Friday, October 3, 2008

Do facial exercises actually work?


So, I'm sure by now that you've heard of the "firming facial exercises" that claim to tone and firm sagging facial skin. Women are attending special classes and ordering instructional books and DVDs. It looks simple enough. You squint your eyes a certain way, pucker your lips or raise the eyebrows and are rewarded with less wrinkles and more tone. And since we work out our other body muscles, why not the face?

I did some research, and turns out that these exercises are more hype than help. Simply put, since sagging skin occurs mostly due to the loss of collagen, these exercises certainly won't create more collagen. And they can't undo sun damage that causes wrinkles either.

In fact, facial expressions are one of the major causes of lines and wrinkles in the first place. And while I'm not advocating that we all stop smiling and adopt netural facial expressions in the interest of preventing wrinkles, there is no need to encourage those wrinkles by using more facial expressions.

Think I'll skip the facial exercise DVD's and invest in a yoga routine instead.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This is so interesting, because I remember hearing about women flocking to various workout classes to "exercise" their faces.

I'm sure they'd love to know that these workouts actually contribute to wrinkles!

Thanks for providing the facts and I wonder what people will think of next! :)