Can strength training tighten facial skin?

There is currently no clear scientific evidence that directly proves that strength training alone can achieve facial skin tightening, but many practitioners who have persisted in strength training for a long time have indeed observed changes in facial condition that appear tighter. This issue has been discussed differently in the fitness and dermatology circles.

I know a sister who has been practicing strength training for 3 years. When she was 32 years old, she was still saving money to prepare for Thermage. She said that her apple muscles had fallen down and her jawline was blurred like a line dizzy with water. At that time, her body fat was 28%, her shoulders were rounded and her head was stretched forward. When taking pictures, she was always said to have a swollen face. Later, I practiced 4 times a week, alternating shoulders, back, core, hips and legs. I also controlled my diet a little, and my body fat gradually dropped to 21%. The problem of rounded shoulders and forward protrusion was also corrected. Now everyone who meets me says that her face is much tighter, and the money from Thermage has not been spent yet.

There are many such cases, and many people assume that strength training can tighten the face. Most people who believe that strength training can build muscles and improve basal metabolism. When body fat is reduced, the excess edema and loose fat on the face will naturally be reduced. In addition, blood circulation is accelerated during exercise, which can bring more nutrients to the skin and help collagen synthesis to some extent.； Moreover, many people's posture has improved after practicing shoulder and back exercises. They no longer push their heads forward, and their jawline is naturally much clearer. It visually looks like the skin has become tighter.

But my friend from the dermatology department did not agree with this statement. She told me that the core causes of skin sagging are the loss of collagen in the dermis, the breakage of elastic fibers, and long-term gravity pull. Strength training cannot directly affect these structures in the dermis. To put it bluntly, it cannot change the elasticity of the skin itself. She has met several people who have been practicing bodybuilding for five or six years. When they are around 40 years old, they should still have nasolabial folds and should be looser or looser. There are also many people who always frown and grit their teeth when pressing heavy weights. Their facial expressions are exaggerated when exerting force. On the contrary, they develop forehead lines and Sichuan lines earlier than others of the same age. I used to go to a gym where I used to go to a bodybuilding brother. His face turned red and his brows knitted into knots every time he hit heavy weights. Now that he is only 38, his Sichuan lines are so deep that he can hold a piece of paper.

In fact, there is no contradiction between what the two parties said. The "face has tightened" that many people say is originally two things: one is the overall visual tightening, such as less fat, better posture, and the face is no longer swollen or swollen. This kind of situation can indeed be achieved through strength training, especially for people with high body fat and bad posture. The improvement will be particularly obvious.； The other is to improve the firmness of the skin itself, which means that the elasticity of the dermal layer is improved. This is really not possible with strength training. If the relaxation is really caused by collagen loss, anti-aging skin care or medical aesthetics will be more effective.

By the way, if you are always used to making exaggerated facial expressions when practicing, it is better to deliberately tighten it, otherwise the face-tightening effect will not be seen, and a bunch of dynamic lines will grow first, which will not be worth the gain.