Forever Young: Bellanina's Facelift Massage System
(formerly Belavi Facelift Massage)
by Nina Howard, ICMT
Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Dec. 1998

The Problem: Aging
Let's face it. Looking old isn't chic. In our youth obsessed society, we are bombarded with the promise of youthfulness with advertising campaigns to sell supplements, vitamins, cosmetics, and skin care products. The trends today toward fitness are increasing. We are all looking for greater health, stress reduction and body rejuvenation. Exercise enthusiasts work out their bodies but often neglect the face and neck. As gravity, the sun, the environment and heredity all take their toll and create time worn etchings in our face, a new awareness is being brought to the public that can actually shift the hands of time. And that awareness can mean increased business and greater profits for the Belav  educated massage therapist, aesthetician or bodyworker.

The Solution
The Belaví Facelift Massage System is a time tested, proven technique that offers a solution to anti-aging. When you give a Belaví Facelift Massage session to your client, not only are facial muscles toned and tightened and the skin softened, but the client is put in a state of deep relaxation - sheer bliss! With repeated Facelift Massage in weekly sessions, your clients begin to see noticeable changes in their face and neck. Once the face is toned, it is easier to keep it in shape. If you or your client are considering a medical or plastic surgery procedure, the Belaví Facelift Massage works wonders as a pre-and post-operative treatment as well as regular maintenance of beautiful, healthy skin. The Belaví Facelift Massage is a pampering, relaxing massage that improves the appearance of the face through stimulation of the underlying layers of skin and soft tissue. This support system can make surface wrinkles less visible, slows down the formation of new ones, and helps keep facial muscles from giving in to its two biggest enemies; gravity and time! Its techniques include acupressure, lymphatic drainage and contouring strokes.

Facial massage is not new. Historical records dating back thousands of years show that the Chinese discovered pressing certain "e;acupressure"e; points on the face caused a greater flow of blood and oxygen to the facial area which promoted a release of tension, a softening of lines and a toning and tightening of sagging skin, among other health related benefits. Facial massage regained its popularity in Hollywood in The '50s and '60s, before plastic surgery became a household word. Movie stars lined up for their weekly massages, which promised to extend their beauty. Held in high regard by celebrities and those in the public eye, it is now gaining notoriety and favor by the masses of baby boomers now in their prime.

You can now turn on your television and you will see infomercials and news casts on facial fitness programs. Look in self care or health and fitness magazines and you will find advertisements filled with movie stars and self described beauty therapists all touting their promise of youth through a self-massage exercise and home care system. Trained in Facial Massage in Los Angeles in the '70s, Belle Tuckerman, the founder of the Belaví Facelift Massage System, incorporated the techniques into her practice at the popular BodyMind Spa on the Southern California Coast. Throughout the Eighties she developed a technique that made her a highly sought out teacher. After selling BodyMind, she devoted her time to further developing the Belaví Method and opened The Belaví Institute for Facial Massage in 1989. Now thousands of therapists and aestheticians have incorporated these techniques into their practice.

How it Works
The face has a complex muscular structure. Each facial muscle is constantly busy performing a multitude of movements. Consider the full range of emotions, movements and expressions your face makes every day. Even as you dream your facial muscles are working! When facial muscles are massaged and exercised regularly, all the metabolic processes are stimulated, which means that the facial circulation is improved, capillaries are strengthened, the facial lymph system is cleansed and the skin becomes blemish free. Studies have shown that massage keeps the collagen and elastin fibers wet and warm which encourages and stimulates their growth. With each Facelift Massage, the toning benefits increase because muscles have memory. The treatment consists of first cleansing and exfoliating the face of dirt and make-up. You wouldn't want to massage a dirty face! Warmed towels are used to gently hydrate the skin and help relax the client. Once the face is prepared, a vigorous and active massage begins. The stimulating effects of nimble fingers forces blood to rush to the skins surface, promoting circulation, detoxification and relaxation. When a muscle is continually in a contracted state; let's say a furrowed brow, these contractions begin to etch the face with deep lines. You can physically release the contraction through repeated massage. Through awareness, the muscles learn to let go and the client begins to shift unconscious holding, thus releasing facial tension and deep lines.

