Carole Maggio Facercise
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free skin care · Mon Nov 16, 2009 6:13 am

For me facial exercises aren't so much about looking younger, but thats a lovely side benefit of them, but its more about encouraging the facial tissue to be strong and healthy. I think thats the real fundamental key to them, with all the systems I see. In that they are encouraging circulation, stimulating and challenging cells etc and this in turn helps over time for the facial tissue to become healthy in the process.

Much of what is portrayed of youth today is Hollywood's idea of youth, and not really youth at all. The health benefits that our youth has though are worth fighting for though (good circulation, healthy tissue, strong cells etc) and so whatever someone chooses to help them achieve that I think is great!

Anika did you message her on here or on the forum - either way I am sure she will get to you eventually. I just had a quick look at the website and the options at closeout price are available there (there is even telephone order available or you can mail through a cheque).

free skin care · Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:52 am

hawthorn wrote:

Hi Skincarefreak, I don't know if you've done FEs before? I'm a relative newbie at them, been doing Ageless since april 09, but I have to say I think they're FAB, and are so worth doing. I don't know whether Carole's had surgery (although those lips look pretty superdooperedup to me)but even if she has, I wouldn't not do FEs just because she might not be a stranger to the knife. Don't let that put you off if you haven't done them before! FEs have changed my face in such a great way. My cheeks are higher, my mouth is fuller, my eyes have opened up. I love doing a programme, it's so easy and I'm going to do this for the rest of my life now. Really recommend doing FEs to anyone. Hawthorn.

skincarefreak wrote:

superdogg wrote:

I watch this carole videos from 80's till now.... and i hate to say...plastic surgery. So it make me wonder what is possible at most with facial exercise?

I purchased Carole's book 2 weeks ago, and I have to say that is what is making me not want to do the exercises. Every video I see her face is frozen. It doesn't move. She looks like she has had plastic surgery. I end up feeling like if her facial exercises aren't enough for her...why should they be for me?

Apile, you seem to speak more regarding her exercises than anything else.

Hi hawthorn,

I've actually been doing Ageless if you Dare for 7-8 months now. I too have seen a difference with them however, I wanted to see if there was something else that could help me with neck and forhead exercises. In addition, I'd also like to see what I can do about more lip exercises.

free skin care · Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:00 am

aprile wrote:

skincarefreak wrote:

I purchased Carole's book 2 weeks ago, and I have to say that is what is making me not want to do the exercises. Every video I see her face is frozen. It doesn't move. She looks like she has had plastic surgery. I end up feeling like if her facial exercises aren't enough for her...why should they be for me? Apile, you seem to speak more regarding her exercises than anything else.

You know Skincarefreak ~ I can't get all caught up in the debate over whether Carole had surgery or not. I really do not believe she has, and have already defended her to the hilt. To me ~ the only thing that matters anyway is how I feel the exercises are working for me personally. I just feel that if something works for you, and you feel better about the way you look and feel about yourself, then go for it! As for looking the way she does, I think she looks pretty darn good for age 64. She probably has much more control over her facial muscles and therefore doesn't appear to move her face in the same way as she used to. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder anyway. Much the same way, perception of one's age is. Personally, I feel a more toned, lifted face appears younger or more youthful than a saggy face. If after some time, you feel you are building up a certain area too much, you can always tailor the program to your liking. It is very doubtful however, that would happen in a short period of time. I hope that answers your questions/concerns. All the best, Aprile

Hi Aprile (sorry about the mispelling),

I haven't been on many of the threads lately so, I don't know how many people think that she has had plastic surgery. I hope I didn't offend you...I was just giving my opinion. I agree with you I'd rather have a more toned face vs. a saggier one as well. My concern is if she has had plastic surgery (and I don't know for sure if she has) it does diminish her credibility. Now, if this works for you that is wonderful! I'm not diminishing what works for you. Anywho, I tried doing some of them and can attest that one or two of them were difficult to do. I couldn't seem to open and close my eyes without moving my eyebrows, but I'm thinking it might come with practice.

free skin care · Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:44 am

Hello Skincarefreak,

No offense taken, just didn't want to get into a debate about has she or hasn't she. Yes, I have been there and done that and it just doesn't accomplish anything. But, that being said since I am longtime Facerciser, any help I can offer you or anyone else with clarification of the actual exercises, I'd be happy to do so! Smile

Kind regards, Aprile

free skin care · Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:08 pm

JaniceC. wrote:

Sistersweets: I totally agree! Age is really just a state of mind. And, I think it helps that state of mind to stay active in body and soul for as long as possible.

