Stretching usually feels great, and can keep us limber as we age. Exercise programs abound that tout the benefits of yoga, pilates, and stretching. These programs have been shown over time to benefit the person exercising. Now, the latest trend is face yoga to give your face a youthful appearance. What’s fact and what’s fiction regarding this exercise program?
Many online videos promise massively younger skin by doing face yoga. The actuality rarely lives up to the hype. “The first thing to know is that there really aren’t any good, rigorous, scientific studies that verify claims that face workouts are effective,” according to Suzanne Olbricht, an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School. But some truth is found among the hype. Facial yoga can be beneficial for reducing scarring and fighting gravity.
Scarring
Some facial scars pull the surrounding skin taught,making the scar more noticeable. Facial yoga helps to loosen skin around a tight scar. This reduces the stretched appearance, making the scar less noticeable. The movement can also help to thin a thick scar, by breaking down some of the scar tissue.
In addition to making scars less noticeable, exercising your facial muscles helps improve muscle tone giving your face a more youthful appearance. As we age, the fat that is supposed to be in our faces sinks down in the face, aging our features. Facial yoga helps fat stay in place, as opposed to sinking down the face.
Beyond the improvement of facial scars, improving muscle tone and keeping fat where it is supposed to be, the benefits of facial yoga are unclear. “Truthfully, it’s hard to say whether face exercises are useful or not,” says Dr. Olbricht. “While I’m not convinced,” she says, “there seems to be little downside.” Stretching and relaxing your facial muscles may not be the fountain of youth, but it does have some benefits, and no detriments. It might just be worth trying and see what differences you notice.
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