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TikTok creator Steph Flockhart caught the attention of thousands when she shared how she slimmed down her face and soothed the inflammation she had been suffering from for years. This had led to what she would call her 'moon face'.
While internet users have been impressed by the New Yorker's tips, will these work on the masses? To find out, Newsweek consulted Paul Charette, a medical aesthetician and cosmetic practitioner who founded Charette Cosmetics, and licensed cosmetologist Wy Mac.
In her short social-media video, Flockhart said that she used to herald herself as being one of the healthiest people that she knows. However, she began to question this after coming to terms with the recurring inflammation in her skin.
@stephflockhart Moon face is something that I had never heard about when I started developing the symptoms in my 20’s. I was one of the most healthy people I knew but was always puffy, inflamed, noticing fine lines, dryness (which looked like aging) and getting rashes and skin problems. I’m now 33 and managed to reverse this all naturally and I want to share with you everything I did. 1. First I prioritized removing stress from my life as much as possible to regulate my hormones. This included the content I was consuming, relationships that didn’t serve me even workouts and diets that only exacerbated my symptoms. 2. I started implementing sub-conscious reprogramming into my daily practice to help heal my limiting beliefs that held me back from believing that I was beautiful. 3. Lymphatic drainage became my favorite beauty ritual. I now start and end every day with Gua Sha, facial massage or dry brushing. 4. I cut out caffeine completely and made sleep a huge priority. Slowing down and focusing on rest completely changed my face and body. 5. Lastly I applied what I learned at college studying to be an acupuncturist to my beauty practice, understanding that our internal well-being is reflected on the face and it’s possible to treat the root cause or emotion before the symptoms occur. I share exactly how to implement this in my Beauty Essentials Toolkit. You can find it on my profile. #hypothyroidismsymptoms #moonface #faceswelling #hypothyroidismawareness #hypothyroidismmentalhealth #wellnessjourney #hormonebalance #transformation #selfcaretips #selfcarejourney PCOS moon face, puffy face, face swelling
♬ original sound - Steph Flockhart ?
The creator said that her face would puff up and bloat, while the quality of her skin had plummeted. This resulted in her having fine lines, wrinkles and dryness in her 20s. Flockhart also suffered from sporadic breakouts and rashes. At 33, her skin now looks chiseled and healthy, which she attributes to the following lifestyle changes.
To reprogram her skin, Flockhart decided to remove as much stress from her life as possible to try to regulate her hormones and nervous system.
"This included the content I was consuming, relationships that didn't serve me, even workouts and diets that only exacerbated my symptoms," Flockhart said in the video.
"I started implementing subconscious reprogramming into my daily practice to help heal my limiting beliefs that held me back from believing that I was beautiful," she added.
Flockhart said that she began practicing gua sha, a Chinese medical practice in which a tool is used to scrape people's skin, to stimulate lymphatic drainage. It quickly became her favorite beauty ritual, and she now starts every day with a facial massage.
Lastly, the creator shared that she had cut caffeine out of her diet, too, while she was feeling at her most stressed, to slow down and focus on rest and relaxation.
While Charette didn't dispute the tips that Flockhart had shared in her post or say that they are unlikely to work, he did add that drinking water is a simple way to get great skin, and it is often overlooked.
"A quick and easy solution to slim down, tone, and depuff your face is just by drinking water," Charette said.
"It sounds so simple, but dehydration can often lead to water retention leaving your face looking puffy," he added.
Cosmetologist Wy Mac backs Flockhart and Charette, giving particular praise to the creator's use of gua sha and prioritization of sleep in improving her skin quality.
Since it was shared to the social-media platform on June 14 by @stephflockhart, the TikTok post has been liked by over 50,000 users.
One user commented: "Guys, try to remove stress from your life and you will glow."
Newsweek reached out to @stephflockhart for comment via TikTok.
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
About the writer
Melissa Fleur Afshar is a Newsweek reporter based in London, United Kingdom.
Her current focus is on trending life stories and ... Read more