Agree with both of you Janice & Sister ~ I also think I understand your frustration at hearing that statement all the time .... "she looks ten years younger than her age". It's almost insulting, as if one's age is something to be ashamed about. I get where you are coming from. Not to mention, most of those who "look ten years younger than their age" have achieved their younger look via plastic surgery and/or other invasive techniques. I feel sort of put off when I read a comment about some movie star in magazines like More, etc. who "sitting there is her jeans with her hair pulled back looks ten years younger than her age." It's insulting to our intelligence that those comments are ever made knowing they are the results of plastic surgery or whatever!! Ha! But, I don't really think America's obsession with youth or their perception of what youthful is supposed to look like or being ultra thin is going to change any time soon. I for one was happy when Jamie Lee Curtis admitted that she had been air brushed and then bared her REAL THIGHS for all the world to see!!! Laughing

Take good care, Aprile

free skin care · Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:31 pm

skincarefreak wrote:

I purchased Carole's book 2 weeks ago, and I have to say that is what is making me not want to do the exercises. Every video I see her face is frozen. It doesn't move. She looks like she has had plastic surgery. I end up feeling like if her facial exercises aren't enough for her...why should they be for me?

To be honest, it does look to me that Carole has had something done to her face not relating to facial exercises (sorry, i hope this is appropriately tactful here.). But even if she has had something done, it really does look to me like most of her results are from facial exercises--and that alone is a huge accomplishment in my book. She is totally sag-free with no wrinkles and good muscle tone (even if there are other things that don't look as great or natural).

My two cents: Carole's Facercise program is great for the forehead and nose, and pretty good for the neck (better than Ageless for these three areas, but not as good as FlexEffect's) and lips.

For me, Facercise's weakest points are the cheek exercises, which I found can eliminate sag in cheeks, but do not restore cheeks to their youthful fullness, so can leave you with a tight look. I think the problem is that the Facercise cheek exercises incorporate no resistance and are toning exercises; so they can slow down or prevent the loss of volume, but they don't really restore fullness or volume to the face, which is really one of the top factors in aging (hence the proliferation of fillers these days).

I suspect that some people have better results on Loulou's Ageless program simply because of the emphasis on the cheeks and the use of resistance-training to achieve fuller cheeks, and because the cheeks are such a pivotal part of the face (they are responsible for the look and lift of very large portion of the face!). But the drawback of Ageless is that it neglects other key areas of the face, writing them off as less important, such as the forehead and jawline.

So if anyone is finding they like one program but it feels like something is missing, you may find what you are looking for in another program. For example, I do mostly FlexEffect and love it a lot more than the other programs, BUT even then, about 10% of what I do is from other programs (e.g., Ageless, Facercise) and I love and feel just as strongly about those exercises, too. So I'd just encourage people to keep looking and experimenting; you'll find an answer to any issues Smile

HTH

free skin care · Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:44 am

aprile wrote:

Hello Skincarefreak,

But, that being said since I am longtime Facerciser, any help I can offer you or anyone else with clarification of the actual exercises, I'd be happy to do so! Smile

Kind regards, Aprile

Thank you very much. I do appreciate it. Very Happy

free skin care · Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:53 am

cm5597 wrote:

So if anyone is finding they like one program but it feels like something is missing, you may find what you are looking for in another program. For example, I do mostly FlexEffect and love it a lot more than the other programs, BUT even then, about 10% of what I do is from other programs (e.g., Ageless, Facercise) and I love and feel just as strongly about those exercises, too. So I'd just encourage people to keep looking and experimenting; you'll find an answer to any issues Smile

HTH

I agree. My cheeks, eyes, and lips are great with Ageless. I bought Carole's book to see if she can help me with the other areas. I'll see how it goes and report back.

free skin care · Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:06 am

Although I did not originally start out doing FE for cosmetic reasons, I think now I'm noticing more. And the one area where I am only seeing very slight improvement is under the eyes. Really, just one eye. This is for 2 reasons: I have FMS and this causes sleep disturbances (not a normal sleep disturbance) and I also have severe allergies, which affect my eyes. I've tried the following: green smoothies every morning (1 year) gluten free (1 year); lots of water; eye massage; facial exercises (combination of techniques, including CM); no eye creams at night (just eye gel sparingly applied); increasing vitamin C; sleeping on my back with my head elevated; taking an allergy pill every day; green tea bags; regular tea bags; and just leaving them alone--anyway, just about everything that has been suggested. The problem will get better temporarily and then return. It is not just cosmetic, it is uncomfortable. Who really has the best eye exercise for this problem? Does anyone have any more suggestions? Thanks!

free skin care · Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:10 pm

cm5597 wrote:

For me, Facercise's weakest points are the cheek exercises, which I found can eliminate sag in cheeks, but do not restore cheeks to their youthful fullness, so can leave you with a tight look. I suspect that some people have better results on Loulou's Ageless program simply because of the emphasis on the cheeks and the use of resistance-training to achieve fuller cheeks, and because the cheeks are such a pivotal part of the face (they are responsible for the look and lift of very large portion of the face!)

