Face Yoga: Do Facial Exercises Work?

July 28, 2025

9 min read

Key Takeaways

•One notable study (JAMA 2018) showed modest improvement in facial fullness from 20 weeks of exercises.
•The study was small (16 participants completed) and the improvements were modest.
•Repetitive facial movements may actually contribute to dynamic wrinkle formation.
•Facial exercises cannot address bone resorption, fat pad descent, or collagen degradation.
•The relaxation and mindfulness aspects may provide indirect benefits for skin health.
•Face yoga is unlikely to harm you but shouldn't replace proven anti-aging strategies.

The Premise Behind Face Yoga

Face yoga — also called facial exercise or facial fitness — is based on the premise that exercising the roughly 57 muscles of the face and neck can tone and strengthen them, just as body exercises tone and strengthen skeletal muscles. Proponents claim that regular facial exercises can lift sagging cheeks, smooth forehead lines, tighten the jawline, reduce under-eye bags, and essentially provide a non-surgical facelift.

The logic is superficially appealing: if bicep curls build bigger biceps, shouldn't cheek exercises build fuller cheeks? But the analogy breaks down on closer examination. Facial muscles are fundamentally different from skeletal muscles — they're thinner, they insert into skin rather than bone-to-bone, and the visible signs of facial aging are driven primarily by structural changes (bone resorption, fat pad redistribution, collagen loss) that muscle building cannot address.

Face yoga programs typically involve 20-30 minutes of daily exercises targeting different facial zones. Exercises include exaggerated expressions (wide smiles, surprised eyebrow raises, fish-face puckers), resistance exercises (pressing fingers against the skin while contracting muscles), and isometric holds. Programs range from free YouTube tutorials to paid courses costing hundreds of dollars.

The JAMA Dermatology Study: What It Actually Showed

The most frequently cited evidence for face yoga is a 2018 study published in JAMA Dermatology by Dr. Murad Alam and colleagues at Northwestern University. This study is worth examining in detail because it's the primary scientific support that face yoga advocates rely upon — and its limitations are as important as its findings.

The study enrolled 27 women aged 40-65 and assigned them a program of 32 different facial exercises. Participants performed the exercises daily for 8 weeks, then every other day for an additional 12 weeks (20 weeks total). The primary outcome was blinded physician rating of facial appearance using a standardized facial aging scale.

Results showed a statistically significant improvement in upper cheek fullness and lower cheek fullness after 20 weeks. The average estimated age rated by blinded physicians decreased from approximately 50.8 years at baseline to 48.1 years at 20 weeks — roughly a 3-year improvement. However, only 16 of the original 27 participants completed the study (a 41% dropout rate), and the improvements in most other facial areas (forehead lines, crow's feet, nasolabial folds, jawline) were not statistically significant.

The Wrinkle Paradox

Here's the uncomfortable truth that face yoga proponents rarely address: repetitive facial movements are one of the primary causes of dynamic wrinkles. Crow's feet form from repeated squinting and smiling. Forehead lines form from repeated brow raising. The '11' lines between the eyebrows form from repeated frowning. Botulinum toxin (Botox) works precisely by reducing these repetitive muscle contractions.

Asking whether facial exercises will reduce wrinkles is like asking whether doing more of the thing that causes wrinkles will somehow prevent wrinkles. The muscles that facial exercises target are the same muscles whose repeated contraction creates expression lines. While the Northwestern study showed some improvement in cheek fullness, it did not show improvement in wrinkle depth — and it's biologically plausible that intensive facial exercise programs could actually accelerate wrinkle formation in some areas.

This paradox doesn't necessarily mean all facial exercises are counterproductive. Exercises targeting muscles that pull the face downward (like the platysma in the neck) might theoretically help maintain jawline definition. And muscle building in the cheeks adds volume that can smooth the overlying skin. But exercises that involve repeated exaggerated expressions — wide smiles for crow's feet, surprised looks for forehead lines — directly conflict with the anti-aging goal.

What Face Yoga Cannot Address

Facial aging is a complex, multi-layered process that occurs simultaneously at every tissue level. At the deepest level, the facial skeleton actually shrinks and changes shape with age — the eye sockets enlarge, the jawbone recedes, and the midface loses volume. No amount of facial exercise can rebuild bone structure.

Fat pad descent is another major contributor to facial aging. The malar fat pads, which give youthful cheeks their fullness, descend due to gravity, weakening of retaining ligaments, and volume loss. While building the underlying muscle might partially compensate for fat pad descent (as suggested by the Northwestern study), it cannot reverse the process or address the ligamentous laxity that causes it.

Skin quality changes — collagen degradation, elastin breakdown, glycation, photodamage — occur in the dermis and are not influenced by muscle activity. A strong facial muscle underneath damaged skin still shows wrinkles, discoloration, and textural changes. Addressing these concerns requires topical actives (retinoids, vitamin C, peptides), professional treatments, and sun protection.

Device-Based Alternatives and Complements

For those interested in non-invasive facial toning, microcurrent devices represent a more technologically advanced approach. Devices like the Ziip Beauty GX use low-level electrical currents to stimulate facial muscles and skin cells. The technology has more robust scientific backing than manual exercises, with studies showing temporary improvements in muscle tone and skin firmness after treatment.

Microcurrent devices work by sending electrical signals that cause involuntary muscle contraction — essentially doing the 'exercise' for you, more precisely and without the wrinkle-forming repetitive expressions. Results are temporary and cumulative, requiring consistent use several times per week. They pair well with a serum like Biossance Squalane and Peptide Eye Gel, which provides the conductivity needed for microcurrent treatment while delivering peptides that support collagen production.

The most effective non-invasive anti-aging strategy combines proven topical actives, professional treatments at appropriate intervals, and daily sun protection. If face yoga is enjoyable as a mindfulness practice and doesn't replace these evidence-based approaches, there's no harm in incorporating it — just calibrate your expectations to the modest, primarily cheek-fullness improvements that the current evidence supports.

The Bottom Line on Face Yoga

Face yoga exists in a gray area between potentially helpful and potentially counterproductive. The single well-designed study we have suggests modest benefits for cheek fullness after 5 months of consistent practice — a real but limited result. The theoretical concern that repetitive facial movements accelerate wrinkle formation is biologically plausible but hasn't been specifically studied in the context of structured exercise programs.

If you enjoy facial exercises as a mindfulness practice, the relaxation and stress-reduction benefits alone may justify the time investment. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which breaks down collagen, impairs wound healing, and exacerbates inflammatory skin conditions. A daily face yoga practice that reduces stress could indirectly benefit your skin through these pathways.

What face yoga should not do is replace proven anti-aging strategies. Consistent retinoid use, daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, professional treatments as needed, and good lifestyle habits (adequate sleep, stress management, nutrition) form the evidence-based foundation of skin aging prevention. Face yoga can be a pleasant addition to this foundation — but it's the cherry on top, not the cake.

References

Alam M, et al. "Association of facial exercise with the appearance of aging." JAMA Dermatology. 2018;154(3):365-367.
Hwang UJ, et al. "Effects of facial muscle exercise on facial rejuvenation." Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 2018;30(4):588-591.
Van Borsel J, et al. "Effects of facial exercises on facial aging." Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2014;34(1):22-27.
Dessy LA, et al. "The role of facial muscles in the aging process." Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 2015;39(5):792-798.