How to Slim Your Face

Do cardio exercise and weight training.

Cardio exercise and strength training can help you reach your weight loss goals. While cardio exercise can’t target fat loss in a specific part of your body, it can help you lose weight all over your body. Balance your workouts with strength training; this way, your skin won’t sag as much if you lose weight really quickly. Try to get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week, like power-walking or swimming. Experts suggest strength-training at least twice a week, completing one set of 8 to 12 repetitions for your main muscle groups (arms, shoulder, legs, hips, back, chest, and abdomen). Space out your strength-training workouts by at least 2 days, so your muscles have enough time to heal. Studies show that regular aerobic exercise can help with weight loss overall.

Perform facial exercises.

Try doing facial exercises twice a day and see if you notice a difference. A lot of internet hacks talk about face-slimming facial exercises. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough scientific evidence out there to support these exercises. Still, they could be worth a shot—try doing some facial exercises twice a day and see if you notice a difference. Here are a few to get you started: Fish Face: Pull in your cheeks and pucker your lips. Stay in this position for about 15 seconds, and then do a few more reps. Puffer Fish: Fill your mouth with air, pushing it back and forth between your right and left cheeks. Psycho Smile: Clench your teeth and pull your lips into a huge smile. Hold this smile for a few seconds, and then relax.

Stay hydrated.

Drink plenty of water so your face doesn’t look puffy. When you’re dehydrated, your body tries to hang onto any leftover water, which may make your face look bloated. To prevent this, drink plenty of water throughout the day, and see if you notice a difference. Experts advise women to consume at least 11½ cups (2.7 L) of fluids each day, and men to consume at least 15½ cups (3.7 L). You’ll get about 20% of these fluids from your meals and snacks.

Drink less alcohol.

Alcohol leaves you dehydrated, which can make your face look puffy. Plus, research shows that heavy drinking may play a role in weight gain. While it’s okay to drink sometimes, experts recommend that women limit themselves to 1 drink per day, and men limit themselves to 2.

Cut back on sodium.

Too much sodium can make your face look puffy. If you can, use pure salt, like the pink Himalayan salt, instead of traditional table salt—this might help cut down the puffiness. Unfortunately, table salt tends to make your face look extra puffy. For reference, experts recommend eating around 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day.

Snack on anti-inflammatory foods.

Fresh fruits and veggies, like lemons and beets, won’t leave your face puffy. Add plenty of these foods to your meals and snacks, like zucchini, turmeric, ginger, and coconuts. Foods like tomatoes, olive oil, leafy greens, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, nuts, strawberries, oranges, and cherries are other great options. Try to avoid ingredients like soy, shellfish, dairy, gluten, corn, and processed foods. These foods might lead to inflammation.

Add more fiber to your diet.

A fiber-rich diet might help you reach your weight loss goals. Fiber helps lower your appetite and makes you feel full. In fact, studies show that eating more fiber can help with weight loss overall, including your face. Snack on some high-fiber fruits and veggies, like pears, apples, oranges, broccoli, carrots, and spinach. Or, enjoy a helping of kidney beans, spaghetti, lentils, or brown rice. Plums, apricots, raisins, dates, seeds, and nuts are other great sources of fiber.

Try to sleep 7-9 hours every night.

A poor sleep schedule may lead to weight gain in the long run. When you get a bad night’s sleep, your cortisol levels increase. As a stress hormone, cortisol isn’t good for your body, and can lead to weight gain. If you can, try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night if you’re an adult, and 8-10 hours if you’re a teen. Don’t drink any caffeinated beverages in the afternoon, or 10-12 hours before you plan going to bed. Unfortunately, caffeine can mess with your sleep schedule. Try not to use your phone, computer, or TV 1-2 hours before heading to bed. The blue light from your devices might keep you awake.

Contour your face with makeup.

Subtle contouring can really bring out your jawline. Dip a contouring brush into your contour powder of choice. Then, buff the powder along the edge of your jaw, which may help your jawline look a bit slimmer. Pick a contour powder shade that’s a little bit darker than your natural skin tone. You can contour your cheeks, too—just suck your cheeks in and layer contour powder and bronzer below your cheekbones. Then, press translucent powder on top to finish the look.

Get cosmetic surgery.

Talk to a plastic surgeon about possible procedures. If diet, exercise, and other remedies aren’t quite doing the trick, plastic surgery might be the best option for you. Search online for a highly-rated surgeon in your area who can help walk you through your options.