At Hyoumankind, we’ve learned through trial and error, experimentation and creating our own pillows, how to have a more beautiful night’s sleep. Along the way we’ve met and worked with aesthetics experts, from skincare to plastic surgery. And now, specialists in restoring facial balance and symmetry.
Beautiphi is a specialist in appearance medicine, wellness, and beauty clinic, with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The team works with clients to understand their unique cosmetic needs and create bespoke solutions that address their appearance concerns so they can build that essential inner confidence.
Beautiphi’s emphasis is on replenishing and rejuvenating, creating a fresh complexion and well-rested appearance. A range of treatments and technologies is used, including injectables and dermal fillers to smooth and revitalise, quality skincare products, and professional nutritional analysis.
The Beautiphi philosophy of beauty follows the universal phi ratios for symmetry when mapping out the ideal positioning of cosmetic injectables and dermal fillers – letting nature’s system of mathematical balance enhance features and restore symmetry.
We’ve long been fans of Beautiphi and its approach to individual beauty. So we asked Director and Cosmetic Registered Nurse Stacey Power for her expert take on how sleep habits influence facial symmetry and skin ageing.
What are the tell-tale signs of a client’s sleeping habits?
In many clients, sleep lines become visible on their foreheads, and even in some younger clients, sleep lines can go up either side of the face, near the nose, and right through the forehead. Eyebrows can also develop sleep lines vertically throughout the eyebrow area. Younger clients also come for treatment of the tell-tale sleep fold at the edge of their lip, giving it a crease up towards the nose area. Many young women point this out as something they dislike and would like to have softened with dermal fillers.
Please share how sleeping position can impact facial symmetry and ‘divine proportions’.
Just as a chiropractor can tell which side you sleep on by looking at your neck and spine, in appearance medicine, we also often know which side a person predominantly sleeps on - the face tends to be flatter there and have the most lines. On this side there can be combination of both fine lines as well as more static, deeper lines. When we are rejuvenating a face, we try to rebalance the facial proportions. We call this ‘BeautiPHIcation’, a term coined by Dr Arthur Swift, a master plastic surgeon in Canada,. At Beautiphi we follow this practice of BeautiPHIcation, using nature’s golden ratio, the ‘divine proportion’ of 1:1.618, which is about balance. Michelangelo used this technique in his work, and you see it everywhere in nature. When we rebalance to this proportion using special callipers, we can enhance beauty and facial symmetry.
There’s a reason it’s called beauty sleep. (In fact, here are three.)
Do you recommend to clients that they learn to back sleep?
If you try to sleep on your back for at least part of the night, it helps in preventing, or minimising, the lines and creases throughout the face that can become deeper over time, and helps keep symmetry. Many of the world’s models and actresses are known to sleep on their backs to help maintain their famous looks.
How does that conversation usually go? (Do many people even realise sleep position has an effect?)
People say “I seem to have more sag on this side of my face” and I immediately answer, “Oh, do you sleep on that side?” Some know that’s the answer and others are interested to hear more, so I explain how sleeping position can affect the face.
Which treatments do you offer that can help people who are side or stomach sleepers?
The most effective treatment for deeper lines from sleeping is definitely a supportive filler. Hyaluronic fillers hydrate, boost, and support the skin. These fillers also mean the sleep lines are less likely to occur again, given the support now provided in those areas from within.
The best thing for finer lines is hydrating the superficial skin layers. The best treatments for this are Profhilo, Vital Gun, and Air Brush Plasma (ABP). These treatments stimulate collagen and elastin, as well as depositing hyaluronic acid under the skin to attract water and maintain hydration for longer – and have a much more powerful treatment than usual beauty therapy treatments or home skincare, but they do complement each other.
Have you or your clients experienced benefits in terms of rejuvenation or delaying the appearance of ageing by using the Back Sleep Pillow?
Your pillow should match your sleeping style – back sleepers need a different pillow than side or stomach sleepers. It’s important to choose a pillow that supports the natural curve of your neck, and aligns your head, neck and spine when lying down. This helps you sleep more comfortably, prevents muscle strain, and reduces undue soreness the next day. A pillow that supports or encourages back sleeping, like the Back Sleep Pillow, is highly desirable, for both facial and body structures.
Any personal tips for building a back sleeping habit?
There is no question that sleeping on your side will flatten your face on that side and give you a less symmetrical shape, which can be quite distinct in some people. Regularly changing your sleeping position to ensure you are less likely to have a one-sided sleep is ideal. And of course, if you can sleep on your back for at least some of the night, you are going to mitigate some of the damage that side sleeping can cause.
The essential ritual that helped founder Steph fine-tune her own sleep habits.
Pillows and pillow position definitely can help determine your body positions throughout the night. As you experiment with your pillow arrangement, you will find better and better ways to sleep. I often recommend putting a pillow or roll cushion between your legs to decrease the angle of your hips, or under your knees when lying on your back to take the pressure off your lower back. I also find putting a small pillow under my waist takes pressure off my hips and lower back.
How can a silk pillowcase amplify the benefits of good sleep habits?
Silk breathes and skin is less likely to ‘stick’ to the fabric. This means your face will slide rather than ripple into wrinkles that might remain etched in your skin for years to come. The fabric on your pillows can also pull out the moisture from your skin. Silk is less likely to do this, so if you are not sleeping on silk, then you definitely need to hydrate the surface layers of the skin really well.
Any other anti-ageing tips you’ve found to be especially effective?
Hydration is so important in decreasing skin ageing - from inside and from outside. Ensure you always drink water, especially when you are consuming a lot of tea, coffee, or alcohol. Don’t spend too much time with your face in the sun. Applying sunscreen every two hours, especially in summer, will help prevent pigmentation splotches, or melasma, which is like a mask of pigmentation and is very difficult to remove once you have developed it.
Another skin problem to be aware of is poikiloderma. This is the red-brown mask on the neck that some people get – this condition means you need to be very careful of perfumes and heat, as well as the sun. It is super difficult to reverse, so if you are developing it, you must be careful not to get too hot, or allow the sun to penetrate your skin – ensure you cover it up.
About Beautiphi
Based in Auckland’s Parnell, Beautiphi is dedicated to bringing nature and science together for natural beauty, symmetry, and balance. For more information or to make a booking with Stacey and her team, visit the Beautiphi website.
Cosmetic Registered Nurse Stacey Power, Beautiphi Parnell
