Facial Exercise for Smile Lines: A Complete Guide

Yes, facial exercise can soften the look of smile lines — the creases that run from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth — but only if you do it with the right direction, pressure, and expectations. This guide covers the exercises, the gua sha strokes, the lip care that supports them, and the honest limits of what any of it can do.

Smile lines (nasolabial folds) are a normal part of a face that smiles. They deepen with age as skin loses elasticity and the fat pads in the cheeks shift. Marionette lines — the ones that run from the corners of the mouth down to the chin — are the same story a little lower. Facial exercise and gua sha won’t erase them, but they can temporarily improve the tone of the muscles around the mouth and improve circulation in the area, which can make the lines look softer. The effect is temporary, and that’s the truth you should start with.

What Facial Exercise Can and Cannot Do

Let’s be clear about what this technique does not do. Facial exercise does not stimulate collagen production, and it does not permanently reduce wrinkles. No exercise, massage, or tool you use with your hands can do that. What it can do is strengthen and relax the muscles around your mouth, improve blood flow to the skin, and reduce fluid retention that can make folds look deeper. The result is a fresher, more relaxed appearance that lasts for hours to a day, not a permanent change.

It also does not treat medical conditions. If your smile lines are accompanied by pain, swelling, or a sudden change in your face, see a doctor. This routine is for appearance, not for diagnosis or treatment.

The Basics: Direction, Pressure, and Tools

Before you start any exercise or stroke, there are three rules that keep everything safe and effective.

• Direction: Always work outward from the center of the face toward the ear. This follows the natural path of lymphatic drainage, which moves fluid toward the lymph nodes in front of and behind the ears, under the jaw, and at the collarbone. On the neck, the direction is always downward toward the collarbone — never upward. That’s the one place where upward is wrong.
• Pressure: Light. A glide, not a massage. You should never feel pain, and you should never bruise. If you’re using a gua sha stone, the pressure is just enough to move the skin smoothly over the oil or cream, not to press into the muscle.
• Tools: You can do every exercise with bare hands. If you use a gua sha stone, hold it almost flat against the skin — never use the edge. The edge concentrates pressure into a narrow line and is the most common cause of bruising and broken capillaries. There is no area or purpose for which the edge is correct.

Always work on skin that is clean and coated with a thin layer of oil or cream. Never drag the stone or your fingers over bare skin.

Facial Exercises for Smile Lines

These exercises target the muscles around the mouth — the orbicularis oris and the levator muscles that lift the upper lip. Do them gently, without pulling the skin, and stop if you feel any strain.

The Smile Lift

This exercise strengthens the muscles that lift the corners of the mouth, which can help counteract the downward pull that deepens marionette lines.

1. Sit or stand with a straight spine. Place your index fingers at the corners of your mouth.
2. Gently pull the corners of your mouth outward and slightly upward, as if you’re making a wide, exaggerated smile — but use your fingers to resist the movement.
3. Hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10 times.

Do not clench your jaw or bite down. The movement should be in the lips and cheeks, not the jaw.

The Cheek Hook

This works the cheek muscles that support the mid-face, which can help lift the area around the nasolabial fold.

1. Place your index fingers on your cheekbones, just below the eyes, and hook them slightly upward.
2. Smile widely, pressing your cheeks up against your fingers. You should feel the muscles under your fingers engage.
3. Hold for 5 seconds, then release. Repeat 10 times.

Keep your eyes open and relaxed. Do not squint.

The Lip Press

This tones the muscle ring around the mouth, which can help smooth the fine lines that radiate from the lips.

1. Press your lips together as if you’re holding a straw between them.
2. Without letting the lips separate, press them firmly against each other for 5 seconds.
3. Release and repeat 10 times.

Do not suck your cheeks in or create a fish face — that pulls on the skin and can make lines worse.

Gua Sha Strokes for Nasolabial Folds and Marionette Lines

Gua sha is a traditional technique that uses a smooth stone to glide over the skin. When done correctly, it helps move fluid and relax muscle tension, which can temporarily reduce the appearance of folds. Here’s the sequence for the mid-face and mouth area.

Preparation

Apply a few drops of facial oil or a thin layer of cream to your face and neck. The stone should glide, not drag.

The Cheek Stroke

1. Hold the stone almost flat against your cheek so the broad face of it rests on the skin, never the edge.
2. Starting at the side of your nose, glide the stone horizontally outward toward your ear, just below the cheekbone.
3. Repeat 5 times on each side.

This moves fluid away from the nasolabial fold area.

