There aren't many of us who can get plastic surgery and facial injections, whether that's because we're squeamish or we don't have the budget for thousand-dollar procedures. High-end skincare products can also be pricey and won't get rid of a double chin or loose skin. But we've got some good news: Doctors and beauty experts say some simple face yoga exercises can make you look years younger. Read on to learn about this technique and how it can tighten your skin and give you that youthful glow we're all after.
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How does face yoga work?
Pixel-Shot / ShutterstockAs you get older, your body produces less collagen, a protein that "provides structure, support or strength to your skin, muscles, bones and connective tissues," according to the Cleveland Clinic.
This can lead to wrinkled or crepey skin and "hallowing in and around your eyes and face," they say.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) adds that skin becomes thinner and loses fat as you age, which contributes to loose and less plump skin.
However, Joel Kopelman, FACS, facial plastic surgeon at Kopelman Aesthetic Surgery, shares that consistently practicing face yoga "can enhance facial muscle tone, improve circulation, and promote relaxation, which can all contribute to a more youthful appearance."
Moreover, according to a 2018 study published in JAMA Dermatology, doing face yoga exercises for just 30 minutes a day could make you look years younger.
Researchers asked 27 women ages 40 to 65 to complete two sets of 90-minute exercises with a facial exercise instructor. They continued doing these face exercises at home for a half hour each day for the next eight weeks, then did them every other day for the next 12 weeks. (Of the women recruited, 16 reported completing the exercises as instructed.)
Dermatologists then compared photographs of them before and after the trial and assessed them using a standardized facial-aging scale. They concluded that participants looked almost a full three years younger by the end of the trial, particularly noting that their cheeks seemed fuller.
"There are many muscles that collectively allow movement of the cheeks, and our study showed that building these up makes the upper and lower cheeks look fuller," explained Murad Alam, MD, vice chair and professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "The exercises enlarge and strengthen the facial muscles, so the face becomes firmer and more toned and shaped like a younger face."
But the benefits don't stop there. Here are six easy face exercises you can try yourself.
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1 | The Forehead Smoother
PeopleImages / iStockLooking to get rid of frown lines and deep forehead wrinkles? Kopelman suggests the "Forehead Smoother," which he says "helps tone the forehead muscles, reducing the appearance of horizontal forehead lines."
"To perform this, place your fingers just above your eyebrows, gently press down, and simultaneously try to raise your eyebrows. Hold for a few seconds, then release and repeat 10 times," he advises.
2 | The Eye Tightener
Евгений Харитонов / iStockAh, the dreaded crow's feet. To reduce their appearance and de-puff the skin around your eyes, Kopelman recommends this eye-tightening face yoga exercise.
"Place your index fingers at the outer corners of your eyes and your middle fingers on the inner corners. Gently squint your eyes while keeping your fingers in place to feel slight resistance. Hold for a few seconds, then release and repeat 10 times," he shares.
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3 | The Jawline Definer
Pixel-Shot / ShutterstockNext, Kopelman says you can sculpt the jawline and tone the neck muscles with the "Jawline Definer."
"Tilt your head back slightly and move your lower jaw forward and upward as if trying to touch the ceiling with your bottom lip," he instructs. "Hold for a few seconds, then release and repeat 10 times."
Sara Millecam, a licensed master medical esthetician and the director of education at Beautiful Brows and Lashes, says you can also "slightly tilt your head back while you purse your lips like you are willing to kiss the ceiling."
4 | The "Yum" Chin Exercise
Liz Wadden (@your.faceyogabff), a face yoga expert and self-proclaimed "anti-aging enthusiast," shared another jawline-defining exercise in a TikTok video.
"The skin on the neck is very thin, and as we age, the major muscle in the neck, the platysma, loses fat and muscle tone," she explained in the video caption. But she says this simple movement can eliminate a double chin or "turkey neck."
"Gently tilt your head back as far as is comfortable and place one hand under the chin and one on the collarbone. Silently and slowly say the word 'YUM,' she wrote. "Repeat and continue for 1 minute!"
5 | The Cheek Lifter
sebra / ShutterstockMillecam says this is, perhaps, the best face yoga exercise, as it helps to strengthen cheeks as well as reduces wrinkles around the eyes.
"Make an O shape with your mouth, keeping teeth hidden," she advises. "Smile wide without revealing your teeth, then put your fingers over the top of your cheeks and gently push them upward."
Kopelman recommends holding this for a few seconds, releasing it, and repeating 10 times.
6 | Tongue Circles
If you have nasolabial folds (the creases in your skin that extend from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth) or "droopy mouth" wrinkles (the creases that extend down from the corners of your mouth), these simple tongue exercises can help, according to Anastasia Goron, face yoga expert and founder of All You Can Face.
In a TikTok video, she demonstrates running her tongue around the inside of her mouth in large circles in both directions. Then, she "irons" with her tongue, quickly running it back and forth vertically along her upper outer cheek on both sides.
