Beauty and Muscles

It's about the muscles in your face. There are dozens of muscles in your face. If they were to sag ... that would be scary!

Let's start by talking about the muscles of the body, which are more familiar to you than the muscles of the face.

Last year, people suddenly found themselves unable to move about, and many began to worry about "COVID-19 weight gain." However, recently, we've heard people say that they've actually "slimmed down." Night after night of dinner parties has disappeared. Businesspeople, both men and women, have discovered the joy of cooking for themselves. And as people have gotten used to the new pace of life, they've been able to find time to exercise. These and other factors seem to be working to their advantage.

During the past year and a half, many people have realized that good diet and exercise habits can help keep skeletal muscles in good condition!

When the human body becomes less active, the first thing that happens is that energy metabolism in the muscles (skeletal muscles) slows down. This causes fat to accumulate, resulting in "insulin resistance." This impedes the smooth supply of energy to the skeletal muscles. This makes the body more easily fatigued and lethargic, further reducing activity. It's a vicious cycle.

Skeletal muscles get thinner, fat accumulates, and the body weakens. This tendency is especially pronounced for people in middle age and older as they age.

I'm sure there are many people who have renewed their resolve to break this "negative spiral."

※ No enlargement allowed! (lol)

I am working hard on "morning yoga"!!

Previously, I only went to yoga classes on weekends, but this year, I started getting up early and doing yoga before going to work at the clinic. I never thought I would be able to do this. I'm a little surprised, but also a little happy.

I like to cook, but unfortunately I don't have the time to do so! So I take various supplements to make up for any missing nutrients. In particular, I take " PQQ " and "amino acids" for muscle growth.

Let me explain a little ... " PQQ " is said to suppress mitochondrial oxidation and improve their function. Mitochondria are very important organelles that act as "energy production factories" within cells, so there are high expectations for PQQ .

As for "amino acids," this goes without saying; muscles are made of protein, and the main building blocks of protein are amino acids.

I hope that by taking " PQQ " and "amino acids" along with an exercise habit, the efficiency of skeletal muscle development will improve!

Now, we will finally talk about the skeletal muscles of the face.

I am a self-proclaimed "female facial muscle doctor." As a facial muscle geek, I am always, always, always thinking about facial muscles. Seriously.

※ My Anatomy Bible

Anyway, the more you learn about facial muscles, the more interesting it becomes!

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I used to go to major hospitals overseas to perform "dissections" of the face and head and neck. Don't worry, it's not illegal. Thanks to that training, I can "understand" the facial muscles of my patients and the skin tissues on them just by looking at their faces. I don't know how much this helps me when injecting botulinum toxin or hyaluronic acid.

...I got excited. Let's go back to the topic of patients' concerns. Recently, we have seen a sudden increase in consultations at Aoharu Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic.

"When I took off the mask and looked closely at my face, it looked really saggy!"

This is clearly because we've been wearing masks for so long that we've neglected to make facial expressions. We've neglected to make an effort to lift the corners of our mouths. Videos have become the norm in online meetings. I think this is the result of all of this.

As I wrote at the beginning, there are dozens of different muscles in your face. Many of them are "facial muscles." They move in a variety of ways, such as laughing, crying, and getting angry. That's right! Even if you're wearing a mask, be conscious of using your muscles and try to live with a rich range of facial expressions. If you don't walk, your leg muscles weaken, right? It's the same thing.

Not only do they weaken, but the balance between the muscles is also lost. The muscles that "push" the face down become stronger than the muscles that "lift" the face. This is the root cause of a "downward-facing mouth." In turn, this makes the nasolabial folds and marionette lines more prominent.

Make a conscious effort to lift the corners of your mouth! It's often said that this is the secret to good fortune. Also, if you don't pay attention to the back of your chin, you'll end up with a double chin in no time.

※ My examination room is a museum of muscle anatomy.

I am conscious of my facial expressions and stimulate my muscles with " EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) ". Face, neck, shoulders, head. There are many types of facial beauty devices, but as a muscle enthusiast, I love EMS facial beauty devices . I apply it diligently while practicing my imagination of the muscles and deep skin tissues that I have actually seen and touched during facial anatomy training and medical conferences overseas.

Facial muscles are almost integrated with the skin, so they are easily affected by EMS . This means that muscle weakness is easily reflected in your appearance!

Well, when it comes to using muscles, there is also the issue of overuse of facial muscles. Yes, we are talking about wrinkles.

Frowning also uses the muscles that make that expression. Doing so too much can result in clear wrinkles between your eyebrows. Also, if you try too hard to smile using only your eyes that are exposed through the mask, you can easily develop "crow's feet" at the corners of your eyes, so be careful with that too.

Even if you are not consciously exercising your facial muscles, you can overuse them. For example, you may grind your teeth at night due to stress. Some people even have thick masseter muscles that cause pain in their jaws.

For those who are troubled by these excessive facial muscle movements, I will inject botulinum toxin to relieve the symptoms. As I wrote earlier, I am a female doctor who can "see facial muscles," so please leave the injections to me.

I'll say it again. The more you learn about muscles, the more interesting they become!

Please try and be conscious of the "well-aging from the muscles" of your body and face.

Aoharu Evangelist Eriko Koyanagi