The Nasolabial Fold Stroke

1. Place the stone flat at the corner of your nose, right on the fold.
2. Glide it outward and slightly upward, along the fold, toward the ear.
3. Repeat 5 times on each side.

Keep the pressure light — this area is delicate.

The Marionette Line Stroke

1. Place the stone flat at the corner of your mouth.
2. Glide it outward and slightly downward, along the line that runs from the mouth to the chin, toward the jaw.
3. Repeat 5 times on each side.

Do not press into the chin or jawbone with the edge.

The Jaw and Neck Exit

After working the face, you need to move the fluid out. This is where the neck comes in.

1. Glide the stone from the center of your chin, along the jawline, toward the ear. Repeat 3 times on each side.
2. Then, starting at the top of the neck just below the ear, glide the stone downward along the side of the neck toward the collarbone. Repeat 5 times on each side.

Never stroke upward on the neck — always down toward the collarbone. This is the exit route for everything you moved off the face.

A Simple Lip Care Routine

The skin on your lips is thin and has no oil glands, so it dries out quickly. Dry, chapped lips make smile lines look deeper. A basic lip care routine supports the effects of exercise and gua sha.

• Exfoliate once a week: Use a soft toothbrush or a gentle lip scrub to remove dead skin. Do not scrub hard — a few gentle circles.
• Moisturize daily: Apply a lip balm with natural oils (like shea butter or jojoba) every morning and night.
• Protect from the sun: Use a lip balm with SPF during the day. Sun damage accelerates aging on the lips just like it does on the rest of the face.
• Hydrate: Drink water throughout the day. Dehydration shows first on the lips.

How Often to Do These Exercises

Consistency matters more than intensity. A five-minute daily routine — a few exercises and a short gua sha sequence — is more effective than a long session once a week. The skin and muscles respond to regular, gentle stimulation.

Here’s a sample daily routine:

1. Cleanse your face and apply a thin layer of oil or cream.
2. Do the three facial exercises (Smile Lift, Cheek Hook, Lip Press) — about 2 minutes.
3. Do the gua sha strokes for the cheeks, nasolabial folds, and marionette lines — about 2 minutes.
4. Finish with the jaw and neck strokes — about 1 minute.

You can do this in the morning or evening. If you use a gua sha stone, clean it with soap and water after each use.

What to Expect (and What Not to Expect)

After a session, you may notice that your face looks more relaxed and your smile lines appear softer. This is due to improved circulation and reduced fluid retention. The effect typically lasts a few hours to a day.

Over weeks of consistent practice, you may see a slight improvement in muscle tone around the mouth, which can make the folds look less pronounced. But this is not a permanent change, and it will not erase deep wrinkles. Genetics, age, and sun exposure play a much larger role in how deep your smile lines are.

If you have deep folds that bother you, cosmetic procedures are an option — but those are medical decisions, and you should consult a dermatologist or plastic surgeon. Facial exercise and gua sha are a gentle, self-care approach that complements a skincare routine, not a replacement for medical treatment.

Putting It All Together

Facial exercise for smile lines is about working with your face, not against it. Use light pressure, the correct direction, and consistent practice. Pair it with a simple lip care routine and a good sunscreen, and you’ll give your face the best chance to look its most relaxed and refreshed — while accepting that some lines are part of a well-lived life.

Sesderma C-Vit Liposomal Serum: Where It Fits

If you’re using a serum like Sesderma C-Vit Liposomal Serum, it slots into the routine before your moisturizer and after cleansing. The liposomal delivery system is designed to carry vitamin C deeper into the skin, which can help brighten the area and support the skin’s natural collagen production over time. For the smile line area, apply a small drop to the nasolabial folds and the corners of the mouth, then gently pat it in with your ring finger. Do not rub. Let it absorb for a minute before applying oil or cream for your gua sha strokes. The serum itself is not a replacement for oil or cream — it is too thin to glide a stone over. If you use it, layer it first, then add your facial oil or moisturizer on top. Vitamin C can increase sun sensitivity, so always follow with SPF during the day.

The Weekly Re-Scan: Tracking Change

MEWAI’s weekly re-scan is a way to compare, not to judge. Each week, take a selfie in the same lighting and at the same angle as your first scan. The app places the photos side by side so you can see subtle changes in contour, tone, and the depth of your smile lines. This is more reliable than memory, which tends to exaggerate or minimize change. The scan reads your facial contour, tone, and skin condition, and the plan adjusts based on what it sees. If you notice a line looks deeper one week, it may be fluid retention or dehydration, not a true change in the fold. Keep the routine consistent, and let the side-by-side photos tell the story over several weeks.

