Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths — in through your nose, out through your mouth — to relax your face and your body. Place your hands at the base of your neck. Using light pressure, sweep your hands between your neck and your collarbone, slowly swooping them down toward your midline. Repeat three times.
"The first thing to know is that there really aren't any good, rigorous, scientific studies that verify claims that face workouts are effective," says Suzanne Olbricht, an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School. And at first glance, at least some of the claims appear a little dubious, she says.
Simply press the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Then look upwards with your chin to the ceiling, smile and swallow. Continue doing this for 30-60 seconds. To tighten forehead skin, first frown as hard as you can, attempting to bring your eyebrows over your eyes and closer together.
Yes! Great strides in the understanding of facial aging have occurred in the past few decades, and many non-surgical options have proven to be extremely effective in the treatment of fine lines, poor skin quality, and pigmentation.
For some reason, people seem to forget that facial muscles also need to be exercised on a regular basis in order to maintain a healthy muscle tone. Exercising the lower face and chin and jaw muscles may help prevent jowls or loose, sagging skin around the jawline as you age.
The Northwestern University study involved exercises developed by Gary Sikorski of Happy Face Yoga. Two that proved to be most effective were The Cheek Lifter and the Eyebrow Lifter. For the Cheek Lifter, open the mouth to form an O, pull the upper lip up over the top teeth, and smile to lift the cheek muscles up.
And while you might notice a temporary improvement right off the bat that lasts a few hours, keep in mind that it takes about six to 12 weeks of consistent facial exercises to see set changes.
Some research shows that facial exercises, and exercise in general, can help reduce the appearance and severity of jowls by making the facial, jaw, and neck muscles better able to hold their shape.
How vitamin D deficiency leads to accelerated skin aging isn't fully understood. However, some experts suspect it has something to do with vitamin D's protective and antioxidant properties on the skin.
When it comes to treating jowls, injectable options like dermal fillers are ideal for restoring facial volume, while ultrasound treatments like Ultherapy are effective when it comes to stimulating the growth of new collagen supplies to directly reduce the sagging effect of jowls.
The Cheek Lifter: Open your mouth to form an “O,” and fold your upper lip over your teeth. Smile to lift cheek muscles up, then put your fingers on the top part of the cheek before releasing the cheek muscles to lower them. Lift the cheeks back up, and repeat by lowering and lifting 10 times.
“Retinol and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) can rejuvenate the skin and eliminate fine lines and wrinkles,” Dr. Patel says. “Hyaluronic acid helps your skin retain moisture, which gives it a smooth, glowing look.” Opt for serums and night creams with retinol and AHAs, and a daily face moisturizer with hyaluronic acid.
The biggest changes typically occur when people are in their 40s and 50s, but they can begin as early as the mid-30s and continue into old age. Even when your muscles are in top working order, they contribute to facial aging with repetitive motions that etch lines in your skin.
Natural aging
As we mature, some physical skin changes occur naturally: Collagen production slows down – so skin loses its firmness. Elastin production decreases – and skin becomes less elastic. Fat cells start to disappear – and skin starts to sag.