“Face Yoga” for Beginners: How to Perform Exercises That Can Smooth Your Skin

A simple search of the #faceyoga hashtag on TikTok will bring up countless videos of techniques that promise a smoother, younger-looking face. And for once, it’s a TikTok claim backed by some research.

But “face yoga” is so ubiquitous that you might question its effectiveness. Actor Gwyneth Paltrow and goophis lifestyle brand, they’ve been everywhere for years. Maybe you have it Hello Moves does yoga instructor Koko Hayashi in an episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” while she she taught the titular sisters a few moves.

And some skin care professionals even do it themselves, like Dr. Steven Line, a representative of the American Cosmetic Association. “It’s something I’ve been practicing for the past few years,” she told HuffPost.

As time goes on, more facial yoga practitioners are popping up online, many with their own programs that you can try. For example, Danielle Collins, aka “The Face Yoga Expert,” has a popular YouTube channel channel where they feature videos on how to do everything from tightening a sagging neck to bringing more symmetry to your face and fuller lips.

So should you get on board? Here’s everything you need to know as a facial yoga beginner:

Currently, the verdict is mixed.

“I’ve seen promising results for myself, and the reasoning behind the potential benefits of yoga on the face is sound,” she said. Dr. Brook Jeffy, a board certified dermatologist in Arizona who combines a holistic approach with medical dermatology.

He pointed to one small study which showed some apparent advantages. Published in JAMA Dermatology in 2018, Northwestern University researchers asked 16 middle-aged women to perform facial muscle-strengthening exercises for 20 weeks, leading to overall improved fullness in parts of the face.

The only caveat is “we don’t want to contract the wrong muscles,” Jeffy said, because that”it can worsen the appearance of crow’s feet, forehead lines or wrinkles.” This means that it is essential to perform the exercises correctly.

Facial yoga also helps improve blood and oxygen flow to the skin, which contributes to its overall health and appearance, she said. Dr. Lauren Penzia dermatologist with MDCS Dermatology practice in New York. He noted, however, that the changes will likely be minimal and “will not replace diligent sun protection, [a] skin care regimen and other cosmetic treatments.”

But Dr. Anna Guanchea dermatologist in California at the Bella Skin Institute, isn’t a fan.

“The idea of ​​building muscle or getting facials to improve the appearance of your face is counterintuitive,” she said. “In fact, the nation’s most popular cosmetic treatment, Botox, works by inactivating the muscles of facial expression, thereby reducing repetitive pulling on the skin and the resulting lines and furrows.”

As an example, Guanche cited a popular face yoga exercise that involves placing a fingertip near the corner of the eye and with the lower eyelid. But the muscle that twitches when you wink is also known to cause athlete’s foot.

“It may be true that facial yoga can help relieve facial tension, improve circulation and blood flow, [or] it relieves some sore throats,” she said. But she doesn’t see a facial yoga practice that does much more.

Although experts are divided on the benefits of yoga for the face, most agree that performing these exercises correctly is essential, as improper form can lead to facial asymmetry or the appearance of unwanted lines and wrinkles. Try these tips before you dive in:

Before starting a session, find yourself in a calm mood.

“Take a few deep breaths to sink into your body,” said Annelise Hagen, founder of beauty brand Yoga Face. “Shrug your shoulders a few times, roll your neck and do some gentle stretches and breathe.” This can help you relax enough to focus on performing the exercises correctly.

Deep breathing, she added, brings more oxygen into the body, which helps regenerate cells, oxygenate and calm the nervous system.

“Stress triggers ‘fight or flight,’ which in turn triggers the overproduction of adrenaline,” Hagen said, adding that this can “accelerates aging, dry skin, thinning hair and brittle nails.”

As you go through certain locations of the face, make sure other parts of the face don’t move. “You can actually make new wrinkles when you involuntarily frown while concentrating,” Hagen said.

She recommended using your fingers “to neutralize areas of the face you’re not working,” warning that there can be a learning curve in isolating certain muscles.

“I will always press down on muscle areas that I don’t want to be involved in the exercise with my fingertips,” she said. “And I’ll use fingertip pressure to… [apply] endurance, I want to increase strength, mass and muscle tone.

