Buzz
Facial yoga has existed for many years, but it has recently gained more attention after a study published last month suggested that individuals who took face yoga lessons appeared slightly younger. However, there are valid reasons to remain cautious about these claims.
There haven’t been many large-scale studies that tackle the real questions about the long-term effectiveness of facial yoga. The recent study had significant flaws: there was no control group, we don’t know if participants did anything else to improve their skin (such as using more moisturizer after staring at their faces in the mirror), and many dropped out. The original study aimed for 33 participants, but 6 dropped out before starting, and another 11 left partway through. The facial yoga routine included two 90-minute sessions, with participants asked to practice for 30 minutes daily during the first eight weeks, followed by every other day.
That’s a big time investment for something that might not be effective. The study showed a slight change in how young the women appeared; their average age was 53, but observers estimated they looked 51 at the start of the study, and 48 by the end. Did the exercises really make them look three years younger? Possibly, but I wouldn’t commit to a 30-minute daily routine based solely on this limited result.
There are many options to learn facial yoga, often for a fee. The study used the Happy Face Yoga program, and you’ll need to pay $25 for a DVD if you want to learn the techniques. There are also free instructional videos like this one on YouTube from other instructors, but there’s no data on their effectiveness.
Could they be effective? Possibly. Cosmetic chemists Randy Scheuller and Perry Romanowski couldn't find any dermatologists who agreed with the claim that facial exercises stimulate collagen production, one of the core beliefs of face yoga advocates. However, they did find a researcher who used electrical stimulation on facial muscles and observed a tightening effect on the skin, although that’s not exactly the same as face yoga.
Korin Miller at Self received a range of responses from dermatologists regarding face yoga, but none offered their endorsement. One expert suggested focusing on the muscles that lift and widen your face (such as the ones used when you're surprised) to prevent them from weakening. Another stated that the best way to avoid wrinkles is to simply avoid moving your face at all. So... maybe try not moving your face? Which seems to be the opposite of face yoga.
Some dermatologists argue that face yoga might even contribute to the wrinkles it’s supposed to prevent, but the truth is, we don’t know much about its long-term effects. It could potentially reverse wrinkles, or it might speed up their development. Until we have more solid data, it’s up to you to decide whether spending 30 minutes each day making faces in front of a mirror is worth it.
