Facial Exercises and why they are good for your appearance

Youthful unharmed skin is tight, elastic and full in both men and women. However, things like ageing and the act of losing and gaining weight can reduce the tautness of skin and result in the appearance of loose skin, a persistently tired look to the face and the appearance of premature ageing. The rate that skin ages is different for everyone: both men and women suffer from sagging skin, although women seem to suffer earlier due to hormonal changes and the onset of the menopause. Although there isn't much you can do to prevent the development of sagging skin and loose facial muscles, there are a few things that you can do to slow down the development and even to correct the damage once it has been done.

What Causes Sagging Skin?

There are five main causes of sagging skin: three that you can control and two that you can't. The two that you cannot control include the natural processes of ageing and the downward pull of gravity. Everyday that we walk, sit and move around in an upright position is another day that our skin is affected by gravity. After numerous years of fighting the natural downward pull, our skin begins to give in and sag downward. The effects of this gravitational pull start to show from our mid-forties but the weakening of the skin happens from the day we are born.

Right around the time that gravity damage starts to show our skin is also suffering from the negative effects of ageing. As we age, the components of our skin that are responsible for maintaining elasticity, firmness and rebound are starting to breakdown. Once these components - collagen and elastin - breakdown, our skin becomes looser and begins to droop, which results in fine lines and eventually deep wrinkles. To add to the problem, the muscles in our face are also weakened by age so the support that they give already loosening skin is reduced and increased sagging is apparent.

Since we cannot control the natural ageing process you would think that we would do everything we can to avoid other skin sagging culprits. However, that is not always the case. Sun exposure, smoking and weight loss all contribute to the development of sagging skin. Sun exposure damages the skin cells and retards their ability to rebound back into shape. Smoking dries out the skin and reduces the available moisture that is responsible for keeping skin plump and full. Finally, weight loss, especially losing large amounts or the act of shedding pounds too quickly, results in skin sag where the fat once filled out the area below the skin.

There are 46 muscles in the face and toning these muscles can give the face a brighter appearance, a natural lift, smoother skin and can result in a younger look. Skin sagging and the weakening of facial muscles is an unavoidable result of ageing. Unless it interferes with your daily routine or becomes a medical risk, the best option is to love your skin and facial appearance and seek other areas where improvement can make a bigger difference in your overall health.

Facial Exercises have become very popular among beauty experts in recent years, though people have been doing them for many years. In fact, many people have given up their plans of having a cosmetic surgery and opted for doing face exercises instead. The logic behind facial exercises is that we exercise our bodies to keep them in shape, so why not do the same for our faces?

Specialized facial exercise techniques using only the thumbs and fingers can reshape and contour sagging, out of shape faces, transforming the features into a dramatically younger looking face.

Gravity assures the lengthening of facial tissue - this includes muscles and skin. In the face, skin attaches directly to the muscles. Over time the muscles and the skin begin to lose their tone and elasticity; this is when the face begins to look older. Studies show that facial muscles can elongate up to 1/2 inch by age 55 and when this happens, the skin is dragged downward creating lines, creases and folds.

All muscles require exercise to maintain their form and shape. The facial muscles are no different - they also require exercise that goes beyond stimulation like massage or electric current or daily facial movements such as smiling, grimacing or singing. The facial muscles, like the body muscles, respond to exercise that uses both resistance and contraction. This action keeps facial muscles youthfully positioned because when muscles are stronger, sagging is minimized and the skin is tighter and toned.

Many facial muscles connect to bone only at one end; the other end attaches to skin or another muscle. This unique configuration of the muscles means that in order to sufficiently exercise a muscle so that it plumps up and lifts, an artificial anchor must be employed. This is accomplished by using the thumbs and fingers.

Sometimes those thumbs are inside the mouth while the fingers are lightly touching the face. It is recommended that the user wear light weight white cotton gloves while holding and anchoring facial muscles. These small muscles weave over and under each before attaching to skin or another muscle and that is why retraining facial muscles require that the user learn to isolate, anchor, then actively contract the muscle or muscle groups.

