How to “raise” the oval of the face? A set of exercises from a face fitness trainer

Attention!

In each issue of our magazine, catch a new portion of exercises from Elena Karkukli. Collect a full range of exclusive exercises. The beginning is “PRO Health” No. 6.

Well-known internationally qualified face fitness coach Elena Karkukli says

- A person has a number of muscles that attach to the lower part of the face and pull the face down. These muscles pull our cheeks down, lower the lower lip and the corners of the lips. They become shortened by tension, facial habits, poor posture and incorrect head position. Therefore, in face fitness, we always not only train the muscles for a lifting effect, but also relax the depressor muscles so that the face does not fall down.

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— For a beautiful oval face, relaxation and stretching of the masticatory muscles is very important. The muscles of mastication support the frame and the entire middle part of the face. Relaxation, stretching, and massage of the strained muscle are important.

— It turns out that in face fitness the same laws apply as in regular fitness: first you need to work on the muscle, then stretch it.

— Absolutely right, after training the muscles need to be gently stretched and relaxed, that is, restore the balance between the elevator muscles, which raise the face, and the depressor muscles, which lower the face. We need to not only raise our cheeks, but also maintain a soft and pleasant facial expression, which is difficult to achieve if the muscles are tense.

— There is a saying: a woman’s age is revealed by her hands and neck. Why is the neck so prone to wrinkles?

— Our habits are of great importance. The entire front surface of the neck is covered by muscles, and when we lower our chin down, these muscles contract. Spending a lot of time on phones, gadgets or in front of the computer at work, constantly lowering our head down and pressing our chin to our neck, we cause these muscles to shorten more and more and thin skin gathers into folds faster. Therefore, in order to achieve a guaranteed result, it is very important to control the position of your head throughout the day and perform exercises for posture and neck (see PRO Health No. 6).

For a perfect oval face and smooth neck skin

"Swing"

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky

Starting position: sit up straight, back straight, pull your head by the crown. Place one palm on your neck as shown in the photo. Don't push! Pull the skin down slightly for light resistance, literally 3mm.

Smile. Stick out your tongue and stretch it upward, as if trying to reach the tip of your nose. Use your other hand to secure the folds around your lips. To perform the exercise, sit on the edge of a chair. Lean back a little and rock back and forth (like on a rocking chair) - the movement is from the pelvis. Repeat 20 times. Watch your posture, keep your back straight! Don't throw your head back.

Result: the corners of the lips are raised, jowls and double chin are reduced, and the oval of the face is improved.

How did face building come about?

Plastic surgeon Reinhold Benz came up with this technique for his ballerina friend. And the name was indeed chosen by analogy with bodybuilding. If translated literally, face building is face building.

Yes, the technique really helped tighten the woman’s skin and the news about it spread all over the world. But few people said that after some time the ballerina began to suffer from depletion of the subcutaneous fat layer, worsening nasolabial folds and severe ptosis (drooping) of facial tissues. And there is a scientific explanation for this - the muscles contracted, which means they shortened even more.

By the way, it is important that the creator himself never promoted the procedure as a means to get rid of wrinkles and did not recommend that older women use it. But, since the issue of beauty has always been the most exciting topic for many girls, marketers began to promote the procedure as a salvation from wrinkles and age-related changes. As a result, modern experts are actively positioning face-building as a procedure for women over 50 years old. While for them it is most dangerous. And it’s not just about additional facial deformation, but also increased blood pressure.

But no matter what goal you are pursuing, such a technique will not help you in any case.

To strengthen the front of the neck

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Starting position: back straight. Join your wrists. Place your hands on your neck. Tighten your neck muscles, slightly moving your neck forward, while keeping your head in place. Provide light resistance with your hands. Do it dynamically 20 times. The exercise is performed very delicately. Do not press your head on your hands. To properly activate the muscles during the exercise, you can press your tongue into the upper palate.

Result: tightened, smooth neck skin.

Review of post-gymnastics care products

After exercise, the skin needs to be nourished as much as possible. Pay attention to products with natural ingredients.

1. Vegetable squalane serum - light sugar cane oil will quickly saturate your skin without chemicals.
2. Coconut oil is a unique product that is ideal for caring for the entire body and even hair. But people with oily skin types should use it with caution.
3. Camellia sasanqua oil contains vitamins and acids that will nourish not only your skin, but also your hair and nails.
4. Eye pads with a relaxing effect - after eye exercises, they will help you achieve an additional effect, and then fall asleep.

