by Ian Richards
Are you one of those people who think that facial massage is for other people and not you? Lets face it, when you look in the mirror in the morning, do you recognise yourself? Can that pale, creased, puffy person looking back, really be yourself? How did you end up looking like this? Well don′t worry, the creases will have come from the folds in your pillow but the rest is down to the natural circulation slow down that occurs during sleep. During the night, the body slows down, the heart rate decreases which means that the blood flow decreases. The lymph glands are responsible for getting rid of the toxins in the body and they rely on the blood circulation to transport it. As the blood flow has diminished, so the toxins have built up, which accounts for the bad looks. It is not only sleep that can slow down your circulation, lack of exercise, poor nutrition, pollution and shallow breathing can affect it, thus also interrupting the draining of toxins.
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.
What is skin? It is the bodys′ largest organ and consists of three layers. The base is the hypodermis which is made from fatty tissue with a high water content. In this layer sits the sweat, sebaceous and follicle glands. Just above this is the dermis, where most of the action takes place. It consists of collagen, elastin, which makes our skin stretch, small blood vessels, nerve endings and the tops of the sweat and sebaceous glands. It is this layer that circulates, secretes, adjusts the temperature of the body and feels. The final level is the one that everybody sees, the epidermis. This is our protection against the world and its secondary function is to allow the evaporation of water. The skin is the same all over the body but it does take on variations, depending on the area. The arm pits will have a larger concentration of sweat glands for instance. The skin on the face is connected to a large number of muscles which are used for non-verbal communications and it also monitors our surrounding atmosphere and temperature. It is also quite sensitive to the touch, for obvious reasons.
When it comes to the ageing process, there are different process that affect it. The older we get, the quicker we loose skin cells. A child’s may a hundred days but that will drop to around 50 in later life. The elastin goes, affecting the collagen and in the hypodermis the fatty tissue goes and the water content is reduced with the overall effect of giving flattened, ageing and dry skin. Our face with its repertoire of scowling, frowning, smiling and laughing will develop the lines we know as wrinkles. These are further enhanced by exposure to the sun, air pollution, smoking and even a poor diet, so it really makes sense to start your facial massage as soon as possible.
The bodys′ reaction to squeezing and pressing is to get red which means that the blood is flowing into the area. When this happens, it starts to bring more oxygenated blood which is really beneficial to your skin. This, in a more gentler way, is what happens when you have a facial massage. The act of massage will promote the blood flow with the added bonus of stimulating the lymphatic system to drain away the toxins which leads to a healthier looking 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 compliment your acupoint facial massage, essential oils can be used to help repair and nourish the skin. These should not be used neat but mixed with vegetable based carrier oils that will also be beneficial to the skin. There are a wide range of these, such as grape seed, olive, wheat germ and almond, and you can find the right one to compliment your personal skin type. You do not need to add a lot of essential oils to them, ten drops at the most, and you can combine different essential oils for a variety of different skin conditions. Although these are perfectly safe, they are not advised to be used by pregnant women, particularly in the early stages of development.
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.
About the Author:
The Author, Ian Richards would like to invite you to discover more information on
women’s issues. The above resources will help you make your mind up regarding
facial massage and its benefits.