Are you worried about your sagging skin that has also been developing wrinkles, fine lines, and other signs of aging lately? Looking for natural facelift tips to rejuvenate your face? No, facelift surgery is not the only solution for this. Instead, you can try some simple facial exercises and get visible results naturally. Let’s talk about different facial exercises that may give you a natural facelift and some important tips to make the most of your efforts.
Why Try Facial Exercises For Facelift?
Exercise makes our body toned and supple in a natural manner. Cardio workouts, yoga, and weight lifting help us burn excess fat by working the muscles vigorously, which eventually makes the body lean and strong. But, just like the muscles in other parts of the body, the muscles in our face also need to be worked for a tighter, firmer, and younger appearance. In fact, facial exercises may give taut and toned face muscles without a painful and complicated surgical facelift. There are simple exercises that you can incorporate into your daily regimen and get a natural facelift right from the comfort of your home.
Do Face Exercises Really Work?
While there are many hooplas associated with facial exercises and their ability to address signs of aging, let’s look at some scientific evidence to understand the reality of facial exercises and their impact on our faces.
According to Suzanne Olbricht, Associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, there are little or no scientific pieces of evidence to establish the effectiveness of facial exercises (1). While most of the women’s magazines are going gaga over it, facial exercise may minimize the appearance of thick scars and improve muscle tone in the face.
In another study, Dr. Murad Alam, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a Northwestern Medicine dermatologist found that facial exercises may have some benefits in reducing mid-face and lower face fullness (2).
Should I Try Facial Exercise?
While it’s too early to believe in the benefits of facial exercises without any conclusive scientific evidence, you should not discount the idea completely as it may still produce some positive results. However, it will be an exaggeration to state that facial exercise can give you a tighter, firmer, and younger appearance.
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Benefits of Facial Exercise
While a lot has been written on the benefits of facial exercise, most are anecdotal and not backed by any shreds of evidence. According to some popular websites, facial exercise can give you a younger appearance, boost blood circulation, strengthen and tighten facial muscles and skin, and reduce signs of aging. Although you may be pampered to try facial exercises after reading this, it is important to note that these benefits are not clinically and scientifically established.
According to the Harvard Medical School and Northwestern University’s research findings, facial exercises may help
- Reduce the appearance of thick scars
- Improve muscle tone in the face
- Reduce mid-face and lower face fullness
Natural Facelift With Facial Exercises
Facial exercises for a natural facelift can be categorized into two distinct sets. The first one comprises simple exercises for beginners, which can be practiced any time, anywhere. Conversely, the second set includes some advanced-level exercises perfect for taking your practice to the next level. We give you all the details here:
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Simple Exercises To Start With
These are simple and easy exercises that you can do while reading a book or watching television. Just make sure that you are not practicing in public as the exercises involve making all kinds of funny faces. Check out the moves for different parts of the face:
1. Jaw And Cheeks – Smile from ear to ear and stick the tongue out as far as you can. Hold this pose for a few seconds and relax. This impacts the jaw and the cheeks and prevents the skin there from sagging. Repeat it a couple of times, and you will feel that your jaw hurts. Do not worry, as it is a good sign indicating that your jaw muscles are being exercised.
2. Forehead – Wear the ‘surprised’ expression on your face by widening your eyes. Hold it that way until the eyes start watering. Once done, close the eyes for a few seconds and relax them. Repeat 10 times in one go. The muscles around your eyes and forehead get exercised by this action, which eventually works to erase worry lines and furrows from the forehead.
3. Lips And Cheeks – Pucker up your lips to form an ‘O’. Hold this pose for a few seconds. Now, smile wide and relax. Repeat this 10 times. This works on the muscles in your cheeks and lips, thereby making them toned.
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4. Double Chin – Sit on a chair with your back straight. Lift your head and stick your tongue out. Hold the pose for a few seconds. Repeat. This will exercise your neck and prevent the formation of the double chin.
5. Eyes – Close your eyes and try to raise your eyebrows as much as you can. Use your fingers to hold your eyes down while lifting the eyebrows if it becomes difficult to do. This exercise will keep under-eye bags away.
Advanced Exercises To Take It Up A Notch
The next set of exercises involve touching your face and pulling the skin. So, make sure that your face and hands are well-cleaned before you start. Also, apply a small amount of lotion or moisturizer on your face and hands to prevent the skin from getting damaged due to pressure. The following exercises will eliminate a few specific issues so that your face looks lifted and youthful:
6. Crow’s Feet – Place your hands on your temples and pull the skin on the forehead away as if you want to tighten it. Next, try to lift each eyebrow separately while holding the pose. This exercise should be repeated 10 times. It prevents crow’s feet and worry lines.
7. Droopy Cheeks – Smile really wide. Put your index fingers on your cheekbones and try to press them down gently. At the same time, go against the pressure exerted by the index fingers and try to smile harder. This is great for firming up the cheeks.
8. Eye Bags – Place both of your index fingers between your eyebrows and the thumbs at your temples as if you are framing the eyes. Squeeze your eyes shut. At the same time, pull the index fingers between the brows and the thumbs at the temple outwards so that the skin between the fingers is stretched. Once done, open our eyes and relax. Repeat 10 times. This will help you get rid of the bags under your eyes.
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Facial Exercising Tips To Remember
1. In facial exercises, fingers or hands are mainly used to create resistance. Hence, you must focus only on the muscles present in that area of the face you are working on.
2. If practiced properly, facial exercises may give you visible results. However, make sure that you follow proper instructions and feel exhaustion in particular muscles. Wrong practice can cause make your face look even older.
3. You can combine facial massage with facial exercises to boost blood circulation throughout your face and make it look lifted, toned, and younger.
4. Couple facial exercises with a disciplined regimen of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing your skin. This will nourish the cells and strengthen the skin’s underlying structure, giving it a lifted appearance.
5. Do these exercises 3-5 times a week. Also, drink lots of water and eat healthy food. You will certainly have younger-looking skin that does not need any surgical facelift.
Side-effects of Facial Exercises
While facial exercises are not associated with any major side effects, they may damage the facial appearance if instructions are not followed properly (3).
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Summary
Facial exercise is the buzz word. Its ability to provide a brighter, younger, and radiant look is making vibes. However, most of these benefits (improve in blood circulation, strengthening and tightening of facial muscles and skin, reduction in signs of aging) are yet to be proven scientifically. You may still give it a try as scientists believe that it may reduce the appearance of thick scars, improve muscle tone in the face and reduce mid-face and lower face fullness.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do exercises for the face really work?
The benefits of facials exercises are not scientifically established. Hence it may not translate into younger and radiant skin. However, you can try and may leverage some of the other benefits which are backed by research.
How do I get rid of the saggy face?
You can try a combination of these – change in lifestyle, topical treatments, supplements, and exercises.
References –
- “Does your face need a workout?” – health.harvard.edu
- “Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging“- jamanetwork.com
- “The Pros and Cons of Facial Exercises” – healthyliving.azcentral.com
