The facial “freeze” lift

The best way to revive wilted romaine lettuce is to place it in ice water. This little trick has not only saved a few salads, but many a face, as well.

 by Julia Busch — 

(Editor’s note:  This article is for information purposes only. Any application of the information contained in this column is done strictly at the risk of the user.)

The best way to revive wilted romaine lettuce is to place it in ice water. This little trick has not only saved a few salads, but many a face, as well. While this may seem strange, it is true that facial freezing works. The taut, rosy faces of winter are ready examples. And rumor has it that certain movie stars take the frigid plunge before going in front of the camera.

Skin care expert Jessica Krane wrote in her 1984 book, How to Use Your Hands to Save Your Face, “… for almost four years I have frozen my face every day — well over 1,000 times in all. …  At this writing, my facial skin tightly adheres to its structure … perhaps more tightly now than when I was under 20.” But, she cautioned, if she stopped her facial freeze for only one day, she noticed a difference.

An immediate toning will be apparent after facial freezing. In under a week, pores appear smaller and skin glows, with an overall tighter appearance.

Procedure

To start: Float 30 ice cubes in a bowl of water. After pulling your hair back from your squeaky clean face, apply ample cream or oil to protect your skin from the cold. Cotton-lined rubber gloves will protect your hands.

Day one: Begin with five splashes of ice water to the cheekbones. Next, five splashes to the chin area, five below the chin and five to the neck (20 splashes total). Repeat (40 splashes total).

Day two: As above, repeat four times to 80 splashes. As your face reaches freezing, it becomes numb and glows. Add more ice water to areas needing extra firming.

Finish for sensitive skin: Gently press dry with a soft towel and apply moisturizing cream.

Hardier skin may require more toning. To do this, first cut a 1-1/4” wide section from the long side of a 4” x 6” coarse sponge. This makes a 1-1/4” wide x 6” toning instrument. With the instrument in hand, and after 80 to 100 splashes, purse your lips to whistle, while forcing your chin down. This opens your lips slightly, holds your skin taut and stretches underlying muscles, helping to firm and tone the face.

Avoiding the forehead and under-eye area, lightly brush or tap your face with the dry piece of sponge. Start at the cheekbones, and slowly work across and down one side of the face with sharp but gentle taps. Now go down the other side. After this gentle stimulation, gingerly press dry your skin with a soft towel. Add extra cream below the eyes and upper cheekbones. That is it, the daily regimen.

It has been suggested that facial freezing might blemish the skin or injure the delicate facial capillaries. Krane has said that she and her students had such occurrences. In fact, she noted the procedure seemed to add to her skin’s overall resistance.

Still, to be on the safe side, always consult with your health care practitioner when undertaking any new exercise, supplements or procedures.

Julia Busch is president of Anti-Aging Press, Inc., editor of the So Young™ anti-aging holistic newsletter and author of 10 books. For information on skin care questions call 305-662-3928 or e-mail [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 29, Number 3, June/July 2010.