelle’s upcoming book, Treating the Face: A Comprehensive Manual for Acupuncturists. Part 2 (September issue) discusses care strategies including red-light therapy, microneedling, and addressing poor posture and mouth breathing. References have been renumbered from their book originals.
References
Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
When the body is going through a stressful event, the sympathetic system is activated. This activation will help the body with a life-threatening situation. If this state is activated for prolonged periods of time, it starts to consume energy. These traumatic events that generate stressors in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) will eventually become internalized.
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One of the things that makes acupuncture so difficult to measure is that the medicine actually does contain some esoteric aspects. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the neurochemical reasoning behind why acupuncture points stimulate the autonomic nervous system to enact change However, not all the benefits of TCM can easily be measured by randomized, controlled trials. But does that make them fundamentally and definitively untrue?
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