Benefits Of Facial Massage For Anti-Aging
While the first thing that may come to mind when you think of massage is a relaxing full body massage, there are a variety of benefits of a facial massage. In fact, the results a facial massage delivers are so impressive that you should add one to your daily or weekly beauty routine!
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Why Massage Your Face?
We have 42 muscles in our face and 26 muscles in our neck. Even if you work out regularly you are only targeting a handful of these muscles. Facial massage helps you to both strengthen and release tension from these often-forgotten muscles.
Full body massages often end with a minute or two of face massage, but that’s not the kind of massage we’re referring to. The average facial also includes a few minutes of massaging your face, which is a bit more targeted than what your massage therapist does, but that’s still not quite what we’re referring to. The newest trend in facial massage is a blend of timeless anti-aging massage practices from around the world, mixed with modern techniques, products, and technology.
What Are The Benefits Of Facial Massage?
With much of our time spent sitting with poor posture in front of screens, we have a lot more tension in our face and neck, and there is a rise in premature neck creases known as Tech Neck, as well as Dowager’s Hump from improper head-down ergonomics. Face massage can be part of your proactive and reactive resolution, and can also:
- Alleviate face, jaw, and neck tension
- Release fascia which minimizes fine lines and wrinkles
- Drain your lymph nodes
- Minimize puffy eyes
- Improve skin texture
- Tighten and tones skin
- Increase circulation
- Brighten skin
- Boost natural collagen production
- Thin out and define your face
- May help with TMJ and headaches
What Type Of Facial Massage Is Right For Me?
There isn’t just one type of facial massage to choose from, so try a few and find what works for you. Due to the increased blood flow, your skin is likely to be red afterward, but not irritated. Consider a personalized combination of:
Professional Face Massage—find a facialist or massage therapist who specializes in anti-aging or therapeutic facial massage. This is a massage that lasts at least 10 minutes but can last up to 60 minutes including your face, neck, décolletage, and maybe even your scalp. Your practitioner may only use their hands to pinch, tap, and massage, but they may also use a facial massage or beauty tool.
The only downside to professional face massage is that you may not have time or the budget to schedule it more than once a month. You may even be able to add an anti-aging face massage on when you get a full-body massage, just ask.
Facial Rollers—since you only get a facial every 1 to 3 months, at-home massage is a must to enjoy the full anti-aging and beauty benefits. Facial rollers make massaging your face at home fast and easy. There are countless rollers to choose from with Jade and Rose Quartz being top picks. Both can be used cold or room temperature. Be sure to use your preferred facial roller with a face serum or cream, and as directed. If the paper instructions that come with are difficult to understand you can find instructional videos on YouTube and Instagram.
DIY Face Massage—you may already have a few self-massage techniques that you turn to when your face, neck, jaw, or head are feeling tense, but now it’s time to implement a few proven techniques. Again, you can find countless videos on YouTube and Instagram and can even take live-streamed or pre-recorded courses from Face Gym to target your individual needs. Many DIY massage techniques include massaging inside of your mouth. If it makes it easier, wear gloves during the inner mouth portion of your face massage.
Beauty Tools—in addition to rollers you can find a variety of beauty tools that you can use at home or add on as part of your spa treatments. Each tool has a variety of benefits so select the tool that addresses your individual needs. Here are a few to consider.
This tool is used to sculpt and relieve tension in the face. The Gua Sha tool will also aid in lymphatic drainage. These usually come in Rose Quartz or Jade. They come in many shapes, so choose the one that is best for your needs. This can be used every day as a part of your self-care routine.
This tool is used to trick the skin into healing itself. It is basically very small needles on a facial roller that creates small pricks on the skin. This causes your skin to produce more collagen, which is what our skin needs more of as we age. It can also help your skincare products absorb better in the skin. Start out using this only once a week.
This tool not only massages, but it uses red, blue, and green light therapy to improve your skin. The red light is for anti-aging, the blue light helps reduce inflammation, and the green light helps even out the skin tone. You can’t go wrong with this all-in-one tool.
If you have ever had cupping done on your body then you know that it is great at releasing tension in the muscles. Your face is no different. These cups can be used on the face, neck, and body. They will relieve muscle tension, increase circulation and smooth out wrinkles. It is definitely worth a try.
Facial Exercises—massage isn’t your only option, as you can learn Face Yoga, or utilize exercise devices such as the Facial-Flex or the Jawzrsize to stretch and strengthen your face and neck. Facial exercises should be done daily for about a month, then you can move to a few days a week. They can help you lose fat in your face, tighten your jawline, and minimize the visible signs of aging.
Tips For Massaging Your Face
Here are a few tips to ensure you make the most of your face massage:
- Find an easy-glide serum. Many beauty tools suggest specific skincare products to use with their massage tools. You don’t have to use their products, but you do need an easy glide product that is non-comedogenic.
- Be gentle. Most tools and techniques require soft to medium pressure. It doesn’t take much to activate such small muscles, it’s more about repetition and consistency.
- Be consistent. Try to commit to 5 to 7 days a week for the first month, then you can taper down to 2 or 3 days a week. Face massage only takes a few minutes, so squeeze it in before bed.
- Mix it up. Start with the massage techniques that come with the tool you choose, but after 3 weeks or so mix in a few other techniques. This will keep things fun and work with different facial and neck muscles.
- Cleaning and storage. Be sure to clean, sanitize, and store your massage tools as directed. Otherwise, they may grow bacteria that can harm and damage your skin.
Facial massage can be used as both a proactive approach to anti-aging and to minimize the visible signs of aging. I hope this helps, but as always—remember beauty comes from within!
