NONSURGICAL FACELIFT, NO KIDDING!!!

NONSURGICAL FACELIFT, NO KIDDING!!! ©

By Polly Guerin

Some say that a woman’s face is but a reflection of her inner beauty and perhaps the celebrated British poet, Robert Browning’s poem, ‘A Pretty Woman,’ concedes to this theory. One verse reads, “So, we leave the sweet face fondly there: Be its beauty, Its sole duty! Let all hope of grace beyond, lie there!” Ah, but how to maintain a beautiful, youthful face, that is the question. It is not only women in the performing arts, socialites, movie stars and celebrities who are drawn to products that insure an attractive youthful face it is every woman’s prerogative. This quest for maintaining one’s beauty has fueled a cosmetic industry rich in commercial elixirs, potions, creams and tonics all promising to keep the face youthful and wrinkle free.

THE MIRROR IMAGE

“Mirror Mirror on the Wall Whose the Fairest of them All?” said the witch in the Wizard of Oz. In the same manner don’t we all look in the mirror and start to fidget pulling facial skin tighter towards our ears or pulling at the corner of our eyes and notice how those crow’s feet seemingly disappear. “Well, don’t we say to the mirror image, “That’s how I used to look!” So how did these aging signs happen? Excessive massaging of the face can break down collagen, heavy drinking can impair blood circulation, too much sun does its damage, heavy smoking encourages wrinkles, and yo yo diets with weight gain and weight loss extremes take their toll as well. When Edgar Cayce, the great American psychic was asked, “How can people avoid aging in appearance?” He replied “The mind! I couldn’t agree more. I had an aunt who was handsome but not really pretty. However, she was impeccably groomed and before she left her house she looked into a blue tinted mirror and the world perceived her as beautiful by her radiant smile and sparkling eyes.

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

In a healthy person a large amount of fat is packed under the facial skin and as we age, this fat tends to diminish and the skin becomes less elastic and begins to show the telltale signs of sagging. In response to an inquiry, “How can sagging facial muscles be avoided?” Cayce advised: “About twice a month, we would have mud packs; face and neck, and across the shoulders and upper portion about the neck; especially extending over the area of the thyroids---as an astringent and as a stimulation for a better circulation throughout the system. (1968-4) Obviously treatment for the face starts at the upper portion of the body. However, once the skin has matured and deep lines pave their way into your skin and brown patches appear routine care will not restore a youthful complexion but maintenance will---cleansing, cell renewal, moisturizing and sun protection are the four keys to curtaining further deterioration. Yes, there are injections that erase lines and wrinkles, creams that stimulate the growth of collagen and surgery to tighten loose skin, even face-lifts to make a visible improvement on your appearance, but these can only be performed by a physician. There may be justified reasons to resort to plastic surgery to correct nature’s errors and in the worst scenario to correct serious deformities from accidents or war-related injuries.

EDGAR CAYCE’S ADVICE

The great prophet Edgar Cayce advised that, “Cosmetic surgery, the face lift, can be postponed or avoided entirely with a program of good nutrition, general exercise, massage, hydrotherapy, and special facial exercise. However, when the muscles in the face become flabby, the face droops, sags, and ages.” He further is a great exponent of positive thinking. “Negative thoughts and poor circulation accelerate the appearance of lines, wrinkles, blemishes, and muddy color, while poor elimination will not only produce blackheads, pimples, and dry or oily skin, but is one of the chief causes of major skin disease. Cayce advocated exercises for the face with the logic that if we can go to the gym to tone up our bodies, why not exercises for the face?

HEAD-AND-NECK EXERCISES

Remember those head-and-neck exercises I described in an earlier discourse on maintaining a gorgeous complexion. Well, back to the drawing board or should I say back to basics. These head rolls are an excellent way to start the day and perfect as a break exercise when working at the computer. Quite simple roll the head very slowly over to right shoulder, then to the back then to the left shoulder and return to center (repeat in the opposite direction, and do each roll at least 10 times). When performed each day, according to Cayce, his head-and-neck exercise will stimulate the circulation to the entire face, head and neck: keep the throat and jaw line firm; and prevent the formation of double or multiple chins. No cost, just your time, you don’t even have to go to a gym. When I do the head-and-neck exercise it sounds sand grating or crackling sounds that tell me the body is doing its job at maintaining my looks and sending oxygen to my brain.

SINGER’S TIPS

Having been a singer for a long time with a chorale group I am thoroughly convinced that singers’ good looks well into their 80s comes from the vibrations within their head when they are singing. I was delighted to find that Edgar Cayce seems to support this theory as he recommends, “Do as singers do and practice the vowels going up and down the scale singing as loudly as you can (benefits the mouth and cheeks)” as follows: Oh—Oh—Oh—Oh—Oh, Ah—Ah—Ah—Ah—Ah, Eeh—Eeh—Eeh—Eeh—Eeh—and Ooh—Ooh—Ooh—Ooh—Ooh—and repeat these vowels several times. Even a non singer can perform these exercises singing, of course, for her own amazement.

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY

Alas we all want to put our best face forward to a critical world that seems to worship the cult of youth. However, there’s nothing wrong with growing old gracefully, but by applying some of these really simple and basic, common sense exercises the face can appear more toned up, brighter and less wrinkled. So how can you avoid aging in appearance? Well Cayce reminded us, “The Mind!” For how we think about the beautiful face we present each day, so it is in the eyes of the beholder.