Carole Maggios exercises have ruined my face
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Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:11 am

I am new to this forum but would like to know other peoples experience with Carole Maggios exercises.

I started them over a year ago and my skin and muscle tone are completed damaged. I am 25 and have always looked younger than i am, now i look 10 years older. My skin now droops and all muscle tone has gone after using the cheek enhancing exercise - which does anything but that.

I am now looking into surgery to get my face back!

free skin care · Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:35 am

Wow I've never heard that before about Facercise. Can you tell us what got you into them at such a young age? Was it the full routine you did? How many reps, how many times a day etc? I'm sure there is something we can suggest to help you out.

pm1 wrote:

I am new to this forum but would like to know other peoples experience with Carole Maggios exercises.

I started them over a year ago and my skin and muscle tone are completed damaged. I am 25 and have always looked younger than i am, now i look 10 years older. My skin now droops and all muscle tone has gone after using the cheek enhancing exercise - which does anything but that.

I am now looking into surgery to get my face back!

free skin care · Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:40 am

I wwould suggest that it's impossible for your aging over the past year to be caused by CM's cheel exercise. I don't (currently)do her program..(i do another) but i am familiar with it from the past...almost anyone else's program i could understand this to be a possibility..but in CM's program there is no stetching of the skin at all...the mouth is shaped into a firm 'o' shape ..and doesn't move from that shape through the exercise..the finger next to the thumb on either hand is placed above the cheek bone on either side of the face...nd the cheek muscles are raised without moving the mouth at all..it's extraordinarily isometric..

perhaps there are other factors at work that caused your aging this past year..from stress, or unresolved negative feelings/emotions, or general lack of self care, as in diet and exercise...not saying that any of this is true for you...(but all of us go through periods like this occasionally)

anyway, i agree with Sean, regardless of the cause, at your age i belueve there is much you can do to regenerate your face (even beyond what you had before)

free skin care · Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:18 am

Yes, I am also confused as to why you started doing facial exercises at such a young age. Have you seen a doctor about this to be sure there is nothing else going on?

free skin care · Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:15 pm

I am not a fan of face exercises because it deepened some wrinkles but I don't see how it could cause drooping skin and sagging muscles. Because this is her first post and seems a bit strange, I suspect she just wanted to bash Maggio because she has a competing exercise or product or maybe didn't see any results and couldn't get her money back. Just guessing.

free skin care · Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:38 am

Wow I was scared when I read the above, as I had Carole's new dvd arrive at the weekend and have been doing it since then. I don't get how your cheeks sagged after the cheek exercise. Mine are literally floating upwards, creating the opposite look your describing (although your a lot younger than me).

Did you email Carole and get her opinion? She does respond to emails so that might be another option for you to consider.

Softskin which program did you do that deepened your wrinkles -I want to avoid that at all costs!

free skin care · Mon Feb 01, 2010 7:17 am

I find it odd that you would have such a dramataic bad effect in such a short time and on such a young face Confused

I would email Carole and let her know what happened and ask for suggestions. Maybe you were totally doing things wrong - along with other factors at play. I agree with others here - the exercises I've done of CM's are gentle on the skin tissues. The facial exercises I do now are more rigorous in general.

Softskin - I'm sorry your wrinkles were made worse. Not knowing anything about where they were or what exercises you did I can't guess how this happened to you. Once you stopped did everything eventually resolve back to the way it had been? I hope. What I've written below is for you too. (You may already know this but fwiw).

