Uplifting Experience : The Benefits and Limitations of Facial Contouring as Treatment for Sags
FACIAL contouring, which involves manual massage or mechanical manipulation of the facial muscles, is coming into vogue as more men and women seek ways to look younger without going under the cosmetic surgeon’s knife.
Although many cosmetologists refer to these facials as “non-surgical face lifts,” contouring treatments are not a true alternative to the scalpel. Rather, they are intended to develop facial muscle tone. Vera Brown’s salon, Vera’s Retreat in the Glen in Los Angeles, offers both manual and machine treatments. She claims that both methods increase the circulation in the face and neck “the same way that exercise works on the rest of the body. These treatments won’t get rid of deep wrinkles. Only plastic surgery will do that. But for people who can’t--or won’t--have surgery, they’re the next best thing.”
Television star Linda Evans of ABC’s “Dynasty” reports that 10 years of contouring treatments have kept her face firm and have, so far, eliminated the need for cosmetic surgery. Evans and fellow actresses Ali MacGraw and Jamie Lee Curtis receive treatments at Louise Bianco’s salon in Westwood.
Bianco uses a manual massage technique developed about 60 years ago by a Viennese surgeon. Bianco says the surgeon perfected the technique with a French cosmetologist named Renna Campbell, who later brought it to the United States. Her husband, L.A. dentist Dr. George Campbell, gave up his practice to perform what he called the “Renna” technique on such stars as Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. “The deep massage works on all of the muscle groups in the face, keeping the cheeks round and the jawline firm,” Bianco says.
Jean Carle Devereaux, who uses the “Renna” method at Brown’s salon, says that lubricating emollients must be used so the skin is not stretched during the massage. “The circulation is increased about 20 times faster than normal,” he says. “The increased oxygen causes the muscles to become stronger.”
Today, not only facialists, but doctors, physical therapists, practitioners of acupuncture and other health professionals use new facial devices on their clients. Specialists claim that the machines “exercise” the face and soften or eliminate wrinkles.
Equipment with names such as Electro-Acuscope, Myopulse and Myopulse Renaissance are called “acupressure face-lift machines.” Small amounts of electrical current stimulate the nerves, which causes capillaries to enlarge, increasing circulation. The skin looks flushed and healthy, and fine wrinkles seem to disappear. Margo Jordan, who administers such treatments in her Santa Monica office, says that after 16 weekly visits, the “face-lift” effect can be maintained with monthly treatments.
A hand-held version of the machine has been developed by Dr. Dean Richards of Australia. The Acuhealth locates acupuncture points and gives off mild electrical impulses. This $245 home-use unit is marketed by mail from Woodland Hills.
Neither manual nor mechanical contouring treatments have the long-lasting effect of plastic surgery. Treatments must be continued to sustain results, and at $30 to $100 per treatment, the maintenance process can be costly. But for many people who don’t want to risk the dangers of anesthesia, incisions and infection, contouring treatments may be a reasonable alternative.
Makeup: Lucy Baldock / Celestine-Cloutier; model: Donna Denell / Prima