Facial toning

Facial toning is a type of cosmetic procedure which promises to alter facial contour and reduce wrinkles, sagging and expression marks in the face by means of increasing muscle tone, increasing facial volume by promoting muscular hypertrophy, and preventing muscle loss due to aging. It is therefore part of the techniques for achieving facial rejuvenation. Facial toning can also help aid one's appearance due to weight gain of the face that results in facial distortion.

Facial toning achieves this by performing facial muscle exercising. There are two types of facial toning exercises:

• Active exercising. In this, the user performs a repetition of voluntary contractions of certain facial muscle groups, using a mirror.
• Passive exercising by direct skeletal muscle electrostimulation. In this, flat metal electrodes smeared with a conductive gel are affixed to certain points in the face and an elecrostimulation divide is used to generate waveforms which promote facial muscle contractions.

Although theoretically possible, effectiveness of facial toning techniques are difficult to evaluate and prove scientifically. As these muscles are not prime movers, like any internal muscle additional resistance cannot be added, so the muscles will not grow or gain much strength. It is solely an endurance and active flexibility exercise. They may be dangerous, even, in the case of particularly strong electrical stimulation near the eyes. Chronic pain, delayed onset muscle soreness, neuritis and facial distortions and asymmetry may ensue