Hi LondonLucy - From my experience some facial exercise will cause temporary wrinkle(s) as the facial muscles lift the skin up and out. If you stick with things it eventually resolves and works itself away. This happened around my mouth - NL area and outward. Eventually things just lifted more and smoothed out. I had filler put into my NL's at one time and no longer need anything. When I smile my cheeks go upward and my lower face has natural upward movement as well.

free skin care · Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:23 am

Now, in my opinion, I just wanted to say that this post could have been posted on the Facercise thread. Why the need for a separate thread? I agree with Seany Sean who said on the Facercise thread that overdoing facial exercises could indeed cause some sagging, albeit temporary. If you are only 25 years old, there is nothing wrong with starting a facial exercise program early to exercise your face just like your body. Trying to build higher cheeks can be accomplished using Facercise & I am sure other programs as well. But, overdoing ANY facial exercise program can strip the muscles of the face and indeed cause a temporary setback. The muscles of the face are very small and respond very quickly ~ positively and negatively. It's never good to overwork the muscles of the face by doing the exercises more than the prescribed number of times in a single day. I know this, as in my own impatience, I did the same thing and experienced an adverse effect. But, that being said even at 41, my face went back to normal after a few days of performing the exercises the correct number of times. No worries ~ you will be fine! And most definitely ~ email Carole ~ she will be happy to respond. All the best, Aprile

Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:58 am

Do email Carole. I have and she is very helpful and very nice. She has ALWAYS responded to my questions/concerns.

Back off the exercises a bit and you'll be okay, hun.

free skin care · Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:45 am

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I did Carolyn's Facial Fitness 3 years ago and the skin under my eyes is damaged. I'm so depressed about it. I want to get my old under eyes back!

free skin care · Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:07 am

budderballer wrote:

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I did Carolyn's Facial Fitness 3 years ago and the skin under my eyes is damaged. I'm so depressed about it. I want to get my old under eyes back!

Hi budderballer. Sorry to hear about your under eye skin. What has happened to it?

What has lead you to conclude that it has some connection to facial fitness?

free skin care · Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:11 am

Budderballer did you ever share your concerns with Carolyn? I know there was TheresaCats who also got very depressed at one point, but I think she solved it. She spoke with Carolyn and got some additional exercises from her that I think started changing things. There are many different programs out there, and so I would really say don't give up hope. You tried one, and it didn't work the way you wanted, but its not to say they are all identical.

Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:58 pm

I did CM exercises for several years and loved it. I never had a problem just good results. Because of that I later took a chance and bought a different program that I thought might offer even more. This program warned of being extra aggressive so I did what was recommended and took my time. Surly if I hadn’t used just plain ole common sense I too would have had a problem with overbuild or overly stressed skin. Facial exercise is a science just like exercising the rest of the body and the same precautions should apply.

Abi Smile

free skin care · Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:27 pm

Abigail wrote:

I did CM exercises for several years and loved it. I never had a problem just good results. Because of that I later took a chance and bought a different program that I thought might offer even more. This program warned of being extra aggressive so I did what was recommended and took my time. Surly if I hadn’t used just plain ole common sense I too would have had a problem with overbuild or overly stressed skin. Facial exercise is a science just like exercising the rest of the body and the same precautions should apply.

Abi Smile

What programme did you use that was extra aggressive, Abi?

free skin care · Fri Apr 19, 2013 3:57 am

Catski I think you are misunderstanding Abi, she said:

This program warned of being extra aggressive

Not that is was aggressive. Having said that, I think aggressiveness can be a good thing if your face is heavily damaged or you have lost a lot of weight and are older. Just my personal opinion, but I know when I hit 50 and lost a load of weight my face had major sag, and if it wasn't for being aggressive, I'm not sure that being gentle would have done anything (well I know it didn't for the first few years).

free skin care · Fri Apr 19, 2013 6:46 pm

What ever happened to the original poster Confused

free skin care · Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:16 pm

Wondering the same thing myself. Confused

free skin care · Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:39 pm

pm1 wrote:

I am new to this forum but would like to know other peoples experience with Carole Maggios exercises.

I started them over a year ago and my skin and muscle tone are completed damaged. I am 25 and have always looked younger than i am, now i look 10 years older. My skin now droops and all muscle tone has gone after using the cheek enhancing exercise - which does anything but that.

