How to Firm-up a Sagging Face and Neck

Can facial skin be toned?

Here is an inexpensive way to reduce facial sagging and fix dull looking skin.

A sagging face will always look dry or dull because it can't reflect light properly. But, you can easily fix it with simple facial exercises.

If you've tried different remedies for firmer, glowing skin, and still wondered, why does my skin look so dull?

Here is a simple solution to consider...

Contents:

Why choose this face exercise workout

How facial bones change with age

Activated facial muscle chart

Sample jowl lift video

How face exercises work

Skincare is important too

A word about spot training

Sagging Face - FAQs

How can I tighten my face naturally?

Can sagging facial skin be reversed?

Yes, to a degree! But, it won't happen overnight. I found face exercises, over time, to be fairly effective at reversing those early signs of sagging.

Firmer Face before and after Face Exercise

Note: The most dramatic changes I've seen since following this exercise program is less sagging in the lower face and jowl area and more defined cheeks.

Face exercises before and after pictures

Help fix dull skin

Dull Skin: Before and after facial exercises. Over 10 yrs. later in the after picture. Results get better the longer you perform the exercises.

You've tried different remedies for glowing skin, but your face still looks dry or dull? Here is a possible solution.

Are you wondering why your skin looks dull even after trying most common dry skin remedies like exfoliation, moisturizers, and hydration?

For years, I used a variety of glowing skin remedies and was happy with my results.

But as I got older, those remedies and fixes didn't work as well. No matter what I tried, my face lacked that bright, glowing look.

So what was missing? Facial Muscle Tone.

In the before and after picture above, my skin looked grey and dull, even though I exfoliated in many ways, from scrubs to acid peels.

But once I started facial exercises, the underlying muscles firmed up, allowing the skin to reflect light more evenly, giving the face a smooth shine or glow.

How face exercises can rejuvenate skin, naturally

The muscles of the face are intertwined and connected with the skin. That's how we're able to show and express emotions.

When we use our frown or smile muscles, the skin moves along with the muscle. If we can keep our facial muscles firm and built-up, the overlying skin stays tighter and smooths out.

This allows for better light reflection and brighter, more glowy skin. And, results are even greater if we take care to keep it clean, exfoliated and hydrated.

Improved Skin Tone

In addition to building facial muscles, exercises helps pump fluid into the subcutaneous layer of the skin, and firming up the skin around the contracted muscles.

Long Term Rejuvenation

Exercise also helps rejuvenate the skin and connective tissue so that collagen and elastin are continuously produced, even as we age.

Face aging - what happens

Wrinkles and lines are not the only issues that age a face. Experts say the shape of our face changes with age. The face tends to get bottom-heavy (i.e., droopy cheeks, jowls, and double chin) as time goes on.

I decided to try face exercises to see if I can firm up the lower part of my face and reduce that heavy jowl look.

Within a few months, I was convinced that good results can be obtained from at-home facial muscle exercises.

One of the first areas I noticed a huge change was my sagging neck. Check out these before and after pictures 8 weeks after starting.

While results cannot be compared to a surgical facelift, it is, by far the least expensive and easiest way I’ve found to improve my facial contour and make my mid-face/lower face look firmer and lifted.

Face exercises for cheek fat and jawline

I saw less pudginess around the lower face and jowls

Women often ask, "How can I naturally lift my sagging cheeks?" And my response is to try facial exercises. If you do them consistently, they work to improve your facial contours.

First I noticed a reduction of that "doughy, pudgy look" around the lower jawline/jawbone. Also, my cheeks seemed more defined and overall face looked tighter and smoother.

The longer I do these exercises - the more results I see - especially around the lower jowl area. I love that the lower part of my face is slimmer - like it was when I was younger.

