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Ouch! High heels and laser treatments may not be the most comfortable, but Ashley Graham just took that saying “beauty is pain” to a whole new level. On March 9, the 33-year-old supermodel posted an Instagram photo of her very red and inflamed skin after receiving what looks to be an extremely uncomfortable beauty treatment.
In the photo, Graham is topless, giving everyone an unobstructed view of the bruising on her back. While at first glance it appears to be some form of cupping treatment, Us Weekly’s Stylish did some digging and that’s not actually the case.
The treatment in question, which was performed at Lanshin in Brooklyn, New York, is actually a traditional Chinese form of Gua Sha.
“Gua Sha is a Chinese medical practice that may look like an alien thrashed your skin, but feels like beautiful relief. It’s one of our best techniques to relieve pain and boost the immune system. In Chinese families when you’re not feeling well, Dr. Mom, Auntie, or Grandma whip out Gua Sha and you’ll be back in action in no time,” Lanshin captioned an Instagram from 2018 that depicts similar marks to the ones seen on Graham.
The post continues: “This is the original form of Gua Sha that Facial Gua Sha is derived from. On the body, it’s done with more power and speed to help break down knots and stiff tissue, so you can come alive with circulation again. (And don’t worry, the marks don’t last!).”
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Hadley King confirms to Us that Graham’s bruising pattern is in line with a coining or body Gua She technique. As for the red marks, Dr. King says that “the bruises are likely resulting from pressure applied to the skin with jade, a coin, a buffalo horn or another hard object.”
“Some believe that coining stimulates different points of the body regulates blood flow. It may be able to help lower a fever because the pressure strokes cause capillary dilation which in turn results in heat dissipation from the body,” Dr. King tells Stylish.
Even though we now know that the body treatment is designed to relieve pain and tension, people were initially quite concerned with Graham’s gruesome looking backside. Perhaps the most common comments on the post were remarks like, “Omg what are those marks on the back,” or “What’s with the bruises?”
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The American Beauty Star judge’s photo dump wasn’t just black and blues though. She also shared a sexy snap wearing a nothing but black lingerie while drinking a bottle of Topo Chico Mineral Water. In the series of images, Graham also shared some street style shots, behind-the-scenes TikTok clips and a picture from her 1-year-old son’s birthday party.