Worth The Hype? Facial Exercises
Fitness for your face is the latest beauty trend buzzing around.
But do facial exercises actually change your face? Is it really possible to tone and sculpt your face – just like it’s possible to flex and tense your muscles into developing a strong, hot body at the gym?
When it comes to beauty trends, we’re always keen on getting to the truth about their effectiveness. After all, you wouldn’t want to waste hours or days on something that just flat out does not work, would you?
We’re here to explore the science behind facial exercises, whether they really can shape your face, and if they’re worth your time.
WHAT ARE FACIAL EXERCISES?
Everyone from Meghan Markle to Natalie Portman (both cheekbone-blessed) swear by the power of facial exercises to keep their faces sculpted, youthful, and radiant.
Basically, facial exercises involve making repetitive motions in order to active and build muscles for stronger, sharper features. Think of it as resistance training for your face. By building up muscle, you can hold everything up, prevent sagging around the jaw and eyes, and make the face appear fuller and younger. And the list of benefits goes on…
THE SCIENCE BEHIND FACIAL FITNESS
You’ve not doubt heard about facial exercises before. But do you know exactly how they work and why they might be effective in perking up your skin and your features?
“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 aesthetician Nichola Joss. “Also, it pushes blood with essential nutrients and oxygen into the skin and muscle tissue to nourish and improve cell renewal.”
In addition to improving the tone and texture of your skin, facial massage can refine pores, reduce breakouts, and decongest your complexion. What’s more, the experts say giving your face a regular workout can reduce the appearance of puffy eyes.
DO FACIAL EXERCISES CHANGE YOUR FACE?
Possibly! A 2018 study found that 20 weeks of daily facial exercise presented noticeably firmer skin and fuller cheeks. Participants aged between 40 and 65 did 30 minutes of facial exercises a day for eight weeks, then every other day after that period. The women involved claimed to look up to three years younger when the study was completed, while dermatologists noted an increase in cheek fullness. Of course, there’s not a ton of data regarding the effectiveness of facial workouts, but it does seem promising for promoting a youthful, sculpted complexion.
However, if you really want to see results from your facial exercises, you’ll need to be consistent.
“I recommend facial exercises to be done every day,” says New York dermatologist Doris Day, MD. “We exercise our face every time we make expressions, and most people overuse certain muscles which ends up weakening the opposing muscles. When you frown often enough to create a crease, you’re overusing those muscles and weakening the muscles that lift and smile, because you’re using those muscles less.”
So more smiling, less frowning!
Day adds, “Another rule is that muscles can only pull in one direction. So for every muscle pulling down, there’s an opposite/paired muscle that pulls up. I try to teach my patients (and I have a section in my book Beyond Beautiful devoted to this) how to do facial exercises to lift and rejuvenate. It helps in-office treatments last longer and in many cases it can even help delay the need for treatment.”
ARE THEY WORTH YOUR TIME?
From what the research tells us, facial exercises are worth your time – provided that you do them daily. You wouldn’t go to the gym once a month and expect to see dramatic results from it, so why should facial workouts be any different? You need to put in the time and be consistent to see an improvement.
Experts recommend doing facial yoga for around 20-30 minutes a day for best results. Of course, not everyone is going to see visible results at the same time. For some, it could take as little as a few days. For others, it could take as long as a month. Everyone has different faces, so everyone’s going to see different results at different times. Generally speaking, most people should see improvement after a fortnight. After two months, the benefits may also include less tension and fewer lines.
So to cut a long story short, yes it seems like facial exercises are worth the hype – and your time. You just need to stick to them like you do your normal workouts. If you can do that, you can look forward to a fresh-looking, radiant face. No fillers needed!
FACIAL EXERCISES TO TRY
No idea where to get started with facial exercising? Here are a few tips for giving your face a good workout.
Neck Stretch
Neck stretching is a simple yet effective way to tone your muscles and relieve any tension. Hold the position for five seconds and repeat several times. It should feel really nice!
Forehead Smoother
Placing your fingers flat again your forehead, sweep them up and out toward the temple to smooth fine lines over time. Repeat several times.
Cheek Pronouncer
Dermatologist Hadley King breaks down the process for refining your cheeks. “Open mouth and form an O, position the upper lip over the teeth, smile to lift cheek muscles up, put fingers lightly on the top part of the cheeks, release the cheek muscles to lower them, and lift back up. Repeat.”
Chin Definer
Want to get rid of that double chin once and for all?
“Place two fingers under your chin, past the chin bone to the soft area underneath your tongue, and gently press upward,” instructs facialist Candace Marino. “Now take your tongue and push it into the roof of your mouth. You will feel a muscle contraction on your fingers. Do this 10-20 times with your tongue.”
To finish, use a few drops of Truly’s Vegan Collagen Facial Serum onto your neck, sweeping fingers upward to the chin.
And to maximize your efforts, incorporate our Vegan Collagen Bundle into your skincare routine for youthful, radiant skin.
