#SustainableBeauty – The Fascial Effect

Keep Your Skin Supple

After Menopause (sometimes called ‘the change’) one of the visible changes is often a more noticeable reduction in the plumpness of the skin, referred to as ‘volume’.  Collagen gives your face that smooth, youthful resilience and, as its production drops off, the result is more wrinkles, fine lines and sagging.  Not what you want when your confidence is probably not at an all-time high.

For those that can afford it, this is when they go to an aesthetician to get Botox or fillers – but this is a radical approach and not for everyone.

Alternatively, you may reach for the skin care products containing the latest ingredient that promises to be the answer to your problem. Hyaluronic acid, quite rightly, has recently received a lot of attention.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is undoubtedly one of the most popular ingredients in the anti-ageing skincare industry today. Its main task is to absorb and retain water so that the skin looks and feels plump and supple.

HA (also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate) is an important component for fascia – the membrane that encloses all our organs. HA is produced naturally by our bodies, and its primary task is to retain water to keep our fascia well lubricated. This in turn helps the skin feel more hydrated and appear more youthful.

Like a thirsty sponge, HA is like a magnet for moisture and can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. These hydrating properties are the reason it is so popular in moisturisers and serums.

As part of the research for my dissertation I developed a facial massage routine using myo-fascial techniques. The results were impressive! This product-free facial is anti-ageing because it encourages the skin to retain moisture, plumps out fine lines and wrinkles and improves firmness. It does this by stimulating the fascia beneath the skin to ‘wake up’ and start moving blood, lymph and energy and start synthesising what it needs to keep the skin healthy.

It’s a real alternative to chemical interventions and I’ve developed these techniques into a 90 minute online training session so you can learn a simple massage that you can do for yourself to combat the effects of menopause on your skin.

To book a Zoom Facial Workshop Click here

Ageing

Seasonal skin

September is nearly over and October just a few days away – for me it’s the beginning of autumn. I look forward to the changing colours, vibrant golds, oranges and reds – especially when the sun is shining.

But it’s not just nature that is changing, your skin and body need to be prepared for the change in the weather. Lower humidity, crisper air and cooler winds all have an effect on your skin. You wrap your body in warmer clothing, but your face is exposed to the elements. That means your face may feel drier, your skin a little rougher and tighter.

The shorter day can affect your mood and sleep patterns and all that will reflect in your face. If you embrace the power of nature and prepare for the seasonal change, your skin will reward you by staying pliable and glowing regardless of the season.

What can you do to offset the effects of autumn?

Discover how to keep the soft tissues of your face supple and toned. You can learn the techniques I use during anti-ageing facials to incorporate into your daily routine. These are a series of precise and gentle movements applied on the surface of your skin, but focused on the supporting tissues – the fascia – beneath.

This gentle facial massage will boost the circulation, bringing oxygen and nutrient rich blood to your face to stimulate your collagen, which is what gives your skin that youthful plumpness.

It also aids lymphatic drainage to help reduce puffiness and swelling. This also brightens a tired complexion (and makes you look younger).

You may be surprised to discover how tense the muscles in and around your face get. Whether you are inclined to clench your teeth or not, your face will become tense – and that generates creases. A Fascial Effect™ massage will relieve this tension softening those fine lines and smoothing out your face.

A little bit of pampering does you good – and you can do this at home for yourself. It’s both relaxing and invigorating and it will make you feel rejuvenated, soften your skin and improve your overall skin tone, while supporting muscle health. This all has a lifting effect – so like a gentle face-lift – without the surgery, fillers or Botox. The bonus is that it slows down ageing and protects your skin from the changing weather.

More than skin deep

Better still, this massage works on the surface of your skin, but has a much deeper effect. It works on your central nervous system, which impacts so many of your body’s natural processes.

It can help with:

Hormonal balance
Your immune system
Reducing stress
Improved sleep

The Fascial Effect facial is precise, focused and mindful resulting in a calm mind and body. It makes your body more resilient and able to fight off infections and disease at the same time as recharging and rejuvenating you.

You can either book a Fascial Effect facial massage with me – or join one of my online classes and learn to do it yourself. Your skin will thank you!

Ageing

Nearly as good as a facelift…. without the surgery

There are very few of us who don’t want to look the very best we can. However, it does feel like the quest for a youthful appearance has given rise to some very invasive procedures which claim to give instant results.

An increasingly popular yet worrying trend is to turn to cosmetic surgery, in particular facelifts, to achieve the desired look. According to the NHS website, a facelift can cost up to £10,000 and involves multiple incisions in your face and neck. It can take 2 – 4 weeks to recover from the surgery, and after that results can take up to 9 months to be visible.

So, what if there was another option that gave you a more youthful look without the need to go through all the above?

Before you sign up for expensive and painful cosmetic treatments, why not explore a natural option that improves the appearance of the skin and can be nearly as good as a facelift?

