4 Easy Anti-Aging Face Exercises
It's common knowledge that exercising the body is crucial for your health. Not only does exercise contribute to a healthy weight, it also works the heart and muscles while increasing blood circulation, all which play a factor in maintaining muscle elasticity and physical strength. But did you know there is also a set of exercises that can be done to keep the face youthful and vibrant? Incorporate these four easy anti-aging face exercises from Marie Claire to maintain your beautiful skin!
Face Exercises: Why?
Regular daily facial expressions, like smiling and frowning, often lead to deep lines and creases around the eyes, mouth, and forehead. These ‘character lines,’ as some may call them, are often unwanted and can be avoided. How? By doing a specific set of exercises each day.
Facial exercises, perfected by dermatologists, can take up to three years off a middle-aged woman’s face by increasing blood flow and oxygen to cells. This wakes up cells and speeds up the healing process, allowing the face to naturally eliminate side-effects of age, pollution, and gravity.
Underneath the facial skin is a thin layer of fat. The separation of fat pads, which are initially bound to each other, inevitably leads to sagging around the eyes and cheeks, creating an aged appearance that’s less than ideal. By strengthening facial tissue, fat pads slowly lift and begin connecting with each other again, leaving the face looking plump, healthy, and contoured.
Face Exercises: How?
Now that we know why facial exercises are important, now we need to know how to do them! Below is a list of the best ways to take years off your appearance.
Exercise #1: The V
Reduces puffy eyes, sagging eyelids, and crow’s feet
With your palms facing your face, take your middle fingers and press them on the inner corner of the eyebrows. With the index fingers, apply pressure to the outer corners of the eyebrows. Look up and raise your lower eyelids upwards like you’re trying to squint, then relax. Repeat six more times, then finish by squeezing the eyes closed for 10 seconds.
Exercise #2: The Brow Smoother
Reduces horizontal forehead lines
With your palms facing your face, place both hands on the forehead and fan your fingers out, placing them between the eyebrows and hairline. Using light pressure, gently slide the fingers outwards across the forehead to tighten the skin. Repeat 10 times, taking a second to relax in between reps.
Exercise #3: The Giraffe
Lifts the neck and jaw
With the head tilted slightly back, place your fingertips at the top of the neck, and gently stroke the skin downwards. When your hands reach the collarbone, release the hands, bring the chin down to the chest, then relax the head and look straight forward. Repeat this twice more.
Exercise #4: The Flirty Eye
Lifts drooping eyes
Place your index fingers length-wise under each eye, so each fingertip points towards the nose. Open the mouth slightly and use the lips to fully cover the teeth like you’re trying to hide your lips. Gaze up at the ceiling and flutter the upper eyelids for 30 seconds.
Exercises + Image Source: Marie Claire
Don't have enough time for this regimen, or simply want to complement it? Try our anti-aging skin care products that work to improve your skin throughout the day (and night!):