Do Facial Exercises Make You Look Younger?
You may have seen advertisements for facial exercise videos and books. There are several different programs out there, but they basically all lead to the same goal - to enable you to work out specific facial muscles or muscle groups.
Why Would You Want To Perform Facial Exercises?
As you age you tend to lose muscle in your face, as well as in the rest of the body. In addition, although the muscles of the body get some activity through walking for example, the face gets very little exercise. The result can be a sagging chin, neck, or jawline, as well as an increase in the amount of wrinkles. The idea behind facial exercises is that working out the muscles of your face has the same effect as working out other muscle groups in your body. By exercising you facial muscles you can build these muscles up, which will result in less sagging, fewer wrinkles, and as a result, a more youthful appearance.
Which Facial Exercise Program is Best?
There are several different books and videos to choose from. In truth they are all equally effective, however, I have found that videos are easier to use than books. In addition, if you are viewing a video you aren't as likely to quit halfway through the routine as if you are using a book. However, the books are fine as long as you are able to do the exercises. In addition, the books are generally less expensive, however, none of the programs cost very much.
The most important aspect is that you must do the exercises on a regular basis. As with all exercise, you will gain no real benefits unless you actually perform the exercises.
As far as which program is best, I decided to perform a little experiment. I chose three facial exercise videos to test:
- Carole Maggio's Facercise
- Judith Olivia's Face Aerobics Vol. 1
- The Facial Workout - Because the Muscles Don't End at the Neck
After using each of the programs for a while, I found that Judith Olivia's Face Aerobics was the easiest to follow. Some people may be put off that her video has 20 minutes of face exercises and then she spends the rest of the video talking about her facial products. However, most people don't have more than 20 minutes per day to exercise their face anyway and so this may not matter. After watching the entire video once, I just stopped the video at the end of the exercise part of it.
Carole Maggio's video was also good, however, I did find parts of it a little hard to follow. If not for this, it would have been my favorite video of the three. She does include some neck exercises that are certainly worth learning that the other videos don't have. In addition, the other three videos have young models and so it is difficult to see whether or not facial exercises really work. Carole Maggio performs the exercises in her video and I believe that she performs her exercises on a regular basis. I'm uncertain how old she is, but I believe that she looks much younger than she is, presumably from performing her own facial exercises.
The Facial Workout was my least favorite of the three. First of all, it seemed easier than the other two, as if my face was getting less of a workout. However, this could also be due to my having tried the other two facial exercise videos first. Perhaps my face was in better condition from performing the other two videos and so it just seemed easier. This video uses three different models to teach you the exercises. They also show you a computerized graphic for what happens to your facial muscles as you age. The bottom line being if you want to look younger as you age then you need to exercise you facial muscles. The video did have several exercises and they were similar to what I found on the other two videos. However, this video does contain more exercises than the Judith Olivia video.
You will also find the same types of exercises in books. They are just harder to follow than the videos or DVDs. What I typically do is a combination of Carole Maggio's Facercise and Judith Olivia's Face Aerobics.
It really doesn't matter which program you use, the important thing is to choose one or more facial videos or books and to use it on a regular basis.
So Do These Facial Exercises Work?
After performing these exercises on a regular basis for some time, I would have to say yes. I did notice a difference. Did I look 18 again? No. However, I did notice an improvement in my appearance and I also noticed that my face seemed able to move more freely, and that smiling was much easier. Not that I had found it difficult to smile before, but it just seems easier after doing the exercises.
This makes sense too. Any muscle group that you work out on a regular basis is going to become more efficient and it will be easier to use that muscle or muscle group when you need to.
It isn't surprising that performing the exercises improved my appearance. If you'll notice, men seem to age better than women most of the time. This is probably due in part to their having more muscle in their face than women do. Although older men do lose some muscle from their face and neck and so performing these exercises will be of benefit to men also.
In addition, you rarely see someone who's back of the neck is flabby, unless they are very obese. This is because the back of the neck plays a large role in holding up the head. In contrast, the front of the neck plays a much smaller role in holding up the head. This is why you frequently see older people who have loose skin hanging from the front of the neck. By exercising the muscles in your face and neck, it will help to reduce the amount of flab and skin on the neck and the rest of the face by increasing the amount of muscle and also increasing blood flow to your face. Blood flow is also reduced as you age.
My best advice is that yes, facial exercises do work, but you must perform them on a regular basis. It really is true that you have to use it or lose it. This is true for all muscles of the body, and especially for the small muscles of the face.
Also see the article on the Facial Flex Facial Exerciser.