Facial yoga can make you look three years younger

[Photo: from VCG]

Face yoga might be less far-fetched than it sounds.

The art of facial "workouts" are designed to increase muscle size, leading to a fuller and firmer appearance.

While sceptics might have once dismissed the bizarre regimen as a marketing ploy set on exploiting female insecurities, new research has proven that a daily facial exercise routine can actually reduce signs of aging in middle-aged women.

In an experiment conducted at Northwestern University in Chicago, researchers found that by embarking on a regular 30-minute facial exercise program for 20 weeks, participants lowered their average estimated age by roughly three years.

Study participants, a group of 27 women aged between 40 and 65 years old, learned 32 different exercises and conducted each for about a minute for the duration of the experiment.

At the end of the experiment, participants reported being highly satisfied with the results and noticed improvement on nearly all the facial areas that were rated.

The study was published online last week in the journal JAMA Dermatology. 

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(News source: The Independent)