Can sculpting tools replace face yoga?

Backed by ancient wisdom and rituals, both techniques claim to give you a sculpted, youthful visage. We attempt to find out the one that outweighs the other

Look up the Internet and you’ll stumble upon a multitude of references that serve as evidence of celebrities’ obsession with gua shas, face rollers, ice globes and facial yoga—the compulsion to have a ‘snatched’ jawline or ‘chiselled’ cheeks is real. So it isn’t surprising that either at least one sculpting tool has made its way into every beauty fanatic’s vanity or that their social media feeds are invariably taken over facial yoga videos or both.

Face yoga, as a ritual, is believed to find its origin in Japan; trainers like Fumiko Takatsu and Koko Hayashi are successfully globalising it whereas the practice of using tools like gua sha (all over the face and body) stems from traditional Chinese medicine. Today, both have been propounded as mediums to achieve a more sculpted and defined countenance. Many skincare enthusiasts have also subscribed to these rituals for their lymphatic drainage-boosting and youth-enhancing benefits. However, there still seems to be a lot of murkiness when it comes to the efficacy and methodology of both how they fare. We speak to two professionals who give us the lowdown on the rituals and their individual performances.

How does face yoga work?

Your face is the least prone to any type of action or movement; however, you can’t forget that it is home to muscles too. “The face has over 40 muscles and if you count the muscles of the mouth and neck, that amounts to over 57 facial muscles,” shares face yoga instructor Vibhuti Arora. According to Aditi Shorewal, face yoga coach and founder, Lilaa Organic Skincare, face yoga encourages one to use their hands to strategically move and stimulate these muscles. “With mindful face yoga movements and repetitions, one can create new patterns that build muscle strength,” she claims.

If you’re wondering about the benefits, the list isn’t bijou. “When you massage, lift, tighten and exercise these muscles, they become plump, which stretches and tightens the skin on top, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The circulation of blood, in turn, increases, nourishing and hydrating the seven layers of your skin,” shares Arora.

The scope of face tools

While the likes of Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Zendaya, Miranda Kerr and Jennifer Anniston indulge in gua sha-ing every now and then, the experts believe that such tools can only do so much when it comes to sculpting and remodelling your face. “Broadly speaking, facial tools invigorate blood flow and stimulate lymphatic drainage,” says Shorewal. If we were to enumerate the top benefits of incorporating face tools in your daily routine, reduced puffiness and inflammation, stimulated collagen production and blood circulation and better absorption of skincare products would be top rankers. However, some facial tools can prove to be efficient for sculpting. “While face rollers are not so much for sculpting but more for toning facial muscles, stimulate blood circulation and engender lymphatic drainage, gua sha, on the contrary, is a great sculpting tool. When used with medium pressure, it creates a minor bruise and helps in breaking scar tissue and stubborn fatty tissue. It helps deeper penetration massage that, in turn, results in facial muscle lifting and face contouring,” shares Arora.

What’s better for you?

If face tools have managed to find a spot in the vanity of A-listers, face yoga boasts a following of equally promising names like Meghan Markle, Madonna and Gwenyth Paltrow. Talking about how one could potentially jeopardise their skin with facial tools, Shorewal says, “Gua Sha, for instance, is a surface-friction tool that raises transitory petechiae or ecchymosis (bruises) and isn’t typically recommended for someone with sensitive skin. Sometimes, starting a face tool practice may irritate the skin and cause a breakout; this is not something that one would experience with face yoga.” Thus, face yoga has her vote between the two, since it has no side effects and gives one the opportunity to connect mindfully with oneself through touch. 

According to Arora, there is no real right or wrong in skincare or face yoga; everything is custom-made depending on the client’s skin, time, desired results and effort. “When an individual gets older they tend to lose collagen; in that case, both gua sha and jade rollers won’t work and face cups or microcurrent face tools might be better. In the same way, a younger client with acne would need tools like a magic wand over a gua sha for antibacterial and acne-drying effects,” she shares. Arora believes that a combination of both rituals promises maximum results, especially if your skin type can endure the pressure that comes along with them respectively. “Somedays I am motivated to follow the entire routine, on other days I am lazy and want to just use a roller for all of 30 seconds. Once a client has the knowledge, face yoga can be done anywhere and anytime be it while watching television, using a face cleanser, or even while travelling. The benefits of face yoga are not limited to the face; it helps improve overall wellness, neck stiffness, anxiety issues and hyperactivity.”

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