Want to look years younger without Botox or plastic surgery? It turns out, a little exercise can help strengthen and tone the more than two dozen individual muscles on either side of your face. There are even salons and spas that offer “face gym” services, but you can get the benefits of facial yoga at home for free. Fans of it say it can make you look more youthful and science backs them up.
The key to facial yoga is being committed to a consistent practice. Just like with regular exercise for your body, you can’t do it once a week and expect to see results. So how does it work?
- According to Gary Sikorski, a certified facial toning yoga instructor, the isometric and resistance work is like using weights for strength training. He says, “These exercises are a natural alternative to plastic surgery.
- He explains that facial yoga can help increase blood circulation and that the skin will “become more elastic and softer to the touch and that improvements can be seen in as little as two to three weeks.
- A consistent routine can also “widen eyes, lift cheeks, lift mouth corners and firm the jawline.” Over time, as muscles get toned and lifted, skin becomes tighter, “helping to smooth away fine lines.”
- Physical therapist Sandra Gail Frayna says, “Facial-focused yoga exercises can help you achieve a more sculpted and slimmer look by allowing muscles to relax and appear more youthful.”
And scientific evidence agrees. A five-month study finds that a 30-minute daily facial yoga program improved the facial appearance of middle-aged women, leaving them with a younger appearance, with full upper and lower cheeks. According to evaluators, participants looked nearly three years younger by the end of the study. The downside? That you need to be putting in 20 to 30 minutes a day, six to seven days a week, but three or four weeks later, you should start to see results.
Source: Huff Post