Building Cheek Muscles: Exercises For A Fuller Face

how to increase cheek muscle

Cheek exercises, or facial yoga, are a natural way to strengthen and tone the four main cheek muscles, which can help to create a fuller, more youthful appearance. While some people opt for cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers or fat transfer surgery, others prefer to try facial exercises at home. These exercises can help to lift sagging muscles, reduce chubbiness, and tone the face. Additionally, natural remedies such as applying aloe vera, natural oils, or apple masks are believed to contribute to a more youthful look by creating fuller, plumper cheeks.

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Cheek exercises

Face Yoga:

Face yoga is a popular method to enhance facial features and combat aging. It involves exercising the muscles in your face to create a fuller and more youthful appearance. One simple face yoga pose is to sit or stand comfortably, tilt your head towards the ceiling, and pucker up as if you're trying to kiss the ceiling. Hold this pose for a few seconds, release, and repeat. This will not only reduce chubbiness but will also tone your facial muscles.

Cheek Lift:

Sit or stand in a comfortable position. Fill one of your cheeks with air and transfer the air from one cheek to the other, similar to the action of using mouthwash. Continue doing this for one minute, relax, and then repeat the exercise 5 to 10 times.

Wide Smile:

Start by sitting or standing with your head in a normal resting position. Smile as wide as you can, lift your cheeks towards your eyes, and close your eyes to enhance the lift. Hold this pose for 15 seconds, relax your face, and then repeat 15 times. This exercise helps to slim your upper cheek muscles and prevent sagging.

Lip Exercise:

Open your mouth slightly, keeping your upper and lower lips relaxed. Bring your lower lip forward until it touches your upper lip, and then bring both lips inward towards your mouth. Exert pressure and then relax. This exercise increases blood flow to your lips, making them look fuller and giving them a healthier appearance.

Palm Press:

Close your mouth and draw the insides of your cheeks as close to your teeth as possible, as if you're smiling tightly. Place the fleshy part of your palms against your cheeks and press slightly inward. Hold for six seconds and repeat 10 times. This exercise targets the buccinator muscle, which when firmed, will fill out the hollows of the cheeks.

Finger Lift:

Smile as wide as you can, then slowly open your mouth slightly and flare your nostrils. Wrinkle up your nose, and then slowly lift your upper lip as high as you can. Place one finger under your eye on the cheekbone and hold for 10 seconds. This exercise helps to build the muscles around your cheeks and nose.

For best results, it is recommended to perform facial exercises 6 to 7 times a week. Additionally, natural remedies such as applying aloe vera, natural oils, or face masks made from ingredients like apple or rose water can also contribute to a more youthful and plump appearance.

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Face yoga

Puffing Your Cheeks

  • Sit or stand in a comfortable position.
  • Fill one of your cheeks with air.
  • Transfer the air from one cheek to the other.
  • Repeat this for one minute, then relax.
  • Aim to do this 5 to 10 times in a row for the best results.

Pouting and Smiling

  • Bring your lips together as if you are about to kiss.
  • Smile as widely as you can.
  • Practice this regularly, repeating it 10 to 15 times in one sitting.

Cheek Massage

  • Place both your palms on your cheeks.
  • Gently push your palms in an upward and outward motion, starting from next to your mouth and pushing up towards your temples.

The Wide Smile

  • Sit in an erect position with your shoulders back and your chin slightly forward.
  • Open your mouth and wrap your upper and lower lips over your teeth.
  • Place your index finger on your chin.
  • Open your mouth wide, look up at the ceiling, and lift your lower eyelids in a squint.
  • While holding this pose, raise your cheeks by making a smile with your upper lip.
  • Use the index finger on your chin to create resistance.
  • Repeat this 20 times, and perform the exercise every other day.

The Cheek Hold

  • Close your mouth and draw the insides of your cheeks as close to your teeth as possible, as if you are smiling tightly.
  • Place the fleshy part of your palms against your cheeks and press slightly inward.
  • Hold for six seconds, and repeat 10 times.

Remember to be consistent with your face yoga practice, performing the exercises 6 to 7 times a week for the best results.

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Natural remedies

Cheek muscles can be strengthened and toned through various natural remedies and facial exercises. Here are some natural remedies to consider:

  • Aloe Vera Gel: Applying aloe vera gel to your cheeks and massaging in a circular motion can help promote skin elasticity due to its natural antioxidants, such as vitamins C, E, and B12.
  • Rose Water and Glycerin: Applying a mixture of rose water and glycerin overnight can hydrate the skin, making it plumper and fresher.
  • Fenugreek Seeds: Making a paste from fenugreek seeds and applying it to your cheeks can help tighten the skin.
  • Olive Oil Massage: Massaging your cheeks with olive oil can improve blood circulation, leading to naturally plump cheeks.
  • Dietary Changes: Consuming nuts and seeds, which are high in healthy fats and calories, may contribute to natural weight gain and fuller cheeks. Additionally, staying hydrated by drinking enough water can help maintain a youthful appearance.
  • Sun Protection: Using sunscreen when outdoors helps protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays, preserving its elasticity.
  • Lifestyle Changes: Reducing or eliminating habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can prevent skin damage and maintain its youthful appearance.

