Face It! :: Beauty :: Skin Care

Face It!

As we age, our bodies may become flabbier, our faces more wrinkled. To keep our bodies in shape, the solution is straightforward: aerobic exercise and strength training. To keep our faces looking young, the solution is more complex-hundreds of skincare products, from makeup and soap to “foaming cleansers” and toners, all vie for our attention in the market place. But what if we tried the exact same strategy on our faces as on our bodies?

Facial exercise is fast becoming a popular way to slow the aging process. Facial guidebooks have flourished on bookstore shelves and the Internet and there’s even a mini gymnasium available for your face! Fortunately, the only equipment you really need to do facial exercise is a little instruction and a little time.

How It Works

Below our face muscles is bone; above them is fat, a layer of connective tissue, and then skin. Think about what happens when you don’t exercise your body for a while. Whether or not you gain fat, your skin becomes loose and flabby-the undersides of your arms wobble around and your backside jiggles. The same thing can happen to your face. Doing exercises that tone face muscles can decrease the flabbiness around the eyes and mouth, under the chin, and on the cheeks and neck.

Another benefit of facial exercise is increased blood flow. When any muscle is inactive, lymph, blood, and other fluids don’t get circulated properly. Exercising face muscles is great for bringing back a healthy, glowing complexion.

In the box below, we’ve included exercises to get each section of your face fit and toned. They only take a few minutes, and if performed regularly, you may see results in your complexion within a few days. Flab should start to diminish within a few weeks.

Facial Fitness Regimen

“You may see results in your complexion within a few days. Flab starts to diminish within several weeks.”

Eyes

With eyes closed, look down and up as far as possible. Repeat 10 times.
With eyes closed, lift eyebrows and stretch your eyelids down as far as possible Hold for the count of five, relax and repeat five times.
With eyes open, look up, then down, keeping your head still. Repeat 10 times. Then look left and right. Repeat 10 times.

Forehead

Frown hard. Then lift your eyebrows as far as possible while opening your eyes very wide. Repeat five times.
Lie on a bed on your stomach with your head hanging over the edge. Lift your eyebrows as high as possible, opening your eyes very wide. Relax and repeat 10 times.
Sit upright and while frowning hard, wrinkle your nose as far up as possible while flaring your nostrils. Hold for a count of 10, relax and repeat five times.

Neck

Sit upright; tilt your head back, lips closed. Pucker your lips together in a kiss and stretch, as if you were trying to kiss the ceiling. Keep lips puckered for 10 counts, relax, bring your head back to normal and repeat five times.
Sit upright, tilt your head back, lips closed. Move your lower lip over your top lip as far as possible and keep it there for a count of five. Relax and repeat five times.
Sit upright and keep lips together, separate your teeth by dropping your jaw and then push your jaw forward. Hold for a count of 10, bring back to starting position and repeat five times.

Lips

Purse lips together. Lift pursed lips towards your nose and keep them there for five counts, relax and repeat five times.
Pucker your lips slightly then try to bring the corners of your mouth together as close as possible. Keep lips in this position for five counts, relax and repeat five times.
With lips closed and teeth together, smile as broadly as possible without opening your lips, hold for five counts, then relax the smile and pucker your lips. Hold for five counts and relax. Repeat 10 times.

Cheeks

With a relaxed smile and your lips closed, suck in your cheeks. Hold for 10 counts, relax and repeat 10 times.
Look in a mirror. Pout your top lip, turning the corners of your lips upwards and move your cheek muscles towards your eyes. You should at this stage try to get your top lip to touch your nose. Hold for 10 counts, relax and repeat five times.
With your teeth and lips closed, blow air under your top lip and hold for 10 counts, then move the air to your left cheek side, hold for 10, move the air to your lower lip, hold for 10 and then move it to your right cheek side and hold for 10. Repeat five times.

Source: Michael Meyer, owner, Ageless Co., South Africa

Medical Uses

Facial exercise is not used solely to prevent the signs of aging. It can also help rehabilitate face muscles affected by diseases such as Bell’s palsy and Ramsey Hunt syndrome. Bell’s palsy causes pain in the head and face, and subsequent paralysis of one side of the face. It is almost always temporary, but the cause is unknown. Most people fully recover from Bell’s palsy within a few months to a year; however, facial exercise can help speed the recovery by retraining the muscles and stimulating blood flow to the affected region. Ramsey Hunt syndrome is similar to Bell’s palsy, but is more painful and caused by a virus.

Consult a physician before attempting facial exercises for rehabilitation, and remember not to start too soon-Bell’s palsy patients should always rest during the initial stages of paralysis to give the facial nerve time to heal.

Source: The Bell’s Palsy Information Site: www.bellspalsy.ws

Source: alive #253, November 2003

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