Q: I used to have cosmetic acupuncture, however the lady that did it has sold her business. I have looked online and there are a few practices in London that do it, but I don't know if they are reputable. Can you advise please. I would also like acupuncture to help with IBS and menopause.

A: The key thing to check is whether the practitioners whose websites you are checking belong to reputable professional bodies. A number of BAcC members work in this field, and membership of the BAcC is a guarantee that the person works to high standards of safety and is governed by Codes of Conduct and Safe Practice. There are a number of other professional associations whose members may also provide cosmetic treatment, and it is the membership of a professional association which is crucial to you as a safeguard.
 
There is some evidence to suggest that acupuncture may be beneficial in the treatment of IBS, as our factsheet demonstrates please click here to read more
 
and also some evidence that acupuncture may be beneficial in the treatment of menopausal symptoms

please click here to read more
 
However, each of these conditions can present in a number of different ways, and the way in which Chinese medicine is practised means that the exact problems which the patient experiences, together with the signs and observations which the practitioner makes, leads to a unqiue diagnosis on which treatment will be based. Nothing can beat the assessment made by a practitioner who can talk to you face to face for a while, and if you do find a BAcC member who provides the cosmetic treatment you aim to find we are sure that they will be happy to give you a view about whether they can help your other symptoms.
 
Indeed, many BAcC members who use acupuncture for cosmetic purposes often do so within a wider and systemic approach to treating the person. Many signs on the face which people would like to modify or reduce are directly related to systemic problems, and simply needling into the problem itself will not be as effectice as dealing with the system as a whole alongside the local work.