Why I'm obsessed with Facial Rollers (and why you should be too)

It seems that I've amassed a small collection of facial rollers.  I've come to the realization that I love these facial tools and the promise they bring.  Now that my collection is complete, I thought I'd formally introduce you to each of them and what makes them special. 

First we have what I'd consider the entry level facial rollers.  On the far right is my jade roller.  It's the only one I have with a completely smooth surface.  What I like about my jade roller is the cool feel of the stone against my skin.  It's also double sided.  I can use the small roller near harder to reach areas (around the eyes). The second addition to my collection was the Body Shop Facial Massager.  What attracted me to it was how different it's head looked from my jade roller.  I figured it would give me a greater level of stimulation and boy was I right.  

After grabbing the Body Shop roller, my next purchases were my derma rollers (not pictured).  They're highly effective but the tiny needles can be somewhat invasive.  When I was introduced to this roller with pins that don't penetrate the skin, I was completely sold, using it on my scalp and my face.  It most certainly provides way more stimulation than my jade & Body Shop rollers.  My hope is that this roller can help promote new skin cell production below the surface so my deep scarring goes away even faster.

My newest roller just might be my favorite.  This Panasonic massager is the only one electronic one of the group.  The head rotates on 3 speeds.  Unlike the others, this massager gives me a much deeper level of stimulation.  It goes beyond the surface to the point where I can actually feel the vibration in my facial bones.  Why is this important and why do I have so many rollers in the first place?

I'll answer those questions by sharing a story.  I travel a ton.  Between flights I spend a lot of time people watching at the airport.  Recently I've made a few observations about bright, youthful skin, and the differences it has with aging skin.  From my point of view, youthful skin looked like it was nourished with adequate blood flow.  Aging skin appeared dull and didn't have that "backlit" (glowing) look of younger skin.  When I say aging skin, I don't (just) mean the skin elderly people. I'm talking about people in their late thirties and up who don't take proactive action to exfoliate dead layers and bring blood flow and circulation to the face on a regular basis.  When this doesn't happen, the skin doesn't have that same look of health of someone younger.

When we massage our face, we are calling for blood to flow to that area. Where there is blood flow, there is health.  Children have high levels of circulation and blood flow, aging people do not. Since our blood flow naturally declines with age, we must take action to keep it going.  Exercise is one way to promote blood flow in our bodies.  But what about our face?

I'd also like to bring up the idea that, not only is our blood flow slowing down, but our bones are also shrinking. Ever seen pics of someone in their sixties who still works out regularly?  Their bodies retain it's youthful disposition. Some say this has to do with how our bones respond to resistance training. The more we work out against resistance, the stronger our bones become.  Unfortunately there isn't a way to work out the face in the same way.  This is why people can have amazing youthful bodies but their face still show their true age.  Facial exercise is one day to address that (we can talk more in another post). But facial exercises focus on the muscles and not the bone structure.  When I use my Panasonic Facial Massager, I feel the vibration down to my bones.  According to this site offering Whole Body Vibration machines to the elderly, the brain reacts to the intensity of the vibrations by stimulating and increasing blood flow and oxygenation while triggering a spike in human growth hormone.  They also believe that these vibrations has the power to increase bone density.

My Japanese facial massager is so intense that I feel the vibrations of my facial bones with each use.  It was so powerful that I decided to use it on my scalp.  Unlike other scalp massagers that focus on the surface level, I feel the vibrations throughout my entire head.  I also feel like it helps relieve tension from stress. It's like getting a head massage, not just a scalp massage. Feels really good.  Best of all, it does all the work for me.