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Why Use Facial Massage?

by: IanRichards
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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.

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.

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.

When giving yourself a facial massage, it is important that you do not press too hard, as this can have a detrimental effect on the skin, so a gentle touch is needed. To get the most out of your facial massage, concentrate on the acupoint areas of the face. These are the areas corresponding to the acupuncture points. Acupuncture, as everyone knows is the ancient form of healing, where needles are inserted into the skin. These points are situated along the meridians of the body where the energy, known as Qi flows. Stimulating these points in your massage will have the added effect of unblocking the negative energy as well as promoting blood flow.

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.

In order to be able to massage the correct areas, you will need a diagram of the face explaining the different points. A good example is Facelift At Your Fingertips by Pierre Jean Cousin which not only has excellent illustrations but also has a lot of information in the use of essential oils. Incorporating a good acupoint facial massage into your usual beauty routine will repay your effort tenfold. Now all you have to worry about is the jealous looks of your girl friends.

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

Why Use Facial Massage?

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