Mala McAlpin Most of us are now virtually de-sensitised to celebrities regularly endorsing out-of-the-box aesthetic treatments, from Gwenyth Paltrow’s vagina steaming to Demi Moore’s leech therapy, so it will come as no surprise to learn that Meghan Markle aka the Duchess of Sussex recently announced her favourite facial involves an inside-the-mouth massage.
Markle’s facialist is London-based Nichola Joss, one of the world’s most revered skincare experts who also counts celebs like Jennifer Lopez and Kate Moss among her high-profile clientele. Joss is the creator of the ‘inner facial’, in which clients receive a massage inside the cheeks (with gloves, of course) to tone and contour facial muscles.
“Massaging your facial muscles will immediately start working your lymphatic system, which keeps your body clear of toxins and fluids, and improves contours by removing tension and stress in the muscle,” says Joss. “Also, it pushes blood with essential nutrients and oxygen into the skin and muscle tissue to nourish anbiold improve cell renewal.”
According to her website, Joss’s Bespoke Sculpting Inner Facial is described as ‘designed with you in mind, looking at the tone texture and condition of your skin and addressing sagging muscles through deep lymphatic massage and contouring techniques Nichola has designed to lift the facial contours and give a fresh radiant look to the skin. This treatment involves massage from inside the mouth to de stress the muscle tissue and improve the tone and firmness of the facial muscles to add youth and vitality. Encouraging the muscles to sit higher and with more volume and youth. All designed around a bespoke cocktail of products to add a personalised treatment especially for your skin.’
Unsurprisingly, popularity for the celebrity facialist surged when Markle announced in a media interview “I do facial exercises taught to me by one of my favorite aestheticians, Nicola Joss, who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel.”
Buccal facials are relatively popular in the UK and Us, and while buccal fat removal and transfer is quite common here in Australia, facials involving inner-cheek massage techniques come few and far between. Perhaps Australia’s only answer to Joss is Perth’s Sandra Levy Valensi; a french skin guru who trained with Joëlle Ciocco in Paris, and one of the only facialists or clinics in Australia to stock professional-only range Biologique Recherche. Joëlle describes her buccal treatment as ‘deep, manual massage like “pilates” for the face. Extended benefits include relaxation of tight jaw muscles, noticeable plumper lips and smoother facial lines, due to the increased blood flow and collagen production.’
