15 Facial Exercises for a Radiant, Youthful, Defined, and Slimmer Face

Facial exercises welcome a new workout routine, allowing you to focus on sagging skin, droopy jowls, undefined jawline, or creating that winning smile. Have you ever wondered if you could perfect your expressions? Do you think about making your face look younger?

Facial exercises are a gateway to some fantastic but realistic benefits, however can’t promise to reverse the aging process. Instead, you’ll see how you can look younger without the fountain of youth. You can find out whether or not you can lose weight in your face and improve your appearance. 

Let’s quickly see whether or not facial exercises work before sharing the best ones.

Do Facial Exercises Really Work?

Facial exercises do work realistically in some ways, including the following:

• Help to achieve a slimmer face (6, 8)
• Strengthen facial expression muscles (3)
• Tighten your skin (7)
• Make you look younger (7)
• Condition a well-defined face (7)

Facial Exercises Pros and Cons

Facial exercises have pros and cons, but knowing the balance between them can ensure that you will benefit from them. Let’s see which advantages and disadvantages you must consider. 

Do Facial Exercises Work to Lose Face Fat?

Harvard’s Dr. Olbricht suggests that facial exercises may help with face fat because of gravity (6). Gaining muscle mass in your face keeps the fat firm and prevents gravity from causing it to sag, which will cause drooping jowls and skin. Theoretically, this can define your face. 

However, burning fat or calories in a targeted area, like your face, isn’t possible without losing total body fat (8). Hence, slimming your face correctly requires that you burn calories everywhere by adjusting your diet and full-body exercises. 

Facial exercises make your face look slimmer by keeping things in place, but burning face fat requires dietary and lifestyle changes for optimal results.  

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Facial Exercises May Improve Facial Aesthetics

Did you know you have over 60 facial muscles responsible for facial expressions (mimetic) or eating food (mastication) (3)? The mastication muscles get a workout from chewing and swallowing. However, the facial expression muscles don’t work as hard. 

An Indian review showed how dentists teaching patients muscle retraining exercises improved their facial appearance and muscle strength (7). These exercises may even counteract aging by tightening the skin to reduce wrinkles. However, balance is the key!

Disadvantages of Facial Exercises

Facial exercises have some disadvantages. Working your facial muscles too hard may lead to them pulling on your skin to cause wrinkles and lines (8). Note, don’t exceed 30 minutes of facial exercises a day (9). Also, split the 30 minutes into two 15-minute sessions to save time. 

What Happens If I Do Facial Exercises Everyday?

Northwestern University challenged participants to do 30-minute facial exercises daily for eight weeks with success (9). Daily facial exercises are fine, but target different muscle groups like the university did to avoid overworking any specific group. 

What Is a Good Facial Exercise?

The best facial exercises work the muscles you don’t often use. Exercises encouraging you to practice facial expressions work well because you don’t use the mimetic muscles as much as the chewing and swallowing muscles (3, 7). Example facial expressions include:

• Anger
• Happy
• Sad
• Disgust
• Fear

Facial Exercises to Try

Facial exercises may benefit you if you’re careful not to overdo them. Even Harvard says you have nothing to lose by exercising those facial muscles (6). Let’s see which exercises will give you a well-deserved smile. 

What Exercises Tighten Skin on the Face? 3 Anti-Aging Facial Exercises

Facial exercises to look younger and tighter work the places where you most commonly get lines or excess plumpness. Let’s find a few that can help you tighten the skin around your face.  

Smiling Fish Face

A smiling fish face modifies the regular fish face, reducing the crow’s feet and tightening the cheeks (12). Laugh lines show a story, but they also reveal your age.

1. Suck in your cheeks while pursing your lips to make a fish face,
2. Try to smile while holding the fish face,
3. Hold the smiling fish face for 30 seconds.

Puffer Fish Face

The puffer fish face is an excellent facial exercise that reduces laugh lines in the corners of your mouth for a youthful look (2). It also slims the cheeks and chin. 

