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If you’ve spent any time on Instagram lately, you’ve probably heard of gua sha. The traditional Chinese practice, which involves using a tool to scrape across the skin to treat various illnesses or pain, has exploded in popularity over the past few years with celebrities, influencers, and skincare fans raving about the beauty benefits. As countless gua sha tools have emerged claiming to deliver incredible results, it can be hard to tell which tools are worth the investment versus those that are jumping on the beauty bandwagon.
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Enter the ProSculpt Gua Sha by YouthLab. Marketed as a “next generation” tool, this device pairs the form factor of traditional gua sha with added heat, vibration, and red light therapy, making it the ultimate all-in-one beauty tool for those looking to make the most out of their gua sha practice. But is it actually effective?
First impressions of the ProSculpt Gua Sha
Straight out of the box, I wasn’t super impressed with the ProSculpt Gua Sha. The lightweight device features a plastic casing, with a removable lid over the stainless steel massage tool. With a single button to toggle between four different settings and a covered USB charging port, it’s shaped like many of the stone or metal gua sha tools available today, but the light plastic exterior makes it feel a little cheap.
Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable
The device itself is easy to use — just press the power button, and it comes roaring to life in the vibration and red light mode, and it’s a simple click to toggle between the other three modes: heat and red light; heat and vibration; and heat, vibration, and red light. I tried each of the different modes, but I mostly stuck with the last one since it was so different from my trusty rose quartz gua sha tool, and I wanted to see if the added features would be worth the upgrade.
From there, the device works like any other gua sha tool. I followed the brief instructions in the manual, applying my favorite facial oil to my skin before starting the process, and gently scraping the device across my face, neck, and jawline with light to medium pressure.
What I liked about it: Heat and battery life
First, I was surprised by how much I liked the added heat benefit of the gua sha tool. It took a few seconds to warm up, but it felt amazing on my skin — especially after a long day. One of my favorite ways to use the tool was to massage the area between my eyebrows, where I tend to carry a lot of facial tension, and the heat made the massage feel even better.
Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable
The device also held its charge pretty well, so I didn’t need to charge it very often. Plus, I liked having the little plastic lid so I could store it without worrying about getting it dirty. Unfortunately, what I liked about the device pretty much stopped there.
What I didn’t like: Poor design and questionable benefits
There are countless skincare devices on the market claiming to different technologies to boost your skin’s health and appearance, and — while some are effective — others feel more like gimmicks. And, as much as I liked the added heat provided by the ProSculpt Gua Sha, it fell into the latter category for me.
The longer I used the tool, the hotter the device got — uncomfortably so — until I was worried it might damage my skin. The vibration feature which claims to use 8,000 rpm micro-vibrations to “shake up sluggish skin cells”, didn’t really feel good or bad — nor did I feel like it was doing anything. And, while red light therapy is certainly a popular skincare technique that boasts potential benefits like treating wrinkles, acne, scarring, and more, the built-in red light was incredibly dim. It also sat behind the metal plate, pointing outward more than downward, so the light was further away and didn’t really feel like it was penetrating my skin.
Plus, the device was incredibly hard to keep clean. Because I was using facial oil to help the device glide over my skin, the oil ended up all over the device — not just the metal massage plate — and it ended up sticky and covered in grime even after wiping it clean.
Is the ProSculpt Gua Sha worth it?
Honestly, this device is a hard pass for me. I love gua sha, and I think it’s an incredibly effective technique — in the past, it’s helped depuff my face, reduce facial tension, and improve my skin’s overall appearance — but those benefits happened with just a simple rose quartz gua sha. And if I want the benefits of red light therapy, I’ll reach for my Solawave wand over this tool.
Yes, technically, the ProSculpt Gua Sha “worked” when it comes to the benefits of gua sha. My face was less puffy, my neck and facial tension were reduced, and it was a great way to relax at the end of the day…but it didn’t feel much different from a traditional gua sha tool. The heat felt nice, but none of the other features felt like they did anything. I didn’t notice any improvements that were better than any other gua sha tool, so it didn’t feel worth the $45 price tag.
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I tested the YouthLab ProSculpt Gua Sha for two weeks to see if it’s worth buying over a traditional gua sha or a Solawave skincare wand.