Hi CM5597,

I am very curious about the Ageless cheek exercises. If I have seen the actual exercise for the cheeks on the UTube video, I cannot imagine how they could even work. It appears on the video that she is continuously pinching and pulling on her cheeks both inside and outside of her mouth. Just very curious ... are those the exercises you speak about, and if so, where is the resistence coming from? Thanks, Aprile

free skin care · Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:39 pm

aprile wrote:

cm5597 wrote:

For me, Facercise's weakest points are the cheek exercises, which I found can eliminate sag in cheeks, but do not restore cheeks to their youthful fullness, so can leave you with a tight look. I suspect that some people have better results on Loulou's Ageless program simply because of the emphasis on the cheeks and the use of resistance-training to achieve fuller cheeks, and because the cheeks are such a pivotal part of the face (they are responsible for the look and lift of very large portion of the face!)

Hi CM5597,

I am very curious about the Ageless cheek exercises. If I have seen the actual exercise for the cheeks on the UTube video, I cannot imagine how they could even work. It appears on the video that she is continuously pinching and pulling on her cheeks both inside and outside of her mouth. Just very curious ... are those the exercises you speak about, and if so, where is the resistence coming from? Thanks, Aprile

Hi Aprile!

Do you mean the videos on her website, where she isn't speaking, but just demo'ing the moves?

The idea in Ageless is to grab a piece of skin right near the muscle you want to work. Then when you try to contract the muscle, you push (or pull, depending on how you view it) with your fingers in the direction opposite to the direction you are contracting your muscle in. In that way, your fingers serve as weight or resistance to really force the muscle to work hard to contract. You provide resistance against the muscle by trying to make it hard for the muscle to contract, so the muscle really has to work. I hope that's clear enough!

Smile

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:39 am

Just speaking from personal experience here, but I think the squeezing isn't for everyone. For me it ruined my skin in a short space of time. I was constantly blotchy from squeezing, and I did the ice cold water thing after reading it on the forum there and I got broken caps as a result. When I spoke to a derm, he said ice can have that effect (but no one mentioned it at the time). Also he said to me that when you squeeze the skin, and muscles, your be squeezing the capillaries etc so in the longer term, he didn't think it was such a good idea. He's actually pretty forward thinking for a derm, as he liked Carole Maggios, and Eva Frasers that he had seen, but didn't think the squeezing was such a good long term thing for skin health.

Theresa

cm5597 wrote:

aprile wrote:

cm5597 wrote:

For me, Facercise's weakest points are the cheek exercises, which I found can eliminate sag in cheeks, but do not restore cheeks to their youthful fullness, so can leave you with a tight look. I suspect that some people have better results on Loulou's Ageless program simply because of the emphasis on the cheeks and the use of resistance-training to achieve fuller cheeks, and because the cheeks are such a pivotal part of the face (they are responsible for the look and lift of very large portion of the face!)

Hi CM5597,

I am very curious about the Ageless cheek exercises. If I have seen the actual exercise for the cheeks on the UTube video, I cannot imagine how they could even work. It appears on the video that she is continuously pinching and pulling on her cheeks both inside and outside of her mouth. Just very curious ... are those the exercises you speak about, and if so, where is the resistence coming from? Thanks, Aprile

Hi Aprile!

Do you mean the videos on her website, where she isn't speaking, but just demo'ing the moves?

The idea in Ageless is to grab a piece of skin right near the muscle you want to work. Then when you try to contract the muscle, you push (or pull, depending on how you view it) with your fingers in the direction opposite to the direction you are contracting your muscle in. In that way, your fingers serve as weight or resistance to really force the muscle to work hard to contract. You provide resistance against the muscle by trying to make it hard for the muscle to contract, so the muscle really has to work. I hope that's clear enough!

Smile

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:20 am

I lightly squeeze. I think I'm holding the skin more so than squeezing. I don't know if it helps in the long run...I do know that it's working for now and I've been doing these exercises for about a year.

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:50 am

TheresaMary wrote:

Just speaking from personal experience here, but I think the squeezing isn't for everyone. For me it ruined my skin in a short space of time. I was constantly blotchy from squeezing, and I did the ice cold water thing after reading it on the forum there and I got broken caps as a result. When I spoke to a derm, he said ice can have that effect (but no one mentioned it at the time). Also he said to me that when you squeeze the skin, and muscles, your be squeezing the capillaries etc so in the longer term, he didn't think it was such a good idea. He's actually pretty forward thinking for a derm, as he liked Carole Maggios, and Eva Frasers that he had seen, but didn't think the squeezing was such a good long term thing for skin health.