The Five-Minute Daily Session: What It Covers

MEWAI’s daily session is five minutes, once a day, and it covers four areas: brow and forehead, eye area, cheeks and mid-face, and neck. For smile lines, the cheeks and mid-face block is where the nasolabial fold work happens. The session is designed to be short enough to stick with, and it includes gua sha and lymphatic drainage stroke by stroke, including direction and pressure. If you’re doing this on your own, structure your five minutes like this: one minute for the brow and forehead (up and out), one minute for the eye area (on the bone, never on the lid), two minutes for the cheeks and mid-face (outward toward the ear), and one minute for the neck (always downward). This keeps the whole face balanced, not just the mouth area.

Pressure and Tool Handling: The Flat Stone Rule

The gua sha stone is always held almost flat against the skin. There is no area, tool, or purpose for which the edge is correct — not the jaw, not the neck, not for “sculpting” or “deeper work.” The edge concentrates force into a narrow line and is the most common cause of bruising and broken capillaries. Even on the jawline, which some people think needs more pressure, the stone stays flat. The pressure is always light — a glide, not a massage. You should never feel pain, and you should never see bruising. If you’re using a jade roller, the same rule applies: the roller glides over oil or cream, never dragging on bare skin. The stone or roller is a tool to move fluid, not to press into muscle.

Eye Area Safety: Work the Bone, Not the Lid

When working around the eyes — which connects to the cheek area and smile lines — never press on or over the eyeball. No pressing on the closed lid, no resistance exercises against the lid, and no work inside the orbital rim. Everything around the eye is done on the bone: the brow ridge and the orbital bone. For the under-eye area, glide from the inner corner outward along the orbital bone, not on the lid itself. This keeps the delicate skin safe and still supports lymphatic drainage toward the ear. If you feel any discomfort, lighten the pressure or stop.

Avoiding Jaw Tension: No Clenching or Chewing

Some facial exercises for the lower face involve jaw movements, but this routine never includes jaw clenching, biting down, or chewing as an exercise. These movements aggravate jaw tension and TMJ symptoms, which is the opposite of what the routine is for. The exercises for smile lines and marionette lines focus on the lips and cheeks, not the jaw. If you feel your jaw tightening during any exercise, relax it. The jaw should stay loose and slightly parted, not clenched.

The Skincare Module: Vitamin C, SPF, Retinol, Niacinamide

MEWAI’s skincare module orders a morning and evening routine around your scan. In the morning, vitamin C and SPF are key — vitamin C helps brighten and protect, and SPF prevents sun damage that deepens lines. In the evening, retinol and niacinamide support skin renewal and barrier health. For smile lines, this matters because the skin around the mouth is thin and prone to sun damage. Apply SPF to the entire face, including the nasolabial folds, and reapply during the day if you’re outdoors. Retinol can be irritating, so start with a low concentration and use it only in the evening, followed by a moisturizer. Niacinamide can be used morning or evening and helps calm the skin. These products complement the exercises and gua sha, but they are not a replacement for them — the exercises work on muscle tone and fluid, while the skincare works on the skin itself.

Privacy and Data: Your Photos Stay on Your Device

When you use MEWAI’s scan feature, your photos stay on your device and are never uploaded. This means your facial data is not stored on a server or shared with anyone. The scan is processed locally, and the plan is built from that scan on your phone. If you’re concerned about privacy, this is a key feature. You can re-scan weekly without worrying about your images being stored elsewhere. This also means the app doesn’t need an internet connection for the scan to work, though you may need one for updates or the AI coach.

The AI Coach: Your Personal Guide

MEWAI includes an AI coach that can answer questions about your routine, suggest adjustments, and help you stay consistent. The coach is available with a subscription, along with full results and the daily program. It can explain why a particular stroke is done in a certain direction, or how to modify an exercise if you have a specific concern. The coach is not a substitute for medical advice, but it can help you get the most out of the routine. If you’re unsure about a technique, the coach can clarify it in plain language.

Subscription and Free Access: What You Get

MEWAI is free to download, and the scanning is free. A subscription unlocks full results, the daily program, and the AI coach. The free version gives you access to the scan and some basic content, but the full daily session and personalized plan require a subscription. If you’re just starting, you can try the free version to see if the approach works for you. The subscription is a recurring cost, so consider whether the daily program and coach are worth it for your goals. The routine itself can be done without the app, but the app provides structure and tracking.