Skin Care is More Than Skin Deep – All About Self Myofascial Release

Skin health is much more than what lies on the surface. Here in Colorado, where RAD is from, we use hydrating creams on our face daily, but we don’t stop there.

There are a lot of little muscles in your face that contort and shape themselves to make hundreds of facial expressions on a daily basis….So why don’t we stretch and mobilize them like we would with our quads, calves, etc?

How do you even stretch your facial muscles? Many of them can’t stretch to a much longer length, because they’re essentially ‘glued down’ to your head (consider the muscles of the temple or forehead). When we can’t stretch them into place, we use a RAD Round to roll them out. This helps to relax the muscle underneath and hydrate the tissue above while providing the same benefit as stretching the muscle. Side note: don’t worry about ‘relaxing tissue too much to be saggy, etc……We’re just restoring them to their normal length so they can hydrate and relax the face. Tensing muscles in the face will definitely lead to wrinkles down the line, and the best thing you can do as a preventative measure is to keep the muscles of the face open and moving freely.

Fascia is a bit of a generic term for all the varying collagenous tissue in the body. We say generic, because it comes in all shapes and sizes. Mainly we’re concerned about the loosely connected layer that lies right below the skin, and the muscles below.

If you haven’t taken 20 minutes to give yourself a nice face massage, you are TRULY missing out 

Here’s a few of our favorite places and techniques to utilize the RAD Rounds to help relax, restore, and rejuvenate. 

TEMPLE

Slowly work around the whole temple, stopping with light pressure in spots that feel tense. We recommend around ten breath cycles, or two minutes in a single area, then switch sides.

JAW

The muscles of the jaw will almost always respond to tight neck muscles….But it goes both ways. Release the jaw and your entire head and neck will feel lighter. Start under your cheekbone, about an inch from your ear. Roll in small one inch motions down towards the bottom outside edge of the jaw

THIRD EYE

There is a huge muscle that sits across the entire forehead, running north and south. Relaxing these muscles can help release the tension in eye-wrinkles, and the eyes themselves!

UPPER NECK TRIANGLE

This spot holds a lot of tension for many people who work at a desk, or otherwise sit for long periods. The long muscles of the neck, like the SCM’s (sternocleidomastoid) attach here and run along the side and front of your neck. Do both your neck and face a favor by using light compression techniques in this area. This is kind of a bonus area, because it is a huge highway for lymph, the fluid that brings nutrition into the skin, and shuffles out the waste products.

CHEEKBONES

We’re not really rolling the cheekbone itself, but the muscles below. They help to smile, scrunch your eyes, etc. You’d be surprised to see what kind of tension lies beneath the surface here, but never fear, the micro-round is here to help.

SC JOINT

This is meant as a whole-upper-body reset area. It’s the only real bony connection of the shoulder, and simply making circles around the joint can relax and rejuvenate the entire neck and shoulders. You have to try it!

Want to learn more about RAD and how you can change your body forever?

Check us out and find our tools at RADRoller.com and use code RISE15 for 15% off of your purchase!

You can also get to know us on social media – @radrollerteam & RAD ROLLER – Watch RAD YouTube videos too!

About the Author: Julie Wu began her journey in the research field, investigating mechanisms of various forms of Diabetes and Cancer in the lab environment. Seeing health and wellness as a more holistic endeavor, she took a right turn and became a classically trained Five- Element Acupuncturist. She began the practice of yoga during her training and wanting to dive deeper into anatomy and movement, now teaches myofascial release workshops nationally and internationally as a lead ambassador for RAD. When she’s not on the road teaching courses, you can find her nose deep in her garden, or hugging any dog that comes near her. RAD is a company that creates high quality myofascial release tools and education, and can be found at RADRoller.com. Julie is facilitating RAD Roller Classes at Rise Gatherings Day of Renewal feat. RAD Roller!