Table of Contents
What is Facial Gymnastics?
Facial gymnastics is to perform a series of exercises that mobilize the facial muscles. It is a nutritional therapy because it helps to keep the skin firm.
It bases on the concept that the stimulation of the facial muscles favours the composition and tension of the fibres of the skin that cover them. Unforced and repetitive movements stimulate the muscles, producing a higher concentration of collagen and elastin fibres.
This overproduction of elements of the skin’s extracellular matrix directly intervenes in the prevention of premature ageing. The skin becomes firmer because the muscles that are in deeper planes also strengthen.
This series of exercises can help reduce the signs of premature ageing, such as fine lines, periocular wrinkles or sagging cheekbones.
Benefits of Facial Gymnastics
Training your facial muscles has positive and beneficial effects similar to cardiovascular exercise that you can do while running, cycling or swimming.
The repetitive mobilization of our muscles relaxes expression, reduces the tension formed when we force certain gestures and activates blood circulation. This last factor makes the skin receive a higher concentration of nutrients and, therefore, it can regenerate more efficiently.
The exercises allow relaxation areas of high muscular tension such as the frontal area, intercalary area (between the eyebrows), periocular, buccal, upper labial and cervical-clavicular (the neck).
In addition, facial gymnastics has other benefits :
- The skin receives more nutrition and increases cell regeneration.
- It prevents ageing by activating the skin’s metabolism.
- It allows a toning of the muscles and oxygenates the skin, promoting the elimination of toxic substances.
- Decreases muscle tension in the forehead, eye area, jaw and neck.
- Promotes rehabilitation in processes of facial neuromuscular paralysis.
Routine of Facial Gymnastics
Performing specific exercises can partially correct skin flaccidity, regain muscle tone and keep skin firm.
To get started, we recommend that you do a simple routine, based on moderate-intensity exercises, once or twice a day:
Relax: to start. It would help if you tensed your facial muscles while applying gentle pressure on your face. Start with the cheekbones and work your way to the chin and lips, then temples and eyes, ending at the front.
Jaw: press the chin from the bottom up with your fists. Try to open your mouth in an imaginary way. Then rest.
Cheekbones: relax your jaw. Take in the air as if you were going to blow and return to the starting position.
Lips: purse your lips moderately and then open them and smile forcibly.
Eyes: Close your eyes, raise your eyebrows and open them.
Forehead: use your fingers applying pressure where the hair begins, from the bottom up, and try to relax the muscles.
Finally, give yourself a gentle massage with a hydrating product to recover your skin from exercise. You will see how you will notice the results in a short time.
Exercises Tips of Facial Gymnastics
- Make the gesture of giving a kiss and hold on like this while slowly tilting your head back.
- Twist your lips to the left and right alternately and holding for a few seconds on each side.
- Hold the forehead above the eyebrows with the pads of two fingers and try to raise the eyebrows.
- Open your mouth wide and close it slowly. Do several reps (8-12).
- Perform a circular self-massage on the cheekbones with your fingertips for one or two minutes.
- Fill cheeks with air and hold for 8-10 seconds while tapping them with your fingertips.
- Practice facial yoga. It is a practical variant of facial gymnastics inspired by yoga that adds the benefits of maintaining tension in the muscles in coordination with the breath.
- If you like to practice yoga, these practices do not end from the neck up. You can continue to enjoy the benefits of yoga even on your face.
- You see that there are several alternatives to achieve a toned and youthful face by practising facial gymnastics.
- Although you are undoubtedly aware that appearance is not everything, you can improve your satisfaction with the perception of yourself on a physical level while maintaining a healthy lifestyle while firming the muscles of the face and neck.
- Feeling comfortable with your appearance is also part of your vitality!
Conclusion
Our face’s skin needs daily care and specific treatments since it is more sensitive and thinner than other parts of our body.
One of the recommended therapies to keep the skin of the face firmer for longer is facial gymnastics, which exercises the facial muscles to preserve the elasticity and firmness of the skin so that sagging and the appearance of wrinkles will avoid.
