Does face yoga actually work? Experts weigh in on its slimming, anti-aging effects

Face yoga involves a series of poses and stretches, as well as massage of the face. Oscar Gutierrez Zozulia/iStockphoto/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

Puckering, puffing, scrunching and stretching your face may look silly, but in some spaces, it’s the serious business of face yoga.

The trendy facial workout involves a series of exaggerated poses and repetitive movements meant to target the muscles in the face, trading full-bodied yoga moves such as “downward dog” for the lip-pouting “duckface” and other expressions.

Popular for being both cost-effective and product-free, face yoga testimonies can be found all over social media, with some influencers and self-proclaimed gurus promising a “natural facelift” effect capable of toning, slimming and reducing fine lines on the face.

But how much are these promised benefits a stretch of the truth? And how much is backed by science?

Here’s what a yoga instructor, a dermatologist and the author of one of the few face yoga studies out there have to say.

The science behind face yoga

The face is made up of layers of skin, fat and muscle sitting on top of the skull.

Underneath the top layer of skin, or dermis, there is a layer of subcutaneous fat pads, which sit on top of the muscles, explained Dr. Anetta Reszko, a New York-based dermatologist and clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College. These muscles help us smile, frown, chew and make other facial expressions.

“The fat and the muscles work together to give the face volume,” Reszko said. “But over time, as we age, or if we don’t use those muscles because of Botox, they can atrophy (and) become smaller.”

This atrophy can cause the fat pads on top of the muscles to fall, giving the face a more sagging or hollow appearance, Reszko said.

“The idea behind facial yoga is you’re working below that level, growing the muscle layer below the fat,” said Dr. Murad Alam, the vice chair of the department of dermatology and professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “As you grow the muscle, that would restore some shape to the face.”

Alam, who is also a practicing dermatologist, conducted one of the few known studies to test this face yoga hypothesis in 2018 on a small cohort of middle-aged adults.

After 20 weeks of daily, 30-minute exercises, a panel of dermatologists observed improved facial fullness among the 16 participants who completed the program, the study reported.

“The place where we noticed the biggest change was the cheeks,” Alam said. “Which makes sense, because the cheek muscles are among the biggest facial muscles, so if you exercise them, the growth of them is going to be the most noticeable.”

Due to the limited sample size and lack of direct measurements, further clinical trials would be needed to affirm this volumizing effect, Alam noted. Generally, medical research without a drug or device is difficult to fund, he said.

“Is this a replacement for cosmetic procedures? Not really, because the amount of improvement was not as significant and (other cosmetic) aspects of aging weren’t studied,” Alam said. “But it’s potentially useful to people who absolutely do not want any cosmetic procedures because they’re concerned about the safety or the cost or the inconvenience.”

What else could face yoga do?

In Reszko’s dermatology practice, she recommends face yoga exercises for increasing blood and lymphatic fluid circulation in the face.

Our faces have hundreds of lymph nodes that use fluid to drain waste and fight infection, Reszko said. During sleep, lymphatic fluid can accumulate in the face from lying down, causing a “puffy” appearance immediately upon waking.

Moving, stretching and massaging the face for 10 to 15 minutes every day could help reduce puffiness, Reszko said, referencing other techniques such the traditional Chinese gua sha stones that are meant to serve a similar purpose. This drainage can be especially helpful for patients who recently underwent cosmetic surgery or those with chronic allergies, she said.

Increasing blood flow to the face may also make the skin appear more flushed and hydrated as well, Reszko said, but this effect is usually temporary.

If you tend to hold tension in your neck, shoulders, jaw, forehead or anywhere else on the face, face yoga also could be helpful to relax the muscles, said Annelise Hagen, a yoga instructor and self-proclaimed pioneer of the technique who authored the book “The Yoga Face.”

“Tension is a huge enemy for a lot of us. We are making these faces without realizing it all the time.” Hagen said. “A lot of the work I do is just trying to teach people how to notice and be more mindful, relax and take a breath.”

For Hagen, face yoga is more than just a workout or a cosmetic bio-hack — it’s a way to be more in tune with your face.

In her classes, she may encourage people to lift the corners of their mouth for a neutral, “smiling Buddha face.” Or for the neck and jaw, she’ll do the “lion’s breath,” opening her mouth wide, sticking out her tongue, rolling back her eyes and exhaling.

“When you’re approaching the face from a yogic perspective, it’s about being mindful of what we do with the face and acknowledging that it’s kind of a manifestation of something inside,” Hagen said. “Some people may approach it differently, but anything that can make you feel more serene, calm and better about the face that you’re in, I think is legitimate.”

Can face yoga be harmful?

Generally, face yoga exercises are harmless, Alam said. To cause wrinkling, frown lines, bruising or other trauma to the face, a person would have to apply painful force.

On the other hand, if someone is serious about taking up a daily face yoga routine, Reszko suggests avoiding movements that rub or stretch the delicate under-eye area. The skin around the eyes tends to be thinner and more sensitive than the rest of the face.

For more dramatic interventions like firming wrinkles or treating acne, she recommends seeking the advice of a board-certified dermatologist.