The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-08-14
LINES ON YOUR FACE.
WRINKLES ARE THE TELLTALEs OF
LlFE's ENCOUNTERS.

gimple Methods by Which They May
BE Softened or Entirely Removed
and What You Should Do to Guard
Against Their Coming.
Wrinkles are the handwriting of time
on the human countenance. How
much they give expression and char
acter, as we'll as individuality. to it is
shown when the photographer re-
touches the negative of picture and
wipes them out of existence. The re-
semblance to the individual is about
the same as the dried specimen of a
flower in the botanist's herbarium is
to the one which grows bright and Wig
orous, full of life, in the meadow or
the forest. Wrinkles are telltales Of
life's encounters. They accumulate in
grief and in sorrow; they increase and
grow ugly when the will loses its grip
on the thoughts and the neqSes run
riot. Each can ascertain the cause Of
the wrinkles and interpret the emo
lions which have made lines and cross
lines upon his or her own face by as
Stunning the muscular contractions that
have produced them.
The principal wrinkles that mark the
face are those that appear on the fore
head, stretching across from one temple
to another, from two to five parallel
lines or from one to three upright
ones. These lines are reprehensible
and unnecessary, the result of a per-
nlclouS habit of overuse of nerve
force, an eNaggeraton of energy in
thought and speech and accompanied
by self consciousness. They are usual
~ formed early in life. and parents
should by persistence prevent a child
from acquiring the habit. The lines Of
latitude are less noble than those of
longitude.
The next set of wrinkles in impor-
lance are those about the eyes. Those
that are az the angles, the "crow's
feet" are pleasant lines and come from
wrinkling the skin in smiling or in
laughter. In the olden time the teach
ers of department and good looks warn
ed their pupils against wrinkling the
face in the display of hilarious emo
tons because of these effects. The
long lines and the wrinlling of the del
icate tissues under the eyes are greater
telltales than any other of exhaustion
of vital forces and the rayages of time.
But hardest of all to deal With are the
wrinkles about the mouth
Few are conscious of the part played
in the battle of life by the muscles Of
the mouth. They, and not those about
the eyes, arc called into action by ev-
cry passing thought and emotion of be-
Ing. Ii thoughts are pleasant. they re-
lax; if mournful. there is a downward
droop; if energetic, they harden; if de-
termined, they compress the lips; If
angry, they contract still more; if hui
morous, they relax and the mouth
widens-the greater the merriment the
wider the mouth-and the cheeks par
ticipate in the pleasurable emotions,
and the parentheses, the two long, semi
circular wrinkles inclosing the lips, APP
pear and deepen with age.
The skin. responding to the muscular
action underneath, becomes creased
and wrinkled in fine or coarser lines.
according to the display of muscular
activity. The wrinkles which more
surely than any others tell of the ac-
ton of time are those which run from
the ears around the base of the chin at
its junction with the neck. They are
not expressive of emotion; they are
made by the bending of the head upon
the neck. The wrinkles of the cheeks
are not numerous, and they require
strong agencies, such as sickness, grief
and age, to bring them out. Some of
these wrinkles are made by taking bad
positions during sleep or crushing the
cheek upon the pillow. The soft, yield
ing flesh is pushed upward. making
deep creases under the eyes. at the cor
ners and on the temples.
To remove wrinkles therefore, one
must know their mechanism and their
philosophy. In the first place. guard
against a tlabby and relaxed skin. This
can be done by dashing upon the face
either very hot water or very cold or
alternating them and while doing this
rubbing the skin with the balls of the
fingers. Alcohol or cologne toughens
the skin and keeps it smooth 1t can
be used with water. equal parts. 1t is
seldom that the skin of the face is too
dry, for the oily glands are especially
active; but, in case it is. use instead Of
alcohol cold cream or an unguent
made of equal parts of white vaseline,
almond oil and lanolin. to which may
be added q few drops of violet extract.
Steaming the face. maSsaging it and
the use of electricity are all good to
remove wrinkles. The end aimed at
by the employment of all these means
is to give elasticity and tirmness 10
the skin. which enable it to resist the
action of the underlying muscles.
If deep wrinkles have come, such as
the horizontal wrinkles of the fore
head, they can be removed by mechan-
ical means. After painting them with
an aStringent. such as tannate of
gylcerin, put them on stretch by
means of plaster. which will also be a
means OF reminding one not to wrinkle
the forehead Some persons have n