Choose a facial exercise for an even build and beautiful face

Yes, there are plenty of facial exercise programs to choose from.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve tried many exercise routines, but for one reason or another, I found them difficult to follow because:

some were too time-consuming
some caused my face to look bulky or masculine
many neglected the neck and chest area
none combined a facial massage plus muscle building to help maintain facial bone structure

Click here to see how your facial bones change with age. You'll be shocked to see how our facial bones change over the years!!

This workout felt right to me. It was quick, easy to follow and allowed me to obtain a smooth, elegant build.

Just like any other workout, it's important to find a face exercise program that you enjoy doing, so you'll be able to stick with it and see results.

One important feature of this program is that it incorporates isometric and muscle resistance training along with skin massaging/polishing. The massaging/polishing helps improve skin suppleness and reduces that thin, papery skin look.

And there is evidence that massaging/polishing the skin also helps increase collagen production.

Interested to learn more about the CFF program? Click here.

Basic face and neck exercise routine

The chart below shows all the muscles used while during the workout. In the first 6-12 months it's recommend you do the workout about 3 times - which takes less than 15 minutes a session.

Once you've achieved your goals, you can cut down to a few times a month for maintenance.

Facial Exercises and the Muscles they Activate

Here is a list of all the face exercises in this program and the muscles they activate. Click on the picture below to see the interactive muscles light up in color for a clearer understanding.

Note: This will take you to another site...

Courtesy of Carolyn's Facial Fitness, LLC

Once you achieve a good facial foundation but still have areas that need extra help, you can add a specific Bonus workout for that area.

Bonus videos for sagging jowls

For example, the lower face and jowls were still an issue for me. So Carolyn suggested I add a few free Bonus videos to further firm that area. Here is an example of the Bonus video.

The Lower Lift

Here Carolyn demonstrates the Lower Lift for "chipmunk jowls".

Beautiful Carolyn is over 75 years old in this video.

Click here to preview the 6 advanced Bonus Digital Videos. This group includes:

Lower Face Filler
Advanced Jowl Lifter
Face Polishing
Neck Ring Eraser
Jowl Slides
Circle-up-Rub

How facial muscle exercises work

Want to know how facial muscles work and how you can look younger with face exercises? Click on the following for more detailed information on why we age well with facial exercises.

But, a very basic simple explanation is this:

Unlike muscles in the body that only connect to bone - muscles in the face are attached to bone (on one end) and the other end connects to other muscles or directly under skin.
This is allows us to show facial expressions and emotions as the skin goes along for the ride with muscle movement.
The muscle/skin connection is also the reason why facial exercises can help you look younger.

When facial muscles are toned and have more bulk, they help lift and smooth the attached skin. This results in a tighter, more defined face and neck with less sagging and wrinkles.

Anti-aging skincare with face exercise

Finally, regardless of whether you choose facial exercises, facial massages or both, basic simple skincare goes a long way to help keep your skin and face looking younger.

A good all natural, pH balanced, almost organic, scent-free moisturizer not only hydrates, but feeds your skin too. This can help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, along with your exercise routine.

You can and should also use this cream before your workouts. This is especially important if your skin is very damaged, wrinkled, sensitive or in bad condition.

As time goes on and your skin becomes firmer and stronger, you can use less cream, so you can get a stronger workout.

About bonus exercises and spot training

People always ask for a specific exercise to fix a certain area of the face that bothers them. But that's really spot training and should avoid for a few reasons.

It won't work! Facial muscles are interconnected and working on one area also helps lift another. And working on just one part of the face may result in an odd or overbuilt look.
Over time, other areas of your face will begin to sag and droop. Why not address the whole face now and look younger as you grow older!

Some people think they won't have time to do all 28 exercises. But the truth is - this workout is very quick.

Only 15 minutes a session 3-4 times a week. And, the majority of the exercises are done lying down! How simple is that?

So how are Bonus exercises different from spot training?

Everyone is different and has different needs. So it's important to first build a good foundation for the whole face/neck by doing following the full basic workout routine for a few months to year - depending on the condition of your skin and face.

