Cosmetic Procedures Archives | Katerina Steventon

The Benefits of Facial Massage

By Katerina Steventon| 2018-09-05T21:29:38+00:00 April 23rd, 2018|Cosmetic Procedures, FaceWorkshops, Facial Ageing, Facial Massage, Facial Yoga|

In preparation for my talk on touch at the Anti-Ageing Conference in London, I am looking at evidence for facial massage. Massage appears to inﬂuence the entire face and this may be one reason why visual evaluation is difﬁcult. The combination of 3D-CT analysis (enables us to recognize anatomical changes in the subcutaneous structures of the face) and visual assessment helps to evaluate the effects of facial massage in detail. The nasolabial folds are groove-like structures running outside of the nasal alae and the corners of the mouth. They are easy to evaluate visually. The adipose tissue out-side of the nasolabial folds is thick and forms the shape of the cheek. Facial massage method: Using cosmetic cream as a lubricant, facial skin and muscles were massaged relaxing the muscles and promoting blood and lymph ﬂow. The massage procedure (5 min long, repeated twice): 1) kneading the entire facial muscles with a ﬁnger tip, 2) upward rubbing from the bottom to top of the face with a whole finger (from jaw line, to cheek, forehead, and eyes) 3) rubbing from the bottom to the top of the face with all four ﬁngers RESULTS: Facial massage caused morphological changes at multiple locations on the face: a) the subcutaneous soft tissue around the jaw tightened, soft tissues moved upwards at sites around the jaw b) the thickness of fat tissue at the nasal

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Skin Supplements: Acne/Rosacea, Anti-ageing

By faceworkshops| 2016-11-17T14:47:17+00:00 September 19th, 2016|Aesthetic Rules & Beauty, Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Ageing, Skin Concerns, Wellbeing|

My clinical experience with supplements to improve skin health is empirical. I work in an affluent area of East Yorkshire, yet the number of my clients that are: a) dedicated enough to adjust their lifestyle and food choices and b) able to invest in a skin supplement are limited. They get results when compliant. Having reviewed the impact of diet on acne (link to the publication), I strongly believe diet has an impact on inflammatory skin conditions - and clinically I see an improvement when my clients stick to these dietary recommendations every day. In terms of supplements, I used to recommend Oenobiol Pure Skin (no longer available) and any probiotics with diverse bacterial species, however, Symprove has proven to work best for my clients. Symprove is a water-based multi-strain supplement that contains 4 unique strains of live activated bacteria, they have trialled the supplement at UCL. The strains include: L. rhamnosus, E. faecium, L. acidophilus, and L. plantarum. Normally a healthy gut would already contain all four of these, however when it doesn’t, it can soon become unbalanced. In my view, the gut in inflammatory skin conditions is unbalanced. My hypothesis agrees with Whitney P Bowe, et al. Gut Pathog. 2011;3:1-1. Psychological stress alone [or in combination with high fat diet and/or processed comfort foods devoid of fiber] cause alterations to

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Choices in Anti-Ageing: The Botox & Fillers Alternative

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-09T09:29:33+00:00 November 23rd, 2015|Aesthetic Rules & Beauty, Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Ageing, Facial Yoga|

A good analogy for the holistic approach I advocate for the face - personalised skincare routine, professional treatments and at-home facial exercise - is exercising the body. If we want to tone up and achieve a better silhouette, we have a choice of a) an instant tummy tuck or b) to engage in a bespoke exercise regime. The later requires more effort and personal commitment, and the results are delivered slowly in comparison to the former. I have been witness to the adverse side effects of Botox, fillers and facial fat transfer making me firmly believe that the holistic approach is a health-affirming, if longer-term path, to inner beauty. When looking at the psychology of appearance, I refer to Dr Eileen Bradbury who said that undergoing cosmetic procedures often exposes us to a judgement of being vain; we receive little sympathy from our peers. Yet, we all strive to look attractive and struggle with ageing (see my survey). Attractiveness is important in all walks of life - symmetry and evenness of facial skin and features signal our health. Yet, we often don't see each other in movement, or when smiling, only static in the mirror. There is something disturbing about asymmetry - and as we age these asymmetries become more exaggerated. For example, sleeping on one side can contribute to more lines and a slightly 'squashed'

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The Art of Ageing by Diane von Furstenberg

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-07T09:36:05+00:00 May 16th, 2012|Aesthetic Rules & Beauty, Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Ageing|

“People believe that old age starts at 54 and youth ends at 32. The Government calls for reappraisal of attitudes towards age, given Britain’s rapidly ageing population.” A survey by the Department for Work and Pensions How To Age Well "If I feel good, I am more confident and function better. I've learnt to love what I have. I’ve learned that as I age, less is definitely more. I decided never to change my face and embrace how I age. You have to do it with joie de vivre." "The great news about ageing is that you’re living and that you have had a full life and have wonderful memories. The sad thing is that you have less time ahead of you. Every day that goes by I look a little less good - that is the truth. My advice to women is: Don’t hide your age, either by saying you are younger than you are or hiding it by erasing features in your face. It is all about acceptance. Embrace who you are as soon as possible when you are young. Like yourself. Have a discipline. Try to be alert - have your body follow you, have your mind follow you. Embrace where you are at in life, every age

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Famous Women on Beauty and Ageing: Quotations

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-07T09:37:49+00:00 May 16th, 2012|Aesthetic Rules & Beauty, Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Ageing|

