Face Yoga for Wrinkles: Fact or Fiction?
Ever wondered if face yoga is an effective method for anti-aging?
A study found that just 30 minutes of daily face exercises over 30 weeks made participants look around three years younger. When you pair face yoga with a consistent anti-aging skincare routine, the results will likely come even faster.
In this article, we’ll explain what face yoga is, its benefits for anti-aging, and how to start your own face yoga routine.
Let’s get started.
What is face yoga?
Face yoga involves exercising your facial muscles, especially in the jaw, cheek, forehead, and eye area. It’s done by adapting certain poses to target areas of the face.
Facial yoga techniques are inspired by ancient yoga and massage practices in India and East Asia.
How face yoga reduces wrinkles
Face yoga works by toning your facial muscles, improving circulation, and stimulating collagen production – all important facets of reducing wrinkles.
How to do face yoga as a natural anti-aging method
While there are many face yoga exercises to try, here are some tried-and-true ones to start with:
Relax and smooth forehead lines
To reduce the appearance of horizontal forehead wrinkles, follow these steps:
- Apply a moisturizer or facial oil to your forehead to create an easy-to-glide surface.
- Place four fingers above each eyebrow.
- Slowly pull your fingers toward your temples in a slightly firm, smooth motion.
- Repeat this process 7-10 times.
Consistently doing this practice daily may reduce the appearance of wrinkles, prevent new ones from forming, and relieve forehead tension.
Soften crow’s feet
Try this face yoga exercise for your eye area to reduce the appearance of crow’s feet:
- Apply an eye cream to lubricate the eye area.
- Place two fingers beside the outer corner of your eyes.
- With gentle pressure, slide your fingers out and up towards your temples.
- Repeat 7-10 times.
Reduce undereye bags
Woke up with puffy under eyes? Try this lymphatic drainage face yoga routine to reduce eye bags:
- After applying eye cream, place your ring finger on your undereye bags.
- With gentle pressure, press down in one position for 10 seconds. Then continue this process until you’ve covered the entire under eye area.
Soften smile lines
Smile lines are nasolabial folds on the side of the mouth and nose. To improve the appearance of these smile lines (or laugh lines), you can try facial yoga exercises.
Here’s how:
- Apply facial oil or moisturizer to the area before starting.
- Create an “O” shape with your mouth by opening it slightly and positioning your lips over your teeth.
- Place your fingers on the outer edges of your cheek and jaw area. Then with gentle pressure, pull the skin backwards toward your ears. Hold this position for 7-10 seconds.
Keep up this routine consistently and pair it with an effective anti-aging skincare routine to see results faster.
Reduce neck sagging
To prevent neck sagging from aging, try this daily facial exercise routine:
- As always, apply a face moisturizer or oil to lubricate the face and neck area before you begin.
- Then place your fingers on each side of the bottom of your neck area where it almost meets your shoulders.
- With gentle pressure, pull those fingers in a downward motion while carefully lifting your chin upwards. For an extra stretch, stick out your bottom lip.
- Hold this position for 7-10 seconds and repeat for 3-4 more times.
This facial exercise strengthens your neck muscles and can help tighten the skin in the area.
How to incorporate face yoga into your skincare routine
You now know which facial exercises to add to your daily routine and how to do them. Now how do you incorporate face yoga into your skincare routine?
Here’s a simple morning or evening skincare routine to follow that features face yoga techniques:
- Gently clean the skin with makeup remover and cleanser to remove impurities and makeup.
- Add a facial oil to your skin to create an easy-to-glide surface.
- Perform your facial yoga exercises.
- Add a toner or serum that suits your skin type and skin concerns.
- Finish off with a moisturizer to hydrate skin.
Face yoga is a great addition to any anti-aging skincare routine. It improves muscle tone, collagen production, and skin elasticity. Follow this routine day and night consistently and you’ll see a reduction in wrinkles and fine lines in no time.