Hi CM5597,

Thanks for taking the time to explain. ~ I appreciate your response. However, I tend to agree with Theresa and thank her for posting. Perhaps Lou Lou should have posted a disclaimer or mentioned about the possible side effects of all of the pulling and pushing on the face. This is precisely what I was thinking when I saw her YouTube video. As young girls, we were always taught not to pull and stretch the skin too much because it could ruin your skin. Personally, I think that dry brushing the skin works better to exfoliate, tone, tighten and lift the skin rather than all of the pulling and stretching. Carole sells two facial mitts for this purpose. I am using both of them and it has helped with product penetration, as well as turning over the cells, and my skin looks more fresh. It may even generate new collagen, as my thin skin now seems thicker. It just goes to show you that not every program works for everyone! For instance, I doubt that Lou Lou’s program would be very good for anyone with thin skin. If you’ve been using Carole’s Facercise Advanced Program, you know that she has you use other parts of the body as resistance. Things like pushing your feet against the wall in the lying down position and using other parts of your body as resistance can work the muscle just as well as pulling and stretching of the skin. The other thing I absolutely do not agree with which I have seen on the forums is having to live through “awkward stages” in order to achieve the desired end results. If you are going backwards to go forwards, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. What that actually means is that you have overdone it or over worked the muscles of the face. Since those muscles are much smaller, they can be overworked and basically stripped, hence the “awkward stage” where the muscles are so fatigued that the face can actually look saggy again. This would not work for me. If you are rather young, and have not had to deal with facial sagging yet, then perhaps that won't happen (I'm not sure.)So there you have it, not every program is for everyone. That being said though, everyone can achieve results using Facercise and should not go through an awkward stage unless they do more than the prescribed number of sets per day. Which would be 2 sets while in the building stage and thereafter just what the face needs to maintain. All the best, Aprile

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:16 am

I think its like most things, in the beginning when your body (or face) has gone through so many years of neglect, it takes time to adapt. Its not really sure of whats going on whether it’s a massage technique, facial exercises or even skin remodeling agents. Re squeezing the muscles etc, well I think Lou says that it stimulates and challenges the face, which is true.

If someone has thin skin, then they need to stimulate their body to either begin thickening the skin (which could be done in many ways) but the most sensible would be in my mind to use supplements, diet, skincare (topical) and some form of facial exercises and/or massage.

Re awkward stages, its kind of a misused term that has been sadly abused heavily. When you work facial muscles, they don’t all immediately respond no matter what system you use whether FlexEffect, Facercise, Eva Fraser’s etc. The reason is that we all have some muscles which are in a healthy state and ready and ready to be challenged and in comparison we all have weaker muscles which haven’t been used or challenged and don’t appear to have any effect from the exercises until a little while into the program.

So for me awkward stages aren’t so much about going backwards, but more about the time it takes for all the muscles to respond and build. This is only one example where I have seen the term “awkward stage” used, but I have also seen it used where a person has done a particular exercise because she liked the feel of it throughout her day and actually overbuilt the muscle and then labeled that as an “awkward stage”. It’s a term that I really hate as its not really descriptive of what is happening. I’ve also seen it used where a person began an aggressive workout in their later years and as you know with muscle building, diet is a key feature no matter what program your using, and they were saying they were in an awkward stage, which in reality was simply that they were challenging their facial muscles and living on a fast food diet (not joking you - at least two meals a day were from fast food chains). This has an impact on the results no matter what system your doing.

Its something that used to get applied to the system I use all the time, and I can understand why people attribute that label to it, but its not always indicative of whats taking place. Also I think that a great deal of systems in the past haven’t had forums etc and its not surprising to me either to learn that many times when awkward stages have been reported in the past, the person hasn’t been following FlexEffect solely but often incorporated other systems into their workout (which is great) but done so before they have gained a proper knowledge of their face.

Sean

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:40 am

aprile wrote:

Hi CM5597,

Thanks for taking the time to explain. ~ I appreciate your response. However, I tend to agree with Theresa and thank her for posting. Perhaps Lou Lou should have posted a disclaimer or mentioned about the possible side effects of all of the pulling and pushing on the face. This is precisely what I was thinking when I saw her YouTube video. As young girls, we were always taught not to pull and stretch the skin too much because it could ruin your skin. Personally, I think that dry brushing the skin works better to exfoliate, tone, tighten and lift the skin rather than all of the pulling and stretching.
Carole sells two facial mitts for this purpose. I am using both of them and it has helped with product penetration, as well as turning over the cells, and my skin looks more fresh. It may even generate new collagen, as my thin skin now seems thicker. It just goes to show you that not every program works for everyone! For instance, I doubt that Lou Lou’s program would be very good for anyone with thin skin.

So speaking only from theory, not from personal experience, I would think it depends on how you squeeze the skin and the health of your skin in the first place. But yes, I would guess that if someone really has delicate or damaged skin, they might not be able initially to do the exercises as Loulou suggests or it could lead to some initial problems. In that case, they might be better off focusing on good nutrition and toning exercises without resistance initially, so the person could just not touch the skin initially and work up to eventually being able to apply more weight. I'm not sure what Loulou would say to that...or whether she would agree with that...or whether she tested her program on people with exactly those problems.

aprile wrote:

If you’ve been using Carole’s Facercise Advanced Program, you know that she has you use other parts of the body as resistance. Things like pushing your feet against the wall in the lying down position and using other parts of your body as resistance can work the muscle just as well as pulling and stretching of the skin.

