Natural Alternatives to Botox: Filler-Free Options for Younger Looking Skin
Looking for alternatives to the expensive (and invasive) Botox injections that are also healthy for your skin and sustainable enough to incorporate into your daily or weekly routine? East West medicine has the holistic skincare methods you’ve been looking for to reduce the signs of aging, even out skin tone, and improve the overall feel and appearance of your skin.
As more and more people turn to natural beauty, all have the same goal: youthful and beautiful skin for life.
What Do Fillers–Like Botox–Actually Do?
Botox is injected into the skin, and works by blocking certain nerve signals at the injection site which cause muscles to contract. When the relaxed muscle is no longer able to contract, the idea is that the appearance of wrinkles fades. And if no wrinkles are present, preventing facial muscles from contracting will prevent wrinkles from forming.
But Botox and similar fillers are expensive, somewhat invasive, and aren’t permanent. These procedures also don’t do anything to improve the overall health of skin, and are only a temporary solution that goes–no pun intended–only skin deep.
Eastern Methods for Glowing Skin
For those who desire other, more holistic methods of healthy, youthful skin, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and an Eastern approach use the body’s own healing mechanisms to restore beauty and vitality by balancing the body as a whole, tapping into your Qi, or life force.
Holistic skincare can help prevent and reverse the effects of aging, even out your skin tone, and improve the appearance of things like dark circles and wrinkles by using natural remedies in the environment, as well as rebalancing the health of your body.
Much of what we see on our skin’s surface is actually the result of what’s going on in our digestion, and with inflammation produced in our gut. My 21-day protocol can help you address symptoms of digestion which are unknowingly contributing to accelerated aging and poor skin health, in addition to things like weight gain and hormonal imbalance.
How to Get a Natural Facelift Without Fillers
Here are the best filler alternatives for youthful, healthy skin. These techniques will help you maximize hydration, and improve the health and appearance of your skin.
1. Jade Rollers or Gua Sha
Get your “Qi” flowing with jade rollers or gua sha. This ancient practice uses flat or fan-shaped jade or quartz stones to manipulate and massage facial muscles and tissue around the jawline. Gua sha actually dates back to the Ming Dynasty in China, and has been gradually improved throughout the ages to target fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin.
While some methods of gua sha involve the scraping of the face to break blood vessels, modern gua sha is more like a massage, smoothing fascia underneath the skin to facilitate the movement of fluid and improve the look of skin.
2. Hyaluronic Acid Serum
For healthy skin, hydration is key. Youthful skin retains its look and feel due to its high content of moisture. And the molecule responsible for moisture retention? Hyaluronic acid.
Despite the harsh sound of its name, hyaluronic acid is incredibly beneficial for your skin, and is a natural component already found in your body’s skin and connective tissues, though it’s production declines as we age.
The benefits of hyaluronic acid facilitate your skin to attract and hold onto moisture, allowing your skin to feel more hydrated and plump.
You can find hyaluronic acid in serums and creams, such as Eminence Strawberry Rhubarb HA serum.
3. Microneedling
Microneedling may be a more modern beauty technique, but it capitalizes on the body’s own restorative mechanisms by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin within the skin. This smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, and can support your skin’s elasticity.
Microneedling is done in a med spa or estheticians office, and involves the puncturing of skin with very tiny needles. This process isn’t painful, and very minimally invasive. Afterwards, your esthetician will follow with a nourishing serum, often containing HA or other moisturizer.
Microneedling can improve the appearance of sun damage, scarring, large pores, line and wrinkles, and can also increase the effectiveness of topical products applied to your skin (1).
4. Green Tea
Green tea is among the world’s richest sources of antioxidants, nutrients, and polyphenols, and has been used for centuries as a beauty elixir in many parts of the world.
Applying green tea to your skin allows your skin to soak up its natural anti inflammatory properties, and can calm redness or irritation stemming from inflammation (2). Green tea is a rich source of antioxidants that help to fight free radicals responsible for the effects of aging.
You can steep green tea, or use ground young green tea leaves in the form of matcha powder to reap the incredible antioxidant benefits.
Drinking green tea is also beneficial for skin health. Studies show that green tea might suppress enzymes responsible for the breakdown of collagen within skin, possibly accounting for its anti-wrinkle properties (3).
5. Vitamin C Serum
Free-radical damage is one of the biggest drivers of skin aging, and quenching these free-radicals is an important part of maintaining healthy and younger-looking skin.
Eastern cultures have long used vitamin c rich botanicals like yuzu, amla, and matcha as natural beauty elixirs for hair and skin. And today, you can find these popular nourishing ingredients, and vitamin C itself, in easy-to-use serums which can be absorbed directly through the skin.
You can find vitamin C serums to fit most any budget, and they’re most effective when used prior to your moisturizer. Check out Eminence Kale + Citrus serum for a powerful dose of topical antioxidants.
Eastern Medicine Diet Secrets for Great Skin
Traditional Chinese medicine theory is that each part of your body is interconnected to the other, which means that when a problem arises, it points to an imbalance elsewhere in the body. If we view skincare with a holistic approach, we can support other natural processes which involve deeper restoration than typical creams and lotions.
Keeping Skin Hydrated
Hydration is essential for healthy supple skin. And according to TCM, energy or “Qi” produced in the kidney is responsible for nourishing and hydrating all organs and tissues in the body. Poor quality hydration, or an imbalance in the kidney or bladder, and your skin may feel dry, and you’ll have worsening dark circles or puffiness underneath your eyes (4).
Drinking plenty of water, and supporting your skin’s moisture balance with topical moisturizers can help protect the look and feel of your skin.
Nutrients for Healthy Skin
Your skin is made up of complex proteins and molecules that weave together to form protective matrices that hold onto hydration and help your skin retain its elasticity. And there are key nutrients you can use to nourish your skin.
Vitamin C helps prevent free-radical damage responsible for accelerated aging, and boosts collagen production in skin and connective tissue, allowing it to retain it’s soft and smooth appearance. Kiwi, citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are great sources of vitamin C.
You can also consume collagen-rich foods directly, which will provide ingredients your body needs to make more of its own collagen. You can include bone broth, or a collagen supplement in your routine.
Lastly, many problems in skin, and the effects of aging can be improved by supporting your body’s natural detox pathways. Healthy and youthful skin is a reflection of your body’s ability to process and eliminate toxins and control inflammation, which is driven by healthy detox.
Check out 3 detox methods that actually work to give toxins a healthy way to leave your body, and prevent them from damaging your skin!
East West Medicine for Youthful Skin
Natural alternatives to Botox are a combination of diet, lifestyle, and daily skin routine practices that protect your skin, while also providing the nourishment it needs.
You can learn more about East West methods for skincare here, and don’t forget to forward this read to someone who could benefit!
What East West practice will you bring to your beauty routine?
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