“Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.” – Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
My life changed the day I discovered Sanford Bennett and he redefined how I thought about aging and growing old.
He inspired me to instead grow younger and to age like a fine wine.
I also remember how obvious the idea hit me, too:
You exercise your body, why not your face?
What I like about Sanford Bennett’s face exercises is that he got extreme results.
Not just for himself, but he also taught other people and continuously improved his methodology.
Keep in mind that this was in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so no Botox or fillers, just face exercise.
Sanford Bennet found that by rebuilding his cheek muscles, and the muscle around his eyes, and muscle along his jaw, he would rebuild bone, and this filled in the hollows under his eyes and rebuilt his jawline.
Sanford Bennett shared his face exercises in his two books, Exercising in Bed (published in 1907) and Old Age–It’s Cause and Prevention (published in 1912).
I practiced his face exercises and got great results in terms of rebuilding my face muscles.
Face muscles are a great example of if you don’t use it, you lose it, and the typical way you use your face during the day doesn’t count, just like how the typical way you use your body during the day isn’t the same as exercising it.
I also compared Sanford Bennett’s face exercises to other systems, and I continue to like his simplicity.
Sanford Bennett (“The Man Who Grew Younger at 70”)
Sanford Bennett (1841 to 1926) called himself “the man who grew younger at 70.”
His before and after pictures seem to back that up:
Sanford Bennett developed his face exercises based on a pamphlet that was used by Ninon de L’Enclos (1620 to 1705).
She was known as the woman who never grew old.
Here is Ninon de L’Enclos at age 70:
For more on Sanford Bennett’s story see Sanford Bennett (The Man Who Grew Younger at 70).
General Directions
- All these exercises are meant to be done lying down.
- Don’t be too vigorous with friction and massage because you might chafe the skin and/or make the muscles sore.
- Sanford Bennett discussed two methods for facial rejuvenation: facial massage and rubbing out wrinkles.
- Facial massage is meant to be done dry, while rubbing out wrinkles is meant to be done using a little oil or skin create for lubrication.
- The exercises should be performed once a day. Sanford Bennett said his full body and face exercise routine took about an hour. Just doing the face exercises should take a lot less time.
Facial Massage
Here are diagrams of the facial muscles that will be worked:
The skin, like any piece of leather, is improved by friction using dry palms and fingers.
It will remove fine lines and wrinkles.
You may temporarily create new lines because vigorous massage may rapidly remove underlying fat deposits.
New fat will form again quickly, and your face will resume its former condition with some slight improvements as well.
Facial massage is performed by contracting the muscles while massaging with the hands in place on the skin.
Sanford Bennett also claims that friction with dry palms and fingers will whiten the throat and brighten the sides and bridge of the nose.
Exercising Your Temples
Firm rubbing of the temple muscles with the palm of the hand will develop the sunken muscles.
Frequent friction towards the corner of the eyes will smooth the templates and remote crow’s feet.
Do this for several minutes.
Alternative this process by striking rapidly with the tips of fingers.
This percussion action carries blood to the part being treated and will help promote the growth of tissue.
In time, the shrunken muscles will be increased, even to the plumpness of youth, and the crow’s feet will disappear.
Exercising Your Cheeks
Sanford Bennett’s first book, Exercising in Bed, contained two cheek exercises.
During the 5 years between Sanford Bennett’s first and second book, Old Age–It’s Cause and Prevention, Sanford Bennett devised simpler and more effective cheek exercises.
The simpler and more effective cheek exercises presented here are from Old Age-It’s Cause and Prevention.
You can learn about the original cheek exercises in Sanford Bennet’s book, Exercise in Bed at page 217.
Cheeks (First Exercise)
Contract or bunch up the cheek muscles.
Press your palm firmly on the cheek and rub firmly, deliberately towards the temples or corner of the eyes.
Start with 10 to 15 movements and increase as you see fit.
You can do one side at a time, or both sides at once.
This exercise strengthens the large circular muscle around the eye and will prevent sagginess.
It will also develop the cheek muscles which will make the hollows disappear.
Cheeks (Second Exercise)
Draw up both corners of the mouth in the position of an exaggerated smile.
This will bunch up the supporting muscles on the upper part of the cheekbones immediately below the corners of the eyes.
Now drop your chin to its utmost extent.
This will place further tension on your cheek’s supporting muscles.
In this position, open and close your jaws and steadily rub with the palms of your hands.
This will enlarge your cheek muscles, giving support to your overlying skin and tissue which will give your cheeks the rounded appearance of youth.
Over time, your cheeks will increase in color and gain a more youthful appearance.
Exercising Your Mouth
This works your circular muscle surrounding your mouth to prevent or correct dropping and sagging.
Insert your little fingers into your mouth and alternately pull and relax.
While not stated, your mouth should be tensed during the exercise.
Sanford Bennett didn’t specify a duration, so you can start with 10 to 15 reps and work up as you see fit.
Exercising Your Chin
Rest your chin on the palm of your hands and contract your muscles (set your teeth firmly).
