Have you heard of facial exercises? These are specific exercises one can do each day to target various areas of the face such as the forehead, the eyes, the cheeks, the chin, and the jowls.
Those who teach the exercises and those that do them on a regular basis insist that they are highly effective and will produce noticeable results when done properly and consistently.
A simple and quick online search will soon yield numerous results regarding the issue of exercising the muscles of the face.
There are YouTube videos one can watch to learn how to do them as well and of course there are many how-to manuals one can purchase.
But can doing facial exercises really help to reduce the signs of aging as many people claim? One has to bear in mind that just as with other areas of the body the face is also made up of muscles and if these muscles are toned it is bound to produce results.
In fact there are 44 muscles in the face and when these are toned the appearance is improved.
A look at some exercises for the face When you are consistent and do these exercises regularly you will notice that the skin on the face will tighten and there will be a healthy glow as well.
Without a doubt the most difficult part of the whole business is to keep at it and not give up.
This is why it is important to get into a routine and do the exercises twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
They are easy enough to do no matter where you or what you may be doing so you can do them while ironing the clothes or even while watching television.
You will only need to set aside between five and ten minutes for your exercises and this should be sufficient to see a reduction in sagging skin.
1) The Forehead Place the index fingers just above the eyes.
Pull down with a gentle but firm pressure.
At the same time raise the eyebrows.
Repeat this exercise ten times.
2) Eyes This is arguably one of the trickiest facial exercises to master.
Raise the lower eyelids.
Do not move the upper eyelids.
Repeat ten times.
3) Cheeks Make a round shape with your lips like you are blowing bubbles.
While pushing the lips out in that position attempt to smile as widely as you can.
Hold this position for a second and then revert back to the first step.
Repeat ten times.
4) Mouth Place the tip of your baby finger between your lips in the middle.
Press your finger with your lips but do not bite.
Apply as much pressure as possible with your lips.
Hold the position for a count of 10 or until you feel the burn in your lips and then relax.
Repeat five times.
5) Nose lines This exercise is for the lines that run down from the nose to the corners of the mouth.
Some people have very pronounced lines while others do not.
Place your index fingers on the lines about a centimeter down from the nostrils.
Apply a gentle but firm pressure.
Raise the upper lip but try not to raise the nose or the eyebrows.
Repeat ten times.
These are just some of the exercises that one can do to help improve one's overall appearance but there are many others and many variations as well.
It is important to not expect instantaneous results as it is far more realistic to see improvements after a few months.
Some areas of the face do show improvements quicker than others such as the area beneath the eye which responds quicker to exercises than the neck, for example.
The muscles in your face are attached to the skin which is different to the muscles in the rest of the body.
When the facial muscles are no longer toned and elastic they are obviously more susceptible to aging and gravity.
As a result the skin that covers them also sags and we look older.
Toning the muscles will result in the skin not sagging as much and therefore you look younger and more youthful.