Energizing effects can be achieved by massaging facial acupressure points. These points relate to energy flowing through the body, which is often blocked by stress, illness or toxins. Massaging these points liberates blocked energy, increases the flow of oxygen and reduces stress and tension in the face, which helped to cause the creases and crevices. Finding acupressure points are quite simple. They present themselves as sensitive spots or tiny indentations on the face. Once the face is toned it's easier to keep in shape by incorporating a home facial-toning program. "e;I encourage my clients to wash their face in an upward position and do facial exercises three to four times a week. For just a few minutes effort towards home maintenance each week, a toned face can stay that way."e;

Although the benefits of massage seem clear, there's more to the treatment that meets the eye. The skin - our body's largest organ - has two distinct layers. The uppermost layer, the epidermis, consists of five layers. The epidermis replaces itself every month or so as the skin looses about 100,000 cells daily through natural exfoliation processes. Unlike children, whose skin exfoliates in rapid succession to continually expose new healthy cells, mature skin becomes sluggish causing dead skin cells to cling to the surface. Since dead skin cells are also dehydrated, they appear aged. In young skin, the turnover is about 15 - 20 days while in an older person it takes about 30 - 45 days. In order to get the fountain of youth flowing again, new cells need to replace dead cells.

Lying beneath the five layers of the epidermis is the dermis. It makes up more than 90% of the skin's mass. It is a highly vascularized layer of connective tissue (collagen and elastin). The dermis consists mainly of blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerves, sweat glands, oil glands, arrector pili muscles and hair papillae. The affects upon the epidermis and dermis when the face is massaged is a greater cell turnover, exposing newer healthier cells, and through the process of blood and oxygen coming to the surface, a metabolic process occurs that allows the toning and tightening affect upon the muscles of the face. This rejuvenation process can be accelerated by adding the stimulating honeylift massage to your facial massage treatment, especially from the signature strokes of the sticky "e;Honeylift Massage"e; of the Belaví Treatment. The special techniques of whipping and tapotement of the honeylift treatment give the skin a pinkish cast because the blood has been brought to the surface. The skin glows with health due to this rush of blood. Vigorous stroking movements remove impurities and give the skin "e;breathing room"e;, opening pores and eliminating toxins by removing dead skin cells.

Anti-Aging & Anti-Stress: The Benefits Are Two-Fold
Even if The Belaví Facelift Massage provided no anti-aging benefit, I know my waiting room would still be filled with eager clients waiting to receive it.

I have clients who are not that concerned with anti-aging, who find the Belaví Facelift Massage the greatest stress reducing, relaxing and pampering treatment they have ever received. Alternating between a therapeutic massage or facial for deep pore cleansing, I have clients who come to me solely for the stress reduction the Belaví Facelift Massage offers.

Belaví is truly the most relaxing and pampering treatment on my menu of services at my Day Spa in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Something quite magical happens when I touch a face. The active stimulation causes my clients to shift their consciousness, because of the energy. Unlike a therapeutic massage where they keep their consciousness with their body to enjoy the feeling of every move, they zone out in the Facelift Massage. Often during the eye massage, my clients' breathing pattern shifts into a state of deep relaxation. After I finish the facial massage, I apply a soft cotton chin strap to support the muscles, which allows them to relax and "e;remember"e; the tightening effect. During this time, the client receives a hand massage, followed by a luxurious foot massage, using hot towels and a rich moisturizing lotion. Heavenly! I conclude with a neck and scalp massage and leave the client exhilarated and eager to book their next session. What a wonderful spa treatment! A massage to the face, neck, shoulders, back, hands, feet and scalp are all included in a Belaví Facelift Massage treatment.

For the serious seekers of facial fitness, or those considering plastic surgery, I suggest that my clients book a series of six or twelve treatments given two to three times per week, while practicing their facial exercises and self massage at home. I also recommend home care products with ingredients that promote smooth skin such as Glycolic Acids, Vitamin C, E, A and Enzymes. Such product sales can enhance your business and help clients.

About Becoming a Facelift Massage Specialist
The Belaví Certification Program is open to all massage therapists, aestheticians, bodyworkers or those interested in moving into the massage therapy field. You can become a "e;personal trainer"e; of facial fitness for your client through this certification program. If you are a licensed Massage Therapist through the NCBTMB, twenty-four continuing education credits may be obtained by completing the course requirements of this three-day seminar or home study program. After completing the basic requirements for a "e;Facelift Massage Specialist"e; you are then eligible to become a trainer of this wonderful treatment, by taking the Belaví Teachers Training Course.

There are many other ways to improve aging signs and the skin's health, from plastic surgery, laser surgery, dermabrasion, glycolic peels, myontology (electrical pulses to contract a muscle, acting like a nerve impulse), enzymes, and skin care products containing vitamin C, E and A. Considering all the alternatives, the human touch is very healing and cannot be topped. There is a rapport that gets established between the client and the therapist and the touch penetrates deeper emotionally, psychologically and physically than any machine or surgical procedure. "e;Touch therapy for the face, in my opinion, is the highest vibrational healing and rejuvenation treatment available and the treatment of choice for educated clients and therapists interested in holistic care for the face."e;