Massage Of The Face
XI. MASSAGE OF THE FACE.
Position. - The patient is lying or sitting with the head
comfortably supported. Tell him to relax the muscles of the head and neck.
1. Stroking
with the two thumbs over the forehead, starting near by the eyebrows gradually in
succession working up to the hair-roots as in Fig. 20.
2. Friction with the tips of the
fingers in small circles, the other hand being used to stretch the part worked upon; for
this manipulation divide the forehead in two sections vertically. This is principally
applied with the object of overcoming wrinkles of the forehead.
3. Repeated stroking as
in No. 1, the operator being careful to tightly grasp the temples, so as to make the
patient feel that the head is properly supported.
4. Stroking with the tips of the
fingers over and below the eyes from the nose outward to the temples, both sides at a
time.
5. Friction with the tips of the fingers over the same part with special
attention to the outer corner of the eye and below it, where we generally find the
so-called " crow feet." Stretch the part with the thumb and fingers of one hand, and
perform the friction with the tips of the fingers of the other hand.
6. Repeated strokings as in No. 4.
7. Stroking with the two index fingers over the nose
from the eyebrows downward and outward. Raise the hands up high and hold them so during
the manipulation from start to finish. In other words the heel of the hand should be on a
level with the tip of the finger.
8. Stroking with both hands one on each side of the
face from the extreme lower part of the inferior maxillary region well up to the temple.
We stroke upwards because the face frequently presents a drawn and pulled-down appearance
: particularly so after a prolonged illness or a siege of nervous worry or tension.
9.
Friction and kneading of the cheeks, picking up the muscles as much as possible, always
remembering that the orbicularis oris is the insertion of most all the principal facial
muscles.
10. Repeated strokings as in No. 8, only the patient is told to inflate his
cheeks and to retain the air, breathing freely through his nose.
11. Stroking with the
fingers around the lips and chin.
12. Frictions with the tips of the fingers over the
same part or kneadings if our object is to remove superfluous fat. In the latter case
never use any fatty ointment but instead some benzoin preparation that will help to
contract the tissues.
13. Strokings repeated, as described in No. 11.
In treating wrinkles the operator should remember that they are not, as a rule, caused by
some trouble in the skin itself, but mostly always by a relaxed or weakened condition of
the underlying muscular tissues ; consequently our work must not be superficial but deep,
care being taken, of course, not to bruise the patient. By stimulating the circulation to
this particular part, we bring in increased nourishment to the relaxed and weakened
tissues. It is really wonderful what can be done in the way of improving the facial
expression by scientific massage, but like other parts of this valuable therapeutic, it
has been horribly abused. Steaming the face is frequently practiced but it is not to be
recommended inasmuch as it frequently causes the patient to contract a severe cold. Facial
paralysis and " tic douloureux " have been traced to steaming of the face. A massage
operator who cannot, by his manipulations, bring enough blood to the relaxed parts should
not treat a face!
Scars are treated by stretching the part and working with the tips of the ringers in
circles across the scar-tissue, finishing with strokings. Never use an ointment for facial
massage that contains vaselin or lanolin. They are both apt to produce hair growth,
particularly the former. There are so many inferior preparations on the market that the
author feels prompted to here give a recipe for the best facial skin food known, and in
the many years he has recommended it, he has never heard anything but the very best
results from it. - Oil of Sweet Almonds 2 ounces.
- Spermaceti 1/4
ounce.
- White Wax 1/4 ounce
- Orange fl. water 1/2 ounce
It will be
noticed that there are no mineral fats amongst the ingredients. Care should be taken to
see that the genuine spermaceti and wax be used, as both these preparations are " made "
from coal oil and we should not be willing to risk causing a hair growth on the face. If
we wish to make the eyebrows thicker and wider we can do so with the aid of coal oil
preparations, but it must be done by a trained person.FIG. 21. Massage of the Face.
In cases of facial paralysis it becomes necessary to work somewhat differently than
previously described. Cover the antiseptically cleaned index finger with a rubber tip or a
silk handkerchief, insert it in the mouth and with the thumb stroke the muscles in the
superior and inferior maxillary regions (see Fig. 21). The index acts as a good and easily
regulated support. Friction and kneading are given in a similar way. In applying
vibrations to the facial nerves and muscles, the author has used with the greatest
satisfaction the mechanical vibrator made by the Vibratile Company of New York City. There
are now many different vibrators on the market and the masseur should have at least one of
them. Most of them are run by power obtained from the electric street current.
Unfortunately this form of massage has been taken up by the barbers, many of whom use it
without thought and discretion.
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