Flexible Stuff - Article 5, Sunday, June 2, 2024
DIY Face Lifts!
While my current picture compared to one almost ten years ago isn't going to shake the social media headspace, it does prove that the DIY methods I use to keep my jaw firm and my eyebrows properly aligned, do work.
​
At 52, I wrote and illustrated a book on facial muscle strengthening. Shortly thereafter, I moved to New York where I intended to promote the book.
​
Unfortunately, due to acne, my skin did not photograph well, and frankly, still doesn't. I have, however, escaped the angry look of old age. If you want to escape that too, I'll show you how.
Let's Get Started!
​
There are numerous YouTube tutorials on Do It Yourself Facelifts. I recommend the tutorials by Doctor Alekseev, a Ukrainian/American chiropractor, neurologist, and kinesiologist on YouTube. Why? Because his techniques are most like mine and possibly better, he's humorous as presented with dubbed-in English. Click here for two of his best videos and start watching them now: Wrinkles will Disappear and You'll Become Too Beautiful and You Will Be Stolen!
​
Do these techniques work? Look to your own experience to decide whether they do. It's well known that exercise and muscle strengthening can tone and shape-up your body. Do facial exercises work? Yes. Of course they do, but don't look outside of your own experience for proof. Given that selfies are easy to take, the success you see will be in the photos you take of yourself.
Today, every computer, tablet, and cell phone has a camera, making selfie photos and videos very easy to make. Here's how I suggest using them:
​
-
At the start of your exercises, take a selfie every few days. We'll discuss posing in a later blog. If you regularly participate in Zoom calls, however, capture some of those photos, too.
​
-
Take pictures of yourself while watching Doctor Alekseev's suggestions to help you remember his techniques.
​
Your objective doing these exercises is to strengthen your smile, firm your chin, and raise your eyebrows naturally without consciously doing it. A good test to determine whether your facial muscles are currently weak is to time yourself smiling for a minimum of 5 minutes. If your cheeks start shaking, your facial muscles are weak!
​
There are, of course, additional details you need to consider, which we'll discuss in the future. These include:
​
-
Facial Posture: Learn how to smile without wrinkling your nose or pulling your cheeks up to your eyeballs.
-
Neck and Shoulder Posture: Become aware of gooseneck and how to avoid it.
-
Lighting: Find out why all Zoom calls should be under shadow-free light.
-
Makeup: Discover how to suppress wrinkle shine with just a dab of powder.
-
Speak with Love and Kindness: Learn how our appearance reflects our words, and our words are an important component of appearance.
​​
Fight Against Ageism!
​
If you follow social media even minimally, you know that people (primarily women) are reshaping their aging faces by having them carved up, stitched tight, and stuffed with fat.
The result of cosmetic surgery, however, changes appearance, especially where fat is injected, such as in the lips and cheeks. It works for a while but can turn deadly when people continuously turn to surgery as they age.
​
The main reason aging gets a bad rap is that as facial muscles weaken, it makes many older people look angry. Their mouths droop! Their brows furrow! This is what we want to avoid, and thankfully, we can quickly and easily do so.
​
Let's us, the over 65 year old crowd, ban together, set the stage, and inspire those younger that aging doesn't always result in scowling. Resorting to expensive, potentially dangerous Frankenstinian procedures to save face is not necessary if your objective is to be attractive for the rest of your life.
​
Upcoming blogs . . .
​
I post every Sunday. Feel free to contact me with questions at Karen@Littleviews.com.
​
By Karen Little, June 2, 2024