Face Exercises for Sagging Cheeks: A Routine and What the Study Found

Face exercises for sagging cheeks may improve the look of cheek fullness a little, and the cheeks are where the best-known study of facial exercise saw a change, but that study was small, had no control group and can’t promise you anything. Cheeks soften with age because of changes in fat, bone and skin, and exercise works only on the muscle layer. Below you’ll find why cheeks sag, what the 2018 study actually did, a five-move cheek routine with holds and timing, and an honest way to track it.

Do face exercises help sagging cheeks?

Possibly a little, and the evidence is promising but preliminary. In a 2018 pilot study published in JAMA Dermatology, 27 women aged 40 to 65 enrolled and 16 completed 20 weeks of facial exercises (Alam et al., 2018). Dermatologists rating standardised photos saw improved fullness in the upper and lower cheeks, and their average estimate of the women’s age fell from 50.8 to 48.1 years.

That’s a genuinely interesting result, and it’s why cheeks are the most honest place to talk about face exercise. But the study had no control group, lost 11 of its 27 participants and used 30-minute sessions. It shows that cheek exercises are worth exploring, not that they work for everyone. If you’re wondering about cheekbones specifically, see how to get cheekbones. (If you’ve seen exercise sold as a “natural face lift”, our guide to natural face lift exercises explains what that can and can’t mean.) Larger controlled studies are needed. For a wider view of the research, see our face yoga research roundup.

Why cheeks sag

Cheeks sag because several layers of the face change at once with age. No single cause explains the flatter, lower look many people notice in midlife, which is also why no single exercise addresses it.

Fat compartments change

The fat under your facial skin isn’t one even layer. In a 2007 anatomy study, plastic surgeons Rohrich and Pessa described it as separate compartments, including several in the cheek, and suggested that neighbouring compartments can change relative to each other with age (Rohrich & Pessa, 2007). When the upper cheek loses some of its fullness and the tissue below looks heavier, the face can read as tired or droopy even if your weight hasn’t changed.

Bone remodels

The facial skeleton changes too. A review by Mendelson and Wong describes how parts of the midface skeleton, including areas around the eye socket and the upper jaw, are resorbed with age (Mendelson & Wong, 2012). With less bony support underneath, the soft tissue of the cheek has less to rest on.

Skin loses firmness

Over the years skin loses some of its collagen and elastin, so it holds its shape less well over the fat and bone beneath. Sun exposure speeds this up considerably, and smoking is another well-known contributor to premature skin aging, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Genetics and everything else

Your bone structure, skin type and family history shape when and how much your cheeks change. Weight changes and decades of gravity play a part as well. None of this is a personal failing; it’s how faces age.

What the 2018 study did

The study everyone cites was run by dermatologists at Northwestern University and led by Murad Alam (Alam et al., 2018). Here is what it involved, in plain terms.

• Who took part. 27 women aged 40 to 65 enrolled; 16 completed the full program.
• What they did. Participants did a set of facial exercises for about 30 minutes a day for 8 weeks, then every other day from week 9 to week 20.
• How it was measured. Two dermatologists, blinded to when each photo was taken, rated standardised photos from the start, week 8 and week 20.
• What changed. Ratings of upper and lower cheek fullness improved, and the average estimated age fell by about three years.

The university’s press release describes it as a first test of whether facial exercise changes appearance and notes that the exercises weren’t tested one by one, so it isn’t clear which moves mattered (Northwestern Now, 2018).

The limitations matter just as much:

• No control group. Without a comparison group, you can’t separate the effect of the exercises from other changes over those months.
• Small and self-selected. Sixteen volunteers who stuck with it may not represent everyone.
• Long sessions. Thirty minutes a day is far more than most routines, including Gluvy’s 5 to 10 minutes. Nobody knows yet whether shorter sessions do the same.
• One kind of person. Only middle-aged women took part.

So the fair summary is: one small study found fuller-looking cheeks after 20 weeks of regular practice. That’s encouraging, not proof. Our article on whether face yoga works looks at the other studies too.

A cheek routine to follow

This five-move routine works the muscles you use to smile and shape your mouth, with slow holds rather than big, fast grimaces. It takes about four minutes. The O-Shape Pump comes from the Gluvy app; the other moves are common face yoga exercises described in our own words. Holds and reps are suggestions, so adjust them to what feels comfortable.

Safety first: stop any move that causes pain, clicking or strain. Check with a doctor or dentist before starting if you have jaw joint (TMJ) problems, recent dental work, or recent facial surgery, fillers or other injectables in the cheeks.

1. Cheek warm-up press (about 30 seconds)

1. Rest your fingertips on your cheekbones.
2. Press gently into the cheeks and release, moving in small steps from the side of the nose toward the ears.
3. Breathe slowly and let your jaw hang loose, teeth apart.

This simply wakes up the area and helps you notice tension before you start.

2. Supported cheek smile (about 45 seconds)

1. Place your fingertips lightly on the tops of your cheeks, just below the eyes.
2. Smile slowly with closed lips, lifting the corners of your mouth toward your fingers.
3. Hold for about 5 seconds, then release slowly.
4. Repeat 5 times, resting a breath between each.

Your fingers are there to keep the skin smooth so it doesn’t crinkle around the eyes, not to push it upward.

3. O-Shape Pump (about 40 seconds)

1. Shape your lips into a firm O, as if saying “oh”.
2. Keeping the O, slowly lower your jaw, then raise it.
3. Feel the stretch through the cheeks and around the mouth.
4. Continue in a slow, even rhythm for about 10 pumps.

Open only as wide as your jaw joint is comfortable.

