The Mimic Muscles, Facial Expression, and Massage

Our facial expressions play a significant role in communicating and conveying our emotions. Like body postures, our facial muscles can develop habitual overuse and underuse postures, which can in turn show up on our faces.

Fortunately, face massage therapy helps by focusing on the following concerns:

• Over-toned muscles and restrictive connective tissue
• Under-toned muscles
• Tense jaws from chronic clenching and stress
• Facial puffiness and improving lymphatic drainage
• Skin health and circulation of micronutrients

This article discusses the mimic muscles beneath our skin that spring into action with each smile, frown, and raised eyebrow. Learn how a regular massage is a beneficial treatment.

What are mimic muscles?

The 20+ facial or mimicry muscles control facial expression and movement.

They originate from the skull bone’s surface or fascia and attach under the skin at the subcutaneous layer. When they contract, the skin moves, causing wrinkles at right angles to the muscles’ action line.

There are generally three groups of facial muscles: orbital (eyelid and brow), nasal (nose and nostril), and oral (mouth). To simplify, each group either lifts or pull down.

The facial nerve innervates the mimic muscles. And the trigeminal nerve supplies the mastication or chewing muscles.

How do mimic muscles impact our appearance?

The continuous engagement of these muscles shapes and changes the face and décolletage over time. Along with normal aging and gravity, muscles and tissue imbalances occur, and lines become etched in our skin.

Shortened muscles and restricted connective tissue cause tension, pulling down the corners of the mouth or exaggerating wrinkles and lines in the forehead and around the eyes and nose. In contrast, other tissues are underused and become lax.

How do emotions affect our mimic muscles?

Frequent habitual facial expressions, and the feelings and thoughts behind them, impact the mimic muscles.

For example, if you are prone to frowning or worrying, you may notice more drooping or lines corresponding to specific facial expressions. Or, chronic jaw tension may contribute to a heavier appearance in the cheeks.

Different studies suggest there are 16 complex universal expressions people share worldwide.

Also, micro-expressions are facial expressions that pass too quickly for a casual observer to notice. They usually come and go in less than a half second, but they portray the same feelings as a longer-lasting expression. A micro-expression often occurs if someone feels uncertain or is trying to conceal something.

Face massage and its impact on mimic muscles

Face massage therapy is a holistic approach to improving the overall appearance and tissue health. This method targets the mimic muscles, skin, connective tissue, and lymphatic vessels.

The manual therapy techniques gently manipulate the skin, muscles, and tissues, promoting relaxation and circulation. This technique helps to:

• Lengthen shortened muscles
• Stimulate undertoned tissues
• Soften lines
• Improve facial contour
• Improve circulation and lymphatic drainage

The intra-oral massage is an essential component of your face treatment, specifically addressing tension in the mouth and cheek area and zeroing in on lines and other visual concerns important to you.

Lymphatic drainage reduces puffiness and improves the delivery of micronutrients to all tissues and skin.

Hidden factors behind facial lines and other changes

Our faces age and develop lines and wrinkles beyond just the usual suspects of time and lifestyle choices.

In fact, the foundation of how our face ages starts with our genetics and bone structure:

• High cheekbones create different wrinkle patterns than flatter face shapes
• Deep-set eyes often show crow's feet earlier than other eye shapes
• The angle of your jaw can completely change how your lower face develops lines over time

Then there's how our faces develop as we grow up. Some people's upper or lower jaws don't develop quite as nature intended, which can really impact facial aging. This includes:

• A narrow upper jaw that doesn't provide enough support for the mid-face
• A recessed lower jaw that might create more pronounced neck lines
• Misaligned jaws that can cause uneven muscle development

The things we're born with that might affect our facial development:

• Some people are born with conditions affecting their collagen production
• Others might have slight asymmetry in their facial development
• Even the way we naturally breathe and hold our tongue position can impact how our face ages

Our daily habits and environment play a role, too:

• Repeated facial expressions like squinting, frowning, or even sleeping positions leave their mark over time
• Excessive sun exposure breaks down collagen and elastin - those crucial proteins that keep skin bouncy
• Smoking significantly impacts skin health by restricting blood flow and introducing toxins
• Device use - constantly looking down at phones creates what's now called "tech neck" wrinkles

Lifestyle and health factors make a significant difference:

• Poor sleep quality reduces skin's ability to repair and regenerate
• Chronic dehydration makes skin less plump and resilient
• Rapid weight loss can leave skin looking saggy as it loses its support structure
• Stress triggers cortisol release, which can break down skin's supportive tissues

There are also some hidden influences:

• Hormonal changes, especially during menopause, significantly reduce skin's collagen production
• Certain medications can cause skin dryness or sensitivity
• Food choices - a diet low in antioxidants and healthy fats affects skin health
• Environmental pollutants and free radicals accelerate skin aging

Physical changes that naturally occur include:

• Loss of facial fat pads that naturally occur with age
• Decreased oil production making skin drier and more prone to wrinkles
• Weakening of facial muscles that help maintain skin firmness
• Gradual bone loss in our facial structure, particularly after 40

These are just some factors that work together to create our unique aging pattern. It's like a fingerprint of how our face changes over time!