“The most important thing is the position of the tongue when the face is at rest,” Hayashi said, addingThe tongue is the central muscle of the face. “When the core is weak, it cannot easily withstand the face, and the face tends to sag.”

She suggested holding your tongue up and flat on the roof of your mouth whenever your face is sitting still so that your cheek area is slightly raised. This can improve the cheekbones and avoid jowls and sagging skin.

“When the cheek muscles are lifted and activated, your face is lifted because the upper jaw is lifted,” Hayashi said. Cheeks, she added, play a significant role in this because they are located in the center of the face. So if you want to lift your face, including your cheeks and jawline, you need to lift your cheek muscles, making tongue posture paramount.

“The reason your tongue is probably hanging out now is because your tongue is weak, which starts as early as the pre-teens,” she said.

Try her “tongue swing” technique to strengthen your tongue so it’s easier to maintain proper posture:

1. Give yourself a big smile.
2. Shows at least eight upper teeth. (Do not expose lower teeth.)
3. Slowly roll your tongue with your upper teeth showing and do three repetitions.

“Facial yoga promotes repetitive activity of facial muscles, such as frowning and smiling, which can lead to more facial lines, tears and wrinkles,” said Dr. Melanie Palm, board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at THE Art of Skin MD Clinic. Other facial yoga moves that require you to use your fingers to push or pull the skin, she said, can have a similar effect.

Therefore, Palm recommends using a face oil or serum that provides slip to minimize unnecessary tugging. Remember to use light pressure as well.

Hagen suggested doing some facial yoga every day.

“It doesn’t take long, maybe five to 10 minutes,” he said. “One or two facials on problem areas at a time. Try to be consistent, as with any exercise program, but be kind to yourself at the same time.

Like other exercise programs, it is a practice of longevity and consistency.

“When doing facial yoga, make sure to keep your face and skin clean, without makeup or heavy products,” said Rashika Khemani, a facial yoga instructor at the company. My yoga teacher.

That, she said, is because cosmetics and skin rejuvenation products can lead to inflammation or redness, which you don’t want during exercise.

Want to try facial yoga yourself? Here are some poses designed to achieve some of the biggest beauty statements:

“This move is to wake up the dormant cheek muscles to lift the whole face,” Hayashi said.

1. He says “Oh, Ah” and gives a big smile.
2. Make sure your upper teeth touch your lower lip.
3. Inside your mouth, place your tongue high and flat on the roof of your mouth.
4. Lift your cheeks and upper jaw with your tongue as high as possible.
5. Hold the position for 10 seconds. (Do not use other muscles, such as the neck.)

This position is geared toward combating athlete’s foot.

1. Use your fingers to create a V shape and frame your eyes with your index and middle fingers.
2. Apply light pressure to the outer corner of your eyebrows and slowly look up while squinting.
3. Finish by closing your eyes tightly for 10 seconds.

Hagen she said this is a beautiful reset for your face that will encourage cheek lift, jawline tone and smoothness around the eye area.

1. Practice a neutral smile where you stretch the corners of your mouth towards your ears. Keep your eyes soft so you don’t create new lines.

“These exercises will help tone your jaw and neck,” Hagen said.

1. Look up and pretend to “kiss the ceiling” three times in a row.
2. Then look to the right, look up and kiss the ceiling three times in a row.
3. Then turn your head to the left and look up. Kiss the ceiling three times in a row.

1. Look to the right and up, lift your tongue to the ceiling and bring your eyes to the far right over your shoulder. Hold this for 10 seconds.
2. Do the same to the left.
3. Do this three times in a row.

This one from Hagen aims to smooth the vertical lines of the lips.

1. Breathe in through your nose. Put air under the upper lip to puff the lip outward, then do the same with the lower lip.

By circulating the breath between the insides of the lips, you’ll stretch and smooth the band around the sphincter, Hagen said.

“This move is great for rolling your eyes, [the] brows and gives a more defined look,” said Hayashi.

1. Keep the tongue high and flat on the palate.
2. With your fingers, lift only the lower eyelid without moving the other areas. Do this for 10 repetitions.