Yukuko Tanaka face contouring massage
Monday, 28 December 2009Recently, I received a query from Lina if I’ve come across Japanese beauty expert Yukuko Tanaka (田中宥久子) and her Zogan face contouring massage techniques (塑颜按摩法). Lina is from the Essential Day Spa forum and according to her, a number of them at the forum are interested in this technique but because of the language, are having some difficulty figuring it all out. I visited the thread and found that a number of them have given positive reviews after trying the massage techniques for just a week or more.
Combination of lymphatic drainage and facial acupuncture
I managed to track down the Chinese and English translated videos at YouTube, part A & B of which I’ve posted here, and I found that what was used is a combination of lympatic drainage, facial acupuncture and activating of the meridian points – pretty close to the some of the lymph massages from Chizu Saeki of The Japanese Skincare Revolution and the facial I currently am receiving at True Beauty as well as the Guasa TCM facials. And yes, it’s true that such techniques have a positive face contouring and lifting effect.
11 steps in the anti-aging facial massage
There are 11 steps in the Zogan massage and much of the techniques actually focus on lymph massages, which are meant to flush out the waste in our lymph vessels and make our face less puffy and firmer. So in the videos, you’ll noticed that with every step, Tanaka kept going back to massaging the front of the ears and down to the neck and collarbones. In fact, to proceed with the facial massage, you should first flush out the toxins by doing the massage from the front the ears to the collarbone thrice.
Lymph nodes positions
According to what I’ve read from The Japanese Skincare Revolution, parotid lymph nodes are located in front and behind our ears and the lymph nodes in the small hollows behind the ears also affect facial swelling and firmness. Those at the sides of the neck are the cervical lymph nodes and those above the collarbones are known as the supraclavicular lymph nodes.
Uncomfortable about some of the massages
If I’m not wrong, there are five video clips but if you do not have the time, it is sufficient to watch just part A & B which I’ve posted here. Actually after watching the two clips, I’m actually quite uncomfortable with some of the massage techniques. One is around the eyes, because I find it difficult to massage from the outer area to the inner area without pulling the delicate skin around there. In the video, Tanaka explained that doing this helps to reduce puffiness and dark eye circles. I suppose massaging with oil would help facilitate that purpose but I would rather just press the six acupoints around the eyes, which also serves the same purpose.
Steps to improve face contour and prevent sagging
The other is to push the cheeks up because it’s supposed to reduce the fats or cellulites in that area. I’m not used to such massages where my face is contorted as such and according to the explanation, you need to press quite hard on the area. By massaging the face from the outer area to the nose area, that is supposed to prevent the face from sagging. The step that follows immediately after is to reduce the nasolabial folds. Note that you’re supposed to repeat thrice for each step.
Massages should not make the face gaunt looking
I read from the EDS thread that some ladies are worried that the Tanaka massage will make their face become more gaunt. Well, according to my experience, it should not. In fact, if done correctly, your face should appear “flatter” without the puffiness and the nasolabial folds and yet more contoured.
Need to employ the correct pressure points
The Tanaka Zogan anti-aging facial massage seem quite easy when you watch it. The whole works should take about 5 minutes or less once you’re comfortable with the steps. However, the massage pressures must be suitably employed and in her words, you should be “comfortably pained”, whatever that means. Personally, I find that tricky because you should not press too hard and neither should it be too soft. To understand this better, you should watch part D of the videos.
Overall thoughts
The Tanaka face contouring massage, available in a book and a DVD, is supposed to eliminate spots, wrinkles, dullness, sagging, and even the reduction in the pore size. Based on my experience, I think such massage techniques are effective to improve the blood circulation and the contour of the face, thus contributing to an overall face lift. It can therefore help reduce dullness, sagging plus wrinkles and you would look more radiant and younger as a result. Definitely worth your while to try it out especially if you’re into a DIY beauty approach. But, you must have the patience to do this every day for the effects to be sustained. In addition, you still need to use the right skin care products in order to eliminate the other skin problems because such techniques cannot eradicate your acne or pigmentation.
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Posted in Japanese, Tutorials | 33 Comments »
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December 28th, 2009 at 9:44 am
how often should one be doing such massages? once a day? twice? please reccommend a good massaging cream to go with it
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Once a day should be sufficient…as it is, I find it hard to do that.
