Exercises for correcting facial asymmetry

Author: Kristina Bondareva - facebuilding coach.
2017-10-17

Training Goal: To correct the facial asymmetry at 3 points (eyebrows, eyes, lips).

A person's face is not symmetrical, just like the body, and there is nothing surprising about that.

However, there are cases when facial asymmetry is pronounced and causes you psychological discomfort. I must clarify that not all types of asymmetry can be corrected through exercises.

Asymmetry cannot be corrected by exercises if:

• it is caused by bone deformities;
• pathological deformations;
• very "long-standing" facial nerve neuritis;
• in some cases, the aftereffects of Botox injections, commonly referred to as side effects.

Causes of Asymmetry

Facial asymmetry largely depends on the state of your body. You can read about the connection between the face and the body here.

In short, with scoliosis, lordosis, pelvic tilt, and other changes in the musculoskeletal system, asymmetry is present, and its correction should start from the feet!

However, ASYMMETRY can also be a result of excessive facial expressions, grimacing, and behavioral habits. All this can be revealed by closely observing your features in video recordings, for example.

Smiling, talking, chewing only on one side, or constantly raising one eyebrow. Remember the existence of muscle memory? It remembers you and continually pulls the active eyebrow up, making one eye visually smaller.

How to Measure Asymmetry?

How do you check the symmetry of your face? You need a photo! Get your hair out of your face and ask someone to take your picture. The photo should be like a passport photo: no smiling, and don’t try to look good in the picture.

Take a ruler and draw a horizontal line across the eyes (through the pupils), the eyebrows, and the lips. Start with the eyes. After all, our internal level seeks the horizon right at the eye area so that you can walk straight and not fall.

Now, look at the three resulting lines. One eyebrow might be higher while the other is lower, and the corners of the lips may not align.

Remember that there are acceptable values of asymmetry, and this is completely natural and does not require correction.

Where there are deviations from the horizontal line, you need to work on the muscles, and some may just need to correct behavioral habits for everything to fall back into place.

Facial Exercises for Asymmetry

Let’s move on to the exercises. They can actually be combined with any of the complexes: 8 facial exercises for every day, Facial fitness exercises for beginners. Just add them to your training program. For example, perform exercises for the forehead area, and then do exercises to correct the asymmetry in the same area.

In this example, I’ll consider the correction of unilateral facial asymmetry, where one part of the face, positioned lower relative to its other half, works worse and feels less active! For example, the left eyebrow, left eye, and left corner of the mouth are lower than on the right side of the face—this type of asymmetry is called UNILATERAL.

Facial asymmetry can be diagonal or complex. In such cases, exercises are best tailored individually.

It is recommended to do 30 repetitions, with a static hold for 5 seconds on the last count. The workout is structured around basic exercises with added special exercises to correct the asymmetry of the specific area.

Forehead: Correcting Eyebrow Position

Exercise #1: Raising the Eyebrows

This is a basic exercise. While performing it, pay attention to your eyebrows. Which one rises less? Which one do you feel less?

Place your fingers above your eyebrows. Push your eyebrows upwards with effort while providing resistance with your fingers. Ensure that there are no horizontal wrinkles on your forehead during the exercise, and try to relax your shoulders and lower them while firmly holding the skin above your eyebrows. After completing the exercise, tap your fingers on your forehead.

Moving on to a set of exercises to correct the height of the eyebrows:

Exercise #2: Alternate Raising of the Eyebrows

Place your fingers on your forehead above your eyebrows and gently hold the skin to prevent it from wrinkling. Now, alternately raise your eyebrows: first the left, then the right.

Feel which eyebrow rises worse, or if there is tension and discomfort when raising one eyebrow. The eyebrow that rises less needs to be lifted for 2 counts: 1—raise it, 2—extend it. After the exercise, tap your fingers on your forehead.

Exercise #3: Raising One Eyebrow

After you have identified the eyebrow that works worse and is positioned lower, you need to "train" it separately.

Hold the eyebrow that is positioned higher with your hand, and raise the other eyebrow, holding the skin above it with your fingers to prevent it from wrinkling. After completing the exercise, tap your fingers on your forehead.

Eyes

General video:

Exercise #1: For Strengthening the Upper Eyelid

This is a basic exercise. While performing, track the sensations under your index fingers; under one of the fingers, the pulsing and muscle twitch will be less prominent. When you close that eye, try to press the upper eyelid slightly harder against the lower one. IMPORTANT! Do not press with your fingers too hard and do not stretch the skin in different directions!

Hold the corners of your eyes with your fingers and gently close your eyes, applying pressure with the upper eyelid against the lower one. Try to keep your eyebrows in place and not let them drop down with the upper eyelid; relax your forehead. Then open your eyes. After completing the exercise, blink your eyes.

Exercise #2: Alternate Work of the Eyes

We will close the eyes alternately. Place your index and middle fingers in the corners of your eyes without pressing or pulling on the skin. Close your eyes one at a time: left, right, left... When closing one eye, keep the other open. Be sure to relax your forehead so that the eyebrow does not drop down with the upper eyelid. After completing the exercise, blink your eyes.

Corners of the Lips

General video:

Exercise #1: Helps Raise Drooping Corners of the Lips

This is a basic exercise. Using your fingers, hold the nasolabial area (from the corner of the mouth to the nostril). Raise the corners of your lips upwards as if you are smiling, providing resistance with your fingers; move the corners of your lips upwards under your eyes while keeping the center of your lips relaxed. Make sure your fingers do not "slide" across your face; when raising the corner of your lips, it should push against your fingers.

Exercise #2: Alternate Raising the Corners of the Lips

Using your fingers, hold the nasolabial area (from the corner of the mouth to the nostril). Raise the corners of your lips upwards ALTERNATELY, as if you are smiling with one corner of your mouth; provide resistance with your fingers, moving the corners of your lips upwards under your eyes while keeping the center of the lips relaxed. Ensure your fingers do not "slide" across your face; when raising the corner of your lips, it should push against your fingers.

Exercise #3: Raising One Corner of the Lip

Fix your fingers on the nasolabial area (from the corner of the mouth to the nostril) at the side of the corner of the lip that is located lower. Hold the opposite corner of the mouth with your hand to prevent it from engaging. Lift the corner of your lip upwards as if you are smiling with one corner of your mouth; provide resistance with your fingers, moving the corner of the lip upwards under your eye while keeping the center of the lips relaxed. Make sure your fingers do not "slide" across your face; when raising the corner of your lip, it should push against your fingers.

P.S. I develop individual programs for face fitness training and conduct classes via Skype. If you're interested, click here.