Beauty Culture (Woodbury)/Chapter 19

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"The term massage," says Dr. H. G. Wood in his "Therapeutics," "is used as the generic name for external manipulations which are employed for the purpose of affecting the nervous and muscular system and the general circulation." This implies that a knowledge of the structure of the parts affected must be obtained before the operation can be conducted properly. Especially must the position of the muscles and the direction in which their fibres extend be known in order that the manipulation may be beneficial. Yet of all the persons claiming to give massage, especially of the face, only a small percentage possesses the faintest trace of this knowledge, or even realizes that it is necessary. They are merely "skin-rubbers," producing no beneficial result beyond the slight increase of the circulation in the skin, and doing positive harm to the muscles by distorting the natural lines of their development.

Massage is of high antiquity, as indicated by the etymology of the word, which is derived through the French masser from the Greek massein, meaning "to knead." Not only in Greece and Rome, but in ancient Persia, India, and China it flourished as a curative process and as a form of gentle exercise for invalids.

Our progress in knowledge of the relations between the functions of different bodily organs has raised mas​sage almost to the rank of an exact science. But still it is an art, for into it each well-taught operator can infuse individuality and can thus achieve a special personal skill in it that makes and keeps patrons.

Massage has been found to be the best means to restore the contour of a withering face and a drooping complexion. By its means the skin is cleansed of retained sebaceous matter intermingled with dirt and infective germs that cause inflammatory skin lesions, such as pimples, blackheads, discolorations, shrivelling and premature wrinkling, and at the same time a new life is given to the sluggish circulation with a persistence that eventually builds up the sunken hollows and produces a healthy glow and texture.

Massage must, however, never be depended upon alone. Any physical faults that tend to lower the vitality of the body must be corrected as well, and habits that lead to lowered states of the system must be avoided and in their place outdoor exercise, physical culture, and proper and regular eating are to be insisted upon.

Above all, the masseuse must insist upon the discardance of all unwholesome means used to make the face appear natural. Nearly all cosmetics eventually lead to complete ruination of the texture of the skin. Besides, they generally make even a very fine-featured face look vulgar, and the user's social status is apt to become a subject of suspicion.

Furthermore, the use of external applications to the skin to cure it of discolorations and other blemishes is rarely sufficient to effect a satisfactory result. Such may seemingly mitigate conditions or improve the looks for a time, but their value is ephemeral, even when they are not decidedly harmful. Massage should always accompany the treatment to obtain permanent results.

​The fault on the other hand of many physicians and skin specialists has been to prescribe only internal remedies or perhaps a combined internal and external mode of treatment, leaving it to the patient to attend to the application of such lotions as are given. It is needless to say that failure results in most of such cases, since the patient does not understand the actual object of the medicines to be applied to the skin or the method in which they are to be applied. So she becomes quickly discouraged, only to go to another and still another physician with the same outcome.

It is in the power of the masseuse to satisfy these patients, and, thanks to progress, patients are beginning to learn this fact.

Not only can the operator dispel the affliction of the skin, wherever it may be, but can also restore the health and beauty of a hideous skin, give a graceful contour to the shrunken parts of the face and make an anxious patient happy.

Thoroughly to prepare the operator for the fulfilment of her duties it is well to enter upon a systematic consideration of the treatment and massage of the face, for without a knowledge of the structure and function of its muscles much harm can be done.

Accordingly the author has prepared a diagram showing the distribution of the muscles of the face and the direction of their contraction (see Figure 104).

The arrow heads drawn along the lines of the muscles show their directive function or action. With a little study of this picture it will be seen that each muscle is attached at its two ends; and a little reflection suffices to show that these muscles contract or shorten on themselves so as to bring these ends nearer together.

It is understood that both sides of the face are alike ​ ​in health, or are very nearly so. Slight differences are remarked in every person, due to hereditary causes, chewing on one side of the mouth, speaking incorrectly from the mouth to one side, wiping the nose to one side always, habitually laughing more on one side than the other, and other acquired causes of facial deviation, not to include differences caused by disease of the nerves and muscles.

These muscles of the face are as prone to relaxation and consequent flabbiness as any other muscles of the body, hence a sagging of the cheeks, a double chin, etc., etc.

On the other hand, the improper and persistent use of a muscle will strengthen it and cause abnormal development with consequent obliteration of fat and wrinkling of the skin near it as in the frown or the lines at the outer angle of the eye called crow's feet.

Wrinkling in general may therefore depend upon an unnatural use of the muscles, but also upon a lack of this use, with the result that the muscles become flabby, sinking below their natural level, and allowing the skin to fall with them, thus causing hollows, furrows and folds.

It is well known that exercise strengthens faculty, and this applies particularly to muscular structure. Care should be taken, however, not to over-exert a muscle or group of muscles since that leads to the same fault as inactivity. A muscle is built up by gentle systematic massage and rendered entirely useless by rough unnatural manipulation. Furthermore, without a knowledge of the use of any muscles, the incorrect massage thereof will result in a continuation of the fault and only go to lengthen it instead of shortening it, or, in other words, improving its contractile power.