Facial exercises for the nasolabial folds are a fast, efficient way to look better every day. Below, you will see an overview of the best face yoga routines for the smile lines and mid-face area. Practitioners report achieving results with face yoga for nasolabial folds in around 4-6 weeks. The nasolabial folds are natural creases in your skin, running from the nose wings to the corners of your mouth. When you’re younger, they appear when you smile and even out when your face relaxes. As you age, they become visible permanently. The reason for the more pronounced appearance of the nasolabial folds with age is the decrease in muscle mass on the cheekbones. The fat in the cheeks moves lower due to gravity, making smile lines more prominent. Other common contributing factors are sun damage and smoking. Also known as “laugh lines” or “smile lines,” nasolabial folds give one’s age away. But what can you do? Should you stop smiling? Definitely not. Smiling helps you get along with people and is a natural way to keep up the serotonin levels in our brains. Cue nasolabial folds exercises, developed and recommended by face yoga specialists.

Can facial exercises help?

The nasolabial triangle area is very tricky, and so the use of invasive treatment for nasolabial folds, such as surgery, fillers, or botox injections, is difficult to justify for meager results. Among the few natural ways to reduce nasolabial folds, face yoga exercises are well worth a try. They are easy, free, and will fit right into your daily routine. And though there are different opinions on face yoga’s effectiveness, a 2018 study on face yoga did show the biggest impact was on the nasolabial folds specifically. Below is a list of targeted facial exercises for the nasolabial folds, recommended by our experts.

Face yoga exercises for the nasolabial folds

The well-massaged, toned nasolabial area helps the mid-face muscles and ligaments to maintain a nice structure. As for the skin, performing the exercises improves the blood flow into the skin around the mouth, improving its elasticity and helping collagen production. Add these up, and you will get an overall younger and more energized facial look. Do these face exercises for nasolabial folds for a few weeks, and let us know the results.

The nasolabial press massage

• Put your index fingers by the sides of your nostrils. Find the little curve right where your nasolabial fold starts.
• With your fingertips directed straight to your face, massage the curve, applying a good amount of pressure. Go back and forth, or try spinning your fingertips a little.
• Keep massaging for 30 seconds, then let the skin relax. Repeat.

The nasolabial cheek roller

• Put the fingertips of your right hand along the nasolabial fold on the right side of your face.
• Applying some pressure, start moving the cheek tissue along the cheekbone.
• Roll the cheek tissue all the way to the ear.
• Finally, push your fingers down the side of your neck.
• Repeat 5-7 times on each side.

Bottom-to-top booster massage

• Open your mouth a little. Make an O shape with your lips, tucking them around your teeth.
• Put the index and middle fingers together on both hands.
• With nice gentle strokes, run your fingertips along the nasolabial folds, from your lips to the nose wings.
• Repeat 12-15 times, then relax.

Mouthwash move

• Blow out your cheeks. To prevent unwanted wrinkles, you may want to push your fingers firmly to your lip area to smooth them out. Hold like that while doing the exercise.
• Start moving the air from one cheek to another, as you would do with mouthwash. Be mindful, as you will start to feel the nasolabial creases from the inside at this point.
• Repeat for 30 seconds. Exhale and relax. Repeat 3 times.

Butterfly lymph drainage

• Put your palms in a namaste in front of your face.
• Put your thumbs under the jaw, and the sides of your palms on the nasolabial folds, forming a triangle around the mouth.
• In a butterfly move, push your palms from the center of your face to the temples.
• After reaching the temples, move your palms down, sliding along the sides of the neck. This lets any excess liquids from your facial tissues move down to the body's lymph system.

Anti-stress Intraoral massage

• Wash your hands thoroughly. You may want to use latex gloves for this.
• Put your thumbs inside your mouth and find the nasolabial fold from the inside.
• Start gently pushing the muscle from the inside out to give it a stretch, and simultaneously massage the same area from the outside with your index and middle fingers.
• Massage one side for 20-30 seconds, then move to the other side.

The nasolabial folds and face yoga - Before/After

Though smile lines are inevitable, as they are a part of a healthy smile profile, it’s possible to make them look less prominent. Face exercises for the nasolabial folds will make your midface look toned and tighter. The face yogi who incorporated the routines from above into their skincare rituals swears by the anti-aging effect of the exercises. They’ve shared some photos taken before and after the course of exercises. See below.

Sam

Target area: Brackets around the mouth, nasolabial lines, area around the eyes Routine: Forehead vibrations, buccal massage, chewing muscle stretch, cheek lifter, neck smoother Duration: 6 weeks Result: More even facial features, lifting effect, mimic lines reduced, fuller-looking face.

Linda

Target area: Forehead, crow’s feet, lines around the mouth Routine: Mid-brow rubber, eye circle taps, lip stretcher, marble roller Duration: 12 weeks Result: Reduced lines and wrinkles, smoother skin, reduced crow’s feet, toned face

ABCs of nasolabial fold prevention

Always use sunscreen. Find the one that suits your skin and stick to it daily. Sleeping on your back rules. It’s a total face saver and your best friend after 35.
Tension and stress are two big causes of nasolabial folds. Try to avoid them. And if you can’t, definitely make the jaw relaxation techniques part of your routines till you can.