How to firm up your face: can creams, exercise or massage do it?
“Is there anything I can try at home before coming in?” Of course you'd ask that. I tell people the same thing myself: if it can be done at home, do it at home. But the size of the evidence varies a lot from one method to the next, so let's go through them one at a time, with the numbers.
The short answer
Among the ways to firm your skin at home, the most solid evidence isn't for facial exercise or massage. It's for sunscreen and retinoids used every day. Sunscreen has a randomised trial that followed 903 people for four and a half years, and tretinoin has a 48-week trial in 99 people. Small studies of facial exercise disagree with one another. Rollers and gua sha have reported changes at 8 weeks, but with no control group that went without massage. For oral collagen, reviews report better numbers and also point out the limits of the study quality. As for lifting a face that has already come down, I don't think you can expect that from anything used at home. At Miso Clinic, 4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu (Exit 1, Kyungpook Nat'l Univ. Hospital Station), +82-53-428-2700, we first work out whether your problem is firmness or sagging.
How much evidence does each method have?
| Method | Studies I checked | How much weight I give it |
|---|---|---|
| Sunscreen | 903 people, randomised, 4.5 years | Do this first |
| Retinoids | Tretinoin, 99 people, 48 weeks (mainly fine lines) | Keep at it, adjusting for irritation |
| Facial exercise | 18-person controlled study, 16 people over 8 weeks, 20-week pilot study | Fine to do, but keep expectations low |
| Rollers and gua sha | 34 people, 8 weeks (two methods compared) | For puffiness, more or less |
| Home-use devices | 36 people, 8 weeks, split-face comparison | Varies by product, so results do not transfer directly |
| Oral collagen | Reviews including 26 trials and 1,721 people | The numbers move, but the study quality disappoints |
Put the study sizes side by side and you'll see why I always bring up sunscreen first. It's a boring answer, I know.
Does facial exercise raise firmness?
The results are mixed. A Belgian study split 18 people and had 9 of them exercise daily for 7 weeks. When a lay panel looked at the photos, only one of five areas showed a difference: the upper lip. The researchers themselves wrote that they “could not conclude that it was effective”.
On the other side, a Korean study of 16 women aged 35–58 who did facial resistance exercises for 8 weeks reported that firmness measured by device went up. But the abstract only gives before-and-after comparisons and says nothing about a control group. There's also a 20-week pilot study from the US, though it's a small one.
So here's my answer. It's unlikely to do you much harm. If the routine means repeatedly exaggerating your expressions, though, some people worry about wrinkles forming in those spots. I couldn't find a study that compared this directly.
What about gua sha or roller massage?
There's a randomised trial that split 34 people into two groups and had them use gua sha or a roller for 10 minutes, 5 times a week, for 8 weeks. Measured facial contour distances fell by 2.23–3.26 mm, and in the roller group the firmness measures rose by 7.5–8.6%.
Honestly, I don't take these numbers at face value. Without a control group that skipped massage, you can't separate out measurement error or changes in puffiness. The study also doesn't say how long the effect lasts once you stop. If you think of it as something that lightens a puffy morning face, you won't be disappointed.
If you've had filler or a collagen booster, please put off massage and gua sha for the first week afterwards. That's what we tell our own patients too.
Will taking collagen or using a firming cream make a difference?
For oral collagen, a review pooling 26 randomised trials and 1,721 people found hydration and firmness numbers better than placebo. But that same review pointed to bias in the studies, and another review of 10 trials and 646 people wrote that the risk of bias was largely unclear. A 2026 review of 19 trials and 1,341 people on peptides, taken by mouth or applied, found the results for firmness and density inconsistent.
Firming creams are hard to talk about as one thing because there are so many products. On the topical side, the evidence that has built up over time is for tretinoin, and that 48-week trial focused on fine lines more than firmness. It's a prescription drug, so if you're planning a pregnancy, tell me first.
If taking collagen gives you peace of mind, I won't stop you. Just don't let that money and effort replace your sunscreen.
At what point does home care stop being enough?
If your skin feels rough and your make-up won't sit properly, it's worth trying things at home first. A blurring jawline or flesh coming down beside the mouth is a different problem. It involves changes beneath the surface, in the fat, ligaments and bone, so you can't really bring it back up by applying or rubbing anything.
