The godfather of Facebook is considered to be Reinhold Benz: in 1930, a plastic surgeon developed a set of exercises for a youthful face. His idea was allegedly prompted by a meeting with the ballerina Eva Hoffman: by the age of 40, the dancer retained the figure of a girl, but her face betrayed her true age. It came to the surgeon's mind that it was all about regular physical training that maintains body tone, but does not affect the face. In fact, Reinhold Benz combined well-known techniques and used them for his own PR.

The history of Facebook building has been lost over the centuries and it is believed that Cleopatra herself could have started the trend. If we talk about documentary evidence, then the oldest of them is a French brochure 1710th year: Jeanne Sauval, the companion of the writer Anna "Ninon" de l'Anclaw, shared the secret of the beauty and youth of the famous mistress after her death. Anna was famous for her frivolous behavior and sophisticated appearance, over which the years had no control. In addition to recipes for creams and lotions, the brochure contained detailed description of facial exercises at home.

Two centuries later, the book by Sanford Bennett was published "Gymnastics in bed"... The described set of exercises, including facial exercises, must be performed immediately after waking up in the morning. Stanford, who suffered from many diseases that prematurely aged him, developed this gymnastics for himself. Thanks to the exercises, the wrinkles on his face have disappeared almost completely.

This was followed by a real boom in the popularity of Facebook building in America and the UK. Printed publications and cinematography promoted healthy image life, all kinds of sports. Facial exercises were then considered the pinnacle of the scientific approach to maintaining attractiveness.

In the post-war period, hard-working starving people had no time for gymnastics. Cosmetics allowed you to take care of yourself without wasting time on training. Publishers no longer funded the printing of anti-aging treatments. Still, in 1956, a book by Dr.Frederick Rossiter was published "Face modeling" that became the bible for face building instructors - many modern complexes exercises are developed based on it.

The benefits and harms of exercise

Arguments for"

The muscles located on the face are small in size and therefore quick to train exercises. Already a month later daily activities will be possible result:

• Reduction of pronounced wrinkles on the forehead, at the corners of the eyes and lips. Facial exercises allow you to stimulate blood circulation in the facial muscles at home - this is the best prevention of early wrinkles;
• Face contour correction a, preventing its further swelling. The chin and cheekbones are clearly outlined again, which significantly rejuvenates the appearance;
• Healthy complexion... A fresh, rested look appears due to increased flow of lymph and blood. The bags and blue under the eyes will also disappear;
• Security... Face-building has a number of contraindications, but compared to the possible complications after surgical plastic surgery or various injections, the risks are minimal.

An important plus of facebuilding is its availability- Exercises for the face can be performed at home, no need to buy special clothing or expensive equipment, or pay a trainer.

As practice shows, people who have been involved in Facebook building have much more chances restore facial expressions with exercises after neuromuscular facial paralysis.

Arguments against"

There is a fly in the ointment in the barrel of the benefits of facebuilding - contraindications to classes:

• Dermatological, bacterial, fungal face lesions;
• Wounds, cuts, deep scratches on the skin, as well as traces of recent surgical interventions and laser resurfacing;
• Hypertension;
• Hypertensive crisis;
• Pathology facial nerve;
• Critical decrease in resistance organism.

How possible harm you can note the risk of pumping muscles, let's deepen the problem. Careful with exercises for the face, you need to be people suffering from severe acne breakouts- gymnastics will not correct the situation, but rather aggravate it.

Facial yoga is an alternative to aesthetic cosmetology and plastic surgery. Exercises to tone the muscles can tighten the skin for a younger, fresher look.

An excursion into history

Exercises for the facial muscles were first described in the 1710 training manual, written by Jeanne Sauval, a companion of the writer Ninon de Lanclos. The latter, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, looked great until old age.

In the early 1900s, accountant Bennett Sanford published his famous book "Exercising in Bed", unfortunately not translated into Russian. Bennett developed a system of exercises that helped him achieve significant success: at 70, Sanford looked much better than at 50.

In the late 50s of the 20th century, another book was published on training the muscles of the face by the authorship of Sent Maria Runge. Her techniques have formed the basis of many modern facial yoga techniques aimed at short-term but immediate effects. The German plastic surgeon Reinhold Benz, who first used the term, is considered to be the author of Facebook building.

