Rejuvenation expert: Wrinkles start at the feet, you don’t need a surgeon to get rid of them
When Valeria Voskobojevová noticed her first wrinkles in the mirror, the thought of anti-aging creams did not cross her mind. Instead, she used her knowledge of microbiology. Today, her methods rejuvenate customers at Face Form Studio in Prague.
In the interview, she talks about how wrinkles often start from the feet. How is this possible, and what can you do about it?
Advertisements claim that those who want a youthful appearance must buy creams and anti-aging serums. You offer a completely different method of rejuvenation: massages, facial fitness or taping. How do your methods work?
Women who notice wrinkles in the mirror often believe that it’s all about the skin. That’s not true. The occurrence of wrinkles, folds or puffiness is also linked to changes in the bones of the skull, muscles and blood vessels.
At Face Form Studio, we use manual physiological techniques to address aesthetic issues, focusing on working with the muscles, ligaments, fatty layers and bone structure of the face. We aim to identify the source of the aesthetic problem on a physiological level rather than masking it.
FaceForm Studio specializes in facial shaping using natural methods of rejuvenation.
What causes facial aging?
The key causes of facial aging at the microscopic level include cellular metabolism slowing, loss of adipose tissue, hormonal changes, ultraviolet light exposure or repetitive facial movements.
Facial aging at the macroscopic level involves changes that are visible to the naked eye. This includes the loss of firmness and outline, wrinkling, or the loss of volume and pigmentation.
Is it really possible to rejuvenate your face without surgery?
Yes, there are a variety of manual techniques and procedures. But it’s important to note that the effects won’t be as radical and quick as with surgery, especially when it comes to removing deep wrinkles, excess skin on the eyelids, face and neck, bags under the eyes or addressing the overall loss of skin firmness.
„The body and the face are one organism.“
For example, a classic facial massage improves blood flow and lymphatic drainage, which can lead to improved skin tone and a smoother appearance. Some massage techniques can also release muscle tension and soften facial lines.
Facial massage positively influences blood and lymph flow, relaxes muscles and shapes facial contours.
Part of your rejuvenating procedures also involves working with the body. What do you mean by that?
Various physical exercises, working with muscles and fasciae of the body, massages to relieve muscle and fascia tension. We focus on correct body posture and healthy habits as well.
What do these healthy habits include?
Gait, the manner of sitting, lifting objects, turning the body. The body is a chain of interconnected elements. As soon as there is a distortion in one of the elements of the chain, the other elements take on a double load, becoming overstrained or shutting down. The body tension shifts to the fascia of the neck and head, including the face. Facial muscle tension then affects mimic wrinkles.
No surgeries or invasive rejuvenation procedures will solve the root of the problem of why a double chin, nasolabial folds (laugh lines) or forehead wrinkles occur.
Valerie Voskobojevová’s ten tips for home rejuvenation:
- Skincare: cleaning, toning, hydration, sun protection.
- Massages to support blood flow, lymph, muscle relaxation, forming of facial features.
- Sufficient amount of physical activity: walks, exercise (i.e. yoga, pilates).
- Correct body posture and healthy habits.
- Proper walking trajectory: learn it with our e-book, Step by step to Healthy Walking.
- Avoiding bad habits: smoking, alcohol, fastfood, ultraviolet light, excessive use of mobile phones, poor sitting, crooked stance, insufficient stretching after exercise, carrying bags on one shoulder.
- Diaphragmatic breathing: enables the diaphragm to work with the rib cage and internal deep muscles. (Did you know that healthy shoes and healthy walking support correct breathing?)
- Nutrition and hydration of the body: drink enough water and eat nutritious food.
- Stress management: relaxation, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises.
- Adequate and high-quality sleep: helps to regenerate the skin and minimize dark circles and puffiness under the eyes.
Reading tip: Satisfaction from head to toe. How does going barefoot help your mental health?
You mention gait and posture. How are they linked to facial aging?
Incorrect body posture can be one of the causes for muscle tension in the chest, shoulders, neck and head. That makes the tension shift to the facial muscles, leading to wrinkles and the deformation of facial features.