To relax the masticatory muscle

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Starting position: place your fingers on the masticatory muscles at the level of the earlobes (as in the picture). Make clockwise gentle circular movements in place, relaxing the area. Repeat the movements counterclockwise. 30 times in each direction.

Result: ​recession of the cheeks and loss of their volume are reduced, ​facial proportions are restored.

Preparation and execution rules

We will not tell you about the rules of Facebook building, because we do not recommend using it. Let’s better discuss proper relaxation of the facial muscles.

1. Before the procedure, thoroughly wash and dry your skin. It is better not to use regular tap water - it contains a lot of chlorine, which dries out the skin. Give preference to natural hydrosol of sage, mint or lavender. You can find them on the website www.beauty365.ru
2. DO NOT overdo it with moisturizers. You have to make tight, deep movements and oil or cream will only get in the way. Apply, let it absorb, remove excess with a napkin.
3. Hands must be washed thoroughly.
4. But after the procedure it is necessary to apply a nourishing agent. It will be able to maximize its properties by working the muscles.

"Cat"

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Starting position: lips are relaxed, tongue is stuck out as far as possible. ​Twist your tongue upward as if you were lapping up water, like a cat. It is very important to feel tension while performing the exercise. Repeat 25 times. ​Do not purse your lips, make sure there are no creases on your face.

Result: a clear oval face without a double chin.

Myths about face lifting exercises

There are many myths about face fitness. The most common of them are the following:

• Fast and 100% result.

Of course, face lifting exercises are different from regular fitness. But here, too, regular classes are necessary. Agree, you will not achieve an ideal figure if you go to the gym once every six months. Alas, it’s also not possible to restore youth to your face in a couple of sessions. Only systematic exercise, massage and proper care will help get rid of wrinkles, swelling and the first signs of aging. This will take at least 3-6 months, depending on the initial condition of the skin.

• The more you train, the better.

This myth is closely related to the previous one. Yes, face lifting exercises require regularity, just like regular fitness. But there are noticeable differences between these workouts. As you remember, facial muscles are flatter than skeletal muscles. The method of attaching them also differs. At one end they are fixed to the bones, and at the other end they are woven into the skin or neighboring muscles.

It turns out that the condition of one muscle significantly affects another. Spasmed muscles shorten, pulling nearby muscles and skin towards themselves - this is how wrinkles and creases form. You can cause harm if you regularly exercise a hypertonic muscle. First of all, you need to relax the muscles with a massage, and then perform tightening exercises for the face.

There are opposite situations, when the muscles are so weakened that the face simply “floats” down under the influence of gravity. In this case, it makes no sense to bring the muscles into hypotonia; they need to be pumped up.

Remember that an adequate and conscious approach is required when it comes to facial care. It is important to alternate tightening exercises with massage, selecting the optimal techniques for each zone.

• Face fitness is difficult and long.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to training? Of course, tiring and exhausting exercises on simulators, which can last more than one hour. But don’t worry, face lifting exercises don’t require much time. Just 10-15 minutes a day is enough.

If you decide to maintain your beauty naturally, be prepared for daily work. Only regularity and an integrated approach will help stop facial aging. Pull-up gymnastics, unlike beauty injections, does not bring instant results. However, the effectiveness of injections in the long term is a very controversial issue.

A visit to a cosmetologist will help temporarily hide the consequences, but will not remove the very cause of aging. Even with the busiest schedule, you can find 10-15 minutes for tightening exercises. Then you won’t have to go to a cosmetologist every six months and buy new creams with an “innovative anti-aging effect.”

• If you stop exercising, your facial condition will remain the same or become much worse.

The first result of face lifting exercises will be noticeable almost immediately. You shouldn't expect drastic changes, but you will see the effect of training. Of course, every woman needs to solve her own problems, for example, improve the oval of the face, increase the shape of the eyes or make the lips more voluminous. If the exercises are performed correctly, the result will not be long in coming.

However, this is not the only benefit of pull-up exercises. During exercise or massage, blood circulation is normalized, skin trophism is improved, and the removal of waste and toxins is enhanced. As a result, the complexion is evened out, the number of pimples and inflammations is reduced, the oval is tightened, puffiness, signs of fatigue and fine wrinkles go away. These changes will be noticeable two weeks after the start of classes.

