Facial Exercises for the Lips

Your face and scalp are made up of 10 groups of muscles. One of these muscle groups is the lips, which are surrounded by three muscles that make you smile, frown, pucker or chew. As you age, the skin and muscles of your lips begin to droop, causing your face to look older. Facial exercises for the lips may help increase blood flow, reduce sagging skin and tone your lips' muscles.

Facial yoga is based on the theory that facial exercises do the work of a face lift, minus the surgery. This face exercise is designed to use the muscles around your lips in order for you to have the appearance of firmer, stronger lips. Sit up straight and purse your lips. Stretch your mouth into a smile, keeping your lips pursed. Kiss your lips as if you are throwing air kisses.

This exercise tightens and tones the muscles in and around your lips. Place your pointer finger in your mouth and suck on it as hard as you can. You should feel the muscles of your cheeks and your lips contracting. Hold for five seconds, then slowly relax your mouth and remove your finger. Repeat 10 times.

This exercise helps eliminate the tiny wrinkles located at the sides of your mouth. Purse your lips and form your mouth into a small "O" shape. Keep your lips tense and smile as hard as your can so you feel your cheek muscles contracting.

Exercising the orbicularis oris, the circular muscle situated around the mouth, helps to eliminate fine lines and produces firm, full lips by alternating contraction and relaxation modes. Lubricate the area around your mouth with water or a small amount of oil so your lips don't crack. Place both index fingers on either side of your mouth and pull your lips out gently. This movement will contract your orbicularis oris muscle. Hold for two seconds, then pull a little bit further, contracting the muscle more. Repeat 25 times. If you do this exercise right, it is an isotonic and isometric exercise, changing the length of the muscle due to holding the contraction during your repetition.

Sit straight and purse your lips together gently. Concentrate on lifting your pursed lips up toward your nose. Lift as high as you can and hold for five seconds. Relax and repeat five times.