The elusive fountain of youth has been a romantic dream for centuries. While Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León ended up discovering Florida, most people still associate him with his failed quest for the fountain. Even today, people continue to search for the art of growing young and many products and procedures have proven helpful.
Botox, dermabrasion and the classical facelift are options for a youthful appearance, but many aren’t aware that workouts, foods and acupuncture can also have a positive effect.
Facercise
Exercise your face to activate the facial or mimetic muscles to hold a youthful expression. As we age our facial muscles weaken. This aging process can be tweaked with simple at-home workouts. Facercise, or facial yoga, prevents the muscles from drooping by toning, tightening and stretching specific areas. Prior to Botox, facial exercises were very popular and are coming back as self treatment.
Many facercises can be found online, but be sure you’re following a trained coach or yoga instructor. You will find easy moves like puffing your cheeks, to more complex moves where you hold the muscle ends with your finger while pulling a face. Search up a few and make faces in your mirror. It’ll keep you looking young.
Food for Your Face
Super foods and healthy diets are not only good for your body, but also great for your skin. While foods with a high glycemic index, like bread, can cause inflammation and a loss of elasticity, it is believed that high-protein diets are good for your face because of anti-inflammatory qualities. Collagen is a protein in our body that creates suppleness in the skin’s dermal layer.
Over time, collagen production naturally decreases. Certain foods can help restore this protein: soy encourages the body to create more collagen, blueberries carry vitamin C for manufacturing collagen and oily fish such as herring protect collagen with omega-3s.
Healthy qualities in the food can also work from the outside. Yes, this is putting food on your face.
Try mixing a few ingredients, ground up, and massage onto your skin. Let the mask rest for about 10 minutes and gently rinse off. There are a range of great face foods: sugar is an exfoliate, honey holds moisture, olive oil and carrots have antioxidants, avocado gives vitamin E, strawberries have folic acid, which is good for fighting acne, and finally eggs are believed to add protein. Egg on your face — no longer a disgrace.
Acupuncture Facelifts
Acupuncture has been used in the past to relieve pain, help mood disorders, control PMS, tame addiction, control obesity and help with infertility. It also can create a face tightening lift.
Tiny needles are inserted into the skin, focusing on fine or age lines. The intrusion causes a micro-irritation under the skin that reduces the look of wrinkles. Progress does take several sessions, but clients claim there is a noticeable difference in the youthfulness of their skin. When done properly, this procedure is considered a low-pain treatment, and even relaxing. Cosmetic acupuncture should be done by a trained professional. Clinics can be found here in Victoria.
Non-surgical facelifts don’t have the same results as surgical ones, but results can be dramatic. Explore your options, like Ponce de León did, and find your own fountain of youth. Workout your wrinkles, eat right and wear the leftovers, or try acupuncture.
Give your face a boost with a non-surgical facelift, but don’t forget the sunscreen to protect your efforts. You will look younger and feel better, too. M