If you stop training, then after 2-3 months everything will return to its original state. It may seem that your appearance has changed for the worse, but this is a psychological trick, nothing more. Of course, if you know how beautiful you can look, it greatly plays into the contrast. That is why, having achieved the first tangible results, you will not want to give up facial gymnastics. To maintain the tightening effect, 3-4 sessions per week will be enough.

• “After 40 it’s too late, but before 25 it’s too early.”

Facial gymnastics, like love, is suitable for all ages. No matter how old you are, proper exercise will definitely benefit you both at 20 and at 50. Muscles have no age and are easy to train due to their small size.

Some girls turn to pull-up gymnastics at a very young age. Due to personal anatomical features and overly active facial expressions, the first wrinkles may appear at the age of 18. It is important to notice the problem in time and start working with it. In addition, regular exercise stimulates blood circulation and lymph outflow. This improves complexion and reduces the number of pimples and inflammations.

The benefits of tightening exercises in older age do not require proof. Therefore, you can start working on your face at any time. The main thing is to perform the exercises correctly and alternate them with massage.

Dynamic stretching of the masseter muscle

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Warm-up: carefully open and close your mouth 5 times. Make sure you don't have any clicking joints. ​

Starting position: place your fingers on the chewing muscles and three fingers on your earlobes. ​Slowly lower your lower jaw, while firmly (without fanaticism) press your fingers against the muscle and press on it, pushing it up, thus providing resistance and stretching the muscle. Hold for 5 counts and return to the starting position. Repeat 5 times.

Result: restoration of the oval of the face, the angle of the lower jaw, reduction of ​recession and loss of volume of the cheeks, reduction of the habit of clenching teeth, ​restoration of facial proportions.

Facebook building effectiveness

The effectiveness of the technique is still poorly understood. And those studies that exist are ambiguous. They do not have control groups and a randomization process, which are necessary for a quality result. Moreover, the evaluation of effectiveness was mainly subjective, since the studies were conducted under the guidance of centers that promote Facebook building.

Other studies that are independent have proven the harm of such gymnastics. They highlighted several points that show the ineffectiveness of such a procedure:

1. Uneven muscle development - due to facial expressions, some muscles are relaxed, while others are in constant tension. In some areas they have shrunk and cannot straighten out. And the procedure, instead of relaxing and getting rid of tension, adds new spasms.
2. The appearance of wrinkles - in theory, when you start training, your main goal is to get rid of wrinkles. Pumping up the muscles triggers the compensatory function of the muscles. They bear additional stress, which leads to the appearance of new wrinkles, and old ones become even deeper.
3. Facial deformation - gymnastics can lead to pinched nerves. It hurts and distorts facial features. Most often, a doctor can solve this problem. So think about it - are you ready to take that risk?

To relax and stretch the masticatory muscles

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Starting position: open your mouth. Gently massage the chewing muscles from top to bottom with the pads of your fingers or bent knuckles. Perform this massage for 30 seconds.

Result: restoration of the oval face, beautiful lines.

Myth No. 1. “Facebuilding gives an instant effect”

Gymnastics for the face is also fitness, but for the facial muscle groups. There are 57 of them in total and they need regular training. If you go to workout once or twice and then don't show up for six months, you're unlikely to see any improvement. The logic is similar here - if you want to look a few years younger, don’t expect a miracle. Systematic exercises will help tighten the oval of the face, get rid of fine wrinkles, remove puffiness and dark circles under the eyes. But get ready to treat your face with love and patience for at least 3-6 months.

Exercise with fists

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Starting position: fold your hands under your lower jaw, press your elbows to your chest. If you can't keep your back straight, lean against the back of a chair. Do not push your head forward, otherwise the exercise will be ineffective and there will be a risk of damaging the back of your neck. Press your tongue onto the upper palate, resisting with your hands, and hold for 1-2 seconds. Perform 25 times at a slow pace. Relieve tension with light pats under the chin.

Result: reduction of the double chin, tightened skin of the neck and lower face.

Does face building involve exercises at home?

Yes, gymnastics can be done at home. But, as you already understood, this is a dangerous activity in any case. That's why we recommend a relaxing massage. We have already given several techniques above. And you can do just that in any conditions - at home, at a party, or while traveling. The main thing is clean hands and face.

If we talk about supporters of face-building, they also recognize the opportunity to do exercises at home. But it is recommended to first work with a specialist and consult a doctor, since the wrong technique can cause great harm to your health. As a result, you will spend money on a charlatan (another name for people who urge others not to harm themselves), and then you will wonder why your skin condition has become worse?