How Facial Yoga Works

There are over a hundred small muscles on the face and neck. Without load, they weaken, become flabby. With regular yoga for the face, the muscles increase in volume, due to this, the skin is tightened, fine wrinkles are smoothed, and the formation of new creases slows down. Gravitational ptosis - age-related drooping of the face - becomes less pronounced.

In addition, training helps to improve blood circulation and stimulate lymph drainage. As a result, the skin receives a sufficient amount of nutrients and oxygen, and toxins are removed more quickly. Due to this, the complexion improves, the cellular metabolism is accelerated, and edema disappears. Yoga exercises for the face are recommended to be done starting from the age of 25 - it is at this age that the first appear age changes skin. Please note: face building is contraindicated for high blood pressure, diseases of the facial or trigeminal nerve, within two years after plastic surgery on the face and immediately after injection cosmetic procedures.

What you need to remember

There are a few rules to keep in mind when doing facial yoga:

1. The muscle to be trained is supported with the fingers to avoid kinks. The rest of the muscles should be relaxed.
2. In the initial stages of doing facial yoga, it is best to train in front of a mirror to memorize the technique and sequence of exercises. It is important to perform the movements very precisely so that they do not lead to the formation of new folds.
3. Try to exercise enough, but don't overdo it. A slight tingling or tension is acceptable, but there should be no painful sensations.
4. For beginners, it is better to practice in the morning and evening for 10-20 minutes. Morning workouts will help wake up and remove swelling after sleep, evening workouts contribute to relaxation.
5. You need to train regularly, only then there will be a noticeable and long-term effect of yoga on the face.

Each workout includes muscle training, consisting of self-warming massage, basic exercises, and muscle relaxation after exercise. Conventionally, all exercises can be divided into four groups: against wrinkles around the eyes, for lifting the forehead, strengthening the cheeks and lifting the oval of the face.

Basic Facebook Building Techniques

There are a large number of face building techniques.

In addition to the classic Reinhold Benz complex, which includes 21 receptions, there are many alternative options:

1. American cosmetologist Carol Maggio has come up with a complex that can be performed during everyday activities. It does not require memorizing complex positions of the fingers on the face. The program includes 14 basic exercises and 9 additional ones. They can be done lying or sitting and the workout takes 10-20 minutes. Some practitioners warn against performing the complex exercises on their own, as there is a risk of pinching the facial muscles.

2. Warm-up for the face from Eva Fraser - the British woman has developed her own system of exercises, taking the Benz methodology as a basis and supplementing it with new movements. The complex takes about 30 minutes.

3. Lifting massage Metha - combines the techniques of Eastern and European acupressure.

4. A simple set of 6 exercises:

Having chosen any technique, first study the exercises from videos or books, only then proceed to implementation.

As even in old age always look fresh and young:

Ekaterina Kushnir

Illustrations: Anastasia Leman

02/26/2019

Finding a person who does not like facial massage is difficult. I do not know such. This is more than complete relaxation. While the brain and soul take pleasure, the muscles lead active work above oneself, the tone and healthy color of the skin is restored, wrinkles are smoothed. Today in salons and clinics you can find different types massages, up to exclusive ones. I have tested both the silver ailerons and the lymphatic drainage japanese massage, but I want to say that your own hands, if you connect your brain to them, can please your face no worse than salon delights. Moreover, the basis of such a phenomenon as facial massage is self-massage, which, in the 19th century, surprised beauties by a man named Sanford Bennett. And by my own example.

Handsome Sanford

The most amazing thing in the life of a simple American accountant Bennett is that he became a handsome man at the age of 50, when many even today believe that it is time to come to terms with the inevitable aging and meet this stress with dignity. What can we say about the 19th century, when artificial rejuvenation was out of the question. By his own example, and then by the examples of other people, he showed how to deceive age in the literal sense of a slight movement of the hand.

Read more

Photos of Bennett from the category "before and after" and now are an excellent motivator for those who categorically do not intend to grow old. In his eighties, he looked younger than twenty years ago. A toned figure, an even posture, a clear look ... Even the hair on my head has become noticeably larger. As for the face, it is impossible not to notice how the wrinkles have smoothed out, the oval has tightened and the features have become more expressive. Sanford Bennett did not keep his secret of eternal youth to himself and generously shared it with the whole world in the books Old age, its cause and prevention and Exercising in Bed: the story of an old body and face made young ”.

