- While you may be tempted to spend hundreds of dollars on skincare products, simple habits like facial exercises may greatly benefit your skin.
- Like other muscles in your body, strengthening your facial muscles can help tone and sculpt the face.
- Facial exercises are easy to do and can be performed anytime, anywhere.
Many people spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on skincare products and procedures with two goals in mind: clearer skin and youthful-looking skin. And it makes sense. Most of us want to keep acne at bay and prevent those fine lines and wrinkles for as long as we can, right? While most people are quick to add new products to their skincare regimen (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), one overlooked strategy is facial exercises.
Just like exercising other parts of your body, facial exercises aim to lift and tone the muscles in the face. Over time, this may result in more youthful, glowing skin. If you’re passionate about skincare, follow along as we find out what exactly facial exercises are, how they may benefit your skin, and which exercises are worth trying.
What Are Facial Exercises and How Do They Work?
Facial exercises are exactly what they sound like: exercises you do to benefit the muscles in your face. Just like you would perform exercises to strengthen your legs or arms, facial exercises can help tone and strengthen the muscles in your face. Holistic skincare expert Julie Lindh, tells Byrdie that facial exercises help ” re-contour your face in a way.”
Lindh explains to the source that we lose collagen as we age which causes sagging skin and wrinkles but strengthening your facial muscles can help fill out the spots where we normally see a reduction in collagen, especially the cheek area.
The Benefits of Facial Exercises
Practicing facial exercises daily offers several benefits. The one benefit you’re most likely interested in is tighter, fuller, glowing skin. The muscles in your face react similarly to muscles in the other parts of the body when you exercise them. Stronger muscles typically result in tighter-looking skin.
Lindh also tells Byrdie that facial exercises increase blood circulation, which in turn, can increase your natural glow. Some other potential benefits include reduced tension and fine lines. While more research is needed to back up these claims, facial exercises are worth trying, especially since they’re free and simple to do! Let’s take a look at three facial exercises you can start trying for glowing skin.
Facial Exercise: The Fish Lips
To perform this exercise, start by sucking in your cheeks — just like you would when making a fish face. Next, with your lips pursed, try to smile as hard as you can but be sure to relax the other areas of your face (such as your eyes).
Hold the fish lips position for 10-seconds and then relax. Try to perform this exercise four times each day.
Facial Exercise: The Kiss Face
Begin by pouting your lips. If it helps, pretend you’re going to kiss someone. Next, try to smile as big as possible while still maintaining pursed lips. It’s also important to keep your eyes relaxed during this exercise.
Hold this position for 10-seconds and then relax. Aim to perform this exercise four times per day.
Facial Exercise: The Whistler
This exercise can be done in two parts. Byrdie says to start by pretending you’re going to whistle, making an “O” with your lips. Next, like the other exercises, you’re going to try and smile as big as you can while still maintaining the “O” shape. Again, don’t forget to keep your eyes relaxed. Hold this position for 10-seconds and then relax. Try to repeat three times per day.
For part two, start by repeating steps one to two. Then pump your cheeks up and down but remember to maintain the “O” shape. Try to complete 12 repetitions and then relax.
What Is Facial Yoga?
These exercises are just a few of the ways you may be able to promote youthful, glowing skin. Another way you can exercise your facial muscles is by practicing facial yoga.
Forest Essentials explains that facial yoga “relaxes, tones, and gives a natural boost to the skin, while simultaneously resetting your facial muscles.” The goal is to stretch your face and neck muscles to help tone, firm, and boost circulation for a more youthful appearance.
Just like other exercises, it’s important to practice them regularly and consistently to see results. Luckily, the source points out that facial yoga can be done anywhere, anytime.
Facial Exercise: Eyebrow Lifts
Start by placing your index finger of each hand above the eyebrows (about half an inch). Next, lift your eyebrows upward while pressing down with your fingers. Try to repeat for 10- to 12-repetitions each day.
Forest Essentials says the forehead is one of the first places for wrinkles to appear but performing this exercise can help tone the muscles in that area. The goal is to tone and release tension, which in turn, may reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Facial Exercise: Puffing the Cheeks
The goal of this exercise is to strengthen the muscles in your cheeks. Start by inhaling through your mouth, expand the breath from cheek to cheek, and then release the breath.
Forest Essentials explains that strengthening the cheek muscles can help prevent them from looking hollow. By practicing this exercise regularly, you can help maintain lifted and plump cheeks.
Facial Exercise: Eyelid Stretches
As we age, our skin begins to lose elasticity. This can cause the skin above and below your eyes to begin sagging. But Forest Essentials says one way you can help combat this is by practicing eyelid stretches. This can help keep them firm.
To perform these stretches, start by looking upward while raising your eyebrows at the same time. Next, gently close your eyelids while still looking up, and then relax.
Facial Exercise: Chanting ‘Om’ With a Smile
Of all the exercises, this may be one of the easiest but it still offers great benefits. The Forest Essentials says that chanting ‘Om’ can help calm your mind and relax the facial muscles.
Begin by closing your eyes and smiling slightly. While you do this, visualize the point between your eyebrows, using this as a balancing point. The goal of this exercise is to help offset frown lines and “give the skin a glow from within,” explains the source.
The Benefits of Breathing Exercises
According to Forest Essentials, practicing breathing exercises is just as important as practicing facial exercises. The source explains that respiratory changes can affect our skin, body, and moods. For example, the source says shallow breathing can pale the complexion.
To restore balance, the source recommends practicing deep breathing exercises regularly. This includes abdominal breathing and alternate nostril breathing. If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of videos online as well as apps, such as the Calm app, that can help you learn how to practice breathing exercises.
Other Ways to Promote Glowing Skin
Investing in good skincare products and practicing facial exercises are just a couple of ways you can keep your skin healthy and glowing. The Mayo Clinic says healthy lifestyle choices can also help “delay natural aging and prevent various skin problems.”
Protecting your skin from the sun is one way to keep it healthy and glowing. The source suggests wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and wearing protective clothing. Quitting smoking can also benefit your skin as smoking contributes to wrinkles and makes the skin appear paler. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and managing your stress can also help improve your complexion.
