Key to the Good Life: Skin Shape-up

Are face workouts for you?

Spring is a time of rejuvenation, and skincare is no exception. With beautiful weather and plenty of outdoor activities, spring can inspire you to step up your exercise and skin routines. Hallie Villemez, director of esthetics and lead esthetician at Hi, skin in Uptown Phoenix, offers advice on shaping up skin with facial workouts and other skincare trends.

Face Workouts

Despite the name, face workouts are a service more than actual exercise. 

“A face workout is a treatment that lifts, sculpts, tightens and provides tension relief to the face using a series of massage techniques, tools and modalities,” Villemez said. “We employ different hand movements and skin tools and technologies to target specific muscles and contours of the face.”

The treatment that started in Europe made its way across the pond and has made waves in other parts of the country. But Hi, skin is currently the only place to offer it in the Valley, according to Villemez.

“Facial massage has been used for years to improve skin health, but face workouts offer increased benefit with deliberate techniques that target specific muscles in the face — think of it as a deep tissue facial massage,” Villemez said.

What makes this service different from a massage is instead of being performed strictly for the “feel good” aspect, a deeper pressure and more targeted movements are used to stimulate the 40+ musCles in the face, similar to how people work out the rest of their bodies.

According to Villemez, face workouts provide multiple anti-aging and health benefits, including fine line reduction, lifting, TMJ and tension relief, and it gives the skin an overall glow.

It’s particularly appealing if you are looking to skip the needles and knife and the recovery time that comes with them. “Face workouts are like a noninvasive facelift. It needs to be done a bit more frequently than a facelift, but you do see instant results and it feels — it’s an enjoyable treatment!” Villemez said.

With both restorative and preventive benefits, face workouts are fine for all ages. “It’s a great treatment for everyone. Because it’s so preventative, start as early as you can. With no crazy downtime, no side effects —there’s no reason not to,” said Villemez.

Like any workout, the more you do it, the better the results. Villemez recommends getting a face workout treatment at least once per month. “It is also something you can incorporate into daily and weekly routines — there are great techniques you can do at home between appointments!”

Villemez loves using tools for the best at-home results. For those dedicated and willing to splurge, she swears by the PureLift face-sculpting tool. It applies EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) to the muscles in the face, causing them to flex and contract. It releases tension, similar to a bicep curl, causing a tightening effect. But Villemez said not to worry, it’s not going to muscle-up your face, just tone and tighten.

Other favorites that beauty buffs may already own are Gua Sha stones for lymphatic drainage and sculpting as well as textured rollers, ice globes and ice rollers.

“You can also use your own hands. Once you know the movements, you can absolutely do it at home. It is something I teach my clients to do pretty often so they can keep up their appointments,” Villemez said.

To learn more, go to hiskin.care.