Then if you still see areas that are not responding as well (for me it was the jowls/neck area) it's OK to do a few extra bonus exercise to firm up those areas.

This is not "spot training" because you still are doing a full face workout monthly. Just like your body, your face needs a full basic workout before you can address areas that concern you.

Sagging Face - FAQs

Q: What causes face sagging?

A: Many factors contribute to facial sagging, but the most important are:

loss of collagen
loss of and redistribution of facial fat
loss of and reabsorption of facial bone mass

The facial fat that once sat high in the cheek area is reduced, and this causes the skin to sag downward. Picture a balloon with some air let out.

Facial bone changes cause the skin to droop too, especially around the eyes and jaw bone area. See this picture on how facial bone change with age.

Eventually, these change affect the shape of our face. The face tends to get bottom-heavy (i.e., droopy cheeks, jowls, and double chin) as time goes on.

Q: How can I firm up my face?

A: There are many ways to firm up a sagging face. It depends on the type of results you want and how much money you're willing to spend.

The least expensive is through regular facial exercises. The results will not be as dramatic as a facelift, but you will see some improvement. Check out my before and after pictures above. And facial exercises will address thin, papery skin and facial bone loss (if done correctly). This is something other face firming options won't address.

Then, there are the in-between expensive, non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures like radiofrequency, laser treatments and laser resurfacing. This is best for those with minor facial sagging. The most expensive is of course a facelift. This will offer the most dramatic results.

Q: Some massage therapists like to use a jade stone roller as a form of massage. Which face rollers do you suggest for a sagging face?

A: Personally, I like to use my hands. The index finger, middle finger, and ring finger provide enough gentle pressure to stimulate lymph nodes, massage face muscles and is a great way to relax and reduce a lot of tension in the face and neck. For best results, make circular motions using firm pressure. Start at your jowls and massage in an upward direction along the sides of your face. Make sure to apply a little face cream or face serum, so you're not tugging on the skin. Click here to see a video of the Sagging Skin Face Massage.

Q: How does facial massage help sagging skin?

A: A face massage helps increase blood flow and helps stimulate fibroblast cells, improve connecting tissues and increase collagen and elastin... All necessary for healthy, firm skin tone. We're not talking about results like a facelift, but regular facial massages helps keep good skin tone and lessen age related sagging.

Q: How does a jade roller or gua sha stone help firm up facial skin?

A: These devices can help improve and drain the lymphatic system. As we get older, our faces tend to hold more fluid around the lower half of our face, making our faces look saggy and bloated. A regular facial massage can help slim and contour the face and neck area - giving you a firmer look.

Q: what are the best essential oils for sagging skin? I've read that neroli oil and lavender oil have skin tightening properties but I'm not sure how to use them since I have very sensitive skin. Should I just massage them directly onto my face?

A: Essential oils won't lift saggy skin, but keeping dry skin hydrated can help improve the appearance of wrinkles and skin elasticity. Lavender, frankincense, and Neroli oil have antifungal, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties, but like all essential oils, they are very concentrated and should not be placed directly on your face. You should dilute them and make your own essential oil blend by mixing a drop or two of these essential oils with carrier oils (like coconut oil or jojoba oil).

Q: If massaging vitamin E or olive oil is supposed to help reduce stretch marks, will these oils help tighten loose skin?

A: Massaging the face with natural oils or your favorite skin cream can have therapeutic benefits, boost blood circulation and improve the elasticity of the skin. But, it's the due to the massaging part, not necessarily just the oils.

Additional Reading:

Simple skincare routine

Face Lift Treatments at Home

Facial Toning Benefits Over 40

Face Tightening Exercises - Does it Work

Face Exercise - Key Tips for Success

Forehead Wrinkles

Which Face Lift Exercises are Best

Facial Exercises for Fuller Cheeks

Facial Exercises VS. Botox: Pros and Cons

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