1. Sit cross-legged with a straight back,
2. Breathe deeply into your nose while puffing your cheeks,
3. Move the air to your left cheek and hold for 15 seconds,
4. Move the air to your right cheek and hold for 15 seconds.

Chipmunk Cheek Squeeze

The chipmunk cheek squeeze gives your jaws and cheeks a sleeker, tighter, toned look  (2). It works the bottom face muscles because you’ll focus on the eyes soon enough.

1. Sit cross-legged with a straight back,
2. Gently tilt your head backward,
3. Suck your cheeks in as much as possible,
4. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

Read more: How To Lose Weight In Your Face? Simple Ways To Look Better.

3 Facial Exercises for Eyes

The eyes tell how much you laugh, cry, and feel any emotion that draws lines around them. Let’s see how to reduce those laughing lines and other wrinkles. 

Upper Eye Yoga

Tone your upper face muscles and tighten the skin around your eyes with a face yoga routine (10). 

1. Place three fingers from each hand directly under your eyebrows,
2. Lift the eyebrows slightly upward and then outward,
3. Lower the eyebrows and pull them inward with gentle pressure,
4. Hold it for 30 seconds and repeat 15 times.

Lower Eye Yoga

You’ll get saggy skin under your eyes as you age. Face yoga can reduce a baggy appearance under your eyes (10). 

1. Place three fingers from each hand under your eyes,
2. Pull down gently while trying to close your eyes,
3. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

Crow’s Feet Yoga

Crow’s feet are the lines next to your eyes and happen from laughing. Face yoga can also target those lines to tighten the skin and reduce crow’s feet (10). 

1. Mindfully relax your facial muscles around the eyes,
2. Lift your lower eyelids without closing your eyes or lifting the upper lids,
3. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

3 Facial Exercises for Face Fat

Facial exercises to lose face fat should focus on the parts that accumulate the most flab. Your nose’s sides, cheeks, and chin typically show the fastest plumpness. 

Chewing Gum

Remember to do daily cardio full-body workouts to burn fat in your face (5). Also, let’s use a facial exercise that works in common areas with more fat. 

1. Put a sugar-free chewing gum in your mouth,
2. Chew to the left for 20 seconds,
3. Repeat on the right for 20 seconds.

Lion’s Pose

The lion’s pose is one of the top facial exercises because it targets most of your muscles, even down your neck (2). 

1. Kneel into a prayer position with your hands on your thighs,
2. Widen your mouth and lower your jaw,
3. Extend your tongue forcefully toward your jaw,
4. Make a lion’s roar sound from the back of your throat while breathing through your mouth,
5. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times.

Locked Tongue Pose

Facial exercises with cardio workouts will have the best results (5). However, this facial pose will help you reduce fat in the cheeks and under the chin. 

1. Lie flat while resting the tongue’s tip against your mouth’s roof,
2. Apply pressure against your mouth’s roof while sucking your cheeks in,
3. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

3 Facial Exercises for Jawline

Some facial exercises can recondition your jawline to give you the edge. Let’s see how you can define your jawline daily. 

The Poser

A double chin makes you feel self-conscious of your face. The poser is an excellent exercise to reduce the look of a double chin (12). 

1. Sit upright with your back and neck straight,
2. Make a namaste over your head with your hands,
3. Look to the left and try to touch your tongue close to your nose,
4. Hold the pose for 30 seconds before repeating it three times on each side.

Mewing

Mewing is a popular dental exercise to strengthen the muscles around your jaw and give you a more defined jawline (14). 

1. Close your mouth, seal your lips, and touch your teeth,
2. Relax the body of your tongue against your mouth’s roof,
3. Maintain the tongue’s tip behind your front teeth for 30 seconds.

Tongue Twister

The tongue twister targets muscles under your jawline to round off your chin and jaw perfectly (4). It also helps with excess flab under the chin. 

1. Rest your tongue against the roof of your mouth,
2. Tilt your head backward,
3. Press your tongue firmly to create tension,
4. Hum and make vibrational sounds to work the muscles.