To relax the chin muscles

Photo: AiF/Eduard Kudryavitsky
Starting position: grab your chin with your fingers, stroke it down. Make sure your lips are relaxed. Repeat 3-5 times. Don't pull the corners of your lips down. Don't overdo it: you can easily get bruises on your chin.

Result: relaxation of the mental muscles, softening of the jawline.

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Exercises at home

1. We make lips plump and get rid of wrinkles:
   • Grabs the upper lip and works it with sliding movements of the fingers;

   Repeat the same with the lower lip;

2. Don’t forget about the corners of your lips—pout them and knead the corners with your fingers. There may be balls, lumps and even rollers. We roll them between our fingers, which helps lift the corners of the lips up.
3. Getting rid of wrinkles around the eyes:
   • We place our index fingers on the nasal septum next to the corners of the eyes and tightly walk along the line of the lower eyelid;

   Finally, run your fingers over your dark circles under your eyes.

4. Face lifting in 5 minutes::
   • We warm our palms and press them to our temples;

   We warm the whiskey for as long as possible. Imagine yourself stretching

5. We begin to make rotational movements towards the crown. It’s like we’re unscrewing stuck bolts.
6. Let's say “Bye!” deep wrinkles on the forehead:
   • Massage your forehead with circular movements;

   Let's not forget about any zone. But it’s most pleasant at the hairline;

7. Work until light redness occurs. In places where pain is felt, we stop for a longer time.
8. Raise the corners of the lips up:
   • We press the knuckles of our fists near the corners of our lips;

   We strain the orbicularis oris muscle;

9. Massage the area using circular movements;
10. At the end, the skin should be a little red, but you will feel light and relaxed.
11. Removing the double chin:
    • After washing, take a towel and fold it into a wide belt;

    We take the resulting belt by the two ends and tighten it;

12. Using patting movements we go under the chin
13. Raise the eyelids and get rid of the eyebrow area:
    • We pinch the eyebrow between our fingers - try to take as much skin as possible;

    We walk from the inner edge of the eyebrow to the outer;

14. Hold the clamp for 1 second;
15. Where the pain appears, we walk a little longer;
16. There should be a total of 3 approaches for each eyebrow;
17. We work in front of a mirror.

Even more cool and effective exercises at the “Flourish” marathon. It presents facial gymnastics techniques that cannot be found anywhere else, and at the same time they have already helped hundreds of women.

Our tissues need water

There are many factors that influence muscle loss and reduction. It is important for each of us to consume enough clean water. Average calculation: 30 ml per kilogram of weight. At a young age, we are 70-80% water, and the older we get, the smaller this percentage is. And even if you drink the amount of water your body needs every day, but at the same time drink 5 more cups of coffee a day, you safely “neutralize” this water and remove it, so dehydration continues. Accordingly, our bones, our muscles, and ligaments lose water, but our tissues need it constantly. Therefore, for the beauty of your face, it is important to follow a drinking regime.

Why train your facial muscles?

Most people are mistaken in thinking that aging is a consequence of aging and sagging skin. However, this is not quite true. Ptosis is an external manifestation, the result of physiological processes occurring in the body. Fortunately, you can stop these changes on your own, including with the help of tightening exercises for the face.

It is also quite common, but erroneous, to believe that beauty is impossible without cosmetology. That is, in order to remain young and attractive, you need to periodically visit a cosmetologist, give injections, introduce various serums and preparations. It seems that this is indeed the case. But in practice things are a little different. If you regularly take injections for at least 5 years, your face will age much faster.

For example, Botox injections are perceived by the body as a foreign body. That is why all physiological processes in areas with botulinum toxin proceed differently: the trophism of blood vessels that deliver blood, nutrients and oxygen to the tissues is disrupted. As a result, the skin becomes rough and the complexion deteriorates. Muscles also weaken, tissue fibrosis occurs, which leads to sagging skin. It turns out that injections do not help prolong the youth of the face. And if you come to the cosmetologist once, you will get a subscription service. And over time, the cosmetologist’s chair will be replaced by a plastic surgeon’s table.

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That is why many girls have become interested in natural ways to prolong youth. The first and most obvious method is gymnastics, tightening the facial muscles. It was developed by German plastic surgeon Reinhold Benz more than 60 years ago. This technique remains relevant to this day. Face fitness is becoming a topic of discussion in many magazines and TV shows. And, of course, this direction is overgrown with numerous myths and diverse opinions. Some believe that pull-up exercises work wonders, others argue that they are useless or even dangerous.

