Dermatologists from Northwestern University in Illinois (USA) have found a way to rejuvenate the face without the help of expensive cosmetics and plastic surgeons. It is enough to do half an hour a day of mimicry exercises. The work of researchers published in the journal JAMA Dermatology (Alam et al., Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging). Specialists compiled a 20-week program of “facial exercises”. Together with instructors, 16 women aged 40 to 65 years mastered a set of 32 exercises for facial expressions. For the next 20 weeks, the participants trained their facial muscles at home for half an hour a day. Changes were recorded in photographs before, during and after the experiment. Dermatologists who knew nothing about the study estimated the average age of these women at 50.8 years from the first photos. Analyzing the most recent photos, the reviewers changed the estimate to 48.1 years. The results were encouraging to the researchers, even though the study was exploratory and the results need to be tested on a larger group of participants. “If the results are confirmed, we will have an inexpensive and safe way to rejuvenate. <…> Subcutaneous muscles, becoming larger, make the skin firmer and give the face a more voluminous shape,” noted the study’s lead author Murad Alam). RIA News