A facial massage is my favorite part of giving massage. It is always enjoyed by both men and
women because it is like a nice surprise.
The facial muscles can be overworked by watching, eating, talking, and
making various facial expressions constantly as well as emotional tension. When the face gets massaged, the whole
body tends to relax.
I found tsubo (acupressure
points) for “Eliminating Facial Wrinkles” in the book about tsubo therapy, a type of Shiatsu, by Katsusuke Serizawa, MD. Although I don’t believe a massage will
totally “eliminate” wrinkles, facial massage will definitely promote circulation
and cell turnover.
Why do wrinkles develop? As we get older, the deeper layer of the skin (dermis) in the face diminishes and loses
elastin fibers, so it gets less elastic. And also, the skin can’t retain moisture and produce oil as
much and becomes dehydrated. It
all means the skin loses strength and flexibility and tends to wrinkle and sag.
The facial muscles are unique in the way that one end of the
muscles usually attaches to the skin, instead of bone to bone like other
muscles. The facial skin is
closely bound together with the tissues of the muscles. So, the areas where muscles contract
often, such as around the eyes, the forehead, and the month, tend to get
wrinkled by the skin’s lack of flexibility due to aging. Other factors for wrinkles are exposure
to sun (UV light) and smoking because both speed up the natural aging process.
Fall is here (even in Florida), and air gets drier, so it is
a great idea to combine facial massage and skincare in one. Daily moisturizing with a massage can
help hydrate the skin and stimulate oil gland secretions.
Next post will show you tsubo
(acupressure points) in the face for reducing wrinkles.