I understand what you are saying, but that's not resistance. Pushing your feet against the wall doesn't make it any harder for the muscle to contract, nor does it add any effective weight to the muscle, so it's still just a toning exercise. Muscle build really comes from making the muscle have to lift more weight or by applying resistance to the muscle in the direction opposite to muscle contraction.

Maybe Carole's technique of pushing against the wall turns her exercises into amazing toning exercises--not disputing that at all--but it's not the same thing as resistance training that significantly builds muscle to restore fullness. It's just like pushing your feet against the wall while doing a bicep curl isn't going to give you a bigger bicep, even if it helps you focus on the bicep better; you need to lift weights or apply resistance to the actual muscle itself to actually build your bicep or any other muscle. I hope that makes sense Smile

aprile wrote:

The other thing I absolutely do not agree with which I have seen on the forums is having to live through “awkward stages” in order to achieve the desired end results. If you are going backwards to go forwards, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. What that actually means is that you have overdone it or over worked the muscles of the face. Since those muscles are much smaller, they can be overworked and basically stripped, hence the “awkward stage” where the muscles are so fatigued that the face can actually look saggy again. This would not work for me. If you are rather young, and have not had to deal with facial sagging yet, then perhaps that won't happen (I'm not sure.)

So actually, I think people use the term "awkward stage" to mean different things. For example, sometimes people use it to mean a muscle is "overbuilding"; sometimes people mean it to mean the buccinator muscle is sucking inwards (which happens before the muscle really starts building outwards); sometimes people mean their skin is going through funky stages as the skin starts to re-build itself and shed old, damaged skin; sometimes people mean it to refer to when one muscle is building faster than other, which can give an imbalanced look to the face; etc.

aprile wrote:

So there you have it, not every program is for everyone. That being said though, everyone can achieve results using Facercise and should not go through an awkward stage unless they do more than the prescribed number of sets per day. Which would be 2 sets while in the building stage and thereafter just what the face needs to maintain. All the best, Aprile

Yeah, I don't agree with that statement, in that I only did one set of Facercise per day, and did have what I would call an awkward stage that I actually was never able to get through. My problem was that my cheeks were very thin and gaunt, so the muscle toning from Facercise's cheek exercises made my cheeks look a little tighter, but not too bad...but then coupled with the several mouth exercises from Facercise gave me more of what people would call a very mild version of chimp-looking mouth...it wasn't too big of a deal, but it definitely make me my lower 2/3 of my face look a little worse, even though Facercise was making the upper 1/3 of my face plus my nose look a lot better.

So I don't think ANY facial exercise program is completely immune to awkward stages for everyone.

But I would agree that you are much more likely to get awkward stages doing either FlexEffect or Ageless, than doing Facercise. But I don't see awkward stages as necessarily a bad thing as many/most of the time it signals progress (muscle build! Smile

) or occasionally that just adjustment in training approach is needed. For example, for me personally, I have had more awkward stages on FlexEffect than Facercise (none that were particularly bad), but long-term, my results have been much better on FlexEffect, so it was totally worth. But I totally understand and agree with you, Aprile, that one size does not fit all Smile

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:51 am

CM5597 ~ When you say that your cheeks got a little tighter using Facercise, do you mean higher on your face? OR are you referring to the area to the left and right of your mouth (area that can become gaunt and hollowed out?) I am very curious, as I feel that area seems to be the absolute most difficult to fill in, without gaining some weight. The muscle there seems rather flat and doesn't seem to respond to building out to fill in that gaunt look. At least I haven't experienced that. However, I would argue that the cheeks can become fuller and higher on the face using the Facercise cheek developer exercise, regardless of the fact that you don't feel there is much resistance used in the program. I think that pushing against a wall does create more resistance and make you push harder on the last pump of the exercise when you finally hold for a count of thirty. It doesn't feel the same as when you don't use the wall to push off of. Also, I still do not understand how pushing against a muscle is the same as using a weight? It just seems to apply a slight resistance, but I cannot see how it is the same as actually lifting a weight. Regarding the "awkward stage" thanks for the clarification. It seemed to me that most of the posts I'd read were speaking from the negative standpoint where their faces had actually regressed, (sagged again) not over built. I am surprised that could happen, not discounting it, just surprised. As for your mouth issues.... just curious was your mouth already rather full and your lips already plump? I think every program can certainly be tailored to each person's specific needs (as in leaving out certain exercises or reducing the # of repetitions or reducing the # of times each exercise is performed.) Best regards, Aprile Smile

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:27 pm

I just really wanted to highlight that the buccinators stage here described, doesn’t happen for everyone, and has only happened for a handful of people that I have trained personally and seen regularly through a years training, it doesn’t happen for everyone. The ones where it did happen, were usually where people were doing several exercises from different programs and as a result overworking their buccinators. Just think that’s worth clarifying.