An imbalance in a single part of the body can have cascading effects on the entire figure and movement. For example, flat feet may lead to uneven muscle weakening and overloading. This condition causes an imbalance in muscle tension, affecting feet as well as the whole body.
You say that the whole body is interconnected. Can you give us an example?
Of course, a great one is the connection between the foot and forehead wrinkles.
The so-called posterior fascial chain starts at the foot. It goes up the back of the leg, across the lower and upper back and neck and ends at the epicranial aponeurosis (located on the head). Very often, horizontal wrinkles are associated with tension in the aponeurosis.
We can work with it through the whole posterior chain. Relaxing the soles of your feet has a positive effect on the condition of the aponeurosis, and therefore on the horizontal forehead wrinkles.
Experience what a simple foot massage can do for the rest of your body.
Is foot health related to other signs of aging?
Yes, definitely. In addition to the posterior chain, we have anterior one. That’s the connection between the front of the foot, muscles on the front part of the leg, the anterior abdominal wall muscle (abs), chest, neck and face. It affects the figure, double chin and changes in facial features.
„To prevent these issues, it’s important to pay attention to correct posture, which should always start with balancing the core of the body, and the correct positioning of the feet when standing and walking.“
Tension and imbalance in the anterior chain can also impact composition of the face. If the muscles and fasciae of the front of the neck are tense and shortened, the axis of the face may shift downwards.
To prevent these issues, it’s important to work on maintaining muscle balance, to release tension in the fasciae and pay attention to correct body posture, which should always start with balancing the core of the body, and the correct positioning of the feet when standing and walking.
Unfortunately, healthy posture is not a certainty. Over the years in tight, narrow shoes, we’ve forgotten it. Do you want to regain it? Download our free e-book Step by step to healthy walking.
What about gait and wrinkles, do you see a connection?
Yes, of course.
Proper walking posture, in which the head, shoulders and pelvis are in line, supports an even distribution of body weight and minimizes straining of certain body parts including the face.
Correct walking also helps to reduce tension in the neck muscles. Proper shoulder position and free neck movement reduce tension that can shift to the muscles and fasciae of the face. This can prevent neck and facial wrinkles from occurring.
„Working with the face is impossible without first working with the body and correcting posture.“
Healthy walking supports the activation of blood circulation. Better circulation provides the skin with adequate nutrition and oxygen, keeping it firm and glowing. Good blood flow also eliminates toxins and waste materials from the skin, which can improve its condition.
Your facial rejuvenation methods are not yet common here. How did you come across them?
It all started with me noticing changes in myself – second chin, facial swelling and nasolabial folds. I’ve always been a proponent of a healthy lifestyle. And injections and foreign chemical substances were not in line with that.
As a microbiologist by education, I understand what a cell and a living organism are. The body is a self-sustaining system, capable of self-healing. It needs to be helped, not hindered. That’s why I started looking for alternative physiological methods of solving my problems.
Now, I’ve reached a point where I understand that working with the face is impossible without working with the body and correcting posture. The new methods I’ve started to put into practice affect the body. But the emphasis is always on the face.
Founder of FaceFormStudio Valeria Voskoboeva
How does a visit to the Face Form Studio look?
I always recommend making an appointment for the first visit, which lasts 1.5 hours. It includes a manual diagnosis and an hour-long massage.
The diagnosis takes 20 minutes. I palpate all the muscles of the trapezius, neck and face. I make a facial map and mark tension zones. I point out to the client how tension in the facial muscles causes deformities, wrinkles and creases.
„Massage on its own can provide a good result, but combined with body and posture work, we can achieve even better results, faster and for a longer time.“
During the diagnosis, we usually discuss how the body affects the condition of the face, and that correcting posture and habits helps to improve it significantly.
I inform the clients that massage on its own can provide a good result, but combined with body and posture work, we can achieve even better results, faster and for a longer time. The body and the face are one organism.
After the diagnosis, I recommend techniques that can help reduce stress zones and explain how it can affect the condition of the face.
Procedures at FaceFormStudio are aimed at maintaining beauty without chemical or medical intervention.
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