The Fascial Effect® face massage is an alternative facial because it targets the area of connective tissue beneath the skin called fascia. Gentle but focused fascia releasing techniques have been adapted for the anti-ageing benefits in the face.

Here’s how it works:

Blood circulation is stimulated supplying more nutrients, impurities drain away unrestricted and dead skin cells are brushed away naturally to reveal the glowing complexion beneath.
At a cellular level, fascia responds to touch and specific techniques stimulate the production of its own hyaluronic acid and collagen.
Areas of tension in the face are soothed so that muscles can relax. This allows energy channels to open, giving a feeling of complete relaxation not just in the face and head, but in the rest of the body too.

An additional benefit to this technique is that it is fully sustainable.

It can all be done without the use of skin care products, and is therefore suitable for those who are keen on environmentally sustainable treatments but who would still like to enjoy a facial which gives results.

Talking about sustainability, why not keep your carbon footprint to a minimum by enjoying the Fascial Effect® face massage from the comfort of your own home? I offer an online face massage workshop where I reach you a few simple techniques that you can apply yourself and achieve anti-ageing results whenever you would like.

Click here for full details and to book your place on the next workshop.

Ageing

Beauty from within

There comes a time when the visible signs of ageing really start to show and we reach out for anti-ageing skin care products. We hope that the ingredients will slow down or even reverse the signs of ageing. However, the concentrations of these ingredients are so small that they barely skim the surface of the skin let alone penetrate deeper layers of fascial tissue where the new cells, collagen and elastin are formed.

Your creams will only do some of the work. So what else can you do, to keep your skin youthful for as long as possible? A healthy diet packed with nutritional ingredients is essential. But, if you’re anything like me, life is too busy to watch every mouthful and try to integrate all the nutrients your skin needs – even supposing you could work out exactly what foods to include, how much, how often and the exact quantities of each food you need to eat.

Seeds are a great place to start and they add an array of benefits for skin hair and overall health. The good news is that you don’t need to start a research project to benefit from them.

I always hesitate to recommend products – there are so many and many claim to do all kinds of amazing things and I wouldn’t recommend anything I don’t use myself. I’ve not only tried the Rain seed-based supplements, but noticed a significant difference. I’ve been using them a long time now and this is just to give you an introduction to one of their daily supplements.

Soul Red is a blend of pure oils from 3 types of seed of which work well together; black cumin seed, red raspberry seed and chardonnay grape seed oils. Scientifically tested and approved, Soul Red slows the ageing of our cells by almost 80%, it reduces inflammation, increases energy levels and improves the condition and function of your cells.

As you might imagine, less ageing on the inside means a more youthful appearance on the outside. Beauty does really come from within.

To shop click here or if you would like to talk to me, just call 07775 633798.

Ageing

A facial that pushes back the years

Myo-Fascial Release (MFR) has long been used to treat muscular-skeletal conditions with positive results creating free movement and releasing painful areas. It works on the transparent layer – the fascia – that wraps around all our organs, muscles and soft tissue, releasing it where it has got stuck and restoring flexibility. But what happens if the specialised techniques used on the body are adapted for the face?

It could be called a facial, but, unlike the facials we indulge in when visiting a beauty salon or a retreat, there a several notable differences:

There are no rough exfoliators as the gentle hands-on techniques will slough away the dead skin cells
There’s no need for a cleansing mask as invigorated fascia allows the skin to breathe and detox
There are no stimulating skin renewal products (e.g. fruit acids) as the energy released naturally stimulates the generation of new skin cells
You won’t need hydrating products as Hyaluronic acid exists in Fascia and the release of tension and tightness in the face makes room for water to flow for your cells to absorb moisture
In fact, the only product that may be used is a small amount of organic oil.

The big plus is that an MFR facial will restore your facial health, giving your muscles a boost, improving hydration and toning everything up, giving you a more youthful appearance. And there are also plenty of other benefits. The MFR facial relieves modern day stresses and bad posture caused by leaning over computers, texting and sedentary lifestyles of long working hours.

An MFR facial:

Releases tension in your jaw and so reduces the pain that can be caused be clenching or grinding your teeth
Reduction of puffiness around your eyes
Eases tension in your neck and addresses the causes of some tension headaches
Can improve mental clarity; often described as calming, de-stressing and intensely relaxing. Combatting the effects of a busy lifestyle resulting in you feeling tense, exhausted and, at times, unable to focus on what’s important
Relaxing, but also energising as pressure points in meridians passing through the face and head are stimulated and energy is released
A course of treatments usually reduces the need for heavy moisturisers because the structures under the surface of the skin are given the right environment to function better and hydrate naturally.

If you want to regain that youthful appearance, without the need for artificial aid, a course of MFR facials could be exactly what you need.

To book an online Face Massage Workshop click here or if you would like to talk to me, just call 07775 633798.