Often clients ask my opinions on Botox and fillers, plastic surgery, etc. As a holistic esthetician, I believe the overall appearance of the skin is a reflection of how the body is supported as a whole, not by just one visible symptom. I’ve healed and transformed my own skin by working on my nutrition, stress response, emotional discovery and management, as well as my genetic predispositions. This has given me a more robust picture of how to best support my health and true well-being, especially as it relates to my skin.
The Skin is Your Greatest Ally
I look to changes in my skin’s appearance to guide me on how I am doing in that journey. If my eyes are puffy or the texture under the eye is a bit more creased than I remember, I review my hydration, diet, sleep, etc., before assuming my 46 years are catching up to me and Botox is the only alternative. More importantly, I review the pressures and emotions I may have been processing at that time. Have I had greater anxiety while parenting, navigating marriage and career? Have I been ill or struggling with my immune system? Have I forgotten to allow time for my own quiet moments amongst all the heavy demands? Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed, my only option is to cry, so I do.
I don’t stuff it down, pretend all is picturesque and just throw on a smile never allowing my true emotions (though there are times when that is necessary). Instead, I journal and mist myself in flower elixirs, call my friend, tell my therapist, vent to my mom, and cry and release. I honor the emotions and allow them to flow up and away.
What do emotions have to do with aging?
I tell you this, because it is crucial to understand that if you do not allow and release these emotions, they store in the muscles. These emotions that furrow our brows, clench our jaws, tense our lips and turn down the corners of the mouth, impact our body in so many ways. The most visible way is in the skin of the face. Forced facial expressions and emotional tensions pull the skin, causing a spasm in the musculature that eventually results in an uneven appearance and structure. A decline in muscle health is an even larger contributor to the rapid aging process than collagen loss!
Can Botox fix this?
Botox is a toxin that once injected into the muscle, paralyzes it. The idea is that if you paralyze the muscle, it will no longer pull the skin and create a crease. The problem is, what happens to muscles after they are paralyzed? They atrophy! The muscles of your face create the structure on which your skin hangs. No robust, full, healthy muscle? No smooth, uplifted, healthy appearance. Additionally, we still have no idea what the long-term consequences of injecting a neurotoxin into the body will do. It is simply creating a superficial mask on top of the underlying tension that still exists. This is why invasive cosmetic procedures never look completely natural.
Aging Brings Experiences, Challenges and Victories
Your face is meant to emote. It is a huge form of human communication and crucial to your well-being. It creates a beautiful face that shows a life full of living! We are born to experience and conquer emotional journeys throughout our life. It’s why we exist. We win these battles, but the memory of those emotions inevitably tends to remain in the muscles. Now, I have discovered and trained in a technique to help the muscles release these tensions without invasive and contradictory procedures.
Meet Sculptural Face Lifting (SFL)!
I have been watching Yakov Gershkovich for 2 years now and dying to learn his magic. This February, I got my chance to train directly with the creator of this amazing technique. It is the perfect complement to my skin treatment philosophy in that it optimizes not only your appearance, but also your health and sense of well-being. No needles, invasive procedure or surgery, and no controlled wounding of the skin.
Commonly known as buccal massage (and currently touted by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Megan Markel), this is a clinical esthetic technique with an osteopathic effect. It focuses on specific movements to the outer face and soothing release from the inside of the mouth to open, smooth and re-sculpt, releasing the stored tension and emotion from the muscles that pull the skin. Instead of paralyzing, the technique works to build and sculpt the muscle, increasing the health and tone of your facial structure. Those who have already had Botox or fillers can benefit as well! It is not only effective for an optimized appearance, it is also a thorough and restorative release for those who suffer with severe tension headaches and TMJ. This treatment includes a deep cleanse and application of nutrient-dense serums and intensive hydration. For long-lasting results, a series of 6-10 sessions is recommended.
BENEFITS
- Lift and rejuvenation without invasive procedures; we work out the inner emotions through the superficial parts like bones, muscle and skin. When you release the inner block, you release the pull on the face. Superficial procedures, like surgery and injections, rarely look completely natural, because the inner conflict is never addressed and continues to pull.
- Passive muscle fitness: SFL stimulates and works the muscles as if you were in a gym. Muscular structure is a major framework for the face, like a clothes hanger. When it is paralyzed or atrophied, the skin hangs, and the face is poorly aligned.
- Release of stress on a deeper level.
- Sooth autoimmune responses via stress release.
- Deep relaxation of muscles.
- Therapeutic effect for TMJ, severe clenching, stagnation of sinuses, twitching and even partial paralysis due to stroke.
- Cleansing and boosting of skin function and appearance…hello, glow!
- Osteopathic effect due to better movement of skull bones.
- Improvement of facial posture and alignment.