Beauty Tips
Every woman over 60 with a firm jawline, full cheeks and bagfree eyes either has a clever way of concealing surgery scars or has lived in a time capsule all her life.
Such tout youthfulness does not come with face creams, diet or strange cell injections.
However, facial exercise guru Eva Fraser - who is to cheek muscles what Jane Fonda is to abdominal tucks - has a face that defies both gravity and her 63 years.
"I don't believe in eternal youth, however we can do an enormous amount towards staying younger," she said.
"The effects of working out are well known, so the face can benefit from it too. I began when i was 50. I was desperate - everything had dropped and my face had gone flat from the eyes down. The muscles had lost their elasticity."
Now, 13 years on, Eva has the facial firmness that most women of 45 dream of.
"There's no secret miracle, just keep fit for the face. Creams only improve texture, not tone or muscle strength.
"We think that talking, eating and expressing exercises the face- it doesn't because we use the same muscles again and again while the rest become slack.
"If body muscles were neglected like that, most of us would barely walk."
The technique is not new. It was taught to Eva by Eva Hoffman, who perfected the 14 exercises working with a doctor in the 1930s.
The theory is simple: as with the body, the facial muscles can be tightened internally to improve the external contours and, as certain muscle work will build bulk, the same can be done on the face to fill out lines. This can help fill out that sunken-in, hollow-cheeked look - the first sign of aging.
"The face muscles, unlike those in the body, are attached directly to the skin, so when the muscles sag so does the skin over them,' Eva said. "This is what gives the jowly jawline, hooded eyes and sagging neck and cheeks."
It sound simple, but, as with any workout, it takes time, concentration and more than the occasional muscle ache; the initial problem is actually finding and then working those elusive droops. Working the cheek means isolating and then individually moving four main muscles through intricate twitches and staggered lifts from the side of the mouth.
The eyes are even harder, although hooded eyelids can be lifted quite quickly. However, working the neck - by clenching the lower teeth over the upper lip, thrusting the chin forward and smiling - takes longer to achieve good results.
Surprising this workout leaves a glow as forgotten muscles exercise for the first time in years. Even while exercising, a dull ache starts, but unlike Fonda, the Fraser workout does not go for the burn.
Although Eva gives a course of one-to-one classes, the technique can be learned through her book or video, but this is not a quick five minutes before bedtime.
An enthusiastic burst lasting two weeks will barely reverse the effects of a late night, let alone the last 10 years. It is usually takes months of concentrated daily workouts to achieve visible, lasting effects.
You have to sit in front of a mirror and think about where you are working. Initially it takes about 15 minutes a day. Once the muscles are tight and back to their original, youthful position, maintenance takes about 10 minutes, two or three times a week.
"And it's never too late to start. Ideally we should begin at 20 as a preventive measure, but at any age you'll see an improvement." Eva said.
She hates to talk about wiping away the years along with the eyebags and the results can't be compared to a facelift, but to many women it may be a cheaper and trauma-free alternative.
The face is tighter, fuller and more youthful, but small lines will still be there. Regular exercise also affects skin tone and colour as the increased blood and lymph flow bring nutrients to the cells while eliminating toxins. It can take away 10 years (only after a good six months of dedicated exercising) but it gives a natural youthfulness, not the Nancy Reagan drawstring look.
"Surgery just works on the skin. All the muscles are still sagging underneath, so after five years the wight of the skin pulls it down again." Eva claimed. "Doing this just makes aging a lot less depressing."
The routine consists of 14 exercises and three different levels. Four are illustrated below for you to try; all must be repeated three times in front of a mirror - IPS
Upper Eyelids:
Curve index fingers under brows while holding side of head with thumbs. Pushed brows up, hold firmly against bone, try to close lids slowly, feeling downward pull from brow to lashes, squeeze lids tightly together and hold for five, releases slowly, open eyes.
Forehead:
Elbows on table, place fingertips above brows and slide up to hairline, pushing up, holding skin against bone. Look straight ahead, try to bring brow down in five movements against resistance, gradually closing eyes. Hold downward, pull for three, then release.
Jawline and Necks:
Tilt head up and jut chin forward. Slide upper lip behind lower teeth and gently grip in place. With stretched feeling in front of neck, slowly smile up and out in direction of arrow in five slow movements, fold for five. Return in five movements and relax.
Checks:
Keeping your back teeth together but relaxed, and your lips slightly apart, smile upwards and outwards to the temples, making the maximum effort in one slow movement. Hold for five seconds and slowly returns.
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