The Saving of the Aging Is Their Own Work

Bennett's approach to rejuvenating youth is much broader than just smoothing out facial wrinkles. After all, the face is a part of the body and reflects its general condition. Gymnastics in bed is designed to increase the tone of muscles, skin and the general tone of the body, which is described in detail in the book mentioned above. Self-massage of the face - from the same series, based on the mobilization of internal reserves.

Of course, Bennett's self-massage is designed not only for "those who are over ...". The sooner you master this system and begin to implement it regularly, the higher the chances of keeping your face fresh for years to come. The personal example of a massage developer simply confirms that his system works even in advanced cases.

As Bennett claims and practice shows, the youthfulness of the face depends on the tone of the facial muscles, which also support the epidermis in the desired state. And to keep the muscles in good shape is possible only with the help of regular working out with verified massage movements. Moreover, it is more effective to do this with your own hands, rather than combine the useful with the pleasant during a session with a massage therapist. At the same time, the importance of controlling the strength of the impact is emphasized: excessive efforts can lead to the opposite effect.

Using small movements of the fingers according to the principle of friction, it is necessary to "rub" wrinkles - something like this looks like one of the main massage movements of this system. In this case, the skin on this site slightly pulled back with the other hand. Previously, the site of exposure must be lubricated with petroleum jelly or fatty cream. Broader gestures, in which the palms are already involved, are used to massage the cheeks, chin, and neck.

For the full effect, it is necessary to combine massage with gymnastics for the face. After all, facial muscles are no different from any others that are pumped by Bennett's exclusive “gymnastics in bed”. Facial exercises are essentially yoga-like in that they are based on alternating static tension and relaxation. Therefore, in the modern version it is customary to call them fitness for the face, Pilates for the face or face fitness. Actually, these techniques have been known since ancient times. According to some reports, even Queen Cleopatra used them. Bennett successfully combined their effect with the effects of self-massage and general rejuvenation of the body.

Instead of botox

No matter how accessible the theory of self-massage may seem, it is better to begin acquaintance with it in practice under the supervision of a specialist, since a violation of the technique can lead to loss of tone, spider veins and enlarged pores. With correct and regular use, self-massage will be a worthy alternative to injection and other types of interventions for good purposes.

The video is not exactly Sanford Bennett, but very sensible.
Bennett rightly emphasizes that the youthfulness of the face cannot depend only on the massage of its muscles. He brought out a whole system of self-rejuvenation, the essence of which is taking care of the body as a whole - from cleansing the intestines to massage the scalp. Perhaps some of the ideas will not be to everyone's taste, but after all, nothing prevents you from modernizing the system for yourself, including in it what is close to you and taking into account the modern achievements of fitness, medicine and cosmetology. Mastering the skills of self-massage of the face is the first step. The next should be gymnastics for the face and body, limiting useless and even more openly harmful products and habits. It seems to be nothing new, just a systematic approach. And the main thing is to do all this without stepping over yourself, but realizing how each step brings you closer to the goal - beauty and freshness for many years.

Healthy self-love is at the core of maintaining the tone of the whole body, including the condition of the face. The creator of facial massage did not call for strict restrictions, he ate for pleasure, although he did not abuse the harmfulness, and, they say, from time to time he pleased himself with good beer and a good cigar. But, in fact, everyone has the right to ask himself the question: "How am I worse than Bennett?" and become the developer of your own system for preserving youthfulness of the face and body, taking all the best from this author and from others, as well as from your personal experience... Your subjective feelings will be the best indicator of the correct choice.

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This article focuses on facial exercise programs that were officially published first in brochures and later in books and sent by mail (mail courses). We will go all the way of facial gymnastics until the 60s of the XX century. Everything that was published later can be found in our next review.

Facial exercises have probably been around for as long as people think youth is synonymous with beauty and attractiveness. It is believed that this trend was initiated by Cleopatra.

Paris, France - 1710

The French were the first. It was 1710 and the first facial exercises were published in a brochure by Jeanne Sauval. The beauty secrets belonged to Madame Ninon de Lanclos, who had died 5 years earlier. Jeanne was her companion for almost 50 years and was responsible for the collection and preservation of these materials, but for the time being she did not reveal her secrets to anyone. The brochure contained the entire Ninon beauty course, including formulas for creams and facial exercises. *

* Note. Sanford Bennett in his book "Old age, its causes and prevention" conducted a kind of study of the materials of Jeanne Sauval and the facts that were known about the methods of preserving the youth of Ninon de Lanclos, in particular Fr.

