Expert-Approved Face Exercises to Try for Firmer, Smoother Skin

If you’re in your mid-20s to your early-30s, you’ve likely started thinking about aging. Blame it on a lone gray hair that found its way to your locks, or a nagging, fine line that you’re anxious will turn into a profound indent. But according to experts, the more that you do to address your skin issues when you’re younger, the less you’ll have to worry about it as you age.

Though not scientifically proven, face exercises have been recommended by massage therapists for decades as a technique to banish those could-be wrinkles before they even form. After all, you make a point to get in your daily sweat sesh at the cycling studio or gym, so why wouldn’t you put in the extra effort to make sure your face is healthy and firm, too? If you’re curious to try these face exercises yourself, here are a few you can try to maintain your skin’s elasticity for years to come:

To tighten sagging neck muscles

If you’ve ever seen a facelift fail, it was probably because the skin on the face was tightened while the excess skin on the neck was left alone. Though not noticeable on most women before the age of 45, loose skin around the neck can be troublesome and annoying as you begin to get older. That’s why Connie Rogers, a certified integrative nutritional holistic health coach, cosmetologist and skin expert recommends this exercise:

“Use an inversion table to hang upside down or lay right side up and hang your head off your bed. This is a form of resistance training. Open mouth wide and tighten your bottom jaw/neck, called the platysma muscles. These platysma muscles are directly connected to the skin,” Rogers says. “Performing this exercise requires 3 sets of 12, each time holding your jaw up as tight as you can for about four seconds and releasing. These muscles hold the neck and jaw together for a youthful appearance. Benefits include increased blood circulation to the face and neck, improved facial expressions, slowing down the aging process, keeping muscles toned, tight and short and preventing turkey neck!”

To decrease puffy bags around eyes

Many factors can make those prevalent bags around your peepers more common—from allergies to being hungover (we’ve all been there)—waking up and feeling face bloated isn’t a happy experience for anyone. Over time, those bags can deepen and become less random and more permanent, but luckily, Rogers says keeping this exercise in your anti-aging back pocket can be a game changer.