Recently an article crossed my desk describing how a 45-50 year old male attorney began hearing remarks from his colleagues that he looked tired. Even though his suit was meticulous, starched collar and silk tie – he felt great but his facial appearance had begun to wane.

Consider this: A tall, shapely woman confidently dressed in form-fitting leotards and tights working out in her favorite spa. From the back view she looks like a 20 something – nothing jiggles – her waist, tummy, and thighs all in proportion. But as she turns, you see the tired, stressed out face of a definitely 40ish or older woman desperately trying to hold on to her youth.

This scenario represents the graying of the Baby Boomers; they see aging faces developing right before their eyes and they feel helpless thinking that they, too, may have to succumb to a surgical procedure to maintain the look of health and youthfulness as a career investment.

Will they need a mini-lift? Eye lid surgery? Liposuction on their chin and neck? Not so long ago, “nips and tucks” were quiet affairs and only available to celebrities and business moguls’ wives; today plastic surgery is becoming mainstream as more and more financing options become available. Business execs, sales people, secretaries, practically every one over the age of 20 realize that their facial appearance speaks volumes about themselves: Furrowed brows: angry and explosive. Down Turned Mouth Corners: looks sad, maybe depressed Double Chin & Jowls: Looks old - old ideas.

Surgical procedures are risky. There is not one procedure performed under the guise of plastic surgery that is risk-free. Not only does a patient risk infection from an invasive procedure; scarring and loss of sensation are also a concern. There have been cases where people have suffered brain damage from anesthesia and some have died.

At what point is seeking improvement detrimental? With so many procedures available, one has to ask if the medical community has slipped into an “assembly line” status.

These very serious surgeries may disfigure one’s face and body as witnessed in many recent television shows portraying botched procedures. Noses, breasts, chins implants, liposuction nightmares and faces that look distorted cost someone a lot of cash and emotional anguish.

Imagine, paying hard earned money for a look that you may not embrace and maybe paying more to correct something that may need to be tweaked. Once tissue has been cut and sutured, it is never the same. Susan Sarandon, in a rare moment of candor, expressed succinctly to Ellen DeGeneres, “I’m scared of plastic surgery. You’re somewhere between a burn victim and a female impersonator, and then there’s a kind of an Asian thing going on.”

What if the procedure goes smoothly; there are no problems and the patient is satisfied with the new look? How long will this investment last? Most facial plastic surgery procedures, especially injections, will have to be repeated again and again. Imagine facing another surgery – anesthesia and more cutting can eventually disfigure a face. The average surgical procedure is $20,000. Multiple expenditures can quickly add up to staggering amounts.

More and more people are opting for non-surgical methods of facial rejuvenation; in fact, just as isometric and resistance type exercise works to reshape the body, facial exercise can significantly reverse the look of aging in every face. Here’s how: As we age, muscles in the face slowly relax and as they relax your skin begins to follow the downward motion. Jowls and little pouches form on the jaw line, the eyelids begin to fold and a visible line develops in your cheeks between your nose and mouth.

Unlike the major muscles in the body, the facial muscles are small; in some areas they weave over and under each other, and they attach at only one end to a bone. This means they cannot contract without an artificial anchor – in our arms and legs, we have joints that act as anchors so that we can tense our muscles with contractions. In order to contract the facial muscles so they tone, tighten and lift they must be held or anchored. This action provides increased circulation and oxygenation. This means that contortions – movements without resistance – will not contour the face and neck. Resistance exercise lifts your face from the inside out.

Using resistance and isometric movements will reshape and lift your face. These exercises create stronger, more resilient muscles and facial skin will tighten preventing further sagging. The jowls will lift, eyes will open and look vibrant and the “apples” in your cheeks will return. With exercise, you can look younger and people will recognize you even if you haven’t seen them in twenty years because you will still look like you.

Cynthia Rowland is widely recognized as an expert in all natural facial fitness with over thirty years experience in health & beauty related fields. She has appeared on The View, Fit TV, HGTV and other popular shows. This author, speaker and television personality is leading the crusade to keep men and women looking vibrantly younger through natural techniques without spending their children’s inheritance.