Puffs of steam, fluffy white towels and soothing strokes: It’s the stuff you’ve come to expect from a facial. White gloves and invasive handling inside your mouth are what you expect from a dental cleaning. Alas, this is part of the buccal (pronounced buckle) experience, which, to be clear, is a facial—albeit, a very different kind than the ones we’re used to.
I first heard of buccal around Meghan Markle’s wedding last spring. Word got out that she swears by these "inner facials" andcredits themfor sculpting her cheekbones and jawline. Cool, MM, but also, isn’t a facial just a facial at the end of the day?
I didn’t give it much more thought until I started doingGua Sharecently and noticed that it made my face appear slimmer, slightly lifted even. I’m in my 30s now, y’all. I am fully invested in lifting all of the things, all of the time.
So when someone mentioned that buccal was like Gua Sha on steroids, it finally clicked, and I immediately made an appointment withDanna Omari, one of few aestheticians in New York who specializes in this French technique.