Anna "Ninon" de l'Anclaw - "The Woman Who Never Got Old"

Anne "Ninon" de l'Anclaw was a French writer, courtesan and philanthropist.
Anna was born in Paris in 1620 and she received the nickname "Ninon" from her father in early age.
Her father held a high position in the province of Turin. In 1632, when Ninon was 12 years old, luck turned away from her father. After the duel, he was expelled from France. After 10 years, her mother died and Ninon was left alone. Ninon made the decision to remain single and independent, although this behavior was frowned upon at the time. Thanks to her lifestyle and her many lovers, she ended up in trouble. In 1656, Ninon was imprisoned, but was soon released with the support of Queen Christina of Sweden.

Ninon was known for her beauty, which has not changed over the years. In France, her name is synonymous with beauty and wit. Aside from her looks, she was popular as a writer because she wrote about things that were not allowed at the time. You can read more about this woman's life in The Life, Letters, and Epicurean Philosophy of Ninon de Lanclos, which was published in 1903. The book is available on the Internet.

Here is what Louis d'Rouvrat, Duke de Saint-Simon once wrote about her:
“Ninon has always been surrounded by a crowd of adorers, but has never had more than one lover. When she was fed up with them, she frankly told him about it and changed her partner. Her authority was so high that not a single man who left her bedroom was jealous of his more successful rival, but was infinitely happy if he was allowed to visit her as a friend. "
Ninon died on October 17, 1705 at the age of 84.

San Francisco, America 1907

It was at this time that Mr. Sanford Bennett published his book "Gymnastics in Bed", which promised to reveal "the secrets of health, strength, flexibility and longevity" through a full range of exercises, including for the face.
It is known that Caroline Cleaves under the influence of this particular book, she created at least one of her facial fitness complexes.

Sanford Bennett "The Man Who Got Young at 70"

Sanford was born in 1841. He was not very lucky with inheritance. As a child, he was "a nervous, anemic, fragile child." His father died at the age of 42. On the maternal side, there was also no one who could boast of a long life. Sanford worked in an office and became very bald years later. He also suffered from rheumatism and many other diseases. At the age of 50, he was a man with a huge number of chronic diseases and wrinkles.
Desperate to change his life, he developed a set of 35 exercises to be performed in bed immediately after waking up.

After doing these exercises for many years, he looked much younger than his 70s. His face became smooth, wrinkles disappeared. As stated above, the book contains medical histories to support this.

Sanford Bennett at 50 (left) and 72 (right)

In 1912, he wrote another book on the same topic - "Old age, its causes and prevention", where he described his methodology, facial exercises and methods of prevention.

Sanford Bennett died tragically at the age of 80 in 1926.

The golden age of facial exercises. America and Great Britain 1907 - 1937

Sanford Bennett ushered in the glamorous golden age of facial exercise. During this period, the passion for physical exercises is growing and at the same time it is believed that exercises for the face are the best method from the point of view of science to improve the appearance. This can bring a smile when compared with the knowledge we have today.

1906 Illustrations from a newspaper article entitled "Make Faces to Preserve Beauty"

1914 Illustrations from a newspaper article entitled "Grimace and Be Beautiful"

1916 Facial Exercises Katherine Murray

1919 Madame Elizabeth Eve. Scientific facial exercises

1927 Catherine Murray. Exercises for the face

Moreover, the original version of Catherine Murray's book can be purchased on Amazon for $ 59-160.

Another advertisement from Catherine Murray was published in 1937 in the magazine "Modern Mechanisms" - "How to look young as a girl." As you can see, Catherine Murray "covered" the system of her exercises for several decades and was very active in this field.

How to Look Like a Young Girl by Katherine Murray (February, 1937)

I also want to name a few more names from that era: Elizabeth Eve, Suzanne and Grace Mildred, Lillian Russell, Annette Kellerman and Eleanor Glyn.
Elinor Glyn - "The Pioneer of Female Erotic Fantasies"

Elinor was born in Jersey, UK in 1864.
Her father died when she was only 2 months old and her mother returned to Canada, Ontario. Elinor moved to Hollywood in 1920 to work in the film industry.