3 Facial Exercises for Men

Facial exercises for men give you a chiseled face and handsome features. Let’s see which facial exercises to use. 

Forehead Raises

The forehead is a prominent feature, so exercising it would define your masculine face. Forehead raises the muscles in your forehead while removing lines and wrinkles (1). 

1. Place each hand’s index finger just above the eyebrows,
2. Draw the eyebrows apart while trying to frown,
3. Pull your eyebrows toward your cheeks before returning them upward,
4. Hold the pose for 10 seconds and repeat ten times.

Cheekbone Lift

A cheekbone lift will tone your cheeks and raise that hunky feature more (2). It also reduces cheek fat and strengthens the muscles to enhance your appearance. 

1. Sit cross-legged with a straight back,
2. Make a closed peace sign with both hands,
3. Place your hands against your cheeks,
4. Gently lift your cheek’s skin until it’s tight,
5. Make an elongated “O” with your mouth,
6. Hold the pose for 30 seconds.

Snowflake Catches

Snowflake catches will tone the muscles around your chin to give you a well-rounded face (1). Use the jawline exercises to target the jaw more accurately. 

1. Sit upright to tilt your head backward,
2. Extend your tongue as far as possible while leaning back,
3. Slowly return to an upright position and repeat 15 times.

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FAQs

How Long Does it Take for Facial Exercises to Work?

Facial exercises require a commitment of at least eight weeks. Northwestern University studied how facial exercises changed the appearance of women aged 40 to 65 over 20 weeks (9). The women gained muscle volume in their faces, reducing age-related fat-thinning, which became slightly evident after eight weeks and more apparent at 20 weeks. 

Can You Overdo Facial Exercises?

Facial muscles connect to bones and each other and pull on your elastic skin (8). Working facial muscles too hard will allow them to stretch the skin out too much, leading to possible wrinkles. A study at Northwestern University successfully used 30-minute facial exercises daily for eight weeks and then every alternate day for another 12 weeks (9).

How Can I Lift My Face Naturally?

WebMD says facial yoga with acupuncture and acupressure or a facial massage acts as a natural facelift (13). It tightens and tones the skin while strengthening the muscles to give you a youthful radiancy if you practice it consistently. This combo is less invasive than traditional botox, fillers, peels, and laser treatments and won’t cost you a fortune. 

How Can I Firm Up My Face Jowls?

Facial exercises can firm up saggy jowls. Medical News Today recommends lying down while doing simple facial exercises (11). For example, repeat these exercises 8-12 times each multiple times a day to firm the jowls:

• Yawn and open your mouth as far as comfortable before closing it slowly without letting the teeth touch
• Tilt your head slightly upward while chewing
• Speak an “o” followed by an “e” while exaggerating the sounds and movements
• Blow your cheeks up as far as possible, and hold it for 15 seconds
• Hum while pressing your tongue against the mouth’s roof

How Do I Get Rid of Saggy Face?

A saggy face is often a result of gravity. Harvard’s Dr. Olbricht states that exercising and strengthening facial muscles could counteract the effects of gravity (6). More facial muscles keep fat in place and prevent it from sagging, which may outstretch skin to sag.

How Can I Firm My Chin and Jowls?

A saggy chin and jowls can look better with facial exercises. Medical News Today recommends more antioxidants, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense food (11). They also suggest doing 8-12 repetitions of each of the following facial exercises multiple times a day :

• Put your lower lip over your upper lip and tilt your head back
• Lie flat with your tongue pressed against your mouth’s roof while bending toward your chest
• Pucker your lips outward while gently pulling the corners of your mouth down and titling your head back and forth
• Grin as widely as possible while tilting your head up and down slowly

Check out more of our face-defining tips before you go

• Face Exercises for Men
• Facial Exercises for Cheeks
• How to Lose Weight in Your Face

The Bottom Line

Allow yourself to have radiating skin with a well-defined face, jawline, and zero jowl. You can have the face you dream about with commitment to a daily facial exercise routine. Put these best exercises together to suit your needs, and start your face reshaping today.