Deborah Tosline wrote and published Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare in 2015. Deborah's education and work experience is in science, where hypotheses are tested through observation and experiments. She has Bachelor of Science degrees in geology and ecology. Her approach to skin care is based on that scientific background, a love of research and over 30 years of DIY skincare experience.
There is a dramatic difference between some Do-It-Yourself skincare practices and standard skin care regarding how to handle eye and neck skin.
Urban myth, physicians, estheticians, mothers, friends and magazines warn us to handle the eye and neck skin delicately and I completely disagree.
I take care to protect eye and neck skin from sun exposure.
Beyond that, I use my hands to tug, pinch, pull and roll the skin around the eyes with gusto and vigorously scrub eye and neck skin with a microdermabrasion cloth. It feels terrific and enhances skin quality.
It all began when I integrated facial exercise into my normal exercise lifestyle and started practicing FlexEffect (FE) in 2002 at the age of 43. FE builds muscle with resistance training by using the hands to hold the facial muscles in place while the muscle is contracted. In addition, FE teaches strong massage techniques that include pinching the eyelid skin between the fingers and rolling, rolling, rolling the skin in an intense massage which feels terrific and, with time, promotes stronger and firmer skin.
It makes sense that facial muscles benefit from targeted exercise and that unused muscles atrophy. It’s disappointing, but eating, talking and normal facial expressions only partially use facial muscles resulting in imbalances and lines that form in the overlying skin.
I don’t differentiate my skin care products and I use the same products on eye and neck skin as I do on my face including advanced DIY skin care techniques. For me, treating eye and neck skin in the same manner as I treat facial skin has resulted in increased firmness and elasticity.
My results are anecdotal; I am reporting my personal experience. Check my photo, taken 10/17/16 at age 57 and review Deborah Crowley’s (founder of FE) lifelong photos. Decide for yourself.
To me, it just makes sense that if the skin is stimulated, biologic processes will strengthen the skin to handle the force.
You may want to reconsider how you handle your eye and neck skin.
To toughen up your facial skin find a set of facial exercises and massage programs that fit your finances and lifestyle. Start slow and build your facial exercise/massage intensity to promote muscle strength and skin processes.
Strengthening facial skin and muscles is an important part of a beauty regimen.
Take good care of yourself and for more skin care tips get my book "Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare" xo Deborah