She was also a writer, like Ninon. She has written several scripts for silent films, worked for Metro Goldwyn Meyer and Paramount Pictures. However, to the general public, she is better known as the pioneer of female erotic fantasies. While her work may seem insipid by today's standards, she was immensely popular in the early 20th century.

Everything in Hollywood is a place where age and appearance mean a lot - admired her wrinkle-free skin. In 1927, she wrote the book The Book of Wrinkles, which contained a detailed series of facial expressions that she claimed would help maintain youth and beauty.

Even then, she wrote about the importance of improving blood circulation in the muscles of the face, arguing that one of the main causes of aging is poor blood circulation in muscles and tissues as a result of "tissue hunger" and toxins.
Another statement by Elinor made in this book is interesting: "The mind controls the body, and if, while practicing these exercises, you mentally imagine that you are filled with vitality, you are actually filled with it."
Elinor died in 1943.

Post-war period

The romantic eagle of facial exercises has been erased by the war. People worked very hard and hard, and they had less and less time for such activities. Since the cosmetics industry was already established, people began to look for solutions that would allow them to do this faster and easier. The same situation is observed today.

Jack LaLanne - The Godfather of Fitness

François Henry "Jack" LaLanne was born in 1914.
He was an American fitness superhero fitness professional, physical exercise and healthy eating... He was also a skilled public speaker and a great advocate of facial exercises.

He began to actively promote fitness long before Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons. When he was 21 (in 1936) he opened one of the first fitness gyms in California. Soon, his fitness centers were all over America.

In the fifties and up to the eighties, he hosted his fitness show on television. Many of those episodes contain facial exercises.
You can get acquainted with Jack Lalanne's facial gymnastics.
These exercises look a little raw now, although he has achieved such amazing results. But look at the energy with which he was filled all his life!
Jack Lalanne died in 2011. at the age of 96.

Influence at modern programs facial gymnastics

If you try the exercises that Jack Lalanne presented, you will notice that they stretch the facial muscles. But they are nowhere more effective than in modern programs, in which such stretching is increased by adding resistance.
We can say that most of the popular successful modern programs in facial gymnastics (for example, Deborah Crowley, Caroline Cleaves) now operate on the same principles.

"Facial Modeling" with Dr. Frederick Rossiter (1956)

When Facial Modeling was published in 1956, Dr. Rossiter was already quite an elderly man. He published several books on health at the turn of the century. He started doing facial exercises when he was 60 years old. The aforementioned Caroline Cleaves and Deborah Crowley have repeatedly noted that their resistance stretching methods are based on the principles described in their book by Frederick Rossiter. For many "facial authors" of the 60s and 70s, this book has become truly a bible.

"Facelift with Exercise" by Senta Maria Runge (1961)

Senta Maria Runge was born in Europe. When World War II ended, she was in her 20s and began to worry that the war had accelerated the aging process. Runge has created special facial exercises that restore their former youthful appearance. She moved to Hollywood and in 1959 she first appeared in Vogue magazine. Her method became more and more popular and soon after, in 1961, she published a book.

The book was so successful and the exercises on offer were so good, including the fact that many of them had very quick effects, that the technique gained a large following of fans, followers, and plagiarists alike. Eva Fraser, now better known among the general public than Runge, borrowed "her" method completely from Runge. And although the Fraser exercises are a copy of the Runge exercises, Fraser threw out as an insignificant part of the important theoretical aspects that Runge drew attention to, and therefore the Fraser method has lost most of its effectiveness.
Hence the advice - do not trust plagiarists. Use the original. Runge has tested her methodology, scrupulously selecting exercises, for more than 10 years. Every exercise is verified and every clarification in the book is appropriate.
Senta Maria Runge has been retired since 1989. Her daughter Christina Runge still sells books to her mother on her website.

Modern facial exercises

The excitement around facial exercises continues. Currently, there are a huge number of different programs, from which you can choose your own for every taste.

You can get acquainted with brief reviews of modern methods of facial gymnastics in the materials:

In future articles, we will continue to publish reviews of modern facial gymnastics.

Used sources

© Olga Dikshit, Laine Butter, specially for the site Ageless.su