Yoga over Botox: how face yoga can combat signs of ageing

Olivia Leimpeters-Leth

25.5.2023

Translation: Katherine Martin

Ever considered getting Botox? Then you might want to give these three face yoga exercises a go first. I’ve asked an expert to shed some light on the potential and limitations of this natural anti-ageing method.

If your wrinkles bother you, you can combat them with creams (hyaluronic acid), collagen powder or «sausage poison», better known as botulinum toxin or Botox. None of these treatments can really prevent or reduce wrinkles, but they do temporarily freshen up your appearance.

However, before you go for an expensive (and not entirely risk-free) Botox treatment, you might want to try these face yoga exercises. Impressive in its naturalness, the practice of face yoga is based on the recognition of something very simple – facial muscles also require active strengthening to prevent the skin from sagging, and to allow for a more youthful appearance. It’s natural anti-ageing through exercise.

«As is the case with the rest of the body, we only move our faces in very limited ways as a result of our facial expressions,» says Christina Schmid, face yoga coach and author of the German book Natürliches Facelifting (Natural Facelifting). «There are, however, many more muscles in our face that we don’t exercise at all on a day-to-day basis.» I talked to Schmid about the anti-ageing effects of doing face yoga regularly. While we chatted, she gave me three simple exercises to do at home.

What happens to our facial muscles as we get older?

Human beings have 50 facial muscles, with smiling alone requiring 17 of them. With age, these muscles meet the same fate as any other muscle in the body if you don’t take steps to prevent it: they weaken and lose volume and substance. The skin on top of them collapses and looks saggy. From worry lines, to frown lines, to laughter lines, every emotion suddenly etches itself into your face.

«Unlike on the rest of the body, facial muscles are connected to the skin,» Schmid says. «So when the muscles lose volume, they pull the skin down with them.» Facial contours disappear, with a double chin, drooping eyelids, saggy cheeks or bags under the eyes potentially emerging as a result.

You can’t halt the ageing process – over time, everybody’s skin becomes slacker and more wrinkled as natural, firming collagen fibres and hyaluronic acids get lost in the dermis, the second layer of skin. The active ingredients in creams or injections, however, can’t penetrate this layer. But how about face yoga? The good news is that with a few exercises, signs of ageing seem to be visibly reduced.

How does face yoga work?

That being said, this good news doesn’t (yet) stand up to in-depth scientific analysis. The reason? There are still relatively few studies out there on the effects of face yoga. A study on the practice’s anti-ageing effects published in Jama Dermatology concluded that a 30-minute daily workout carried out over a 20-week period really did make the face look younger. However, the authors did note it was worth considering that the sample size of 27 women was very small, and that there was no control group.

Even so, the participants in the study looked significantly younger at the end of the 20 weeks, with the authors concluding that, «Muscle growth increases facial volume and counteracts age-related changes such as fat loss and sagging skin.» This is because exercising the facial muscles strengthens their suspension function, which combats saggy skin. But that’s not all.

According to Schmid, facial yoga also relieves tension in your face, stretches the fasciae and promotes blood circulation. «The blood flow provides additional nutrients, while healthy fascia create more moisture under the skin. That’s how face yoga breathes life back into your face.»

The goal of face yoga? To accept wrinkles with love

People who do face yoga aren’t denying the ageing process – they’re counteracting it in a natural way. This is, of course, the primary goal of the exercises, but Schmid takes things a step further. Another goal of facial yoga, she says, should be approaching ageing in a loving way. «I’m best able to change if I can first accept the status quo – the fact that I’ll soon be 50 and my face will never look the same as it did when I was 20. This is when face yoga can become valuable.»

Schmid calls this «loving acceptance» – treating yourself in a conscious, loving way. «The goal of face yoga should be to help the face counteract the ageing process in a natural, healthy and loving way.» This makes face yoga an exercise in both mindfulness and acceptance. «Inner work is part and parcel of doing yoga.»

The main principle of this is accepting that both youth and the practice of yoga have their limits. As is the case in every place where genes run the show, face yoga is only partially effective, Schmid says. If, for instance, your droopy eyelids are genetic, face yoga will tighten them up, but not get rid of them. Schmid says that facial yoga has the greatest impact on people who take up the practice early, with 30–35 being the ideal age to start. «But it’s never too late to get started,» she adds.

Face yoga: three daily exercises

«Face yoga makes me feel good. It’s the fact that there’s something I can do – I don’t have to look on helplessly as my facial muscles break down,» says Schmid. If you want to try the technique at home, the expert recommends these daily exercises:

1. To accentuate facial contours

The first exercise trains the muscles, tightening the skin around your jaw and sharpening the facial contour. To start, get into an upright position and clasp your hands behind your back. As you do so, your chest will automatically puff outwards, stretching out your pectoral muscles. Tilt your face upwards, looking towards the ceiling, and press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Hold the position for 30 seconds. «This exercise helps with double chins and saggy cheeks and makes a nice break from working at your computer,» Schmid explains. Repeat the exercise as many times as you feel is beneficial.

2. To iron out smile lines

The creases running from the sides of your nose past the corners of your mouth are known as nasolabial folds or smile lines. One of their causes is when the ring of muscle surrounding your mouth loses volume and the skin on top of it collapses. This exercise helps to restrengthen the relevant muscles. To do it, press your tongue against your cheek and press your cheek against your tongue. Once you’ve held the position a few seconds, you can use your tongue to feel your way around the inside of your entire mouth, always trying to push against it with that ring of muscle.

«By strengthening the orbicularis oris or kissing muscle, you not only reduce smile lines, but also prevent the upper lip from losing volume as you age. Plus, it prevents the corners of your mouth from drooping,» Schmid explains. If this is all too strenuous, you can open your mouth slightly during the exercise. As with the first exercise, 30 seconds a day is more than enough. «It’s better to do bitesize chunks every day than to get overwhelmed after three days and stop doing the exercises,» Schmid says.

3. To keep the skin around your eyes taut

The final exercise allows you to train the muscles around your eyes, firming up the eyelids and keeping eye bags at bay. To do this, open your eyes wide while relaxing your eyebrows. If you can’t help raising your eyebrows, you can hold your forehead slightly with your fingers. Once your eyes are open wide, tense them up as if light were blinding you and blink really fast. Repeat the two movements alternately for 30 seconds.

«Our eyes become small over time because the muscles around them tighten. Stretching these muscles regularly is extremely important,» says Schmid,

adding that this is particularly true for people who work at a computer. This exercise helps you practise switching your focus between objects on the periphery of your vision and objects in the distance. When your eyes are wide open, focus on something far away, for example, by looking out the window. When you blink, focus on an object close to you.

«Increased blood flow stimulates the removal of lymphatic fluid and free radicals are intercepted,» writes dermatologist Yael Adler in her book Genial Vital (in German). Not only can this contribute to a fresh appearance in general, but it also helps reduce puffiness in your face, including bags under the eyes. Schmid recommends supplementing your daily facial yoga session with Gua Sha and the jade roller typically used for it.

Olivia Leimpeters-Leth

Autorin von customize mediahouse

oliver.fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm a sucker for flowery turns of phrase and allegorical language. Clever metaphors are my Kryptonite – even if, sometimes, it's better to just get to the point. Everything I write is edited by my cat, which I reckon is more «pet humanisation» than metaphor. When I'm not at my desk, I enjoy going hiking, taking part in fireside jamming sessions, dragging my exhausted body out to do some sport and hitting the occasional party. more

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