We Tried The Most Unique Buccal Facial Massage (Win!)

After a trip overseas earlier this summer to learn a new face lift / buccal massage technique, Vancouver-based Collective Skin certified skin therapist Iuliia Belousova’s has become an expert when it comes to this unique treatment. After experiencing it ourselves (and loving every minute of it), we picked Iuliia’s brain about what this treatment involves and what inspired her to study this therapeutic method. Read on to learn more, and enter for a chance to win!

What is the Holistic Face Lift / Buccal Massage?

The Holistic Face Lift / Buccal Massage uses specialized techniques that manipulate the soft tissues of the face, neck and cranium. The treatment is built on the principals of eliciting the internal resources of the body to improve skin quality and restore the shape of the face to a youthful and restful state.

We start the treatment with manual lymphatic drainage massage followed by manual face sculpting and modeling massage techniques. We address each muscle group in detail, first externally, and then from inside the mouth (buccal massage) aiming to restore the elasticity of the skin and eliminate muscle blockages and spasms. This approach to face  lift massage calms the nervous system, it increases blood and oxygen supply, and releases muscle tension that may lead to deep wrinkles and expression lines.

While this is a highly stimulating treatment, it is pain-free and provides anti-stress effects, as well as activates cellular metabolism and tissue nourishment to improve the quality of the skin.

What drew you to learn this face lift / buccal massage technique?

I wanted to learn a massage technique that is focused specifically on lifting and muscle tension release for quite some time. This interest eventually brought me towards discovering intraoral / buccal massage for its ability to access deeper musculature of the face that is normally hard to address working only externally.

I was looking into some buccal massage courses a few years ago, but the pandemic altered my plans on following through with it. Now in 2023, it finally happened and to be honest the timing of this couldn’t have been any better.

Tell us a little bit more about the course you took.

From the beginning it was important for me to take a buccal massage course that would go in-depth covering anatomy and the reason behind the techniques we were learning. To put it simply, I didn’t want to just follow a protocol, I wanted to understand every step and why it was being done. The Neolifting® course I took was held in London, UK, and is accredited by CPD UK. It consisted of 40 hours of in-person education, so we were in class for 5 full days with a lot of hands-on practice.

In addition to broadening my knowledge of facial anatomy and learning the manual massage techniques, we also dove deep into understanding the role of facial expressions, how emotions play into aging and overall well-being, and how to address these aspects of our reality in a healthy and positive way.

Who is an ideal candidate for this treatment?

Really – everyone. Except those of course who are contraindicated to it for one reason or another. This treatment tends to attract clients who are concerned with signs of aging because of its ability to address these concerns in a non-invasive—and most importantly—effective way. But it has so many other benefits from an overall improvement of the quality of the skin through stimulation of lymph and blood circulation, to deep relaxation of facial, neck and shoulder muscles, tension release in hypertonic muscles, and much more. This is why I feel it is such a fantastic treatment for anyone and everyone.

What would be some of the contraindications to the Holistic Face Lift  / Buccal Massage?

Anyone who is interested in receiving a buccal massage treatment would receive a consultation form which will cover every potential contraindication, so that we can be sure that you are a good candidate for this treatment. But just to name a few:

• Any pathologies of lymphatic system including an inflammation of lymphatic nodes would be a contraindication since we will be working with lymphatic system quite actively in this treatment.
• We would also not want to treat anyone with any acute pain anywhere in the body. Systemic contagious or infectious diseases would be a contraindication as well. That includes common cold, flu and COVID, when actively unwell and 7 days after recovery.
• Another one, which is quite specific to this treatment, is bleeding of the gums or mouth ulcers. This would be a no since a part of this treatment is performed intra-orally.

Is it safe to undergo this treatment if you have had injectables?

We would want to make sure that it has been at least 5 weeks post injection for both Botox and Dermal fillers. For things like mesothreads and threadlifting, we would have to wait at least 3 months post procedure.

How does this treatment fit into someone’s skin health plan? What is the frequency of treatments in order to achieve the best results?

Ideally, you would want to do series of 6 treatments – one treatment once a week for 6 weeks – to start. After that, we recommend to do monthly treatments to maintain and prolong your results. A lot of this will also depend of your specific goals, and we can discuss alternative schedules. For example, if you are interested in these treatments in preparation for an event this treatment can be done more often, and we can discuss what it is will look like for your specific situation. Even though you will experience the aforementioned benefits with just one treatment, we recommend doing a series of treatments as your body requires time and repetition to integrate the changes we are invoking. By taking a systematic approach with weekly treatments, we can impart the most benefits and achieve lasting results.

Can it be combined with other modalities?

Yes, for those who would like to maximize the lifting effects, and tissue recovery and nourishment we offer this treatment in combination with LED therapy or Microcurrent therapy. If you are interested in Microneedling treatments, doing series of Holistic Face Lift / Buccal Massage treatments followed by series of Microneedling would be the way to go. This is actually a fantastic combination for those with more advanced signs of
aging.

What is your biggest takeaway from learning this face lift / buccal massage technique?

There are so many, and I feel like learning this technique was very much of a growth experience both professionally and personally. The biggest takeaway for me is how strongly interconnected and intertwined our body systems are; how much the state of our physiological body—the state of our muscles, our lymphatic and circulatory systems—is connected to our psycho-emotional state and the overall state of our well-being, and how this effects the quality of our skin. All this helped to reinforce my belief in taking a holistic and individualized approach to the treatments I provide and the recommendations I give to my clients on how to care for their skin.

If there is one word you can use to describe the result of this treatment what would it be?

I would say revitalized. I think this is as close as I can come to describing it in one word. There is a feeling of lightness, a feeling of tension release and softness in the face, neck and shoulder muscles; a feeling of vitality, and a sense of harmony in both the facial tissues and in the overall body. The most common things I hear from clients right after this treatment is “I just feel so relaxed”, and “I can already feel how my face just feels tighter”. These are not one-worded descriptions, but they definitely encapsulate the power of this treatment.

If you’re ready to see positive changes in your skin and relieve tension and stress, you can book in to see Iuliia for a Holistic Face Lift / Buccal Massage through Collective Skin’s convenient online booking system. —Vita Daily

collectiveskincare.com

Win! A Holistic Face Lift / Buccal Massage At Collective Skin Care!

Congrats Amy L. of Abbotsford, BC, who will receive a Holistic Face Lift / Buccal Massage At Collective Skin Care! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadaily.ca. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.