It was the fifteenth century. A Japanese woman, Hino Tomiko, the wife of one of the generals who ruled Japan and under whose reign even the tea ceremony was born and spread, demanded that a powerful treatment be devised just for her beauty. Hino Tomiko wanted to remove the signs of aging and have an always young, luminous and elastic skin. Thus, a special facial massage was created from the ancient wisdom of the samurai, which, with skillful touches, was aimed at oxygenating the tissues and maintaining a fresh and radiant face. This massage could only be practiced on Hino Tomiko who jealously guarded its secrets. But facial massage has evolved over the centuries to become a treatment for everyone and nowadays even science has dedicated several studies to understand its effectiveness. Let us take inspiration from the fabulous massage by Hino Tomiko to see small gestures to be made every day in the morning or in the evening to fight wrinkles and dull complexion and to feel a little bit like king and queen. SPAZO Facial massage, what science says - Studies have observed that undergoing a facial massage improves, in most cases, the appearance of the skin, which appears fresher, younger, firmer and more elastic. Not only that, facial massage has also been able to delay the appearance of wrinkles (Khanna et al, Int J Dermatol, 2002). But facial massage also aims to relax tensions, which are often located in the forehead and jaw, and to help the skin get rid of toxins (Neill, J Clin Invest, 2012).
Exercise 1, tapping
Tapping the face is a practice widely used even nowadays in yoga. With this gesture it is possible to stimulate the circulation and the purification processes of the tissues, but also to counteract their sagging. Bring your hands up to your forehead, start moving your hands as if you were a pianist, beating them gently against your skin, then tap, repeat this gesture until you cover the entire forehead. Then move to the cheekbones, then above the upper lip and then on the chin and along the lower jaw.
Exercise 2, anti-wrinkle pinches
Small pinches for this anti-wrinkle massage. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch perpendicular to the wrinkle. Pinch along the entire line of the wrinkle. This massage is excellent in the evening on freshly cleansed skin. Then sprinkle a floral water, such as rose or thyme, and apply a few drops of a serum oil or face cream.
Exercise 3, small presses for younger looking skin
When you apply the serum or cream you can give yourself a little anti-wrinkle pampering. Slide the fingertips of your index fingers back and forth always perpendicular to the wrinkle, along its entire length.
Exercise 4, crow's feet
With the thumb and forefinger of one hand, gently stretch the crow's feet area. With the other hand, massage in a circular motion using your index finger, then slide your finger up to the temples. In this case, the massage is even better if it is performed also applying an eye contour so that the fingers can slide without irritating the skin, which in the eye contour area is very delicate.
Exercises 5, neck
Sprinkle some floral water on the neck and, while applying the cream or serum to this area as well, make a circular movement from top to bottom with the right hand on the left side and then with left hand on the right side.