In any culture, beauty has been about perfection but concepts of what constitutes "perfection" have changed over the centuries. As the population ages, it could well be that concepts of beauty will shift. We live at a time of great variety of age, gender, style, background, culture and attitude and contemplating beauty brings pleasure to each of us yet it comes in all shapes, colours and sizes. Chic, Autentic and Natural "Being an English person, and having lived in France for 40 years, I am not as nicely turned out as the French but I don’t care like the English." Jane Birkin “I never put my face in the sun. I am determined not to go the way of my contemporaries and get surgery. I have a lot of facials and take scrupulous care of my skin.” Joane Collins OBE "Self image is a complicated thing. I campaign against cosmetic surgery because it a grave act in which you don’t necessarily foresee all the consequences. The people who have it are lacking in confidence." Emmanuelle Beart, French acress by Matthew Campbell for Sunday times. “The more healthily you live, the better you look. We still want to look like ourselves when we grow older. We lose our sensuality when we have surgery,

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Cost of FaceLift = 12 Years of Facial Massage

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-07T08:56:54+00:00 October 26th, 2010|Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Massage, Facial Yoga|

In terms of facial ageing, prevention works always better than repair! A facelift in your 50's and 60's or 12 years of relaxing facial massage - the price is the same! Dr Frances Prenna Jones, a London based dermatologist, states that a British woman starts to show signs of facial ageing at the age of 26. And it is not a coincidence that in continental Europe, the age of 27 is the point when women start investing into their preventative facials. In Britain this is not always the case - as with any preventative treatment, we might not see and therefore appreciate the long-term benefit. We are busy building our families and professional life, and give more attention to our bodies, yet not the face. The consequences of inadequate care come later, when we reach the menopause, for a British woman around the age of 51. Reduced levels of estrogen lead to a sudden drop of hydration, increase in lines and wrinkles, loss of elasticity and sagging. The sun damage done in our teens and twenties comes to the forefront as an uneven pigmentation. We wake up wanting a radical, quick fix! The costs of a face lift with a good surgeon goes to £7000 - £8000 in the UK. There is

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On Beauty And Ageing

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-07T09:23:44+00:00 September 25th, 2010|Aesthetic Rules & Beauty, Cosmetic Procedures|

For so many women, life gets better in their later years. They grow into their looks and trade in their spotless perfect skin for experience and self-fulfilment. But if we are all living longer on average, we are going to spend most of our lives "not being young" and we might as well embrace it. Women complain of becoming invisible to men in middle age and research supports this as our programming. But older women have their life experience written into their faces - all these fascinating, inspiring, individual stories. Young girls have inimitable, peachy, smooth skin with their future unmapped in their faces. We can surgically enhance till we are blue in the face but we can never be beautifully young again. Instead, lets embrace our experiences and cherish the face that shows how interesting life we had. Source: Walter H. Beauty and truth. Harpers Bazaar, August 2010, 76.

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Facials With A Difference: Multi-Faceted Approach

By faceworkshops| 2017-01-24T17:10:54+00:00 September 8th, 2010|Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Yoga, Wellbeing|

"With so many shades of grey between the facial and the scalpel, to age gracefully is not to do nothing but to look like you've done nothing." Kelly Gilbert What are your expectations of a facial? Is it that "the glow" in your complexion will be short-lived and what you are really paying for is a quiescent body and mind? Are you reaching a point when - lovely and relaxing as a traditional facials are - you need to do more? From a biology-based point of view, ageing should be considered in three dimensions: the surface of your skin the internal skin structure the underlying muscles. There is no quick fix that can stop ageing but a careful and diligent routine can help you look younger and slow down the rate of ageing. Go for facials with elements that were once mutually exclusive - pampering and lasting results. SEASONAL PEEL. For brighter complexion, have a seasonal peel twice a year [spring/autumn]. The benefits include: brighter and even skin enhanced skincare penetration and improved performance of active ingredients fading of the appearance of fine lines and acne scarring. Use products with a mix of acids (combination suitable for your skin type, not aggressive and irritating) that will make you mildly red afterwards but induce no flaking when removing the dull surface skin. FACIAL YOGA & MASSAGE. For internal skin structure [collagen

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Anger, Botox and Smile…

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-07T09:00:18+00:00 August 8th, 2010|Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Yoga|

"Bad Botox made Sally's eyebrows pushed so far down that she looked constantly angry. She felt it, too. She felt angry all the time and was reminded by a therapist that if we want to lift our spirits, one of the ways we can do that is to smile. The opposite is also true." Research shows that controlling our facial expression controls our mood. A smile can help to defuse a potential toxic reaction but Botox might paralyse you outwardly and inwardly into hostility. It is meditation and yoga that are helpful in combating our anger and the natural methods of facial yoga and reflexology that achieve radiant skin, reduce wrinkles and improve definition. Source: Sally Brampton, Seeing Red: How to handle your anger. Sunday Times

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The Ideal Of Beauty

By faceworkshops| 2016-12-07T08:31:26+00:00 July 23rd, 2010|Aesthetic Rules & Beauty, Cosmetic Procedures, Facial Ageing, Wellbeing|

What women want is to look like better versions of themselves, without losing their expression and character. Nowadays, they are more vary of looking "done" than old - in light of celebrity images where Botox, injectables or surgery went wrong! Facial expression is crucial for basic human interaction. Lines are a proof that we've lived -we get them when we laugh and express ourselves. The mentality that encourages women to emulate perfection is about the safety of belonging. (Dr C d'Felice: Dare To Be You, Orion). In transforming themselves into living dolls, women feel they fit. Forget the "ideal" image - when it comes to beauty, it's time to embrace your unique features Your face is your business card - learn to care for it. Make sure you are doing 99 % right in terms of skincare, facial yoga and relaxation. Make a point of noting the positive aspects of your appearance in the mirror before you critique the negative. Cosmetic procedures can offer benefits but the dangers arise when they erase the features that give personality to a face. In general, people dislike the lack of variety that often comes with these procedures - and although we strive to look fabulous, we should also look real. Source: Betts, H. Busting the beauty myth. Psychologies August

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