Rejuvenate Your Appearance: Bid Farewell to Undereye Bags and Wrinkles With 4D Facial Structure Adjustment

Botox or laser surgery aren’t necessarily required to reduce signs of aging like wrinkles and undereye bags.

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Botox or laser surgery aren’t necessarily required to reduce signs of aging like wrinkles and undereye bags. Dr. Huang Amin of Taiwan’s Zhenhuan Chinese Medicine Clinic combines Western medicine’s concepts surrounding bones and fascia with the facial qi and energy and blood concept of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for a holistic approach that eliminates wrinkles and undereye bags through a “4D facial structure adjustment.”

Skin aging is not the result of one unique factor on the epidermis. Dr. Huang believes there are three layers involved. The first is the loss of muscle and soft tissue, the second is poor blood circulation, and the third is poor facial bone structure. Among them, poor facial bone structure is key. Good bone support provides a good foundation for better blood circulation. Although the bones of the skull comprise a stable structure, there must also be certain gaps to allow the bones to move. As we age, the bones become sticky and tight, and they also collapse inward, making the deep fascia less elastic and worsening the distribution of the entire blood circulation pattern, followed by uneven muscle distribution, dull skin, and enlarged pores.

So how do you push the collapsed facial bones outward or keep the facial bones from becoming loose? How do you restore elasticity? Dr. Huang provides four exercises to adjust facial bones, lift fascia, improve various facial aging problems, and slow aging.

Self-Assessment of Facial Wrinkles

The basic yin and yang theory in TCM dictates that all things in nature have two corresponding characteristics: yin and yang. For example, there is earth and sky, cold and heat. The energies of yin and yang are opposite but interdependent and cannot exist without the other. When yin and yang are out of balance, various complications will occur in the body.

Before performing facial bone adjustment, you must determine which facial bone structure must be corrected. Dr. Huang said that TCM has a yin and yang theory of the face. The temporomandibular joint on the face belongs to the trigeminal nerve, is related to chewing, and has yang energy. The facial nerve, which controls the facial expression muscles, is yin.

Dr. Huang explained that if one side shows poorer temporomandibular joint mobility, it means the trigeminal nerve located there is relatively weak. In this case, it would mean a yang deficiency, meaning yin, its arch-rival, will prevail. As yin controls facial nerves, which, in turn, control the expression muscles, wrinkles are likely to appear. From this, you can determine which side of your face has more wrinkles.

Dr. Huang believes that the collapse of facial bones usually starts from the mandibular bone, so adjusting the mandibular bone on the more wrinkled half of the face becomes the focal point of improving wrinkles. But how do we remove wrinkles by targeting the mandible? In this case, it is necessary to unlock the temporomandibular joint first to allow the facial bones a bit of room to move before other bones can be adjusted.

4D Face Structure

1. Loosen the superficial fascia: Loosen the superficial layer of skin on the face to allow the skin to slide smoothly.
2. Relax the masticatory muscles: Use dynamic pulling to relax the masticatory muscles.
3. Unlock the temporomandibular joint: The temporomandibular joint is loosened so other facial bones can move.
4. Expose the mandibular bone: Adjusting the facial bones is not just about pushing out the mandibular bone but also requires coordinating the spine, angle, and posture to move the facial bones. Dr. Huang said that at this stage, the facial bone structure can be restored to the state it was 10 years ago, and the blood circulation will improve. After that, fascia lifting or other maintenance jobs will produce better results.
5. Facilitate the fascial lift: Each muscle and fascia runs in a different direction. You must use your hands to find the knotted areas and use TCM acupuncture tools to loosen these knots.

Dr. Huang believes that completing a facial structure adjustment is equivalent to lifting the face from the three levels of bones, tendons, and skin. The facial bones will not change for several years after adjustment unless external forces impact them or have undergone dental procedures like tooth extraction, dental implants, and orthodontic surgery.  You can maintain the condition of your facial bones with added training like weightlifting, masticatory muscle exercise, tongue muscle training, and teeth clicking.

Dr. Huang said that modern-day beauty therapy is goal-oriented. Combining the distinct specialties of TCM and Western medicine can help achieve the best results. Bones and fascia knowhow belong to Western medicine, but the holistic view of how facial bones can affect qi and blood and thus affect skin conditions all come from TCM concepts. He believes the invisible holistic view represents the essence of traditional Chinese medicine.