4. Cheek puff and roll (about 40 seconds)

1. Close your lips and fill your mouth with air.
2. Push the air into your right cheek and hold for a breath.
3. Move it to your left cheek, then above your upper lip, then below your lower lip.
4. Do 3 to 4 slow rounds, then release.

A moderate puff is enough. Skip this one if you have mouth sores or recent dental work.

5. Fish face hold (about 40 seconds)

1. Gently draw your cheeks in between your teeth, lips pushed slightly forward.
2. Try a soft half-smile while holding the shape.
3. Hold for about 5 seconds, then relax.
4. Repeat 3 to 4 times.

Draw the cheeks in without biting or clamping.

How to progress over three weeks

Start easy and build gradually, the way a 3-week plan does. These are suggestions, not rules.

Week	Holds	Reps per move	Rest between moves
1	about 3 seconds	3 to 4	15 seconds
2	about 5 seconds	4 to 5	10 seconds
3	5 to 8 seconds	5 to 6	10 seconds

If anything feels sore the next day, go back a week.

Common mistakes

• Tense shoulders. Check them between moves and let them drop. Effort belongs in the cheeks.
• Creasing the forehead. If your brows rise or furrow, slow down and relax them. Our forehead wrinkles guide has moves to soften that habit.
• Squinting. Smile with your mouth, not your eyes. Keep your gaze soft.
• Going too hard. About a third of your maximum effort is plenty. You should feel work or a soft stretch, never pain.

Want more moves for the cheeks and the area around them? Our list of 12 face yoga exercises for every area covers each part of the face, and the face yoga for jowls guide covers the lower face just below.

Add massage and gua sha

Gentle massage is a pleasant way to finish a cheek routine, and it may make the face look less puffy for a while. Use fingers or a gua sha stone, a few drops of facial oil and light pressure.

1. Warm the oil. Rub a few drops between your palms and press them over your cheeks.
2. Cheekbone glide. Starting beside your nose, glide your fingers or the flat edge of the stone along the underside of the cheekbone toward the ear. Repeat 4 to 5 times per side.
3. Upper cheek sweep. From just beside the nose, sweep outward across the upper cheek toward the temple, keeping well away from the delicate skin under the eye.
4. Finish down the neck. Sweep from below the ear down the side of the neck toward the collarbone.

Hold the stone almost flat and keep the pressure light; mild pinkness that fades quickly is normal, while marks mean you pressed too hard. Skip irritated skin, breakouts and recently treated areas. Our step-by-step gua sha routine shows the full face sequence, and face yoga vs gua sha explains how the two differ.

Protect the skin too

Since skin firmness is a big part of how cheeks look, caring for your skin matters at least as much as any exercise.

• Daily sunscreen. In a randomised trial in Australia, adults who used sunscreen every day showed no detectable increase in skin aging over four and a half years, measured on the backs of their hands, while those who used it as they pleased aged measurably more (Hughes et al., 2013). Use broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher on your face every day.
• A retinoid, if it suits you. The AAD explains how retinoids and retinol differ and how to start slowly to limit irritation (American Academy of Dermatology). Check with a doctor if you’re pregnant or have sensitive skin.
• Moisturiser. It helps skin feel comfortable and look smoother, and it makes massage glide better.

A note on weight: you may read that cheek exercises slim or plump the face by changing fat. Spot reduction of fat isn’t supported by evidence, and exercising a muscle doesn’t burn the fat on top of it. Our double chin exercises guide explains this in more detail. Gluvy’s skincare lessons cover sunscreen, retinol and the basics.

How long and how often

Consistency matters more than session length, but no amount of practice guarantees a visible change. The study used daily sessions for 8 weeks and then every other day, and reported on photos at 20 weeks, so think in months rather than days.

A practical approach is a short session most days, tied to something you already do, like your evening skincare. If you miss a day, just pick it up again. Our guide on how often to do face yoga covers daily versus every-other-day schedules and how to make the habit stick.

Tracking progress honestly

Because any change in the cheeks is slow and subtle, consistent photos tell you more than a daily glance in the mirror.

• Same light, same place. Daylight from a window in front of you works well.
• Same angles. Straight on, a three-quarter view from each side and both profiles. The cheeks show best in the three-quarter view.
• Neutral face. Relax your face, close your lips softly and keep your head level.
• A fixed rhythm. Every two to four weeks is enough. Compare your first and latest photos side by side.
• Note how it feels. Write down whether your face feels more relaxed and whether you still enjoy the routine.

Lighting, sleep, salt and time of day all change how the cheeks look, so treat small differences with curiosity, not judgement. Our guide to face yoga before and after photos has a full photo checklist.

Practise a cheek routine with Gluvy

If you’d rather follow along than read, Gluvy’s face yoga video workouts include a 3-week cheeks plan that turns moves like these into short follow-along videos with a timer on every step, usually 5 to 10 minutes a day. The library has more than 200 guided exercises across the face, and the cheek exercise and massage courses add gua sha and massage strokes for the area. A progress journal with selfies keeps your photos in one place. When you’re ready, you can download Gluvy for iPhone, or start with our 5-minute face yoga routine for beginners.

Sources

• Alam M, et al. Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging. JAMA Dermatology, 2018.
• Northwestern Now. Facial exercises help middle-aged women appear more youthful. January 2018.
• Rohrich RJ, Pessa JE. The fat compartments of the face: anatomy and clinical implications for cosmetic surgery. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2007.
• Mendelson B, Wong CH. Changes in the facial skeleton with aging: implications and clinical applications in facial rejuvenation. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2012.
• Hughes MCB, Williams GM, Baker P, Green AC. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2013.
• American Academy of Dermatology. 11 ways to reduce premature skin aging.
• American Academy of Dermatology. Retinoid or retinol?