Can face yoga and massage improve the appearance of your skin?

Facial massage and face yoga have been trending for a couple of years. But do these techniques actually work? Here’s what you need to know:

Humans have, for a long time, known and embraced the benefits of massage. But for a long time, at least in the west, this has been limited to specific areas of the body. And the face just wasn’t one of them. But now there are many beauty lovers who claim that massage, also known as face yoga, can improve your skin’s appearance and condition. Is this just a passing trend or is there some validity to these techniques?

Can face yoga and massage improve the appearance of your skin?

Face yoga: Why the hype?

Over the last few years, facial massage or face yoga has been growing in popularity. This can be done at home or a spa by a technician, with or without tools, such as jade rollers and gua sha boards.

The face yoga community believe that this practice can improve the appearance of your skin. And early research is suggesting that these claims might have something to them! One 2018 study revealed that it can strengthen the face and cheek muscles and, as such, improve the structural appearance. It also promotes circulation, making your skin appear more radiant and glowy. But the benefits don’t stop on the outside. Devotees claim that it is a form of self-care that also helps to alleviate stress and improve sleep quality. This means that face yoga can help to contribute to your overall well-being. Not to be viewed as a quick fix, facial massage requires consistency for you to see the results. Exercises should also be performed a few times a week.

How to do it

Interested in trying out some facial massage techniques at home? These can be done using sterilized tools or your clean, washed hands. After washing your face, apply your favorite serum or facial oil to your skin to make your fingers glide rather than tug.

This video gives a step-by-step routine to target your face and neck:

This video shows you how to tackle puffy under-eye bags:

Pressed for time? This routine covers the all the need-to-know basics in just two minutes:

While the jury is still out on the long-term effectiveness of face yoga for your skin, it can’t hurt you and may even reduce your stress levels. Some benefit is better than no benefit!