Press firmly and rub your underlying muscles vigorously.
This is the same method described for your muscles surrounding your eyes but requires more pressure.
You should continually shift the position of your hands for the most rapid muscle growth.
Sanford Bennett did not specify a duration, so you can start by remaining in each position for 10 seconds.
Exercising Your Jaws
To create a rounder, more youthful appearance, you perform deep massage with the heel of your hands along the edge of your jawbone.
Sanford Bennett didn’t give further instructions, but the main idea is that you keep repositioning your hands until you massage your entire jawbone.
Sanford Bennett didn’t specify a duration, so you can start by remaining in each position for 10 seconds and adjust from there.
Exercising Your Throat
Sanford Bennett presents 3 exercises for your throat/neck area.
Throat (First Exercise)
Lie on your side with your head on a pillow.
Place your thumb on your throat under your chin (or at about the center of the muscle which extends from your Adam’s apple to your chin).
If you lie on your right side, use your right thumb and vice versa.
Bring your head forward, chin to chest, then back again, while keeping pressure with your thumb.
Start with 10 reps and work up to 50.
Repeat on the other side.
Throat (Second Exercise)
Lie on your side with your head on a pillow.
Turn your chin as far as possible toward your upper shoulder.
This will contract the sides of your neck.
Drop your head back on your pillow and relax.
Start with 5 reps and work up to 50 or more.
Repeat on the other side.
Throat (Third Exercise)
Lie on your back with a pillow under your shoulders for a greater stretch.
Throw your head back as far as possible and bring it towards your chest.
Begin with 5 reps and work up to 100.
This helps you reduce a double chin and it’s also good for your abs.
Exercising Your Neck
For developing and strengthening your neck, lie on your back with a pillow under your head.
Clasp the back of your head with your hands.
Raise your head off your pillow, then press your head backwards while using resistance from your arms.
Start with 5 reps and work up to 25.
Rubbing Out Wrinkles
This is the friction treatment.
To prevent chafing, use lubricant (oil or face cream) to the points that you will be rubbing.
Focus most of your attention on the corners of your eyes, your mouth, your temples, and immediately in front of your ears.
You want to keep your skin in place while you rub.
To do so, stretch your skin with your first and second finger of one hand and rub with your other hand, or the palm of your hand.
To tighten wrinkles, after using friction, spread raw egg white over the wrinkles with a shaving brush.
Let it sit to dry for 5 minutes.
As it dries, the skin tightens up.
Rinse off with pure, warm water.
Egg white is a powerful astringent that should remain on the skin for a short time as it may cause your skin to shrivel.
Therefore, this method should be used with caution.
Sanford Bennett didn’t state the frequency for the egg white treatment, so you might limit it to once or twice a week.
Afterwards, wash your face with soap and dry off and apply a thin layer of Vaseline.
Rup and wipe off the excess which will leave the skin soft, smooth, and not shiny.
Sanford Bennett’s Thoughts on Removing Wrinkles for Real
I found this passage from Exercising in Bed especially interesting, as it reveals Sanford Bennett’s philosophy:
“There is no royal road to health; it cannot be bought; and if you have ever been endowed with physical beauty, don’t waste your time and your money endeavoring to regain it by purchase, for that is not possible.
The rejuvenation methods I have described entail no expense or pain. They are very effective, but their practice rests with you, yourself, and they require both time and patience.
If you value your personal appearance sufficiently to work for its improvement systematically and with persistence upon the lines described, my experience is that you will surely succeed.
If, however, you conclude, as many will, that it is too much trouble, cultivate a spirit of contentment with your lot, and become resigned to the wrinkles and indications of physical age, as it is impossible to remove them any other way than as I have described.”
Sanford Bennett on Rejuvenating Your Face and Neck
This is another passage from Exercising in Bed I found interesting, as it also reveals Sanford Bennett’s philosophy:
“The exercises I have described, if persistently and methodically practiced, will surely restore to an aged body much of the lost strength and elasticity of an earlier period of life; for it is possible in this way to restore to the muscles of age the rounded contours they may have once possessed.
But if the muscles, especially of the face and neck, are neglected they will present the relaxed and flabby condition characteristic of old age, even though the rest of the body has been developed to the strength of an athlete.
The face and the neck even while one is in vigorous training, may show the ear and deterioration of years, in marked contrast to the apparently more youthful body.
It is therefore necessary to exercise those muscles just as you have exercised the muscles of the body, and they will surely grow in size, strengths, and elasticity if so trained.
The hollow places in the neck and cheeks can be filled up, the muscles which surround the eyes can be increased in plumpness; and, with a treatment I will now describe, that smoothness of the skin characteristic of youth may, to a very considerable extent, be regained.
And this much-to-be-desired condition can be accomplished without cost and without the application of any ‘skin foods” or other nonsensical frippery of the kind.”
Get Sanford Bennett’s Books
Exercising in Bed, by Sanford Bennett
Old Age, Its Cause and Prevention: The Story of an Old Body and Face Made Young, by Sanford Bennett
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