Interview Series
Who: Margaret Webb
Specialty: Facial Rejuvenation and Holistic Skincare
Practice: Shaping Face
Location: Austin, TX + Virtual Mentorship
Website: www.shapingface.com
Instagram: @margaretwebblac
TCM in Modern Wellness
How did you get acquainted with TCM?
In my early twenties, I was living in New Mexico, welding and finishing metal furniture with an industrial designer. I wore safety gear, but the fumes and gases still got to my skin, and I started breaking out in rashes on my face. For months, I tried everything, but nothing helped. The rash just kept getting bigger and angrier.
A friend of mine in Santa Fe recommended I go see her TCM doctor, Dr. Zhou, so I finally booked an appointment. I still remember walking into his clinic for the first time — there were a few chairs along one wall, a big built-in counter, and behind it, floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with amber bottles full of liquid teas. The whole place smelled woody and pungent from the herbal decocting machine that was cooking formulas in the back room. It’s such a specific, sensory memory — and my first introduction to Chinese herbal medicine.
When Dr. Zhou brought me into his consult room, he took my pulse, asked a few questions, and then disappeared. When he came back, he had three large glass bottles of liquid tea and a little plastic measuring cup. He told me to finish all the herbs over the next week and then to come back so he could adjust my formula.
My rash cleared up after about three weeks of his (not particularly delicious) herbal decoctions. I still wish I had asked him to write down that formula for me! But the experience, and Dr. Zhou telling me my rash was somehow tied to my liver, is what sparked my fascination with Chinese herbal medicine— and the whole idea of treating the “skin from within.”
How has TCM impacted your life?
TCM philosophy, and the practice of Chinese medicine, has profoundly changed how I look at my own health — and my clients' health too. The TCM perspective that we don’t treat conditions — we treat patterns was a big mindset shift. I was raised in a western medicine mindset, and my father was a physician who still did housecalls. I would often go with him on these visits, and saw many of his older patients managing chronic diseases, loss of vitality, and the depression that can accompany these types of long-term conditions.
I think TCM offers us a different and more hopeful model of both health and disease because it teaches us that our health isn't a fixed destination — it's an ongoing process of aligning our daily habits with our environment and our own individual constitution. In the clinic, we're not just addressing symptoms — we're helping the body find its way back to balance, naturally, through the understanding of qi and blood, yin and yang, hot and cold, dry and damp.
So even when clients are dealing with chronic conditions for which there may be no 'cure', the TCM model still has something to offer. Through acupuncture and herbal medicine, people can experience positive changes, like increased vitality, greater balance, and a deeper sense of wholeness.
What's your favorite way to de-stress?
I take at least one bath a day, sometimes two. Warm water is the most immediate and accessible way for me to unwind and decompress. And when I have time, I love adding minerals or the Yina Bath ritual to nourish my skin from the outside-in.
What's one advice you would share with your patients?
Never underestimate how much your daily habits and rituals shape your overall health.
Acupressure At Home
What is one health issue that’s common in your practice?
Skin concerns: my practice is focused on facial rejuvenation and helping the skin build back its resilience. Many of my clients are over 40 and are seeking support for aging skin or acne from hormone changes.
What is one acupressure point that is helpful for this issue?
I always come back to the role of the breath and relaxation as a foundation for healthy, resilient skin. One thing I teach clients is to hold Pericardium 6 and take four or five slow, nourishing breaths. It's such a simple practice, but it can quickly help calm the nervous system, open the chest, and allow the breath to deepen.
Food As Medicine
What is your favorite TCM herb?
Oh, that's such a hard question! It’s so tough to choose just one, but when it comes to beauty and skin health, my favorite is bai shao (peony). It gently softens the liver and nourishes the liver blood, which plays such a big role in the vibrancy of our complexion as we age.
Favorite food and why?
Avocado with lime and sea salt, hands down. It's my ultimate comfort food.
Favorite YINA product and why:
Honestly, I have two: The Bioadaptive Cleanser is, in my opinion, the best cleanser out there. It bridges the gap between an oil and a cream cleanser beautifully, so clients get the best of both worlds.
And I will never be without Fortify Serum. Before I found it, I struggled to keep my skin hydrated — my barrier was compromised, and my skin was so sensitized that almost nothing worked without irritating it further. Fortify was the first product that was both truly effective and gentle enough for my skin. And it smells so lovely.