Re getting more awkward stages and FlexEffect specifically, I just want to point out that almost every program out there can deliver an awkward stage but they don’t get the same reputation or press that we do at FlexEffect for the simple reason that they also don’t have forums behind their own program - for example Facercise doesn’t have its own forum. No biggie there but its worth clarifying I feel. As CM stated she has had problems, and I am sure she is not the only person, even reading the reviews on Amazon, shows that Facercise works great for some, but not others. So whilst it can appear like FlexEffect has the most awkward stages, there are many programs which don’t have a forum behind them, and so the awkward stage doesn’t get the same press that we do. However I have found people who have had awkward stages with almost every program going - its not so much that awkward stages are unique to FlexEffect and I haven’t yet seen anyone who has followed the advice of a trainer and had permanent results which they disliked.

Although people are saying one size doesn't fit all, I think a goal like increasing the strength of all the facial muscle groups over time does fit everyone, but understand that some people are not wanting to spend two fifteen minute segments on their face each day (as per FlexEffect or Facercise etc), and can understand and appreciate that completely, but although they might not want to - there is always a solution. The beauty of starting and following an exercise program through a years period is that you gain a full working knowledge of your own face - which is not the same as you would get working with an EMS device!

Sean

cm5597 wrote:

So actually, I think people use the term "awkward stage" to mean different things. For example, sometimes people use it to mean a muscle is "overbuilding"; sometimes people mean it to mean the buccinator muscle is sucking inwards (which happens before the muscle really starts building outwards); sometimes people mean their skin is going through funky stages as the skin starts to re-build itself and shed old, damaged skin; sometimes people mean it to refer to when one muscle is building faster than other, which can give an imbalanced look to the face; etc.

But I would agree that you are much more likely to get awkward stages doing either FlexEffect or Ageless, than doing Facercise. But I don't see awkward stages as necessarily a bad thing as many/most of the time it signals progress (muscle build! Smile

) or occasionally that just adjustment in training approach is needed. For example, for me personally, I have had more awkward stages on FlexEffect than Facercise (none that were particularly bad), but long-term, my results have been much better on FlexEffect, so it was totally worth. But I totally understand and agree with you, Aprile, that one size does not fit all Smile

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:48 pm

Hi There...

Poppin' in real quick...

In the world of weight training... applying resistance means to specifically apply resistance to the muscle that you are working. So, CM is accurate in her description of pressing your feet against the wall and that it will not improve the strength/build of a bicep during a bicep curl. In fact, in many cases, when you use another body part to LEVERAGE your weight or strength, you are considered to be CHEATING the move. That leverage, however, may allow you to execute the move if were not able to otherwise. You might be able to lift more, but you are no longer isolating the targeted muscle. So, in essence if you are somehow using your feet while executing a bicep curl, you are likely also using your all of your leg, your abs, back and perhaps even your shoulder muscles. Is this a bad thing? Not really, as you're inadvertently hitting other muscles... But it does nothing extra for your biceps, and perhaps gets you into the embarrassing situation of stating that you can curl 50 lbs (when you can only properly curl 30), and you're asked to prove it....

You do not need an actual hand weight or plates to apply resistance. You need to apply force (somehow) to the actual muscle in the opposite direction that you are working it to be considered to apply "resistance". So, Yoga does not apply resistance... Pilates does if you are using the machines. I think it's important to note that a totally flabby person will likely have nice muscle development if they take on an appropriate diet, and do just yoga. But they are likely to stay thin in appearance, and can really only add "bulk" by adding resistance to equation.

Regarding awkward stages: I have yet to run into a scenario where a person had "awkward" stages that lasted any length of time by following recommended programs. Usually, it's exactly as Sean stated... a person goes crazy focusing on an area (like the guy in the gym that works just his arms and nothing else...) A big armed skinny legged guy is in a self induced awkward stage. It's also likely that he has a difficult time building leg muscle. A common problem. And he makes it worse by increasing his asymmetry...

free skin care · Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:25 pm

Aprile... I think a lot of times a person states that their face has regressed... they truly have exposed just how out of shape their faces are. It's a touchy thing to even work through with them. Because, obviously, it's a person's face. And no one wants to hurt feelings. You can "dress" an out of shape body and hide the flaws...but your face? Not so easy.

I would again compare this to an out of shape person taking on an aggressive workout. Have you ever done any sort of exercise that was really quite beyond your limits? Even if you flailed through it without dropping. I know I have. I've had DOMS to the nth degree, thinking I'll be lucky to ever walk again... Perhaps earned through an excessive amount of squats in weight or quantity. Now, this isn't that an exercise regressed my body... it just proved how out of shape a particular body part really is. Or rather... how UN-READY it was for what I just tried. An out of shape face can reveal itself by taking several days to recover from massage and other work. It may even heal slowly... say acne marks that stick around for MONTHS... etc. And you CAN work through it... but, as I've always said, if you can't tolerate looking at your trials in the mirror... go slow... no reason to need Prozac to get through it.

