Facial Exercises To Tighten Saggy Muscles

According to Marie Veronique-Nadeau, author of "The Yoga Facelift," face yoga is better than plastic surgery because surgery only masks flabbiness whereas exercise firms and lifts muscle. Just as it's possible to tone the muscles of the legs, arms and core, it's possible to tone the muscles of the face, including the orbicularis oculi, the high cheek muscles that frame the eye; the triangularis and masseter muscles that lift the chin; and the buccinator and lavator labii that help us smile.

Lion's Pose

Popular New York-based yoga teacher Sadie Nardini, founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, suggests face yoga for lifting saggy muscles. The facial movements associated with Lion's Pose, for instance, target the whole face, toning the cheeks and preventing aging around the eyes. Open the mouth and stick out the tongue, letting out a sigh or roar and allowing the eyes to roll back in the head on your exhalation. The wider the mouth and the more uninhibited the pose, the greater the benefits.

Bugs Bunny

Annelise Hagen, author of "The Yoga Face," recommends an exercise she calls "Bugs Bunny" to reduce sagging in the cheek folds nearest the nose, sometimes referred to as marionette lines. These are formed when the lavator labii become droopy. Place your fingers about a centimeter on either side of the nose to isolate the muscle of the inner cheeks. Lift these muscles -- your nose will lift too -- in quick pulses twenty times for three sets.

Chin Lift

At its worst, a sagging chin and jaw area leads to a "turkey neck" or a double chin. Firm the chin and jawline with yoga exercises by lifting the chin to the ceiling and pushing the lower jaw forward to create an under bite. Hold for ten seconds. You should feel the muscles beneath the chin stretching and working. Relax the chin, bring the head to a neutral position. Repeat the exercise two more times.

Lower Eyelid Winking

Annelise Hagen, author of "The Yoga Face," recommends an exercise that minimizes crows' feet, those dreaded wrinkles that result from sagging or strained muscles around the eyes. She describes the movement as winking with only the lower lids twenty times. For added resistance, place a finger below each bottom eyelid as you lift. Repeat for three sets. This exercise will lift and tone the orbicularis oculi. Use a mirror to make sure you are isolating the right muscles.