Drooping eyelids bother us because they make us look tired and older. As someone who has genetically caused drooping eyelids, I know that they also make you feel more tired. Your field of vision is restricted. You try to compensate for this by unconsciously raising your eyebrows, which, over time, leads to forehead wrinkles. Being able to tighten my upper eyelids was, for me, a wonderful benefit of facial yoga.
Thanks to practising facial yoga regularly, my eyes are wider open now, at the age of 44, than they were when I was 17 or 20. I think that’s brilliant!
How do drooping eyelids develop?
Our upper eyelids are made up of skin, connective tissue and muscles. As the ageing process takes a particularly heavy toll on this very thin area, it is a good idea to support it with targeted exercises and massages. Often, the problem lies higher up: a sagging forehead muscle presses down on the eyebrows, and this pressure ultimately puts a strain on the upper eyelids.
Lymph congestion aggravates the drooping eyelid
The upper eyelid can be a bit temperamental. The fact that it droops more on some days is often down to fluid retention. We can provide relief here with facial yoga and scraping massages (Gua Sha). It is most effective to do the exercises first and then massage the area.
Exercise 1: Eyebrow hold
Place your palms on your forehead so that your index fingers rest against your hairline. Press them firmly against your forehead. Now push your forehead downwards and move your eyebrows upwards against this pressure. This exercise tightens your forehead and helps your eyebrows regain their lift.
2nd exercise: The glasses
Use your thumbs and index fingers to form a „frame“ around the orbicularis oculi muscle. Use this to gently pull your eyes apart, moving them slightly up and down. Now try to close your eyes against this resistance using the muscle. Be careful, as the skin in this area is very sensitive.
Exercise 3: Glued eyes
Close your eyes. Imagine your eyelids are stuck shut. Now try to open your eyes using the strength of your upper eyelid muscle, whilst keeping them closed. A slight tremor will tell you that you are activating the muscle correctly. Do each exercise for about 30 seconds.
Facial yoga, Gua Sha and much more
In my book *Chi statt Botox* and in my online course, I’ll show you how to firm up your face on your own. Achieving beauty the natural way brings an unexpected sense of well-being!
Gua Sha against drooping eyelids
Gua Sha is an ancient form of massage from China that reaches deeper layers of tissue. It revitalises the tissue and stimulates collagen production. Apply oil to your eyebrows or use aloe vera gel. Move the scraper across the eyebrow from the inside to the outside, applying moderate pressure to stimulate the muscle.
Gently tighten the upper eyelids
Move the scraper very gently along the upper eyelid from the bottom to the top, right up to just below the eyebrow. Pause briefly, then continue scraping carefully towards the ear. This helps to reduce swelling.
A quick tip on nutrition
What drooping eyelids really can’t stand: salty, heavy evening meals and alcohol. A light, warm evening meal such as porridge or vegetable soup (e.g. made from carrots) will help you wake up looking much more refreshed the next morning.
VIDEO
Here you’ll find the video guide to the exercises:
7 thoughts on “Schlupflider straffen: mit Gesichtsyoga und Gua Sha”
Hello Christina,
Why can't you just do the last exercise with your fingers?
Greetings
Nicole
Dear Nicole,
Do you mean the exercise with the closed eyes or the massage grip with the scraper?
If you find it easier to do the exercise with your fingers, feel free to do it that way. Most people don't find it very pleasant and it works very well without. And if you mean the massage, the scraper works more thoroughly and you can achieve more quickly than with your fingers.
Best regards,
Christina
I find it very interesting what is possible here. It's good that there are so many ways to "shape" the eyelids. I will try it out and discuss it with my doctor and combine methods if necessary.
My wife would like to have her eyelids firmer. It's good to know that with facial yoga you don't need an operation to tighten them up again. Hopefully we can find a doctor who can do the same.
Dear Peter,
You can also do facial yoga after an operation. After all, the effect of the operation is not permanent, as I hear from many women who end up with me and facial yoga.
Best wishes and all the best for your wife,
Christina
If you have done the exercises long enough and are satisfied with the result, will it stay that way? Or can the muscles slacken again after a while?
Dear Carina,
If you don't exercise, the muscles can slacken again, just like anywhere else on the body. However, after more than 10 years of facial yoga, I have realised that the longer you have trained, the longer the trained muscles last.
Kind regards,
Christina