I am now looking into surgery to get my face back!

my two cents
the OP posted january 31, 2010 -three years ago-
maybe she/he did what she/he said that she/he was going to do back then( ^ see underlined)......who knows

free skin care · Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:45 am

TheresaMary wrote:

Catski I think you are misunderstanding Abi, she said:

This program warned of being extra aggressive

Not that is was aggressive. Having said that, I think aggressiveness can be a good thing if your face is heavily damaged or you have lost a lot of weight and are older. Just my personal opinion, but I know when I hit 50 and lost a load of weight my face had major sag, and if it wasn't for being aggressive, I'm not sure that being gentle would have done anything (well I know it didn't for the first few years).

yes, thankyou, I did read it wrong!

free skin care · Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:24 am

It's okay - usually I'm the one who does it ha ha

Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:22 pm

Hi, I am 36 and had a similar experience with Carole Maggio exercises, they have ruined my face also. I have crows feet now, creases under the eyes and my facial skin is way looser than before and I noticed this change after two weeks of doing the video exercises. I look 10 years older. I am looking to get professional advice to correct the problem. That product is not for everyone and I would recommend that persons stay away from it because messing with your face is one of the worst things you can do as it is irreversible without surgery.

free skin care · Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:22 pm

Hi everyone,
facial exercise is much misunderstood. I use the example of someone trying to get fit by running... In the early stages at least you'll be tired the day after a long run, but this doesn't mean you've ruined your cardio-vascular fitness, just that you need time to rebuild and restore your body to adapt to what it's being asked to do.

Facial training is exactly the same, no matter what programme you use; the skin is attached to the muscle. When the skin sags, it's because the muscles are sagging, when the skin wrinkles, it's because the muscle is a bit scrunched and is pulling the skin into wrinkles. This is why Botox works where creams don't. The facial skin doesn't have an independent existence. Everything it does depends on the muscle underneath.

If you overtrain, the muscles might sag a little until they're repaired, and they might scrunch the skin up until the muscle has had time to heal and regain its youthful smooth shape. In neither case does the skin droop away from the muscle. The answer to anything looking ropey is rest.

Apart from overtraining, the other possible cause of sag is dejection. There are pictures of me in my late 30s where I look about 60 because the muscular structure of the face is slumped. People think I've had surgery on my chin, but it's just that I'm holding it slackly because im miserable about it. I don't want to dismiss your concerns because they're clearly genuine and I recognise and sympathise with how you must be feeling, but I do promise also that once you're aware there's a problem it will invariably dominate your view of yourself in the mirror, leading to more disappointment, a further slump in the way you hold your face, and so it goes on. I've had periods in my life where my face has seemed asymmetrical to the point of being deformed, and been thoroughly unhappy about it. People look into your eyes, they look at your smile, they don't look at your magnified imperfections.

So I'd advise rest for the face, massage it a bit if you like, but don't Rush into surgery, don't look too closely at it, then have a look in three weeks' time.

All best, Loulou

free skin care · Sat Jun 13, 2015 9:55 am

TheresaMary wrote:

I know when I hit 50 and lost a load of weight my face had major sag.

Also at that age most women go through menopause, which causes rapid aging of the body.

free skin care · Mon Jun 15, 2015 6:10 am

Trix have you also spoken to Carole too. That's something I would definitely advise after all its her program you were using and so maybe she can suggest something.

When you say you are looking to get "professional" advice that can mean a lot of things. You see if by professional you mean from a surgeon remember they aren't trained in facial exercises and so often will poo poo the idea. If however you were to speak with a program creator like Loulou or Carole Maggio or Carolyn Cleaves then that's something else different (yet still professional).

Just food for thought.

Trix1 wrote:

Hi, I am 36 and had a similar experience with Carole Maggio exercises, they have ruined my face also. I have crows feet now, creases under the eyes and my facial skin is way looser than before and I noticed this change after two weeks of doing the video exercises. I look 10 years older. I am looking to get professional advice to correct the problem. That product is not for everyone and I would recommend that persons stay away from it because messing with your face is one of the worst things you can do as it is irreversible without surgery.

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