Effects of Facial Exercise for Facial Muscle Strengthening and Rejuvenation: Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The mass of facial muscles can be increased through exercise, as is also the case for muscles in the extremities. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the effect of facial exercises on facial muscle strengthening and facial rejuvenation, focusing on recent studies. @*Methods@#A literature search was performed using the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases. The quality of the trials was evaluated according to the PEDro scale. In total, 11 studies were included in this review four studies on facial exercise for facial rejuvenation and seven studies on strengthening the muscles of the face. @*Results@#Facial exercises for facial rejuvenation increased the mechanical properties and elasticity of the skin of the face and neck, the thickness and cross-sectional area of the facial muscles, and the fullness of the upper and lower cheeks. @*Conclusion@#A study aimed at strengthening facial muscles showed improvements in labial closure strength and tongue elevation strength. Despite the positive results for facial rejuvenation and muscle strengthening, the level of evidence was low. Therefore, in future research, it will be necessary to investigate the effects of facial exercise in a thoroughly controlled experiment with a sufficient sample size to increase the level of evidence.