Jowls appear as small, saggy pouches situated halfway along the jawline. Jowls are an elongation of the upper cheek muscle when it loses strength and begins to sag. This gives the face an aging appearance that many people desire to eliminate. With regular facial exercise, the zygomaticus, or cheek muscle will regain tone and lift the cheeks, leading to the gradual lessening of sagging jowls.
Fill your mouth with air and blow your cheeks out, as though they were full of water. Keeping your mouth tightly closed, move the air under your upper lip and hold it there for a count of 10. Follow this by moving the air to your left cheek and hold it there while counting to 10. Repeat with the right cheek, and finally move the air down to your lower lip, also holding the pose while counting to 10. Repeat for a total of five times.
Sit in a chair, holding your spine straight. Close your mouth in a relaxed pose, and tilt your head back so you are looking at the ceiling. When your head is tilted back, slowly move your lower lip over your top lip and exert effort, as though you were trying to touch the tip of your nose with you lower lip. When executed correctly you will feel a tightening of the platysma muscle, which covers the entire area of the neck and the underside of the chin.
Pull the corners of your mouth upward towards your ears as though you were smiling widely with your mouth open. Hold for a count of six and relax. Repeat the exercise 10 times. While performing the exercise, in order to prevent wrinkles forming around the eyes, place your index finger next to the eye cavity where crow's feet commonly appear. Meanwhile, rest your thumbs lightly on the furrow between the nose and lips.
Sit or stand in front of a mirror. Bring your lower teeth and jaw forward, then pull the lower lip and teeth over the upper lip. Raise the corner of the left lip, towards your left ear, then close the left eye. Hold for five seconds. You should feel a pull around the corner of your mouth and also under your chin. Slowly open your eye, and gradually return the corner of your mouth to a normal position, releasing your lower jaw. Repeat on the right side of the face by lifting corner of your right lip and closing the left eye. When first starting, it may take a little practice to perfect this exercise. Looking in a mirror is helpful to see if you are raising the corners of your mouth correctly in the direction of your ears.
References
- Ageless: Lips and Cheeks Facial Exercises
- Dermaxine: Neck, Throat and Jowl Exercises
- "Five Minute Face Lift"; Reinhold Benz; 1991
- "Face Lifting by Exercise"; Santa Maria Runge; 1961
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