Understanding Cupping Marks

Cupping pulls stagnation out of the deep tissue and brings it to the skins surface, usually in the form of a discoloration.

The most common and unfortunate misconception about the marks left behind from cupping is that the therapy can result in a bruise. These discolorations are not bruises.

A bruise appears on the skin due to an impact trauma. An injury causes capillaries to burst, trapping blood below the skins surface, along with a rush of inflammatory response fluids to the area. The result is a nice swollen black and blue mark: a bruise.

There is no compression or injury with cupping therapy. The marks are a result of unwanted internal toxins and stagnant fluid being pulled up to the skins surface. Once the old non-circulating blood and sticky fluids reach the level of the skin, they can be more easily carried away by the circulatory and lymphatic systems for the body to eliminate.

With consistent treatment on the same area, for the same duration and same amount of suction, less discoloration will appear over time.

That is the result of cupping. Soft tissue detoxified and decompressed, connective tissue lifted, stretched and replenished with fresh blood and oxygen, returning to a healthy functioning condition.

Cupping marks can last from a couple days to 3 weeks depending on the health of the underlying tissue.