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Bloodletting or wet cupping involves breaking the skin as well as suction. It deserves a fuller conversation than dry cupping, and separate agreement.

Why this technique is different

Dry cupping uses suction on intact skin. Bloodletting cupping, sometimes called wet cupping, adds a small skin puncture before the cup is applied. That extra step brings additional considerations, so it should never be treated as just a variation of a routine session. Before you consider it, the physical procedure and its added risks should be described in a way you clearly understand.

Questions to put to your practitioner

If wet cupping comes up at the Freshwater clinic, Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, can talk through:

• whether the technique is suitable for you at all;
• how bleeding is managed and what infection precautions are taken;
• what recovery of the skin usually involves and what to watch for;
• which alternatives could be considered instead.

Raise any concern about slow skin healing, easy bruising, diabetes or blood-thinning medicines well before a procedure is planned, not on the day.

Consent is not transferable

Agreeing to acupuncture or dry cupping does not mean you have agreed to a skin-breaking technique. Each procedure needs its own explanation and its own yes. You can ask for time to think, request written information or decline altogether without affecting the rest of your care.

Deciding what you will review

Before any treatment, choose a practical marker you would like to discuss at follow-up, such as reaching overhead more comfortably or sleeping through without waking from discomfort. Afterwards, include how the skin is recovering and how you felt in that review. Marks on the skin are just one observation; whether to continue should come back to your original reason, your response and the other options available.

For anyone on the Northern Beaches weighing this up, a dedicated consultation at Freshwater to talk it through, with no treatment booked on the same day, can make the decision feel far less rushed.