Exercises to reduce facial puffiness and spoon massage to stimulate meridians.

Exercises to reduce facial puffiness

Let's first understand the main causes of facial puffiness.

1) Chronic stress

When stressed, hormones secreted can increase appetite and prevent the body from feeling full quickly. This naturally leads to weight gain, but it also disrupts normal bodily functions, causing swelling in the face and body. It worsens facial shape and makes the complexion look unpleasant.

2. Insufficient sleep

If the body doesn't get enough rest, its metabolism won't function properly. You should ensure at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night.

3. Shoulder and neck pain

Shoulder and body pain is a sign of poor blood circulation. Because these areas are close to the face, it can cause facial swelling. This can be relieved with simple stretching exercises.

4. Irregular lifestyle

People who habitually eat late at night or have a particular fondness for salty foods may experience irregular water metabolism, leading to edema caused by water retention. Therefore, it's important to eat regularly and maintain a light diet.

Exercises to reduce facial puffiness before bed or after waking up

Spending five minutes practicing this exercise after waking up in your bed or before bed, after washing your face, can reduce facial puffiness. Eliminating puffiness naturally removes excess fat from the face, resulting in a slender and softer facial contour.

① Cover your face completely with your palms and press firmly.

② Close your eyes and gently press around your eyes with your index and middle fingers, being careful not to touch your eyeballs.

③ Use your fingers to gently press and move from the outer corner of your eye to the base of your ear.

④ Start by gently pressing the indentation below the earlobe, and continue pressing along the jawline down to the neck.

Stimulating acupoints can eliminate puffiness across the entire face.

Locating and pressing the correct acupoints can promote blood circulation and metabolism, reducing swelling. The effects are even better when performing this exercise upon waking in the morning or while bathing.

① Use your index and middle fingers to gently push and press upwards at the Kezhuren acupoint below the outer corner of your eye. It would be even better if you lifted the outer corner of your eye upwards at this time.

② Gently press the Sibai acupoint, located below the pupil and in the slight depression at the bottom of the cheekbone, with your middle finger.

③ The acupoint in the center of the back of the neck is Tianzhu (天柱). Press it with three fingers. The effect of acupressure will be better if you tilt your neck back slightly.

④ The Renying acupoint is located on both sides of the neck, 1.5 cm from the throat. Press this area with your middle finger.

Massage to promote metabolism

There are many acupoints on the ear that are closely related to internal organs. The area from below the ear to the neck is where hormones are secreted. Stimulating this area can promote facial metabolism. If you don't have time to learn the following methods, that's okay. Even just pinching and gently pulling the entire ear or slowly massaging the neck can have good results.

① Cover the entire ear with your palm and press down slightly.

② Pinch your ears with your thumb and forefinger and pull them evenly upwards, downwards, outwards, and diagonally. Repeat 5 times. This will warm your body.

③ Gently pull your earlobe while widening your eyes. At the same time, slowly exhale and stick out your tongue. Sticking out your tongue can exercise the muscles in your neck.

Spoon massage to stimulate meridians

Spoon massage, which stimulates meridians, is a highly effective beauty massage method that can improve appearance without surgery. The body is an organic structure; problems in one part will manifest on the face-a concept found in Eastern medicine regarding beauty. In South Korea, many places offer facial massages using hands or spoons to address facial issues. These beauty salons are very popular.

The spoon massage method does not directly stimulate acupoints. The human body has meridians evenly distributed throughout it, and the spoon massage method involves rubbing the skin along these meridians without requiring high-intensity physical exercise.

Preparations

Prepare a clean, flat wooden spoon that can be used to rub your skin. Of course, this spoon should not be used for eating afterwards.

Speed ​​and force

Start by rubbing gently, then gradually increase the pressure. As you get used to this friction, you'll experience a soothing sensation. Start light and fast → increase pressure but slow speed → increase pressure and speed simultaneously, adjusting the speed and pressure in this sequence.

Friction direction

Unlike methods that directly stimulate acupoints, this method requires evenly rubbing the skin. Rub in all directions, up and down, left and right.

Before starting the spoon massage

Gently rub your skin with a spoon. This also provides a rubbing motion to the muscles, which is beneficial for blood circulation.

Forehead

The forehead is an area with almost no fat accumulation. Lay the spoon flat on your forehead as far as possible and gently massage it up, down, left, and right.

cheek

Starting from the chin and moving upwards from the earlobe, use a spoon to rub the skin. Repeat this process on the jawline below the ears and towards the temples. Pay special attention to the "nasolabial folds" (the lines between the nostrils and the corners of the mouth) where excess fat tends to accumulate; therefore, rub these areas as well.

neck

Use a spoon to gently rub the skin from the top to the bottom of the neck. Tilt the spoon at an angle and rub the skin downwards with force.

nose

Grasp the spoon firmly and rub the edge of your nose.

scalp

Use a scraping motion to evenly rub the scalp.

Massage methods for different types of faces

The spoon massage method doesn't produce immediate results. However, with consistent use, you'll gradually see changes over time. Next, observe whether you have a fatty face or a large bone structure face. Below, we'll introduce single-handed spoon massage methods for each of these face shapes.

Fatty face

① Rub the back of your hand with a spoon. It's easier to rub by placing one hand on a table or knee for stability. Rub the area between your fingers, moving it up and down and side to side.

② Use a spoon to massage the protruding areas of the shoulder. Start from the top of the arm and rub up and down towards the shoulder.

③ Use a spoon to massage your chest and neck. The skin on the neck is more sensitive, so be careful and gentle when rubbing. Rub back and forth from below the breasts to massage the chest.

Large bone structure face

① Rub your fingers, arms, and shoulders with a spoon. Move the spoon up and down on your arms to rub, and bend your elbows when you reach them.