Train the skin? It sounds exhausting, but it is extremely pleasant and even has anti-aging effects. The trick: stimulating blood circulation – with massages, masks or dry brushing.
Production: Sarah Harms
Wash mornings and evenings and then, bang, put the cream on your face and the lotion on your body? Of course there is nothing wrong with that. In the meantime, however, the daily beauty routine is increasingly becoming a care ritual. It is therefore not surprising that jade rollers for the complexion are now part of the standard range of drugstores and online shops such as Niche Beauty offer a large number of so-called tools in addition to classic cosmetics, with which skin care can almost be professionalized. Even grandma’s beauty tips like contrast showers or dry brushing are recommended by beauty gurus like Dr. Barbara Sturm celebrated on Instagram.
“While my customers used to expect me to get their skin problems under control, today they are happy if they can also do something for themselves at home. Because they know that regularity is important,” says Jana Dobric, Beautician and owner of the “Reviderm Skinmedics” institute in Hamburg. “That means not only using the right care products, but also activating the skin on the face and body, for example with massages.”
Get some momentum
Whether jade roller, dry brush or a silicone LED device: all three do pretty much the same job, because they stimulate the blood circulation in the skin and get your circulation going. “This is really immensely important for all skin functions,” explains Tanja Kubena, beautician and owner of the “Delightful and Pure Medical Spa” in Hamburg. “Only in this way can metabolic products be transported away and at the same time nutrients and messenger substances as well as oxygen be brought to the cells.”
Contrast showers or the classic dry brush are wonderful for the body, which also removes dead skin. “Two to three times a week it helps to strengthen the connective tissue and prevent cellulite”, says the Düsseldorf doctor Dr. Barbara Storm. “Scrubs with coffee, coconut oil and salt are also recommended, because caffeine also promotes good blood circulation. For the head area, it’s great to do a headstand or the yoga exercise ‘Downward Dog’ every day.”
However, brushes should be used with caution on the face – the skin here is much more sensitive than on the body, and bristles that are too hard or even pointed can irritate it and cause micro-injuries. The jade rollers from Asia are safer. So that the lymphatic system also gets going, you should first stimulate the lymphatic collection basin on the collarbone and then stroke from the ears to the neck, where the lymph nodes are also located. On the face, work outwards from the center, from the chin upwards. You don’t need to exert a lot of pressure – a light stroke is enough. And as with all stimulating massages, the right side, which is further from the heart, is treated first, then the left.
Rosy instead of stressed
Of course, it is no coincidence that care rituals are so hyped at the moment. They fulfill two, actually contrary wishes at once: effectiveness plus me-time. Regular care simply achieves better results and calms us down at the same time – which brings us back to the blood circulation. It improves when we relax. Stress, on the other hand, puts the body into escape mode: it pumps all the blood to the vital organs. The consequence for the skin: It is undersupplied. US celebrity dermatologist Dr. It is not for nothing that Dennis Gross has used mushroom extracts that stimulate blood circulation in his new anti-stress skin care series and combines the “De-Stress Facial” with lymphatic drainage massages in his New York practice.
The beauty company Shiseido even dreams of being able to keep the capillaries responsible for the supply of skin cells healthy in the long term – with the help of cosmetics. “Our scientists have been dealing with the topic of blood circulation for 20 years. We now know that the number of skin capillaries responsible for supply decreases with age. In addition, they no longer work as effectively and begin to leak. We’ve been able to show that this, in turn, has an impact on how skin ages,” says Nathalie Broussard, Scientific Communications Director at Shiseido. “The good news: There are certain receptors that are responsible for capillary thickness and proteins that are very important for their health. Our goal now is to find new active ingredients to act on these factors.”
be careful
If good blood circulation is so important for the skin, it is surprising that the topic is only now in the spotlight again. “My clients have often worried that their face might be red after the treatment, which is why I prefer to talk about stimulating the complexion’s microcirculation rather than promoting blood flow. That’s somehow a more affectionate term,” says Tanja Kubena. “But we beauticians used to work differently, there was a lot of steaming, and this heat overwhelms some skin. If you proceed cautiously, a stimulated metabolism is good for almost every complexion.”
Good to know: Such treatments should be discussed with a doctor in the case of vein or other vascular diseases and inflammation – even if we know today that they even improve skin conditions that have long been discouraged. “By stimulating the capillary vessels in the skin, you strengthen them and make them more resistant. This can even alleviate rosacea in the non-inflammatory stage. In addition, congestion is dissolved,” says Jana Dobric. “But it’s important to do it in a controlled manner.” The beautician therefore begins almost every treatment with a mask that stimulates blood circulation – without essential oils for vascular-labile skin. “It is crucial to leave the product on the face long enough, because this not only gently stimulates the blood circulation, but also slowly drives it down again. After that, the skin absorbs the care much better.”
Incidentally, Sebastian Kneipp already advised against extreme stimuli. The father of cold downpours only propagated “well dosed” temperature changes, after which the skin is neither bright red nor blue – just rosy.
With water or a brush: How to activate your skin metabolism
Shower tired
For those who don’t necessarily like it icy under the shower, the Kneipp knee affusion is a good thing, which also helps you fall asleep. It always starts with a warm lap, then comes the cold one. Lead the water jet from the right little toe along the outside of the foot and lower leg to the back of the knee, circle there for five seconds, then over the calf to the heel. Repeat on the left leg. Then from the right pinky toe over the outside to the kneecap, circling there, then over the inside of the leg back to the foot. Now it’s on the left. On the last cold lap, give the soles of your feet a cold shower. Then put on thick socks or warm up straight away in bed.
Scrubbing yourself awake
Since dry brushing has a rather stimulating effect, it is best to start the day with it. Again, start on the right foot and work your way up in a circular motion, increasing the pressure toward the heart. First outside, then inside. After the feet come the lower and thighs, also first on the outside and then on the inside. Then hips and bottom. It continues from the hands along the arms, the upper body forms the conclusion. You have done it correctly if the skin is only slightly reddened afterwards. You should avoid sensitive and irritated parts of the body such as nipples or varicose veins and spider veins.
circulatory disorders
help for your skin
Get BRIGITTE as a subscription – with many advantages. You can order them directly here.