Proponents of facial exercises include television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz and fitness and health guru Jack LaLanne. Many dermatologists, aestheticians and RNs recommend facial exercises for a variety of reasons. However, the benefits of facial massage are still unclear, and depending on whom you talk to, facial exercises may produce brilliant results or do nothing but waste your time.
Wrinkle Reduction
Facial exercises can help you to reduce wrinkles as you age, according to FitnessHealthZone.com. As you age, facial muscles lose some firmness, but facial exercises can help to increase firmness by toning the muscles under your skin just like calf raises tone your calves and doing pushups increases your muscle.
Increased Blood Flow and Circulation
Massage-type facial exercises can help to increase blood flow in your face and in surrounding areas. Increasing blood flow and circulation can help your body to remove toxins and free radicals, which can damage your skin, while allowing your body to use nutrients more efficiently.
Lymphatic Drainage
Registered aestheticians or RNs often perform facial massage and exercises in order to get rid of lymph fluid in the body containing bacteria and debris transported through the lymph vessels in body tissue, which is then strained by the lymph nodes.
TMJ and Jaw Disorder Relief
Common conditions like TMJ, which is commonly characterized by faulty movement of the temporomandibular joint and produces facial pain, can benefit from doing facial exercises that relieve tension in problematic areas. In most cases, massage-type exercises that gently apply pressure to the jawbone, cheekbone or the hinges of the jaw are most beneficial. However, facial stretching exercises may help some people as well.
Stress Reduction
Facial exercises can help to reduce stress from day-to-day activities like smiling, laughing, talking and frowning. Tensed muscles can inhibit blood flow and circulation and create minor pain in the face for some people.
Skepticism
Though facial exercises are recommended by many qualified people, others are skeptical. According to Dr. Francis Papay, chairman of the Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, no studies have ever shown facial exercises actually have positive benefits. In fact, Papay warns that using facial muscles heavily during exercise may actually be a cause of wrinkles and frown lines instead of a potential reducer. According to Papay, the potential benefits of facial exercises are still unclear, and until an impartial scientist performs a randomized clinical trial, the benefits will remain unknown.
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