The muscle surrounding your eye, called the orbicularis oculi, can be exercised like other facial muscles to improve firmness and fullness in the under-eye area. A 20-week facial exercise program studied at Northwestern University found that middle-aged women looked about three years younger after consistent practice, with measurable improvements in cheek and mid-face fullness. While research is still limited, the evidence so far suggests these exercises are safe, free, and worth trying if you’re willing to commit the time.
The Muscle You’re Actually Training
There isn’t a separate “under-eye muscle.” The entire area around your eye is controlled by the orbicularis oculi, a ring-shaped muscle that wraps concentrically around both the upper and lower eyelids. It sits just beneath the skin and extends from the inner corner of your eye to the outer corner, providing structural support to the entire eyelid area. Its primary job is closing your eyelids and helping drain tears through the nasolacrimal duct system.
The muscle has two main sections: the orbital portion, which handles forceful squeezing (like squinting hard), and the palpebral portion, which controls gentler movements like blinking. The palpebral section is the part most active during everyday life, compressing the tiny channels that move tears from the eye’s surface into the nasal cavity. When this muscle weakens or thins with age, the skin it supports loses firmness, contributing to hollows, puffiness, and a tired appearance.
How Facial Exercises Improve the Under-Eye Area
The logic behind under-eye exercises mirrors the logic behind any strength training: when you repeatedly contract a muscle against resistance, it grows thicker. Research published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found that increases in facial muscle thickness and cross-sectional area after exercise contributed to firmer, more elastic skin. As facial muscles strengthen and shorten slightly, the skin attached to them tightens in response. Conversely, reduced function of facial muscles has been shown to contribute to sagging.
This matters for the under-eye area specifically because the skin there is among the thinnest on your body. Even a small increase in the underlying muscle’s volume can change how the area looks, filling out hollows and providing a slightly lifted appearance. The effect is subtle, not dramatic, but it accumulates over months of consistent practice.
Exercises That Target the Under-Eye Area
Most under-eye exercises focus on controlled contractions of the lower portion of the orbicularis oculi. Here are the most commonly recommended movements:
- Lower lid squeeze: Place your index fingers lightly at the outer corners of your eyes. Squint upward using only your lower lids, as if trying to close your eyes from the bottom up. Hold for five seconds, then release. Repeat 10 times.
- V-hold lift: Make a V shape with your index and middle fingers. Place your middle fingers at the inner corners of your eyebrows and your index fingers at the outer corners. Apply gentle pressure, then look upward and raise your lower lids into a strong squint. Relax and repeat 10 times.
- Gentle under-eye press: Place your ring fingers just below your lower lash line on the orbital bone. Close your eyes and gently press your lower lids upward against your fingertips, creating light resistance. Hold for three to five seconds per repetition, aiming for 15 reps.
- Wide eye hold: Open your eyes as wide as possible without raising your eyebrows (this is harder than it sounds). Hold for five seconds while keeping your forehead still. This trains the full orbicularis oculi through its range of motion.
The key with all of these is isolation. You want to move the muscles around your eyes without recruiting your forehead or cheeks. Using a mirror helps, especially in the first few weeks when you’re building awareness of which muscles are firing.
How Long Before You See Results
The Northwestern study used a specific timeline that gives a realistic benchmark. Participants performed a 30-minute facial exercise routine daily for the first eight weeks, then reduced to every other day for the remaining 12 weeks. Measurable improvements in cheek fullness showed up at the 20-week mark, with upper cheek fullness nearly doubling on the study’s rating scale.
That means you’re looking at roughly five months of consistent practice before changes become clearly visible. Some people report noticing a slight difference in firmness after four to six weeks, but the kind of results that other people notice take longer. Dermatologists at the Cleveland Clinic have pointed out that the study participants were “highly motivated” and willing to dedicate significant daily time, noting that sustaining this commitment is the biggest practical barrier for most people.
The Wrinkle Risk Question
A reasonable concern is whether repeatedly scrunching the muscles around your eyes might deepen crow’s feet or create new fine lines. After all, dynamic wrinkles form precisely because of repeated muscle contractions in the same area.
Harvard Health Publishing notes that facial exercises are “almost certainly not harmful,” but the honest answer is that research hasn’t fully settled this question. The exercises described above use controlled, isolated movements rather than exaggerated expressions, which likely reduces the risk. If you already have significant crow’s feet, it’s worth paying attention to whether aggressive squinting exercises seem to deepen them. Lighter resistance movements, held for longer durations rather than quick repetitions, put less creasing stress on the skin while still working the muscle.
What Exercises Can and Cannot Do
Facial exercises can increase muscle volume and, over time, modestly improve skin firmness in the areas you train. They work best for early signs of hollowing or mild loss of tone. They will not eliminate dark circles caused by visible blood vessels or pigmentation beneath thin skin, since those are color issues rather than structural ones. They also won’t replace lost fat pads, which are a major contributor to deep under-eye hollows in people over 50.
The skin around your eyes also benefits from factors that exercises alone don’t address. Sun protection prevents collagen breakdown, which is the primary reason periorbital skin thins with age. Consistent use of a retinoid or vitamin C product supports collagen production in the skin itself, complementing whatever structural support the muscle provides from underneath. Getting enough sleep reduces fluid retention that causes morning puffiness, a separate issue from muscle tone.
For people seeking more significant changes, injectable fillers and skin-tightening procedures remain the options with the strongest clinical evidence. But if you’re looking for a no-cost, low-risk approach that you can start today, a consistent under-eye exercise routine is a reasonable place to begin. Just give it the full five months before deciding whether it’s working.