Face Massage - The Natural Way To Fight Wrinkles And Look Younger - by Guest Blogger Romeo Demes

Many people who desire to get rid of wrinkles turn to Botox, anti-aging creams and sometimes even make-up. Although these remedies work, their results are often short-lived. This is because they do not tackle the fundamental causes of wrinkles. The best way to fight wrinkles is to first of all tackle their physiological and psychological roots, and then awaken the body’s natural anti-aging mechanism to fight them. This is what face massage does.

Aside from being extremely relaxing and pleasurable, face massage is the natural way to fight wrinkles and look younger. This is so because of the following reasons:

Improving strenght and elasticity of the skin

Massaging the face improves the strength and elasticity of the skin around the face. Wrinkles usually form when the facial skin begins to lose its elasticity and thus starts sagging, folding or drooping. Massage can reverse this by improving blood circulation beneath the skin. According to Dr. Jody Albert Levine, a New York-based dermatologist, “If you move the muscles and skin on your face, it increases blood flow, which brings oxygen and nutrients to the area." The end result is that the skin gets the proper nourishment it needs to become healthy, vibrant and elastic.

Removing toxins from the skin

Aside from nourishment, face massage also encourages lymphatic drainage, thereby removing toxins from the skin. The accumulation such toxins usually causes the skin age faster thus becoming haggard, tired-looking and wrinkly. According to Dr. Jody, “as the lymph flows away from the skin, it is essentially decongesting the skin.” This means that the skin is able to regain its natural stretch, strength and elasticity. As such, the wrinkles disappear leaving the face smooth, vibrant and attractive. This is precisely the reason why the popular magazine Women’s Health wrote that “rubbing [the face] upwards can prevent wrinkles and stop sagging.”

Relaxing facial muscles

Face massage also fights wrinkles by relaxing the facial muscles and keeping them tight and well-toned. Wrinkles usually begin to appear when facial muscles begin to droop due to gravity acting on them. The reason for the drooping is the breakdown of the collagen and elastin fibers which hold the facial muscles and fat in place. According to Marie-Hélène Gaudinat, the L’Oreal Paris Science and Medical Communications Manager, face massage can slow the breakdown of collagen and elastin. She said “kneading and rubbing the face sends messages to the body to produce more collagen and elastin.” This has an effect of delaying the onset of wrinkles or – in case they have already appeared – causing them to disappear.

Fighting stress-induced wrinkles

Face massage is also the perfect way for fighting stress-induced wrinkles. It is generally known that prolonged stress, anxiety and worry can cause puffiness, facial strain and wrinkles. Face massage can eliminate such problems by alleviating the underlying stress and anxiety. These were the findings of a study carried out at the Japan’s Kyshu University in 2008. A similar study was carried out in Hong Kong with the help of massage therapists to find out the effect of face massage on the moods, stress and anxiety levels of women aged between 20 and 40. During the study, each of the 32 participants was given an average of 45 minutes of facial massage.

The researchers used electrocardiogram recordings to measure the women’s heart rates, as well as their parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous activity. The research findings published in the Journal of Biomedical Research showed that face massage can improve moods, and reduce both stress and anxiety. Since stress and anxiety causes rapid aging, facial strain and the development of wrinkles, by eliminating them, face massage keeps someone looking vigorous, vibrant and youthful.

In a nutshell, face massage is the perfect solution for anyone who desires to fight wrinkles and look younger. Apart from the above benefits, face massage can boost the immunity and make someone feel relaxed, vivacious and energetic. Therefore, besides just having no wrinkles and looking younger, a person ends up feeling youthful energy surging through their veins. As such, they not only look younger, but feel younger as well. This is the reason why many health experts now consider face massage as the ultimate natural anti-aging remedy.

Image source: MyTudut (fickr.com)

Written by: Romeo Demes

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