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How to Wash Your Face

How you wash your face can make a difference in how you age. This is because the skin and the underlying muscles can be subject to stretching over time if you continually pull and scrub them in a direction contrary to their nature. In Chapter 1 of this book, we discussed the concept of origin and insertion as it relates to muscle tissue, and it bears repeating here. Every muscle in your body has a point of origin, where it attaches to bone, and a point of insertion, where it attaches to a moving part, either bone or soft tissue. When you massage a muscle, you must always stroke from insertion to origin and never the other way around. Stroking the muscle in the wrong direction will cause it to stretch over time and become loose and saggy. Because the skin and muscles of the face are delicate, they are particularly susceptible to abuse. Exfoliate no more than once a week, and even then, do so gently. A gentle exfoliation using circular strokes can make your skin glow, but if you’re making your circles in the wrong direction, you will be hastening the aging process.
Tip: Bags and wrinkles can be exacerbated by all that tugging and scrubbing you inflict on your delicate lower eyelids while taking off your mascara at the end of the day. To avoid this, get in the habit of doing a Lid Up while you remove your makeup, tensing the lower eyelid. This will prevent the skin from beings tretched as you gently daub it with a washrag or cotton ball. And remember to always stroke inward—patting from the outer corner of your eye toward the bridge of your nose.

1. Stroke inward
(circular motion)

2. Stroke downward

3. Stroke downward
(circular motion)

4. Stroke upward
(circular motion)

5. Pat gently

6. Stroke outward
(circular motion)

7. Stroke upward
(circular motion)

8. Stroke upward
(circular motion)

9. Stroke downward
(circular motion)

Whether using a soft washcloth or just your fingers,wash your face as follows:

Starting at the temples, work inward along your eyebrows using short, circular strokes. Moving downward, make short strokes from the bridge to the tip of your nose and small circular strokes along the sides of your nose.

Make small circular upward strokes moving from the base of the flare of your nostrils toward the inner corners of your eyes.

On your upper and lower lids, pat gently from the outer corners of your eyes inward—do not scrub or wipe in this area. Women are particularly rough on the eye area while washing, since they are often removing makeup. A good eye-makeup remover that takes the mascara off without rubbing is a must if you wear waterproof mascara. If you are wiping your eyes with a tissue, always keep the eye tissue firm, either by tensing your lower lids or by holding it in place with your fingers.

On your upper lip, beginning from the center, make small circular strokes, moving upward and outward toward your cheeks.

Make upward sweeping, circular strokes on your cheeks and then your forehead. Make small downward circular strokes on your chin finishing with sweeping downward strokes on your neck.

Be sure to use these same movements while drying your face.
Tip: Salt is an acquired taste. This means that, while the foods you eat will taste bland when you first cut back on salt, soon your taste buds will adapt and you won’t even notice the difference. In fact, the foods you eat will probably taste better than ever when you stop dulling your senses with so much salt. You can look better and add years to your life by cutting back on salt. (Taken from McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois, citing R. L. Duyff, American Dietetic Association’s Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 1998).