I've read of people who have decided to follow the routine of a vet, and OMG, they wake up the next day, swollen, puffy, skin looking scary. That's really the same as walking into a gym, and following the local gym rat, copying his or her routine, and expecting to survive it. Surely a newbie in the gym does not think they can squat 200 lbs first time out?

The problem can come into play that your face doesn't generally HURT like a squat or press might. So, it's a bit easier to over do. And as I'm sure most FE programs do... we advise to go slow.. Do just as we advise until you really have a feel for it... But it's true... the desperation kicks in... And when you're working with an aggressive program... it's a lot easier to get into trouble... or rather... not have a clue as to what you're looking at and Panic...

I guess, with my limited comprehension of Carol's program... I would consider the Nose exercise. It is 100% reasonable that you can "shorten" your nose. It's cartilage. It's quite malleable. Obviously, you are not SHORTENING it, you are not pushing it back into your head, you are flattening the tip. You will find that most plastic surgeons will advise their nose job patients to massage the nose to MAINTAIN their new creation. Failing to do so can often lead to moving a bit and healing crooked. (something that happened to a dear friend who refused to massage her already quite sore nose post surgery.)

Now... I wonder... Is it an awkward stage if a person massages and smashes their nose into something quite unattractive? Or is it a sad application of an amazing tool?

free skin care · Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:03 am

Hi Aprile

aprile wrote:

CM5597 ~ When you say that your cheeks got a little tighter using Facercise, do you mean higher on your face? OR are you referring to the area to the left and right of your mouth (area that can become gaunt and hollowed out?)

My cheeks became a little higher and a little more toned, but the area to the left and right of my face didn't becomes any more or less gaunt on Facercise. But I did get some build from the Facercise lip exercise, which with the more toned cheeks, looked strange on me. It wasn't that bad, but it did look a bit worse.

aprile wrote:

I am very curious, as I feel that area seems to be the absolute most difficult to fill in, without gaining some weight. The muscle there seems rather flat and doesn't seem to respond to building out to fill in that gaunt look. At least I haven't experienced that.
However, I would argue that the cheeks can become fuller and higher on the face using the Facercise cheek developer exercise, regardless of the fact that you don't feel there is much resistance used in the program. I think that pushing against a wall does create more resistance and make you push harder on the last pump of the exercise when you finally hold for a count of thirty. It doesn't feel the same as when you don't use the wall to push off of. Also, I still do not understand how pushing against a muscle is the same as using a weight? It just seems to apply a slight resistance, but I cannot see how it is the same as actually lifting a weight.

Right, so there are two ways that a person could try to fill in their cheek hollows:

(a) gain weight
(b) build the muscle in that area, so that it increases in size and fills in the hollows

To do (b), you would need to actually build a significant amount of muscle. And to build muscle size, you need to do resistance-training (the equivalent of weight-training); toning exercises "firm" the muscle, but don't really make the muscle increase in size.

Most--though not all--the exercises in Facercise are toning exercises, so while you can definitely get rid of wrinkles, sag, etc. and get a great, toned looking face with Facercise's toning exercises, it's not going to help you if you have a gaunt face or seriously need more fullness in the face. If you have the particular problem of needing more fullness in the face, then you either need to gain weight or try to restore fullness by building muscle. This is what both FlexEffect and Ageless (and I think also Facial Magic??) claim to be able to do by focusing on resistance-based exercises that increase muscle size. Of course, I'm testing these claims...so far, FlexEffect has been the best for me in this regard and I've gained the most fullness in my cheeks and eliminated much of my cheek hollows with them...whether it will completely eliminate my gaunt face, I'm hopeful but I truly dunno yet...but there's no question in my mind that this particular facial exercise program of the six facial exercise programs that I've tried is the best at restoring fullness to the cheeks (at least for me; I recognize different people have different experiences Smile

).

About Carole having you push your feet into the wall, that wouldn't apply any "weight" or "resistance" to the cheek muscle. What you need to do is to apply a force, to make it hard for the muscle itself to contract when you are exercising it; that is what builds muscle. A good analogy would be that pushing your feet against the wall while doing a bicep curl won't build your bicep muscle, but curling a dumbbell will. Also, using your other hand to apply a force and push against your wrist will a apply a force to the muscle as it contracts, which acts like a weight, applying resistance to the muscle; that, too, will build your bicep muscle. In both Ageless and FlexEffect, that is what you are want you are aiming to do with your hands; to have them serve as weight by applying a force directly to your muscles, making it hard for them to contract. Does that help explain things better?

HTH Smile

free skin care · Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:15 pm

skincarefreak wrote:

Hi hawthorn,

I've actually been doing Ageless if you Dare for 7-8 months now. I too have seen a difference with them however, I wanted to see if there was something else that could help me with neck and forhead exercises. In addition, I'd also like to see what I can do about more lip exercises.