The many facial muscles and muscle groups under the skin respond well to isometric contraction. These contractions with resistance remarkably increase muscle tone and that plumping of the muscles results in a brighter face energized with increased oxygen; this is especially important for those middle aged and above who experience dull, lifeless skin due to a lack of oxygen to the outer tissues as a direct result of ageing.

The reason for this is simple: Face muscle exercises, when done right, can have a hugely positive effect on you appearance and health. So, if you can't control some of the factors that lead to sagging skin and if you have already experienced any of the other factors, what can you do to improve the look of your skin?

Non-Surgical Treatments

When people first start to notice the signs of sagging skin or loose facial muscles they usually turn to a simple, non-invasive form of treatment. These treatments consist of the use of specially formulated skin creams and lotion and the use of specially designed facial muscle exercises. The creams contain chemicals and natural ingredients that help tone, tighten and firm the skin resulting in a more youthful appearance. However, the affects of the product are not permanent and do little to help severely sagging skin. Manufacturers will tell us anything to get us to buy their skin creams and we do have to ask ourselves if a cream applied externallycan really 'lift' the skin. Face Lifting machines, however, are a treat and so show temporary signs of 'lift'.

Facial exercises, on the other hand, are targeted at strengthening the muscles that support the skin not just at tightening the top layers of skin. Through these exercises individuals can build up muscles so skin is held tighter to the face and sagging and wrinkles are reduced. The problem with this type of treatment is that the results usually take a long time to appear and the muscles can only be strengthened to a certain extent.

So, what do you do when your sagging skin needs more help? It may be time to turn to your doctor for more aggressive treatment.

Face Lifts and other Surgical Treatments

When it is time to seek the help of a dermatologist or plastic surgeon for your sagging skin you have a few options that range from minimally-invasive to all out treatment. The least invasive is laser facial resurfacing. This technique utilises a laser to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help minimise the look of skin sag. Another easy treatment is the injection of Botox. This chemical is injected into wrinkles and other areas of loose skin to plump the surface and reduce the appearance of sag. While both of these treatments work well on minimal sagging they are not permanent and they do not totally fix the problem of loose skin.

The next, more aggressive option is called a thread lift. A thread lift is a procedure that is performed by a plastic surgeon who inserts tiny threads under your skin to lift and support sagging areas. The procedure results in a lift similar to what can be expected from a face-lift but is less invasive. The downside is that the lift does not last as long and that some sagging cannot be eliminated with this type of surgery.

Finally, the most invasive but the most effective, treatment for skin sagging is a traditional face-lift. In this procedure the surgeon tightens the loose skin and facial muscles by lifting a pulling on the weakened areas. The result is a tighter, firmer look to your skin that lasts for years. The downside, however, is that the procedure almost results in pain, discomfort and swelling that can last up to six weeks.

From 'facial yoga' to 'facial building', many people promote facial exercise programs, and the discussion of whether or not exercising facial muscles actually improves facial firmness has become the subject of hot debate. Paula Begoun, a renowned US author of the Complete Beauty Bible and an active beauty consumer advocate her website is www.cosmeticscop.com, does not feel that facial exercises of any kind are likely to benefit the face. Paula also says that "muscle tone is barely involved in facial exercises at all. The skin's sagging and drooping - and most every facial wrinkle - is caused by four other major factors." On the other hand, you have people such as Eva Fraser, who uses herself (she is in her 70s) as a really good example of the effects of facial exercising. Mychoicebeauty.com cannot advise whether facial exercises are right or wrong. At the time of putting this article together, we cannot find evidence to support either argument. It is up to you to work out which way is right. Although the idea of facial exercising has been around for years, there are still no scientific studies to support these claims.

If you do facial exercises in the wrong way you might actually hurt your appearance. There's also the question of maintaining the right diet in order to tone and firm your facial muscles.

Facial exercises are just the same as regular fitness exercises: There's a right way to do them and a wrong way.

If you have any health problems or concerns, we strongly recommend that you discuss these exercises with your doctor before starting them. The exercises are there to help you and should not cause any pain - if you experience any pain, please stop doing them and refer the matter to your healthcare practitioner.

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