Yoga practitioners know that poses like downward-facing dog, warrior, bridge, and others can improve flexibility, reduce stress, and build strength in your body. Face yoga can offer similar benefits for your complexion.
Face yoga—including moves like the eyebrow lifter, happy cheeks sculpting, and temple developer—refers to stretching, massaging, and exercising the face, says Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The goal is to enhance facial muscle tone to minimize signs of skin aging.”
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The technique involves repeatedly moving facial muscles in certain ways. By practicing making these expressions, face yoga claims to improve how well those muscles function and boost your appearance, says Dr. Murad Alam, vice-chair of the dermatology department at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, who’s conducted research on face yoga.
So, if you’ve seen people making funny faces on TikTok, where there are more than 77,000 videos tagged #faceyoga, that’s why. If you’re considering trying it yourself, here’s how to do it and the benefits face yoga might offer.
Does face yoga really make you look younger?
Aging drives a number of changes that affect your complexion. You can lose muscle tone, which may make the skin on your face appear loose and saggy, Zeichner says.
As you age, the fat pads under your skin thin out, and you lose collagen, Alam adds. This typically makes your skin less elastic and gives it a less-full appearance.
“With facial yoga, you’re trying to grow your muscles, which are underneath the fat pads,” he says. “Kind of like bodybuilding, you exercise the same muscles over and over again, and they become bigger.”
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The bulked-up facial muscles can fill in some of the volume that’s been depleted by age-related fat, muscle, and collagen loss, Alam says.
As you might imagine, there is very limited research on face yoga. But in a small study led by Alam and published in JAMA Dermatology in 2018, women ages 40 to 65 performed facial exercises for 30 minutes daily or every other day for 20 weeks. After comparing before-and-after photos, researchers noted that the people had fuller upper and lower cheeks and appeared younger after doing face yoga.
Other benefits of face yoga
Exercise of any kind can improve circulation, so strengthening face muscles likely has the same effect, explains Dr. Anetta Reszko, a dermatologist in New York City.
“Increased facial muscle strength results in a more natural ‘face-lift’ effect by creating a lifted and toned look, while improved blood circulation adds to a naturally radiant and healthy complexion,” she says.
Enhanced blood flow to the skin and better circulation are essential for cell turnover, the natural process where dead skin cells are replaced with new ones, Zeichner says. Improved cell turnover ensures the skin has a smooth texture and even tone and encourages collagen production.
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Face yoga can also tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for promoting relaxation and reducing stress, Reszko adds. This helps lower your heart rate and blood pressure and contributes to your overall well-being.
A small 2018 study found that facial exercises improved mental health for older people. The exercises also enhanced facial expressions and tongue muscle power, which the researchers concluded could be a useful therapy for this age group. Movement, in general, has been shown to release endorphins and decrease stress, improving mood.
“Any activity that helps improve relaxation and reduce stress can be of benefit to the body in general as well as the skin specifically,” Zeichner says. “We know that emotional stress has a negative impact on the skin, impairing wound healing and leading to worsening of conditions like eczema or rosacea.”
Are there any risks?
Face yoga is safe for most people who are looking for a non-invasive way to improve skin firmness, reduce wrinkles, and relieve facial tension, Reszko says. It could be uncomfortable if you have sensitive skin, though.
If you have facial injuries, like bruises or cuts, she recommends not trying the technique until these heal. You could inadvertently put extra strain on the skin if you don’t do the moves correctly, which could also worsen conditions such as acne, as the movements could irritate the skin.
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Talk to your dermatologist before trying face yoga if you’ve had dermal fillers or other cosmetic procedures to make sure you’re not interfering with the results, she adds.
Another issue is that continuous facial movements might end up causing more wrinkles if you do them too much, Reszko says. Repeating certain facial expressions could overwork some muscles and lead to skin folding and worsen the appearance of wrinkles in between the eyebrows, horizontal forehead lines, and crow’s feet, Zeichner says.
How to get started with face yoga
Just like regular yoga, a face yoga practice consists of many different moves. Research showing the anti-aging benefits of face yoga featured some Happy Face Yoga exercises, developed by Gary Sikorski, who co-authored the study. These include:
- The Cheek Lifter: Shape your mouth into an “O” and drape your upper lip over your teeth. Then, smile, lifting your cheek muscles up; place your fingers on the top of your cheeks and release your lips to a neutral posture. Repeat the lowering and lifting 10 times.
- Happy Cheeks Sculpting: Smile with your lips pursed together without showing your teeth. Smile again, focusing on the corners of your mouth, which forces your cheeks up. Place your index fingers on the corners of your mouth and apply mild pressure as you push your fingers up to your cheekbones. Hold each rep for 20 seconds.
- The Eyebrow Lifter: Place three fingers from each hand just underneath each eyebrow, then force your eyes to open. Smile and try to push your eyebrows down like you’re furrowing your brow. Close your eyes and roll your eyeballs up toward the top of your head. Hold each rep for 20 seconds.
Research suggests that practicing face yoga for 30 minutes several times a week can offer anti-aging results, Alam says. That’s a lot of fake smiling and funny faces. “At least in our study, it required a fair amount of commitment.”
When to see a dermatologist
If you’re not getting the results you’re looking for with face yoga, see a dermatologist. They can recommend treatments like Botox, fillers, retinol, or other therapies, to help smooth wrinkles and stimulate collagen production, Zeichner says.
A dermatologist can also identify any underlying skin issues that you might have and offer the best remedy, Reszko adds.
“Face yoga can be a good recommendation for those looking for natural, non-invasive methods to improve facial tone and reduce stress,” she says. “However, it’s important to emphasize proper technique and manage expectations regarding gradual results.”