FACIAL EXERCISES

Facial Exercises

The maintenance of a firm face is the symbol of youth and vigor, whereas when one goes into the older period of one's life the face starts to sag and wrinkles form. Daily facial and smile exercies will help to combat the effects of age, gravity, and disuse.

During the progression of age most people lose control of many muscles that are not the primary "movers" and only help to reinforce faical movement. Muscle awareness will be achieved through these exercies, enabling the control of facial movements that normally only respond to a reflex action.

Smile Exercise

This exercise focuses on producing a voluntary smile that will work the facial muscles in control of elevation and retraction of the mouth. This should be done while looking in a mirror, either sitting or standing, whichever you prefer. This exercise has been advocated by Gibson in his Smile Power Institute that one practicing for only a few days, five times a day, complete control and range of motion can be achieved in one's smile.

After these exercises have been complete, one will have a major improvement on one's smile and will increase one's attractive power. This is occurring because just as in normal muscle-building exercises, one uses weights as resistance, and in this exercise one uses their fingers as "weights".

1.) Have the face and lips in repose and the mind psychologically positive to slightly increase the contraction of the elevators.	2.) Begin to smile; stretch the corners of the mouth laterally keeping the lips in slight contact, and maintain this position for 10 seconds.	3.) Expand the smile slightly laterally and upward to expose the edges of the teeth, control the parallelism of the corners of the mouth, and maintain this position for 10 seconds.
4.) Increase the muscle tension, displaying a larger number and amount of teeth and exhibiting a lateral expansion of the cheeks, and observe that the relaxed lower part of the obicularis oris follows the retraction and elevation of the corners of the mouth to cover the madibular teeth. Keep this position for 10 seconds.	5.) Give full tension to the muscles predominantly laterally, paying attention not to expose gingival tissue with the exception of the interdental papilla. Keep this position for 10 seconds.	6.) Slowly relax and maintain one half of the teeth visibility. Maintain this position for 10 seconds.
7.) Continue relaxing, just keeping the edges of the maxillary anterior teeth visible, and maintain for 10 seconds.	8.) Go back to the initial position maintaining a slight tension of the elevators for 10 seconds. Relax.	9.) Form a full smile and maintain this smile with finger pressure at each corner.
10.) Close the smile halfway with a finger resisting the pull and hold the pressure for 10 seconds.	11.) Try to close the smile completely with a finger resisting, having the lips trying to contact in the middle part and maintain for 10 seconds. Relax.	12.)Reverse this exercise and place the fingers laterally at the corners of the mouth, slightly resisting muscle pull.
13.) Maintain the pressure and try to expand the smile laterally and maintain for 10 seconds.	14.) Expand the smile, reducing finger pressure.	15.) Relax and make a test.

Face-lift Exercise

The quadratus labli superioris is probably the key muscle for keeping a young, healthy apperance. Without proper working and the gradual loss of its strength when unused adds to the sagging of the face and other undesirable appearance qualities. These two exercies have to be performed following the smile exercises. After 3-5 months results should show up in varying degrees.

1.) Have the mouth slightly open and flare the nostrils of the nose.	2.) Wrinkle up the nose as far as possible and relax the upper lip.
3.) Slowly draw the upper lip upward as high as possible and maintain for 10 seconds.	4.) Concentrate on the upper lip and slowly bring it down. Relax.
5.) Have the mouth slightly open. Apply the middle, index, or annular fingers under the eye on the cheekbone and relax the upper lip.	6.) Curl the lip slowly up and maintain for 10 seconds.
7.) Curl up the lip as high as possible, maintaining the finger pressure, and keep this position for 10 seconds.	8.) Return slowly to the initial position. Remove the fingers and relax.

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