For home-use devices, a split-face comparison in 36 Korean women reported better hydration, firmness and eye-wrinkle volume numbers after 8 weeks. That's the result for one product, so it doesn't transfer directly to other devices.
In the consulting room, I start by separating whether firmness has dropped, volume has gone, or tissue has come down. For hollow cheeks, I consider dissolvable hyaluronic acid filler first. And I won't do RF that day if you have metal or electronic implants, are pregnant, or have skin inflammation.
Facial firmness: frequently asked questions
Do I have to do facial firmness exercises every day?
It differs by study. The 18-person study used daily exercise for 7 weeks and the 16-person study an 8-week programme, and their results disagree. I couldn't find evidence that settles how often is right.
Will gua sha make my face smaller?
In the 8-week trial, the measured distances fell by 2–3 mm, but there was no control group. We can't rule out that this was just a change in puffiness.
Will taking collagen firm my skin?
Reviews report better numbers, but they also point out the limits of the study quality. Please don't take that to mean it will lift sagging.
Where can I get a facial firmness consultation in Daegu?
At Miso Clinic, 4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu (Exit 1, Kyungpook Nat'l Univ. Hospital Station), +82-53-428-2700. Weekdays 11:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–16:00, closed Sundays and public holidays.
Read next
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Related treatments: Lifting · Wrinkles vs firmness · Types of facial wrinkles
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by Lee Chi-Hak, MD, director of Miso Clinic, Daegu. The treatment standards and injection design set out here are the ones we use in practice.
| Medical director | Lee Chi-Hak, MD |
|---|---|
| Address | 4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea · Exit 1, Kyungpook National University Hospital Station |
| Phone | +82-53-428-2700 |
| Hours | Weekdays 11:00–19:00 (lunch 13:00–14:00) / Saturday 10:00–16:00 (no lunch break) / Closed Sundays and public holidays |
| Columns | All clinical columns |
| Reference library | All booster and device references |
References
- Randomised sunscreen trial — Hughes MCB et al. Ann Intern Med 2013;158(11):781-90. PMID 23732711. 903 people, 4.5 years.
- Topical retinoids — Griffiths CE et al. Arch Dermatol 1995;131(9):1037-44. PMID 7544967. 99 people, 48 weeks.
- Facial exercise — De Vos MC et al. Facial exercises for facial rejuvenation: a control group study. Folia Phoniatr Logop 2013;65(3):117-22. PMID 24296342 (18 people) / Kim K et al. J Dermatolog Treat 2016;27(2):191-6. PMID 26212214 (16 people, 8 weeks) / Alam M et al. Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging. JAMA Dermatol 2018;154(3):365-7. PMID 29299598 (20-week pilot study).
- Randomised trial of rollers and gua sha — Ahn SH et al. Comparative Effects of Facial Roller and Gua Sha Massage on Facial Contour, Muscle Tone, and Skin Elasticity. J Cosmet Dermatol 2025;24(6):e70236. PMID 40439289. 34 people, 8 weeks, comparing the two methods.
- Home-use devices — Choi S et al. Efficacy and safety of a home-use handheld multi-energy-based device for skin rejuvenation. Lasers Med Sci 2024;39(1):38. PMID 38236440. 36 Korean women, 8 weeks, split-face comparison.
- Oral collagen and peptides — Pu SY et al. Nutrients 2023;15(9):2080. PMID 37432180 (26 trials, 1,721 people) / Danessa G et al. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2025;91(6):730-40. PMID 40826844 (10 trials, 646 people) / Nukaly HY et al. Front Med 2026;13:1618306. PMID 41924746 (19 trials, 1,341 people).
- Korean medical advertising law — Korean Medical Service Act Article 56(2) (no treatment testimonials, no comparisons with other clinics, no superlatives). This is why this column carries no prices, reviews or before-and-after photos.
- Miso Clinic practice guidelines — for hollow cheeks, dissolvable hyaluronic acid filler is considered first; no RF treatment that day if there are metal or electronic implants, pregnancy or skin inflammation; patients are advised to put off facial massage and gua sha for the first week after a procedure.
Everything in this column is general information and does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. Effects and side effects vary with individual skin condition, age and underlying illness, and the same result is not guaranteed for everyone. Any decision to proceed should be made in an in-person consultation with a physician.