Is your face starting to lose its daily battle with that thing known as gravity? If you answered no, then say “hi” to the Russian Cosmonaut aboard the space station for us. If you are honest and answered yes, then your honesty will be rewarded. We understand that plastic surgery is not necessarily the choice for everyone.
So, we have put together a series of simple, ‘do-anywhere’ facial exercises that are designed to tighten up your slack-jawed facial muscles. If you stick with this program, you’ll regain the smooth tight face you used to have, and battle off the ravages of time for years to come.
What Causes the Face to Lose Muscle Tone?
The odds are that even if you have been working out on a regular basis, you may have ignored your facial muscles. Even though any good weight lifting workout will cause you to exercise your facial muscles, it is still a good idea to focus on this group separately. You can also lose tone by putting on weight, which causes the skin on your face to expand. Gravity will tug down on that excess skin, since it is not as tight as well-toned face. The result is the dreaded ‘jowls.’
Given enough time, jowls will appear on almost anyone, and they can start showing up in your late 20’s. Stress can also cause you to engage in bad facial habits, like frowning. Your face needs to be mobile, not fixed in a permanent frown or scowl.
The good news is that none of these conditions or problems is permanent, and all of them can be addressed by doing some simple exercises.
Face-Exercise!
All of the following exercises can be done anywhere – car, house, bath, gym, or in front of a mirror. The trick is to treat them like you would any part of your health regime, and make sure you do repetitions on a continual basis.
Face Scrunches
Scrunching involves a tightening of all of you facial muscles, causing your whole face to scrunch. The trick is to treat this like you would a weight set at the gym. Make sure you hold the scrunch for a few seconds, then release.
Face Extension
For this exercise you need to do the opposite of a scrunch. Try to extend and expand all the muscles in your face, causing them to stretch out as far as they can go. You will look like a freak, but the point is to exercise those muscles that rarely get used. Doing the extension in conjunction with the scrunch exercises tackles both ends of the spectrum, and will result in a much tighter skin tone.
Hyper Smile
Although smiling can lead to laugh lines, laugh lines are better than those dreaded jowls. By contorting your face into the biggest, happiest smile you can muster, you will once again force those rarely used muscles to push the limit of their capacity.
Chin Tucks
Stick and stretch your chin in then out. The purpose of this to tighten up those muscles under your chin (assuming you still only have one). This helps to prevent the sag under the chin, or the multiplication of your chins. A strong chin line is a feature that many find attractive, so make sure you add this exercise to the facial routine.
Lip Stretch
Lips can also be subject to the effects of gravity, and no one ever thinks of giving them a work out. All you need to do is purse and extend them, move them from side-to-side, and repeat.
Skin Care Tips
Wear Sun Screen
Nothing ages skin faster than the constant cycle of burn-tan-burn. Most people don’t realize that your face is the part of your body that is always exposed to the sun, regardless of the season. Winter can produce some of the most damaging UV rays, and that is the time most people don’t even think of applying protection. Even something as simple as driving the car can expose you to the sun, which in turn will cause damage to your skin. Make sure to use a moisturizer or sun block with an SPF of 15.
Use Moisturizer After You Wash
Moisturizers help to replace all the oils and natural protection that a harsh soap (or just plain water) will remove from your skin. Dry skin cracks and flakes, and ages at a faster rate than smooth, regular skin. Plus, dry skin is more susceptible to sun damage, and moisturizers often contain the all important SPF protection, as well as many vitamins and minerals.
Avoid Chlorinated Water and Saltwater!
Pool water, and even regular tap water, can be very corrosive to the skin. If you must get your face wet, make sure you try and control the environment as much as possible. This means you should wash your face with a very mild, dermatological approved soap after you shower. You should also make sure you get chlorine and saltwater off of your face as quickly as possible. Never go to sleep with chlorine or salt water on your skin. And once you have had the shower, make sure you put on some moisturizer. The combination of saltwater and sun can be very hard on your skin, so make sure you take care of the face when you are done for the day.
Final Tips
The key to a tighter face lies within in your willingness to add a few facial exercises into your routine, and a little more care in your choice of soaps and moisturizers. If you try out these exercises and tips, you should notice an improvement within 30-days. Just remember to spend about 20-minutes a day, 4-5 days a week, and you will love the results. You have nothing to lose… except those jowls!