Personally, I find oil to be easier for massage purposes. The only cream I can think of is those of hydrating mask because they don’t get absorbed easily. I have a couple from Lavera and I think those can be used and should not clog pores too.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Hi Sesame! Btw, her name is Yukuko Tanaka not Hisako Tanaka!
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Oh thanks for pointing out! I had difficulty finding her full name and I googled her Chinese name and Hisako Tanako turned up along with info on her DVD.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Isn’t it difficult to massage one’s own face? (Sorry, at work…youtube blocked)
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Yes, I think so too. It’s not easy but it can be done of course…the only problem is, are we using the right pressure?
December 28th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I had seen this massage technique in some Taiwanese beauty magazine too. I tried it out for a couple of weeks but I don’t see any difference. However, I do not have wrinkles yet & my skin is not sagging.
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Hmm…I think if your skin is already firm, probably not much of a difference. But no improvement in complexion tone even?
December 28th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
i’ve seen this on youtube, there are several people out there that have posted their own ways of anti aging massages (based on the book) too. Except it is in English.
Glad these are in Chinese. favorited them !
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
They have in English too? Haven’t seen that.
December 28th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I tried them before (different kinds) to massage my face to relieve stress. It kind of did, but you definitely need to use some type of oil (I used jojoba oil). It’s non clogging!
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Yup, oil would be much better. Btw, I saw your entries on the VivaBella Giveaway. You should be commenting on the sponsors and products.
I had to delete some of them though so that I can make a draw on the valid entries later.
December 28th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I COULD NEVER keep up with this…just seems to hard…and truth to be told…I am more worried about other facial problems…*acne* lol…to care about wrinkles…or anything else…I guess I am being naive..since am still in my 20’s but once I hit 25 then I’ll think about massages
but I sure do love your infos and reviews!!
sesame Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
I’m older than you and I’m also worried about acne. I have to come to this age to battle with them due to hormonal imbalance. Grrr…
December 29th, 2009 at 12:10 am
DAMN hormones!!! I always thought once I was 20…they would stop…but it’s not true!!
I just when I hit my 40’s I don’t have the same issues.
December 29th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
thank you for the informative entry on the massage! i find that cold cream is great for this too
sesame Reply:
December 29th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
I’ve never tried cold cream before so not sure. What brand do you suggest?
December 30th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Very interesting! Do you think that this would work as a preventative measure? Are you supposed to do this everyday? I wish the videos had subtitles.
oh well, thanks for putting that fourm link up too, that is helpful. Nice article!
sesame Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Yes, it would when done correctly. Make sure your face is well lubricated. If your skin is young and firm, you can do this like 2 – 3 times a week. Of course, every day would be great.
January 17th, 2010 at 6:45 am
[...] came across a post from Sesame at VivaWoman back in December, where she talked about a popular Japanese face contouring massage [...]
January 17th, 2010 at 6:51 am
Hi Sesame! I came across this post the day you put it up, and I was able to get the videos translated into English. I did the voiceovers/subtitles myself, and just in case any of your readers don’t understand Chinese or Japanese, I thought I’d share with you the link: http://www.epicbeautyguide.com/2010/01/face-contouring-anti-aging-massage/
Thanks for posting this! It got me started on this massage and I LOVE it!
~Stephanie
xx
sesame Reply:
January 17th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Oh you did! Wonderful! It’ll be much clearer with the translation for those who don’t understand Chinese or Japanese. Thanks Stephanie!
February 7th, 2010 at 10:53 am
sesame!
wow! this page looks so good! i’m the original poster from EDS, that was desperate and asking you about this massage. when frantically searching about this massage, i came across your website… you seemed very informed and up-to-date with all the asian skincare.
i’m so happy to see this on your website. are you using it? i’m so happy!
yes, i heard someone/a guest from your site came to EDS, and actually translated this.
thank you sesame! you’re just a fabulous lady!
p.s. did you get to meet critic, the EDS member that originally brought this to the rest of the EDS members?
p.s.s. did you get a chance to look at the japanese bone massage? *sorry i’m so full of questions, and more projects* yes, i read that your esthetician does this for you. you’re so lucky! i had one here in toronto, canada , whom was originally trained in korea, and did this for me. now she has paused her career to raise her children. so now i do it for myself… which worked out better cuz i can do it all the time. however, the bone massage i have problems with.
anyways, i’m really happy you got a chance to look at the tanaka, and i love your explanation above. thank you!
k, i’m going to take a closer look around on ur site. i haven’t been here since i last/first posted.
thanks a bunches! much love! lina (llina on EDS)
sesame Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Hi Lina:
I haven’t been much help but it’s great that Stephanie did a translation. That was really useful.
