In Scottsdale’s war on aging skin, the battle lines are drawn.
Among the area’s shriveling masses, many have turned to expensive plastic surgery, often not covered by health insurance. Others redecorate with products slathered on by spa workers or makeup artists, the cosmetology version of cinematography.
But wait, there’s a third way, and it may only cost the price of a book, $14.95.
Scottsdale acupuncturist Victoria Mogilner encourages her patients to pursue a do-it-yourself approach to youth and well-being.
It doesn’t involve needles, the mainstay of the 2,000-year-old Chinese therapy Mogilner practices.
It’s about acupressure. Instead of needles, light pressure is applied along the body’s meridians, 12 channels corresponding to main organs.
Mogilner’s book, Ancient Secrets of Facial Rejuvenation, reveals points on the face and body that influence beauty “from the inside out.” In the book, she combines acupressure with herbal treatments, affirmations and nutritional tips to provide what she calls “a facelift without surgery.”
“Every meridian begins on the face, and as you touch them, you reprogram the emotions as well as your health,” she said.
In office visits at her Old Town Scottsdale acupuncture clinic, she employs herbal masks, microcurrent light therapies, Chinese massage techniques and a “new reality machine” that uses headphones and tapes for “creative visualization.”
She wrote the book so her clients could continue treatment at home, but says it can be used alone.
Mogilner, began her therapeutic study at Esalen Institute, the Big Sur, Calif., retreat. She became a psychologist and later studied acupuncture in England and China, and also trained as an aesthetician.
She sees no reason why the average citizen shouldn’t be able to knock out a bad mood and tighten the skin with a gentle push to the forehead or a soft poke on the chin.
She said part of youthful aging is talking to yourself; your cells listen.
“I try to give the tools you can use at home. It’s critical that we become empowered,” she said.
A visit to the acupuncturist for a non-surgical facelift can cost from $95 to $125. But if you get it out of her book for $15, she’s OK with that.
“I tell people to create a sacred space, a few minutes for yourself. They’ll look better.”
Click here to purchase • Ancient Secrets of Facial Rejuvenation, by Victoria J. Mogilner.
• The book is also available at most bookstores, www.amazon.com and at the author’s clinic, Scottsdale. 480-560-1454
• More information: www.victoriamogilner.com
