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There are many people who do not think that facial massage is for them, but you have to ask yourself: Is that really you staring back from the mirror in the morning? Puffy, pale and lined, your thinking is there any way back to normality? The answer is definitely yes and it is time to start a course of facial massage. When you first awake, your face may have the imprint from the creases in your pillow case and they will subside. The paleness and puffy look is down to the body, which has slowed down during the night. The circulation system slows with the reduced heart rate so that there is not so much oxygenated blood reaching the extremities of the body. This reduced flow means that the lymph glands are not as efficient at removing the toxins that affect the skin. Many factors are involved in producing theses toxins, including poor diet, smoking and other air bourne pollutants, shallow breathing and even stress.

You need to get that blood flowing so you should commence your facial exercises straight away. As you start bringing the new blood to the skin, so it will start to flush away the toxins. Waking up the lymph nodes, half of which are situated in the neck, which also is a boost for your immune system. You will be surprised at the difference it will make, not only will you start looking good but you will be feeling good as well.

To understand the ageing process you need to know a little about the skin. It is built from three layers which are called the epidermis, dermis and hyhypodermis. The dermis is the layer we all see, its role is to protect and allow water evaporation to cool us down. Under this lies the dermis, the work horse of the skin. It is packed with collagen and elastin to give the skin its structure and stretch and it houses the tiny blood vessels and nerve endings. It also has the tops of the sweat and sebaceous glands and it is this layer that regulates the bodys’ temperature. The final layer is the hypodermis which consists of fatty tissue and water and has the bottom of the sweat and sebaceous glands in it. It is from this layer that the fatty deposits leave as you get older, giving the skin its flattish look. Even though the skin is the same construction all over the body, it has different variations in specific parts. The finger tips, for instance have a higher number of nerve endings to assist the sense of touch. Facial skin is connected to a larger number of muscles than anywhere else in the body to facilitate non verbal communication. It is also quite sensitive and is important for monitoring the ambient temperature and humidity.

As the skin ages, it is affected in many different ways. Firstly, at the cell level, the life span shortens, from around 100 days when you are a child to only 48 days as an adult. The different layers start to change with the elastin in the dermis gradually disappearing, disrupting the collagen and flattening the skin Slowly the hypodermis loses a lot of its water content and the fatty tissue reduces. This gives a lack of tone and elasticity to the skin. The action of the facial muscles begin to crease the skin, how we smile, scowl, frown and all our other facial expressions that we use every day will create the face map. On top of that smoking. diet, stress, pollution and sunbathing will add to the aging process.

To get an idea of what happens when you have a facial massage, squeeze or press a small area of the skin and watch it go red. This redness is the blood flowing into that area. It is this flow that the facial massage will encourage in a gentler way. As this flow is increased, so the more of the beneficial oxygenated blood will flow around the face, taking the toxins as it leaves, improving the look and tone of the skin.

Although massaging your face will have some effect, if you do it too hard it will be a detrimental one, a more systematic approach will give the skin a real boost. We have all heard about acupuncture, that Eastern traditional medical practice of inserting needles to restore ones health. Well a facial massage that incorporates these points will give a real boost to the effects on your skin. It is called Acupoint facial massage and you only need to gently rub on these points to get the effect needed. These points are connected to the meridians of the body where the energy or Qi flows. Massaging will stimulate these points and, as well as improving the blood flow, will unblock and stimulate the Qi as well.

To further increase the effectiveness of your acupoint facial massage, try essential oils which can assist in repairing and nourishing the skin. Essentials oils should always be added to what is known as a carrier oil, these are vegetable based oils such as olive, almond, grape seed and wheat germ and will also have a healing effect on the skin. You can add up to four different essential oils to the carrier but do not exceed ten drops in total as they are quite strong. Always apply just a little drop to the skin first, especially if you suffer a lot from allergies. It is not advisable to use essential oils in the first few months of pregnancy so consult your doctor before using them.

When using this type of massage, a gentle pressure is all that is needed, provided you are touching the correct acupoints. To find out where they are, a good book to read is Facelift At Your Fingertips by Pierre Jean Cousin which not only clearly shows you where they are, but has further information on how to use essential oils. Using a regular acupoint facial massage, together with your normal beauty regime will really help in the anti aging process. Who knows, one morning you may look in the mirror and think you are looking at your daughter.

Filed under: Health & Fitness