In addition to these natural remedies, facial exercises, also known as face yoga, can effectively strengthen and tone the cheek muscles. These exercises improve muscle strength, elasticity, and blood circulation, enhancing the overall appearance of the cheeks.

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Cosmetic procedures

Cheek augmentation is a cosmetic procedure that can give a more permanent solution to achieving fuller cheeks. Surgeons will place a solid implant over the cheekbones to emphasise the cheeks. Cheek augmentation surgery is often done under general anaesthesia, with surgeons making incisions in the mouth, where the upper teeth and inner cheek meet. The surgeon will then create a pocket between the facial muscles and cheekbone, using a sizer or temporary implant to determine the size of the implant to use.

Another cosmetic procedure is fat transfer surgery, which involves surgeons taking fat from another area of the body, such as the abdomen, and injecting it into the cheeks. The fat is washed, processed, and carefully injected, resulting in immediate results with virtually no downtime or recovery. This procedure is also known as lipofilling or lipotransfer and uses fat from your own body, reducing the risk of complications. However, over time, the fat may be reabsorbed by the body, so follow-up treatments may be needed.

Dermal fillers are another option for those seeking a non-surgical approach. Doctors inject fillers, such as Voluma, into the cheeks to give the face a more plump look. These injections typically consist of hyaluronic acid, a substance that occurs naturally in the body and can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, making it an effective moisturiser.

For those seeking a minimally invasive procedure, buccal fat pad reduction can reduce cheek puffiness and define the jawline and cheekbones. This procedure is often combined with Dysport/BOTOX-based masseter and parotid gland slimming to convert the shape of the jaw from square to oval or heart-shaped, enhancing overall facial symmetry.

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Facial massages

  • Using wide circular strokes, massage along the sides of your jaw, past the corners of your mouth, next to your nostrils, and over your cheekbones. Push your skin up, then out; never down, as this can cause sagging.
  • Massage your temples and forehead. Use a corkscrew motion to massage both temples at the same time. Move gradually inwards towards the middle of your forehead, then back out to the sides.
  • Massage your eye area. Position your fingers at the arch of your brows and sweep them around the outside corners of your eyes. Then, gently move your fingers under your eyes and end with your fingers at the inside corners of your eyes.
  • Using your forefinger, push your eyebrows away from each other. This may help with stretching out fine lines in the area.
  • Place your tongue inside your mouth to make a circle around where the nasolabial folds are. Then, go around five circles clockwise and counterclockwise.
  • Suck in your cheeks and purse your lips. With your lips still pursed, smile as hard as you can. Try to relax every other part of your face, including your eyes, while doing this. Hold for 10 seconds, then relax.

Facial exercises

  • Open your mouth to form an elongated "O". You should feel resistance in your cheek muscles.
  • Sit or stand comfortably. Tilt your head upwards towards the ceiling. Tighten your lips and push them forward as if you're trying to kiss the ceiling. Hold for a couple of seconds, then release. Repeat a few times.
  • Start by sitting in a comfortable place. Fill one of your cheeks with air and transfer the air from one cheek to the other. Continue for one minute and relax. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
  • Smile as wide as you can, then open your mouth slightly and flare your nostrils. Wrinkle up your nose as far as possible, then slowly draw your upper lip as high as you can. Place one finger under the eye on the cheekbone and slowly curl your upper lip upward, keeping finger pressure on your face. Hold for 10 seconds, then slowly return to the original position.
  • Reset your face to a neutral, unlined state. Close your eyes and visualize yourself looking at the middle point between your eyebrows. Breathe deeply and gently, and make a very slight smile. Begin in a standing or sitting position, with your head resting normally. Now, raise your lower lip as high as possible by pushing the lower jawbone out. You will feel the stretch and tension in the chin muscles and jawline. Stay this way for 10 to 15 seconds, then relax.

While there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of facial exercises, some studies have shown that they may help build muscle tone in the face and improve facial rejuvenation. However, it is important to note that the only healthy, nonsurgical way to reduce facial fat is through overall weight loss achieved through diet and exercise.

Frequently asked questions

Some natural ways to increase cheek muscles include:

- Doing facial exercises or facial yoga

- Applying aloe vera to the cheeks

- Applying natural oils to the face

- Using an apple "mask"

- Applying rose water and glycerin to the cheeks

Some facial exercises to increase cheek muscles include:

- Sitting in an erect position, jutting your chin slightly forward, and opening your mouth while wrapping your upper and lower lips over your teeth. Then, open your mouth wider while simultaneously looking up at the ceiling, and lift your lower eyelids in a squint.

- Closing your mouth and drawing the insides of your cheeks as close to your teeth as possible, then placing the fleshy part of your palms against your cheeks and pressing slightly inward.

- Smiling as wide as you can, then lifting your cheeks towards your eyes.

Some medical ways to increase cheek muscles include:

- Undergoing fat transfer surgery

- Receiving injections of dermal fillers

- Getting cheek augmentation

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