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.
“The only downside is you have to do facial exercises consistently — 20 to 30 minutes per day, six to seven days a week,” dermatologist Shilpi Khetarpal, associate professor of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic, told HuffPost. “And it takes at least three to four weeks before you start to notice results.”
"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.
How often should you perform facial exercises? If you want to see results quickly you should aim to perform your facial exercises 3-5 times a week from around 20 minutes each time. If you don't have 20 minutes to hand, try splitting the time into 10-minute sessions that can fit more flexibly around your schedule.
Some experts say contorting your face in these ways can actually lead to more wrinkles. “Many facial wrinkles — for example, crow's-feet, laugh lines, and forehead wrinkles — result from repetitive facial muscle activity such as frowning or smiling,” Dr. Chen says.
Just like anything else in the health and wellness world, you can overdo it. Overworking, tugging or pulling on the face too much can actually have the opposite effect of what you're looking for. Moderation is the key.
Exercising the neck, chin, jaw, and other facial muscles can lead to subtle changes in your face, including sharper cheekbones and a more prominent jawline. One study found that performing regular facial exercises over the course of 20 weeks led to fuller cheeks and a more youthful appearance.
“Facial exercises can actually cause you to do something you don't want, which is to move your face repeatedly in a way that can cause new wrinkles or stretch skin of the face,” said Havard.
Performing face yoga or other exercises cannot increase the plumpness of the fat pads or make them sag less, according to Alam. Face exercises also do not change the look or feel of the skin itself.
The study, published in JAMA Dermatology, found that middle-aged women looked about three years younger after a few months of exercising, perhaps providing a reasonable, new rationale for making faces behind our spouses' backs.
It might, but that can take a long time. “In general, it can take anywhere from weeks to months—even years,” says Dr. Chen. If after one to two years skin is still loose, it may not get any tighter, she says.
While sweating is a healthy way to release build-up and impurities, it can also clog up your pores, causing breakouts and other skin issues on your face and throughout your body, especially if you are wearing heavy makeup or other acne-causing products.
Generally speaking, it may take several months to see significant results. To get the best results, stay consistent with your healthy eating and exercise plan. If you keep at it for long enough, you can achieve your goals of losing face fat and achieving a slimmer, more sculpted facial appearance.
The exercises are also designed to stimulate collagen and elastin production in the middle layer of the skin giving you a smoother, more supple, tighter-looking skin. Doing facial exercises is a natural way to make your face look younger by firming muscles and reducing wrinkles.
The best non-invasive ways to tighten skin include using microcurrent devices, gua sha or jade rollers, retinol, LED light therapy, microneedling treatment, and prioritizing sleep.
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.
As a result, women and men can develop sunken cheeks, deepening folds, and under eye hollows – a look that has been dubbed “gym face.”