This facial is a slight modification of the Cosmetic Acupuncture I do when patients come into the clinic for anti-ageing treatments. The modification is that instead of needles we will be using our fingers to press on specific acu points and muscle trigger points to help with relaxing muscles to help with fine lines and wrinkles while toning other muscles to lift sagging and jowls.
Dr. Irene Prantalos, Salubre Skin Clinic
From the age of 25 years we start to lose collagen in our skin which leads to our skin very gradually forming fine lines and wrinkles. In addition to that, muscles across our forehead and scalp tighten to further cause fine lines and wrinkles. These are the areas typically botox targets to relax the muscle and smooth out the skin around the forehead.
As we move down the face, the muscles around our cheeks become weak and lose their tone. Here, botox doesn’t work as these muscles need to be tightened. So instead the beauty treatment for this is fillers to plump out the skin and reduce the sagging around the jowls.
In this facial I will be referring to our anti-ageing skincare range Pearl Brilliance and some tools such as our jade roller, jade gua sha and derma roller but you won’t need to have these to get great results from this Cosmetic Acupressure Facial — just use your hands!
Cosmetic Acupressure Facial Tutorial
Step 1: Cleanse the Skin
Cleanse the skin with Pearl Brilliance Organic 8 Cleansing Oil. I love this product for acupressure as it not only thoroughly cleanses the skin and hydrates the skin with luxurious anti-ageing oils but it softens the skin so that we can easily glide our fingers around our face.
Step 2: Jade Roller (optional)
Using a Jade Roller, roll the larger surface from the middle of your forehead towards the outer edge. Ideally repeat this 5 times starting from the right side and then moving onto the left side. The reason why we don’t run across the forehead is due to the bones we have makes it bumpy as oppose to doing one side at a time.
Once you have done both sides, move down to your cheek, starting on the right side starting close to the nose and move outwards. Each movement to be done 5 times and then moving down the cheeks making sure you do each section of the cheeks down towards the jawline. Then follow through with the left side.
Finally, lift your chin upwards and start from your clavical and roll the roller upwards towards your chin. This action you can do from the outer aspect of your neck and move across to the other side. Be sure to do each stroke 5 times.
Step 3: Gua Sha (optional)
Follow the exact movements of the jade roller with the gua sha tool
Step 4: Derma Roller (optional)
Follow the exact strokes of the step 2 and 3 with a derma roller. Ensure after use of your derma roller that you cleanse it in a solution of at least 80% isopropyl alcohol and never have other family members use your derma roller.
Step 5: Acupressure
When you find the acu-points, apply gentle pressure until you feel a mild ache or a release in tension and hold for 5-10 seconds.
Fun fact: acu points are often located in small dips we have on our face and body. You can run your finger along the area and find where the dip is located. This is especially found along the forehead, eyebrows and around the masseter muscle.
Starting from the top and moving our way down the face.
Relaxing forehead muscles to reduce fine lines and wrinkles:
- Apply gentle pressure using your middle fingers for either side of the face. Find the spot by looking in the mirror and placing your finger 1 inch above your eyebrow in line with your pupil. Gentle rub your finger to find the dip in the forehead. Once found apply pressure.
- Next, move towards the hairline and apply pressure once you’ve located the dip
Lifting sagging upper eye lids:
- You can either press all 3 areas at the same time or one at a time. Each spot is located at a dip so run your fingers along the eyebrows until you feel the dip. There is one on each edge of the eyebrow and 1 in the centre. Once found, apply pressure.
Toning muscles to lift sagging:
- Start with the point next to the nose, then run your finger in the centre of your cheekbone along the outer edge of your bone. This brings your finger downwards and out. When you find a sore spot, stop and press then continue outwards to the outer aspect of the cheekbones until you find a dip. It may feel a little achy which is great as you’ve found the right spot.
- Place your fingers on the sides of your face and clench your jaw. You should be able to feel a muscle tense. This is the master muscle, which is used when you chew your food. It is also the muscle that tenses when we are stressed and clench our jaw, which can lead to grinding teeth and headaches. Along this muscle are 2 dips, one on the top of the muscle and one below. Place your middle finger on the top and your index finger on the bottom and press.
- Moving your hands to your chin area, there are 2 points on either side of the mouth that we need to stimulate. Run your index finger from the corner of your mouth downwards about 1cm and press. The middle finger is 1cm inwards inline with the other point and you can press both sides at the same time.
- Finally, run your index finger along your jawline and feel a little bony bit on your jaw. Once you have found it, place your finger just ever so slightly above the bony bit and apply pressure. This can be a little sensitive, which is great as you know you have found the spot.
Step 6: Exfoliate and Reduce Redness
Once you have finished your acupressure, I like to do a quick masque with our Pomegranate Exfoliating Masque to help with gently removing the build-up of surface dead skin cells. The reason for afterwards due to the acupressure causing some redness in the face, which the masque settles down and makes the skin brighter. Leave the masque on for 10-30 minutes then rinse with warm water. I choose this masque for anti-ageing as this is the gentlest way to exfoliate mature skin.
Step 7: Anti-Ageing Serum (optional)
We have a number of anti-ageing serums that are the combination of herbal botanicals with peptide technology.
- Drops of Youth is formulated for the entire face to reduce fine lines and brighten complexion while helping the lifting action of the acupressure.
- RevitalEyes Eye Serum has the ability to reduce bags and darkness under the eyes.
- Luminescence is ideal for any pigmentation on the skin
Step 8: Hydrate and Nourish the skin
The final step is to hydrate the skin with an anti-ageing day cream. In the clinic I use the Pearl Brilliance Anti-Oxidant Day Cream and apply it all over the face and neck. Gently massage the face and neck the same directions we did with the jade roller and gua sha.
This may seem like a long process, but once you have done it a few times you will get through this easily in 20 mins, especially when you are confident in locating the points on the face. You can do this 2-3 times per week either at the beginning or the end of your day.
Enjoy the relaxation and enjoy the gentle pressure of these acu-points as they will help will relaxing your face muscles which can give you an all-over relaxed feel.
For more info please go to www.salubre.com.au
