Do Facial Exercises Work?

Do facial exercises work? It's unlikely. However, as an alternative to plastic surgery, facial exercises have become an easy sell. A lot of people believe that facial exercises work effectively because of the fact that the facial muscles are connected primarily to the skin, therefore working those muscles should surely lead to tighter skin. However, as Begoun explains, this is not true and actually the movement of the skin is the cause of sagging. Therefore by doing facial exercises you are actually increasing the appearance of crow's-feet and laugh lines rather than decreasing them.

The AAD themselves actually advise anyone who performs facial exercise to combat aging to stop before their problems worsen. Wilma Bergfield, a former AAD president, does not recommend facial exercises except in some so-called controlled situations. She believes at most of times any increased movement of facial skin will ultimately aid in the aging process by producing more wrinkles and lines as the skin itself loses its elasticity.

How the Wrinkles Form

Facial muscles can attach themselves to skin, bone and each other. Skin, unlike bone, provides a minimal amount of resistance because of its elasticity. Therefore doing facial exercises will actually pull the muscle and stretch the skin out rather than tighten it. In reality, a lot of our facial lines, such as laugh lines and crow's-feet, come from excessive muscle activity. Repeated facial activity, like that comes from facial expressions and facial exercises, strengthens the muscle on face and in turn increases the wrinkling effect. Another example of this is the fine lines that you notice around a smoker’s mouth. This is caused by years pouting and sucking on the butts of cigarettes.

There Is No Effect on Facial Weight loss

Yes, exercising muscles can help burn calories and lose weight, but it burns the overall fat. So although facial exercises strengthen your facial muscle, it can't bring you slimmer cheeks. This also applies to other body part. So if you want to lose weight on a specific part of the body, just work on to reduce overall weight through exercise and diet.

Structural Skin Changes Can't Be Reversed by Exercises

It is not possible to prevent or reverse structural skin changes through the use of facial exercises. As the skin ages, it loses elasticity and firmness due to structural changes within the skin itself. David Bank, a dermatologist, states that volume loss is due to the decreasing levels of elastin, collagen and fat, none of which can be replaced by exercise. Excessive facial movement will actually contribute to the loss of facial fat, which in turn makes you look older.

It Can Be Counter-Productive

Static wrinkling can be caused by excessive pronounced movements or expressions over the years. When you move a muscle, a wrinkle that appears is known as a dynamic wrinkle. Often these are found around the eye, cheek areas and the forehead. Repeated actions or expressions cause the skin above the muscles to crease or wrinkle. The more you repeat these actions, the deeper these creases become. Over time, they become so defined that even when your face is relaxed, they are always noticeable.

Short-term facial exercises won't cause static wrinkles, but they can't soothe these wrinkles too. If you do facial exercise for a long time, new wrinkle may appear let along make the old ones vanish.

 If your goal is to prevent wrinkles and creases, there are some simple steps that can help. These include simply staying hydrated, using sun screen and moisturising you face constantly.

You could also opt for acupressure massage for the face in order to relax the facial muscles and alleviate some of the tension you may be holding in your face.

When looking to erase wrinkles, you should speak to a specialist plastic surgeon who will be able to discuss available options and will be able to advise you which options may be best for you.

If you want your face to be slimmer, just workout and eat healthy. If you want to have a better facial complexion, besides the above measures, use home remedies, like apply milk mask or gram flour paste, to lighten your face.