It’s good to be able to do this every day because for my facial, I can only do this like once in two weeks at most. But honestly, I haven’t got a chance to try this technique yet cos I don’t have the time. I’m taking small steps like doing some massages around my eyes to rid the lines. Might give this a try but because of my facial, I don’t really see an urgent need yet.
No, never got to meet the critic…got to see the Japanese bone massage thread but I think I prefer Tanaka’s cos it’s something I’m more familiar with.
Actually Lina, I want to thank you for bringing this to my attention. It’s a very interesting technique and I wasn’t aware until I saw your comment. Plus, there were some girls who saw this here and then they tried and saw a difference. I saw their comments in another forum…so thank you again Lina!
Come back often too.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:39 am
hi, i’m back!
yes, i linked into stephanie’s site and thanked her and mr szu. such wonderful pple. they really do exist! and you too sesame. you promised something and you really did it! thank you, sesame.
i’ve been looking around here. you should be really proud of yourself. you’re an inspiration, helping yourself, and helping others to help themselves. a strong passionate woman.
i was never seriously interested in skincare, till a few years ago. age has caught up with me, btw i’m 39. and when i stumble into eds, it was like chain reaction cuz i stumble here. the eds forum really sucked me in. i’ve been on there for months and months reading, trying to catch up with all ‘know-how’… some good, some bad. now, i’m ready for a change of pace. so, you’ll be seeing me often! *big smile*
while i’m writing, i’ll give you some personal feedback for the tanaka massage. i have found that it has helped with my skin complexion, making it brighter, more even tone, my skin looks and feels healthier. i had problems with capillaries breaking easily,just from extraction. i had to incorporate the tanaka slowly, over months, but now my skin is definitely more healthy. no more capillary breakages. with indicators like that i know my skin is healthier.. almost like the massage is helping blood flow, oxygentation, and repair. my girlfriend tried it and the very first time. she lost all the baggy saggy weight from her jaws. it was truly amazing! i got so excited about it that i have my mother and her friends doing it! they love it!
why i love it, is that it is a bonus that everyone can incorporate into their skincare… on top of products, creams, serums, gadgets, and the rest. and its free! any gal has to love that! something free that actually works, and to boot natural! love it!
*applause to sesame for all her hard work*
bless you!
lina
sesame Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Hey Lina: thanks for sharing your experience. The results are amazing! Yes, the massage will increase the circulation and improve your complexion. I should try to do this sometime with a work break coming up. What oil/cream do you use to lubricate your face?
February 8th, 2010 at 9:29 am
i’m using an oil cleanser and do the massage during my cleansing routine. right now i’m using valmont magic falls and shiseido’s perfect oil. i think critic is using an obagi cleanser. i think some others are using the castor oil/essential oil combination that they use from OCM.
sesame Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Oh, using an oil cleanser? That’s interesting! I’ve never thought of that. And it’s a good idea because you can just wash it off! Great, I’ll try this cos I use Muji cleansing oil. In fact, I thought it’s good to do some of the massages while washing our face and I was trying her cheek massages at one point.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:21 am
Hi,
I’m 59 and have always had problem skin. My big concerns now are puffiness, a fat face (not overweight) and mostly broken capillaries. Will the massage reduce the redness?
Thanks,
Ruth
sesame Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Not sure about the redness as I don’t know what’s the cause but it should help reduce the puffiness. Some readers have reported an improvement in terms of their broken capillaries after trying this massage too.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
hello, it’s very interesting- i live in Australia, and was wondering if there are DVD i could purchase from here or from the internet..it’s a brilliant work– thank you for sharing this, i will use it and let you know of the results..light and gratitude, Grace
sesame Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
I’m not sure about the DVD but the information are available on the Net so why not start with those. I hope you’ll get some positive results after trying them.
February 28th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I’ve ended up searching all about for that info. Thankfully I discovered this at Msn.