Hi Skincarefreak, will be very interested to know how you get on with your search for neck, forehead and lip exs, good luck! Did you try the lip sandwich for (obviously!) lips? It's on a thread on Loulou's board. It's made the upturn of my lips happen very fast.

free skin care · Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:35 pm

cm5597 wrote:

aprile wrote:

cm5597 wrote:

aprile wrote:

cm5597 wrote:

Hi Aprile :)My cheeks became a little higher and a little more toned, but the area to the left and right of my face didn't becomes any more or less gaunt on Facercise. But I did get some build from the Facercise lip exercise, which with the more toned cheeks, looked strange on me. It wasn't that bad, but it did look a bit worse.

CM ~ Not trying to split hairs here, but I thought you said the only way to get any build was with applied resistance. But I thought you said Carole's exercises don't apply any resistance, so how do you explain your lips getting overbuilt then?

If you have the particular problem of needing more fullness in the face, then you either need to gain weight or try to restore fullness by building muscle. This is what both FlexEffect and Ageless (and I think also Facial Magic??) claim to be able to do by focusing on resistance-based exercises that increase muscle size. Of course, I'm testing these claims...so far, FlexEffect has been the best for me in this regard and I've gained the most fullness in my cheeks and eliminated much of my cheek hollows with them...whether it will completely eliminate my gaunt face, I'm hopeful but I truly dunno yet...but there's no question in my mind that this particular facial exercise program of the six facial exercise programs that I've tried is the best at restoring fullness to the cheeks (at [/size]least for me; I recognize different people have different experiences Smile

).

CM ~ Yes agreed, different people most definitely will have different experiences with each program. I think it really depends upon a lot of variables including the condition & health of your skin, amount of lost fat pads, collagen and elastin that you are trying to compensate for with muscle toning and building. But I am curious as to how long you’ve been trying to fill out that hollowed out area using Flex Effect? I can tell you one thing for sure, if I lose a few pounds, my face looks more gaunt. I gain a few pounds back and that area fills in nicely. So what I really think is that you need to have some facial fat to work with in order to truly fill in that area whether you are using resistance or not. Just my opinion and the fact that the muscle there is so flat.

About Carole having you push your feet into the wall, that wouldn't apply any "weight" or "resistance" to the cheek muscle. What you need to do is to apply a force, to make it hard for the muscle itself to contract when you are exercising it; that is what builds muscle. A good analogy would be that pushing your feet against the wall while doing a bicep curl won't build your bicep muscle, but curling a dumbbell will. Also, using your other hand to apply a force and push against your wrist will a apply a force to the muscle as it contracts, which acts like a weight, applying resistance to the muscle; that, too, will build your bicep muscle. In both Ageless and FlexEffect, that is what you are want you are aiming to do with your hands; to have them serve as weight by applying a force directly to your muscles, making it hard for them to contract. Does that help explain things better?HTH Smile

Yes CM, your explanation is much clearer to me this time around ~ thanks so much for your kind response and the time you took to explain in more detail to me. I guess I just wasn’t really clear as to what Lou Lou was doing with her hands while she was demonstrating the Cheek exercises!! It looked more like a lot of prodding and pulling and stretching of the skin. So I gather she was pushing against the muscle all the while? Kind regards, Aprile

free skin care · Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:15 pm

hawthorn wrote:

skincarefreak wrote:

Hi hawthorn,

I've actually been doing Ageless if you Dare for 7-8 months now. I too have seen a difference with them however, I wanted to see if there was something else that could help me with neck and forhead exercises. In addition, I'd also like to see what I can do about more lip exercises.

Hi Skincarefreak, will be very interested to know how you get on with your search for neck, forehead and lip exs, good luck! Did you try the lip sandwich for (obviously!) lips? It's on a thread on Loulou's board. It's made the upturn of my lips happen very fast.

Thank you. I will check it out. Smile

free skin care · Sat Nov 21, 2009 5:06 am

aprile wrote:

I am very curious about the Ageless cheek exercises. If I have seen the actual exercise for the cheeks on the UTube video, I cannot imagine how they could even work. It appears on the video that she is continuously pinching and pulling on her cheeks both inside and outside of her mouth. Just very curious ... are those the exercises you speak about, and if so, where is the resistence coming from? Thanks, Aprile

Hi Aprile, sure this has been answered fully by others, but if you are curious about Loulou's exercises for cheeks, I think they're fab! Looks like you've got all you need from Carole's programme (saw your blog and you look lovely, beautiful skin too!)So perhaps you don't need anything else. What Lou's exercises have done for me is to hike my cheeks up nicely. I'm 37 and always looked a bit younger. I thought I didn't have much to do in my cheek area, but Ageless has given my face a higher prettier shape than I ever had in my 20s. The resistance really works. Hawthorn.

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