Do facial exercises work? Experts weigh in.

You know that exercise is good for your health and healthier, younger-looking skin. But does your skin derive benefits from facial exercises? It seems that the reviews are mixed. While there is little clinical research on the effectiveness of facial exercises, writes Krista Barta in “Facial Exercises: Are they Bogus?” for Healthline, there are some health and skincare writers and experts who believe in their effectiveness. Others actually think they can hurt more than help in producing wrinkles. Here are some of the pros and cons of them from around the Web. Pros Dr. Mercola in “Gym for Your Skin” “By regularly exercising your various facial muscles, you can ensure they remain firm, which will support your skin and prevent sagging. Increasing blood flow and circulation through these muscles can also help counteract wrinkles. Some even liken the technique to a natural facelift.” Faith Xue, Refinery29 in “Facial Aerobics: They Are A Thing But Do They Really Work? “Facial exercise advocates say that targeted daily stretching can increase blood flow to the face, stimulate collagen production, and lead to firmer, tighter skin. Lisa Wellington, allwomenstalk, in “7 Skin Benefits of Doing Facial Exercises…” “Facial muscles are the only muscles that are attached to our skin on one end as opposed to other muscles that are attached only to bones. Regularly exercising these important facial muscles will give your face a nice glow and keep skin taut.” Cons Korin Miller, Self, “The Truth About Fighting Wrinkles With Facial Exercises” Gary Goldenberg, MD, medical director of the Dermatology Faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine, tells Self that you cause your skin to wrinkle by repeating muscle contractions. He says you might see temporary results from facial workouts if the muscles “hypertrophy,” which means they get bigger and stretch your skin. But Dr. Goldenberg says the results are temporary. Cosmetic Medicine, MD, “Facial Exercises – Do They Really Work?” New York Dermatologist David Bank tells Cosmetic Medicine, MD, that exercise cannot prevent or reverse structural skin change. Specifically, it’s the decline in collagen, elastin, and fat that causes volume loss, and exercise cannot replace it. Rachel Nall, Livestrong.com, “Do facial Exercises Improve the Muscles in the Face.” “The fact that repetitive facial movements -- such as a smile or furrowing your brow -- contribute to wrinkles instead of preventing them shows why facial exercisers are unlikely to work: because facial exercises typically make the skin more, not less, wrinkled.” The jury may still be out on facial exercises, but there is one ingredient that is growing in popularity these days because its proven anti-aging properties are retinol. Retinol is a type of retinoid, a potent antioxidant derivative of Vitamin A. Stronger-strength retinoids are prescription only. However, retinol can be included in products sold over the counter or on the web. Retinol products such as True Results Retinol Active Skincare achieve their anti-aging results by protecting skin from free radicals and prompting surface skin cells to turn over and die rapidly so that new skin cells can grow. Retinols also slow down collagen's breakdown, and the protein in the skin gives it strength and durability.