Why You Should Use Facial Massage

by Ian Richards

If you think you do not need to start a course of facial massage, think about this. When you go into the bathroom first thing in the morning, are you scared? Who is that pale creature with lines and a certain puffiness that is staring back? Don't panic, all is not lost, help is at hand, your hands actually as you can kick start your system with a facial massage. Firstly, apart from your normal lines, the big crease have probably come from you pillow and will soon disappear. As for the rest, well it is quite natural and it is just the way the body works. At night, while you sleep, the body goes into tick over mode, the heart rate drops leading to a slowing down of the blood circulation. This has a twofold effect, first there is less oxygen getting to the skin and secondly, the lymph glands are not removing as many toxins from the skin, hence the pale. puffy look. There are other factors at work as well. Pollution, lack of exercise, shallow breathing and poor nutrition can all slow down the circulation, leading to a build up 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.

You will get a good idea of what is happening when you give yourself a facial massage if you just squeeze or press an area of skin. Notice how it gets red? This is the increased blood flow surging into the area, bringing life giving oxygen to the skin and then removing the harmful toxins. Of course your facial massage will be gentler, but the effects will be the same. It will promote blood flow and stimulate the lymph glands to give your skin that healthy glow.

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.

The effectiveness of your acupoint facial massage can be enhanced by the use of essential oils which can assist in nourishing and repairing your skin. Never use these potent oils neat, they should always be mixed with a carrier oil which is normally plant based. Some are quite common, others more exotic but examples that you can used are wheat germ oil, almond oil, grape seed or even a cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. Oils that are cold pressed retain a lot more of their goodness. It is possible to mix different essential oils but not more than four together, with the total number of drops not exceeding ten. People who suffer a lot with allergies should test a spot on the skin before using for the full massage, whilst women in the first half of their pregnancy should refrain from using them without consulting a doctor.

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.

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You can discover more about facial massage and discover a treasure trove of information concerning women's issues by reading other great articles by Ian Richards.