It is worth saying that Facebook building can really cause harm. And if you plan to pump up your facial muscles as well as your body muscles, be prepared for unpleasant consequences. The thing is that the structure of skeletal and facial muscles is significantly different. The former are fixed between the bones, while the latter are attached to the bone at one end, and woven into the other end either into the skin or into neighboring muscles.

Unlike skeletal muscles, the muscles of the face are closely interconnected. Some of them are in hypotonicity, while others, on the contrary, are hypertonic. And when performing tightening exercises for the face, not only weakened, but also spasmodic muscles can be involved in the process. This causes tense muscles to tighten even more, creating an imbalance in the muscular system.

Muscle spasms prevent normal blood circulation, causing the skin to not receive enough nutrition. Lymph flow is also disrupted, making it difficult to remove waste and toxins. Hypertonic muscles contract even more intensely, and the skin in this area begins to sag. Also, spasmed muscles contribute to the deformation of the facial bones, which already decrease over the years due to the leaching of calcium from the body. All this together leads to the formation of edema, ptosis and wrinkles.

Of course, in this situation you can use the services of a plastic surgeon or cosmetologist. However, these measures will only bring a temporary effect. To preserve facial beauty for a long time, it is necessary to fight the cause, not the effect. It is muscle hypertonicity that leads to wrinkles and sagging. First of all, you need to relax the spasming muscles, and not pump the weakened ones. Therefore, it is necessary to combine facial tightening exercises with massages. Then the rejuvenating effect will not keep you waiting.

And, of course, do not forget about the restrictions. The technique is contraindicated in case of neuritis of the facial nerve, during an exacerbation of acne or rosacea, during colds, as well as in the presence of oncology. Those who have recently had filler or Botox injections, or have had plastic surgery or facial injuries should refrain from doing face lifting exercises.

Exercise No. 1: “Pull-Push”

Purpose of reception:

• launching active work of the intercostal muscles, muscles of the chest, upper limbs, deep muscles of the spine;
• improving tissue drainage of the upper limbs and chest;
• improvement of blood circulation in the tissues of the upper extremities and chest;
• return of freedom and ease of movement.

How to do it:

Sit on a chair, straighten your back, bend your knees, without lifting your feet off the floor. Straighten your arms and extend them in front of you. As you inhale, turn your palms towards you and point your arms, bending your elbows, towards your chest, as if you are pulling something towards you. At the same time, stretch your chest forward, slightly increasing your lumbar arch.

Next, as you exhale, direct your arms away from you, straightening them at the elbows and bending your hands at the wrist joints, as if you were pushing something away from you with your palms. Round the thoracic and lumbar regions at the same time. Complete the familiar movement with a rotation in the hip joints, gently roll back and forth on your sit bones, including your entire torso and breathing in the work.

How much to do:

10-12 breathing cycles.

ATTENTION

If you have hypertension, use with caution. Monitor your blood pressure levels after performing the exercise. If there are contraindications to exercise therapy for the cervico-brachial region, check with your doctor whether “Pull-Push” is suitable for you.

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Does anti-wrinkle facial massage have contraindications?

Of course, there are contraindications. It is a mistake to believe that facial massage for wrinkles is recommended only for people over 30 years old after the first age-related changes appear on the face. It is an excellent preventive remedy that can save the skin from early aging, as well as prevent this process. Therefore, the sooner you start learning anti-wrinkle facial massage techniques, the longer your skin will be able to remain tightened, fresh and youthful.

This procedure is not an accessible and absolutely safe method of preserving youth. There are some contraindications that you need to know to avoid complications:

• Inflammatory processes;
• Herpes;
• Hemophilia;
• Open wounds and injuries;
• Warts;
• Large moles.

To achieve the maximum positive effect, you need to know how to properly massage your face against wrinkles.

What is a facelift?

This is a complex concept that includes any procedures aimed at rejuvenation and facelift. If we are talking about plastic surgery, then facelift allows you to achieve excellent results in correcting age-related changes quickly and effectively. The only disadvantages are the high cost of plastic surgery and the need for a long rehabilitation process.

Non-surgical facelift – facial exercises, massages that are aimed at improving blood supply to skin cells and soft tissues. During gymnastics, there is a targeted tension of some facial muscles and relaxation of others. Due to this, natural processes of tissue regeneration, collagen and elastin production are launched.