Puffy Morning Face? Five Tips for a More Youthful Appearance

Time honored methods to relieve facial swelling and maintain a healthy complexion

Girl upset waking up with the light bothering her lying on a bed in the morning

An adage reminds us that beauty is only skin deep. Yet the face that peers back at us from the mirror each morning may hold a message beyond beauty—our face is also a reflection of our physical health.

If you wake up with a puffy face and swollen eyelids, your body might be telling you something.

Dr. Bernice Liao, of Taiwan’s Yurong Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic, provides five methods to address the cause of that puffy morning face, and addresses related problems of head, shoulder, and neck pain.

Causes

Liao pointed out three causes of facial puffiness:

• Drinking too much water before going to bed. Starting 4 hours before bedtime, don’t drink more than 500cc of water.
• Eating spicy or salty foods: Excessively salty foods can trap water in the body.
• Low pillow: When your pillow is lower than the body, or if you sleep without a pillow, your neck will tilt back, trapping fluid in the face.

Liao said that the height of the pillow should be horizontal with the body.

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“If you feel that there is no support for your neck, you can roll a towel and put it under your neck to improve [a] swollen face and to prevent a stiff neck,” she said.

Over-Chewing and Aging

In addition to the three factors mentioned above, over-chewing and aging are the super nemeses of a taut and youthful appearance. If contour is what you’re looking, for the following tips may help.

Excessive chewing: Chewing gum, and habitually eating tough foods like jerky requires excessive use of the cheek, which thickens cheek muscles and contributes to a swollen facial appearance.

Aging: Young people have enough collagen to make their cheeks look elastic. However, as people age, collagen production decreases, skin loosens and fat accumulates, making the face appear swollen and saggy.

Two Acupuncture Points to Ease Swollen Face

To ease swelling in the face, Liao recommended massaging two acupoints after getting up in the morning.

SI-18: Quanliao–Cheek Bone Crevice

Acupoint Location: To find this acupoint, draw a line from the outer corner of the eye, down to the hollow of the cheekbone. When pressing, do not press on the bone, but on the depression of the lower edge of the bone.

SI-18 is right in the hollow area of the cheek. Press the middle finger on it for six seconds and then release. Repeat 20 times.

ST-6: Jiache–Jaw Bone

Acupoint location: This acupoint is located halfway between the corner of the mouth and the bottom of the earlobe.

Pressing ST-6 can improve the sagging and relaxation caused by age. Press this accupoint with the middle finger for 6 seconds and then release. Repeat 20 times.

Massage Scalp to Lift Sagging Skin

Can massage of the scalp help slim the face? Liao says it can. She explained: “The face and scalp are the same piece of skin and affect each other.”

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“If the scalp is tense for a long time, it will affect [its] blood circulation, which will not provide nutrients to the skin,” causing facial skin to sag.

By massaging the scalp and relaxing tensed skin, one can promote the blood circulation of the scalp, tighten the face, and improve swelling in the face.

Choose the Right Massage Comb

A massage comb is a tool that can be used to increase blood circulation to the face and head, stimulating a healthy appearance. Liao offers two guidelines for choosing the best type:

Wide teeth: The distance between the teeth of the comb should not be too close, to avoid pulling out hair.

Round tips: The massage comb should have teeth with round tips so as not to damage the skin when massaging.

Five Tips for a More Youthful Appearance

1. Face-lift method of massage.

Comb your face with a massage comb, starting from the chin up to the cheek and cheekbones. Comb 20 times on the right side of the face, then switch to the left side. In your mind, picture yourself with a youthful appearance.

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To reduce the appearance of thick cheeks comb from the nose to the cheekbones on both sides of the face. Comb 20 times on the right face, then switch to the left face.

2. Acupoint pressing combined with facial massage can relieves head, neck, and shoulder pain.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is discovered that there is a “meridian” system in the human body that is responsible for transporting “qi” and “blood” throughout the body. The two substances of qi and blood circulate to maintain balance and stability in various tissues and organs.

There are 12 main meridians corresponding to the 12 internal organs, from which they circulate further towards the hands, feet, head, and face. When the meridian system is blocked, it will affect the transport of substances,  and allow abnormalities to appear in the human body.

Jianjing, the gallbladder meridian, is located on both sides of the ear and controls autonomic nerves, mood and stress. It is also connected with the skin fascia. The muscle above the ear is called the temporalis, which is closely related to facial droop.

To diminish swelling and lift the face, Liao suggests starting from the temple and combing down along the gallbladder meridian, along the temporalis behind the ear, and all the way to the neck and shoulder. It also helps with stiffness and soreness of the shoulder and neck, as well as migraine and insomnia.

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Comb 20 times on the right side of the face, then switch to the left side.

3. Relax the occipital muscle to improve face relaxation.

The other two major meridians on the top of the head, the Du (or governing) meridian and the bladder meridian, run through the body.

Use a massage comb to comb from the forehead all the way to the back of the head. After combing 20 times at the Du meridian, comb to the bladder meridian on both sides to improve blood circulation.

“The muscle at the back of the head is also known as the occipital muscle,” Liao said. “Many people have a loose face because they often look down. Looking down makes the neck tight. Combing the occipital muscles relaxes the neck muscles and helps to lift the face.”

4. Eat red beans.

Red beans (also known as adzuki beans) are an ancient food remedy with many health benefits. Red beans can help to detoxify the body and reduce water retention which leads to facial swelling.

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An easy way to utilize beans’ medicinal properties is to drink red bean water. To make red bean water simply boil a handful of red beans in water. Be careful not to overcook: boiling the beans until they break can release the beans’ starch.

Red bean soup is also beneficial. Liao gives some cooking instructions:

Step 1: Soak red beans in water overnight.

Step 2: Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat for 20 minutes.

Step 3:  Simmer for 30 more minutes. This will release potassium ions to help the body metabolize water.

5. ‘AEIOU’ vowels face slimming exercise.

The “AEIOU” face slimming exercise requires one to pronounce each vowel in an exaggerated manner for three seconds.

This enunciation exercise uses muscles below the eyes that are rarely used. Liao says that “When muscles contract, they improve blood circulation and reduce swelling.”

Beauty From Within

Liao says, “The beautifying of the face in Chinese medicine starts from the internal conditioning of the body.” Increasing blood circulation in the face and invigorating qi are important to maintaining a healthy, glowing complexion.