Facial Exercises to Combat Wrinkles

When muscles lose their tone, they become soft and flaccid and hang loosely from the bone. On your face this can mean sagging that stretches out the skin and causes wrinkling. Muscle tone diminishes slowly with age, but it falls off sharply with disuse. That is why facial exercises can make an important difference in preserving it. Some people wonder why exercises are necessary. After all, your face is always in motion—whether you are talking, laughing, eating, or crying. It gets a workout every day. You do use some of your facial muscles in your day-to-day life, but probably not all of them. The muscles of the human body are highly specific, and those of the face are no exception. For maximum benefit, each muscle must be exercised individually. To tone the muscles, you must practice the exercises as described for 10 to 15 minutes at least 3 or 4 days a week. To develop the muscles, you should exercise every day, with increasing repetitions. For most purposes, a gradual increase to 6 or 7 repetitions will be sufficient. For problem spots, a second short session of specific exercises is recommended. All of these exercises should be performed in front of a mirror. Scalp Lift When we're tired, our shoulders tend to droop and our bodies to sag. Have you ever caught yourself and used your energy to pull yourself up, correct your posture, and stand up straight? Try the same idea on your face. When we're tired or depressed, our facial muscles tend to sag too. Aging has a similar effect. For an instant lift, try the following: Standing in front of a mirror to be sure that your form is correct, open your eyes wide, lift your eyebrows, and pull back your forehead and scalp as far as you can. At the same time, try to pull your scalp down at the back of your head (tightening your neck and shoulders can help you to achieve this sensation at first). Be sure that you do not wrinkle your forehead as you do this exercise. Hold the lift for a count of 3; relax. Repeat 2 more times. Total Temple Toner This is a marvelous exercise that will really give you a workout. It will tighten the area around the temple, helping to smooth out crinkly crow's feet at the outside corners of the eye and over the cheekbone. It is also excellent for tightening the soft fleshy area under the chin. Tighten your scalp as much as you can by pulling it both backward and to the sides. Now press your tongue flat up against the roof of your mouth. Concentrate on pushing the middle and back of your tongue against the hard palate. Hold for a count of 3; release. Repeat 2 more times. This is a strenuous contraction, so don't overdo it. After you have been exercising for a number of weeks and it no longer feels stressful, increase the number of repetitions gradually. Pretty Face This is the best exercise of all, and it has nothing to do with muscle development directly. Now that you've been working with your face, you should feel a much greater sense of mobility and control. This will increase dramatically as you exercise regularly over a period of months. Use it to your advantage. Take a good look at your face in the mirror. Learn to see your assets as well as your problem spots. Experiment with different expressions. Your 'natural' expression at rest, largely a matter of habit, may not be the most flattering to you. Observe the change when you tighten your scalp, raise your eyebrows, move your jaw. Become aware of your facial carriage. Confidence and poise are important components of beauty. Learn to control your facial muscles so that others see you as you choose to be seen. Most of all, think pretty! If you like the way you look, others will too.