Gua Sha Benefits: Does It Reduce Puffiness or Reshape Your Face?

What the Evidence Tells You About Each Goal

A 2025 randomized trial in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology compared facial gua sha with facial rolling. Thirty-four women enrolled, and 33 completed 10-minute sessions, five times weekly, for eight weeks.^[2]

The gua sha group recorded reductions of approximately 2.23–2.40 millimeters in measured facial surface distances. Both groups improved on contour measurements, with no statistically significant difference between them.^[2]

For someone asking whether massage can be associated with a change in facial contour, this is relevant human evidence. However, the trial had no untreated comparison group or follow-up after stopping, so it cannot establish how much change massage caused or whether the change lasted.^[2]

The puffiness question has a different answer. Cleveland Clinic describes movement of lymphatic fluid as a possible explanation for depuffing, but notes that research has not addressed this facial benefit.^[1]

The practical distinction is to treat massage as an option for modest cosmetic contour care, not as a dependable solution for facial swelling. A change in surface measurements also does not establish fat removal or a permanently different jawline.

How INIA GLACE Connects to These Two Concerns

Once you separate morning puffiness from longer-term contour goals, the useful product question becomes clear. Do you want massage alone, or do you also want a cooling step and dedicated electrical face-care modes?

INIA GLACE brings these choices into one handheld format. It combines EMS and microcurrent, red and blue light, thermal and cooling functions, and vibration across Face Lift, Neck Firm, Thermal Infusion and Cool De-Puff modes.^[3]

A Cooling Option for Your Morning Routine

Cool De-Puff is GLACE’s mode intended for cosmetic depuffing care, with integrated cooling that does not require putting the device in a freezer. It is the relevant function to consider if a cooling step is what you want to add when your face looks puffy.

That gives you a specific reason to consider the device beyond its gua sha shape. It supplies cooling as a function, although the mode name itself does not establish a clinically verified reduction in puffiness.

Electrical Face Care for a Contour-Focused Routine

Electrical muscle care has a separate scientific basis from manual scraping. A randomized trial in 108 women found increased cheek-muscle thickness and self-reported improvements in facial firmness, tone and lift after 12 weeks with a particular facial NMES device.^[4]

This makes electrical stimulation relevant to facial tone and explains why GLACE’s EMS function belongs in the product discussion. The trial did not test GLACE, and its findings should not be transferred to GLACE or treated as evidence that EMS and microcurrent are interchangeable.

Face Lift is therefore the dedicated setting to review when you want regular face and jawline care, while Neck Firm provides a separate neck-care option. Thermal Infusion adds warming for those who want it alongside skincare, completing the device’s range of routine choices.

Choose GLACE if you expect to use cooling and electrical face care regularly. If massage alone meets your needs, a simple manual tool remains a sensible choice.

A Practical Morning-and-Evening Care Plan

Keep the routine focused on the two reasons you chose the device: optional cooling and scheduled face care. The example below organizes manufacturer guidance into a weekly plan rather than prescribing a clinically tested GLACE treatment protocol.

Before You Start: Prepare for the Selected Mode

Cleanse your skin and clean the device according to its instructions. Check the suitability requirements, approved treatment areas and operating directions for the mode you intend to use.

For microcurrent, apply a water-based conductive gel or serum as INIA requires.^[3] Facial oil used with a manual massage tool is not a substitute for the specified conductive medium.

Morning: Use Cooling When You Want That Step

Choose Cool De-Puff for a cooling session, following the mode’s directions for movement, treatment areas and duration. Keep the touch comfortable instead of increasing pressure to chase an immediate change in appearance.

Make this an optional part of your morning rather than another compulsory daily task. Persistent, painful or unexplained swelling needs assessment before further cosmetic device use.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: Schedule Face Care

Reserve three evenings for the appropriate microcurrent face-care mode if the device is suitable for you. This fits INIA’s published recommendation of three to five microcurrent sessions weekly.^[3]

Use the selected mode’s instructions for intensity, movement and session length. The manual study’s 10-minute routine and another electrical device’s research schedule should not be copied onto GLACE.

Add Other Modes Only When They Serve Your Routine

Follow Neck Firm’s dedicated directions if neck care is also a priority. Choose Thermal Infusion separately when you want warming care, using compatible skincare as instructed.

You do not need to complete every mode in every session. Review whether the plan fits your schedule and whether the functions you selected are useful enough to keep using.

Stop if use causes pain or irritation, and avoid massage over wounds, rashes, sunburn or inflamed skin. Check suitability with a qualified professional if you take blood thinners or have relevant health conditions, alongside the device’s own restrictions.^[1]