Beauty journalist Sam Jones discovers the benefits of acupressure
I really don’t want to write this beauty review! Not because something went catastrophically wrong at my last appointment – I am not sat here typing with one eyebrow higher than the other or my lips swollen like a puffer fish.
No, the reason this review is difficult is because I’ve discovered a treatment and a person who has made such a transformative change to my face, that I actually don’t want to share my secret.
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It’s quite nice being this smug with friends who are wondering if you’ve had ‘work done’.
Over the past few weeks, my skin has glowed, my cheeks are higher, my eyebrows are lifted, my jowls are tighter, and my lips are plumper.
This is the best I have looked in ages, and it’s all down to one person and her amazing hands with no products involved (apart from a little E45 cream – more on that later).
Lari Yugai (who is of Korean/Japanese origin and was born in Russia) has lived, studied and practiced in many countries, spending the last 17 years in Poland.
She has been educated in natural medicine, physiotherapy, different massage techniques and the art of acupressure, which is the practice of applying pressure to key areas on the body and face to alleviate all manner of symptoms.
Lari, based in a clinic off Oxford Street, London, concentrates solely on the face and feet, using her unique method shaped through her 50-year-long career.
Her technique is a combination of the right amount of pressure and specific massage to manipulate your fascia (the connective tissue beneath the skin, which is primarily collagen), using some E45 cream to help with the gliding.
She then manipulates your muscles to be where they should be, taking mine back some 10 years! As the collagen is stimulated and your blood circulation improves, this gives you a plumped face and healthy glow.
I even met someone in her waiting room that has actually had her nose straightened quite considerably by Lari over the course of a few sessions (I saw the ‘before’ pictures).
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Lari says it’s all about muscle memory and training your muscles to fight gravity. The treatment can be painful at certain points, not completely unbearable, but at times wince-inducing, but Lari never pushes it too far.
If she senses you are getting tired, she moves to another area of the face. The jowl area is especially painful – as apparently this is where toxins gather – but Lari works on this area by sending those pesky toxins on their merry way through your lymphatic system.
She will ask what your chief concerns are, but she’ll also be able to identify areas for work just by looking at you. You may not have noticed that your cheeks aren’t symmetrical, but Lari will.
That said, this treatment is not just about seeking perfection. Lari just gives you back the face you deserve without the stress, commuting, family life and whatever else life has thrown at you.
A one-off session is a good place to start, which should definitely give you a lifted and plumped look. Lari recommends a minimum of six sessions to give your muscles a chance to learn new habits, so you look your best self.
£190 per session, lariyugai.com
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