How Long Does it Take for Cupping Marks to Go Away: Healing Time Matters
Cupping is an ancient practice, but the marks can be annoying or embarrassing. While this therapy is highly effective many patients are left with questions about getting rid of cupping marks. The distinctive round bruises are a natural result of the process which pulls blood to the surface of your skin. By doing this, it can improve circulation and aid in any number of problems such as pain. However, the process involves creating a vacuum within the cup, which pulls the skin and blood into the device being used, and you will end up with marks as a result. Fortunately, these are a positive sign that helps you. Moreover, I will walk you through some ways to help reduce the appearance of cupping marks more quickly so you can wear clothing that shows your back or generally feel more comfortable after your cupping sessions.
How long does it take for cupping marks to go away? Cupping marks usually go away within under two weeks. You can do several things to help cupping marks heal more quickly, such as massage, but doing so defeats the purpose of cupping. Additionally, some people bruise more readily and take longer to heal, so your biology will affect the timeframe.
What Are Cupping Marks
When you go in for your first session of cupping, your practitioner will probably warn you about the marks it leaves and how long it may take to vanish. On the plus side, they will fade over a few days and eventually be gone. The process of cupping pulls stagnant blood to the surface of the skin to help heal your body, and while this is not widely accepted as helpful by western medicine, the practice goes back centuries.
Traditional Chinese cupping is a process by which warm cups are used to pull stagnant blood to the surface of your skin. The resulting marks are bruises, not dissimilar to hickeys, but larger and more even. Of course, cupping marks are intended to heal where hickeys clearly are not. Nevertheless, both use suction to move blood to the surface of the skin through suction.
In ancient practice, cupping is done to help your qi flow better. By pulling blood to the surface, it is believed that this forces the stagnant to flow. Typically cupping is done to heal pain and inflammation, remove toxins, aid in circulation, and even treat respiratory diseases, among the many benefits.
In modern practice, this is sometimes referred to as a form of massage. Certainly, the cups are manipulating the skin and the muscle below as they adhere to the surface. Many people find the process of cupping comforting and quite relaxing.
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What is Cupping Good For
Cupping marks go away at different speeds depending on the person and pressure used, but the technique has been around for centuries. First practiced by Ge Hong, an herbalist and alchemist in China who lived from A.D. 281 to 341, this practice has been around longer than most people expect. According to Healthline, “The suction may facilitate healing with blood flow. ”
People go for cupping therapy for different reasons. Some find that cupping is a superb form of deep massage. Traditionalists do it to help balance out the flow of energy within the body and to assist them in staying healthy overall. Cupping is sometimes practiced as a form of cellulite massage to reduce the appearance of bumpy skin. Meanwhile, others choose cupping for illness, inflammation, pain, blood health issues, and more.
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Two Types of Cupping
Dry cupping is the most common form of this medicinal art. The standard cups and suction method are used traditionally to promote qi flow, reduce pain, and assist in healing. However, there is a second form of cupping that fewer people are aware of. This specialized method is called wet cupping.
Wet cupping uses the same suction process and ups. However, it is combined with controlled medicinal bleeding. While bleeding isn’t a widely practiced technique anymore, it may have health benefits in some cases. I recommend discussing this with a professional cupping therapist. Please do not try wet cupping at home.
Taking Care of Cupping Marks
Whether your cupping marks go away quickly or slow, there are some important things to know about taking care of yourself after a cupping session. Some people choose to use massage and various techniques to speed the process. However, since the idea of cupping is to get rid of toxins and heal through these marks, that runs counter to the process.
Simply leaving the marks alone is a sensible approach. By giving your body the time and resources it needs to complete the process, you allow the healing to work. Still, there are some additional self-care practices you should know about before cupping. It is vital to make sure you follow your practitioner’s directions and avoid doing anything that could interfere with the cupping process.
- Don’t go shower. Ideally, you should not shower for at least twenty-four hours after a cupping session. However, if you absolutely must, please use tepid to warm water and don’t scrub the marks.
- No soaking, please. Just as you shouldn’t shower with cupping marks, you also should avoid soaking. That means keeping your cupping marks out of the bathtub. Soaking your body changes the skin temporarily and increases blood flow, which the cupping has already done. There is such a thing as too much.
- Have more water. When removing toxins from your body, hydration is essential. Drink lots of extra water to help your body heal and flush out all that stagnant blood.
- Eat healthily. While this tip is a good idea for every day, it is especially vital when you are getting treatment for pain or illness. Your body needs vitamins and nutrients to function properly and create new cells and blood for healing.
- Skip the workout. While exercise is wonderful for your body and health, you probably shouldn’t work out or exert yourself overly the day you have cupping therapy. It’s better to wait at least twenty-four hours so you can get the full benefit of the cupping. Like soaking in a bath, exercise significantly impacts your blood flow, which can alter your cupping sites.
- Please don’t go tan. You should always avoid exposing your cupping marks to direct sunlight. Sunscreen isn’t going to cut it in this case. You should stay in the shade or indoors for at least a day and keep your marks covered until they are fully healed.
- Wear loose clothing. Restrictive and scratchy clothing may irritate cupping marks. Choose soft, loose clothing while they heal. Allowing your skin to breathe and move normally will also allow cupping marks to heal normally, benefitting you.
- Get good sleep. A human body needs rest to heal and function. Your brain and body will always perform better when you get the sleep you need. Make sure you can take a nap or at least get a full night’s sleep after a cupping session, so you get the most out of it. Plus, it will help you heal faster and feel better overall.
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Final Thoughts
Cupping is an ancient art and time-honored way to help relieve pain and heal other issues. If you have never tried this marvelous process, then I highly recommend it. The experience is singular, and you may be surprised by how good you feel afterward.
Regardless of your reason for cupping, it’s important to understand that darker marks will take longer to heal. Moreover, your own body will determine how quickly you can fade the marks. Some people insist it only takes a few days, while others will answer that healing takes weeks, and both are correct. Everyones’ body is unique.
Through massage and other methods, you can reduce the marks more quickly. However, in traditional Chinese medicine, it is the healing process for these marks that helps your body rather than the process of receiving them.