Countering the Skepticism About Facial Exercises

The idea of facial exercises is one that has earned some skeptics. Because the face must be contorted, stretched or manipulated in a way that seems comical, some people doubt that exercise routines for the face are effective. They are not able to watch demonstrations of this without laughing.

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There are programs, however, that promote this fitness and beauty regimen as an extension of bodybuilding. The unusual facial expressions have been known to lessen the deep creases that can form on both sides of the mouth, minimize crow's feet around the eyes and help to tone sagging muscle and skin beneath the chin. The desire to get rid of a double chin has been reason enough for some former skeptics to try the exercises.

One of the reasons some have expressed doubt about these exercises is because there are not clinical trials to support their effectiveness. Those who try this are trusting the word of fitness gurus and a small pool of medical specialists. Facts and numbers backed up by conventional medicine would certainly make the practice a lot more widely accepted, but the lack of these numbers does not mean the practice should be written off as a farce.

When people design fitness routines, they rarely, if ever, think about designing any kind of exercise for the face. The wrinkles and deep lines that occur over time are considered a natural effect of aging that most people accept. Those who do not accept it turn to cosmetic procedures to reverse their appearances. Exercising the face, however, is less invasive and expensive.