Facial toning

Facial toning, or facial exercise is a type of cosmetic procedure or physical therapy tool which promises to alter facial contours by means of increasing muscle tone, and facial volume by promoting muscular hypertrophy, and preventing muscle loss due to aging or facial paralysis. Facial toning and exercise is therefore in part a technique to achieve facial rejuvenation by reducing wrinkles, sagging and expression marks on the face and skin. As a physical therapy, facial toning is used for victims of stroke and forms of facial paralysis such as Bell’s palsy. Facial toning achieves this by performing facial muscle exercising. There are two types of facial toning exercises: active and passive face exercises.

Face exercises involves repeated voluntary contractions of certain facial muscle groups. This category can be further sub divided into professional face exercises, pilates or yoga facial exercises, gentle spa facial massage exercises, facial exercise using gadgets or the hands to add tension and less aggressive holistic "handsfree" exercises.

In ancient times, such historical figures as Cleopatra and the Empress of the Imperial Court in China 2,000 years ago were known to use facial exercises to maintain a youthful appearance. Since then, traditional Chinese facial exercises have been used to this day.

The first face exercises were released commercially in a pamphlet in 1710 about a beauty routine that also included formulas for facial creams by Jeanne Sauval. Sauval was the personal attendant of madame Ninon de L'Enclos, the creator of the routine who had died five years before the pamphlet's release. The courtesan and author Anne "Ninon" de Lenclos wanted to be independent, and had no intention of marrying. Her lifestyle as an unmarried woman with multiple lovers led to her imprisonment in 1656, but was released soon after with assistance from Queen Christina of Sweden. She was well known as a smart and beautiful woman; she died at 84 years old.

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Wikipedia