These yoga-inspired facial exercises, similar to those in the gym, will tone your muscles and keep your face looking young.
Exercise keeps you feeling and looking your best. Can you achieve the same results by working out your face?
Possibly. Face Yoga is a new trend that promises skin-lifting results without the need for expensive products or surgery. Face yoga is a popular DIY method for achieving younger-looking skin.
What is Face Yoga?
Face yoga differs from your usual Savasana and Downward-Facing Dog. “yoga” is a catchy term for facial exercises that move your muscles into specific positions. It’s like Yoga but with your face. Face yoga is supposed to keep your face looking young and toned by lifting areas of sagging skin.
The goal is to create a moment of self-care in which you can improve blood circulation and get a healthy glow, and reduce tension and stress in your face, says Elsa Jungman, Ph.D. She founded a Skincare Brand which focuses on the skin’s microbiome and is a proponent of facial Yoga.
Many people have tension in their faces, either through facial expressions or spending too much time before a screen. Dr. Jungman states that “all these daily activities create patterns in the way we use our faces and the specific muscle groups we recruit.” This is why we need to soften and release our faces to let go and release these facial patterns.
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Face Yoga: Benefits and Uses
Facial Yoga is said to counter these effects. Face yoga, according to two popular programs, Happy Face Yoga & Face Yoga method helps:
What Is Face Yoga? Plus, 5 Exercises You Can Try At Home
- Stress lines can be minimized by releasing tension.
- To firm the jawline, lift cheeks and widen your eyes by strengthening and toning facial muscles.
- The skin will glow when there is increased circulation and blood flow.
- Smooth fine wrinkles and lines
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Some dermatologists believe that these claims are valid. Face yoga aims to improve the oxygen and blood supply to the skin. This will increase the life expectancy of your cells, says Deborah Longwill DO, a board-certified dermatologist in Florida and cofounder of Doctor’s Daughter Skincare. This leads to glowing, rejuvenated skin.”
Lucy Chen, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology, Miami. She says you can reduce the visible signs of aging by toning your muscles with specific facial exercises.
There needs to be more research on facial exercises or facial Yoga. Research in JAMA Dermatology is the most promising. The study involved a group of 40-65-year-old participants who performed facial exercises daily for 30 minutes for eight weeks. For 12 weeks, they repeated the facial exercises 3 to 4 times a week. The study participants noticed a reduced upper and lower cheek volume at the end of 20 weeks. The participants also appeared younger by the end of this study. Two dermatologists estimated that the average age of the participants was 48.1 years after the 20-week study.
The JAMA Dermatology authors pointed out that the sample size was small, the results were modest, and there wasn’t a control group. Harvard Health Publishing states that facial exercises will not alter your skin’s texture, but they can reduce the appearance of scars by moving and stretching the skin.
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Face Yoga: Potential risks
Face yoga may also backfire. According to some experts, contorting the face this way can lead to even more wrinkles.
Dr. Chen says repetitive facial muscle movements, such as smiling or frowning, can cause wrinkles. Some wonder if pulling the face and working those muscles can cause wrinkles.
Consider Botulinum Toxin (Botox), which “freezes” the facial muscles to reduce wrinkles. Face yoga is the exact opposite. Facial Yoga can speed up signs of aging if done incorrectly or aggressively.
Sweaty hands can also carry bacteria, dirt, and oil that can cause breakouts. The American Academy of Dermatology advises against touching your face to prevent acne.
5 Face Yoga Exercises You Can Try At Home
Do you want to try it? Here are five exercises that were used in the JAMA Dermatology research. Jungman suggests starting with five to ten minutes of practice daily and working up to fifteen to twenty minutes as part of your skincare routine and Self-Care practice.
The Cheek Lifter
Open your mouth to form the letter O. Position your upper lips over your teeth, and smile to raise cheek muscles. Put your index finger below your eyes on the top of your cheek muscle. Release cheek muscles and lower them. Smile again while pushing your cheek muscles upwards toward your eyes. Repeat the exercise by lifting and lowering your cheeks ten more times. Hold your muscles as high as possible and hold it for 20 seconds. Repeat this three times.
Happy Cheeks Sculpting
Roll your lips out to make it look like you are trying to show the most lip. You can try to smile so that you feel a little burn at the corners. As you press the muscle, slide your fingers up your cheekbones and into the corners of the mouth. Then, lift the power toward the corners of the eyes. Hold for 20 seconds when you reach the top of the cheekbones. You will feel your cheek muscles tighten. As you smile, keep the corners of your mouth moving. Repeat this three times.
The Eyebrow Lifter
You can force your eyes to open by pressing three fingers under each eyebrow. As you lower your eyebrows, smile. Hold. Close your eyes, then roll your eyeballs to the top of your skull. Hold your smile for 20 seconds. Release and repeat three times.
Jaw and Neck Firmer
Make an “aah!” sound by opening your mouth. Fold your lower lip, the corners of your mouth, and your upper lip into your mouth. Hold tightly while extending your lower jaw. As you close your lips, lift your lower jaw slowly, pulling up your chin about an inch with each scoop. Tilt your head backward. Close and open your lower jaw ten times. Your chin should point upwards on the 10th scoop. Hold this position and lift your sides for 20 seconds. Repeat this three times.
Temple Developer
As you close your mouth, clench your teeth and lift your chin. Clench your jaw and focus on the temple area, trying to move your ear backward. Hold for 10 seconds, then clench down your back teeth and hold for another 10 seconds. Each time you clench, your temple muscles should flex. Repeat three times, then relax.