Monkey mouth and other issues
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free skin care · Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:58 am

Hi Team,

I am new to this foruma and extremely thrilled to have discovered this. I ahve been reading all the posts like crazy since last one week and really appreciate the plethora of ownderful information on this forum..

Ladies I am 38 years old and have noted two issues which are really acceting my self esteem:

1. I have naso labial folds and they are developing in the manner that I am getting a monkey mouth look..

2. I can almost feel that the muscle or area between my nose and upper lip (cleft) is drooping and lenthning.
I live in India and cannot afford to order any of the facial exercise programs that are available in US/UK.. So I wil have to limit myself to free exercsies available on internet.

Can someone please guide me as to which exercises to use to get rid of NL folds so that I can get rid of the money face.. Can someone tell me why the monkey face is caused in the first place..

I will really apprciate help from all the wonderful ladies here..

Thanks a lot
Mansi

free skin care · Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:13 am

Hi Mansi:

I don't think you can just spot train an area of your face. Your face muscles are connected to each other so if you only work one area you may end up with a bad build.

There are face exercise books sold in India. I believe this Junglee is the equivalent of Amazon.com I don't know if the prices are fair for you but check out this page:

http://www.junglee.com/mn/search/junglee/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aface+exercises&keywords=face+exercises&ie=UTF8&qid=1357546093

and this one:

http://www.junglee.com/mn/search/junglee/ref=sr_pg_2?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aface+exercises&page=2&keywords=face+exercises&ie=UTF8&qid=1357546131

Facercise is a popular workout and is the last one listed on that page and appears cheaper than the others.

I didn't have a video or DVD when I started face exercises and I was able to manage using just a book. So if any of these are within your price range, I suggest you get one of them and then do the whole program.

The change you see didn't happen because just your N/L area got weak. All muscles have slackened with time so toning them all will give you a nice facelift and take you back to where you were.

Perhaps others can chime in to recommend any of the books at those links if you're having a hard time deciding. Or you could ask specific questions about the ones you're considering.

Good luck.

free skin care · Mon Jan 07, 2013 1:24 am

Hi,
Thanks a ton for your reply..
I have been doing the facersize ( got the book from my Aunt).. But have not seen any difference yet.. So I was wondering if I am doing them correctly.. The exercises look very simple.. I am doing its NL fold, cheeak lift, eyes eyebrow lifts exerccises almost daily..

why am I not seeing any result? what am I missing?
And how to work up the cleft area and shorten the distance between upper lips and nose? I could not find anything that address this issue.

Thanks,
Mansi

free skin care · Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:26 am

Hi Mansi

With monkey mouth that is generally (and I’ve been there done that, and have the t-shirt) where you overwork the mouth muscles and they become quite thick and noticeable. I’ve done this several times, but from what you are saying it sounds like you haven’t done facial exercises that could cause that. How long have you been facercising for? It may just be that you need a little more time for the results to start showing up.

For what its worth, probably you are not seeing results because you are not doing the whole system. For any program to really work well you need to do it all. You mention only some of them. Results do come, but they need time and don't happen overnight but with consistent practice. Also facercise from memory is done twice a day - are you doing it twice a day? What sort of timeframe have you done them for?

For me, one of the best systems to use that is free is Tom Haggerty’s Shapeyourface.com system. He’s got his own forum on that website too and answers questions. It’s a great introduction to facial exercises and all written up and you could easily do this alongside Facercise for sure.

Hope that helps!

Tessie

free skin care · Mon Jan 07, 2013 2:27 pm

Hello and welcome. I was also going to suggest Tom's program and I've come across some great facial exercises on YouTube

Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:44 pm

Hi Mansi,
I'm 34 years old. I first noticed my naso labial folds (with the dark shadow) about 6 months ago. I have been using this Stillmen's bleach cream, Fair & lovely etc mixture (very common in India) for more then 10 years. Most of the time people think I'm in my 20's. So any way for some reason I stopped using that cream and it was around the same time I noticed those dark smile lines. I have started using that cream again, and my dark lines are almost gone Thank God. But the skin is not that plump as it used to be. I have just placed an order for HA serum, as I have heard its good for skin firming...

free skin care · Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:05 pm

Hi Team,

Okay I am pretty sure that the monkey mouth look has appeared because of the overworking of muscles around the mouth..

I read somewhere that the NL folds are caused when the muscle around the mouth atrophies.. So I have been exercising them almost everyday to get rid of NL folds..

Now I have both NL folds and Monkey mouth Sad

(

Also I think you get the monkey mouth look because the muscle in the cleft area ( muscle between you nose and middle of upper lip) thickens..

Can someone please advice me as to how to get rid of both NL folds and Monkey mouth..
I am also planning to start Tanaka massage from this weekend..

Thanks
Mansi

free skin care · Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:22 am

Mansi

Well if you have overbuilt your mouth, then the best thing to do is rest and do nothing and they should return back to their former state. Overbuilding is something that I read any system can give you, but I’ve also read about people using facial exercise devices getting monkey mouth too so it is common. I have overdone it at times with my mouth, not with any particular system in itself but often combining systems, but I’ve done facial exercises lot longer (and later) than you. Have you stopped doing the Facercise or are you still doing that?

I think I would make a really big suggestion to you which is going to help you. When you start reading about NLs you will find a range of different stories out there. Some may be relevant to you but I’m sure most will not. You are only 38 so I would think that most of what you read about are going to be stories about things that you will not have had. Sure some NLs are caused by muscles atrophying (but those aren’t necessarily the ones just around the mouth, but the ones that end up in the mouth muscle like the zygomaticus). Facial magic used to say that one of their exercises which was especially good for the NLs was one that worked the zygomaticus (major I think). So I’m offering this to you as a word of caution.

Also if you are exercising them every day you may be overworking the muscles and preventing them from growing stronger. I think one of the programs, can’t remember if it was Facercise or a different one, makes the huge point of telling you that the workout is one part of the process, but the rest is the most important part. I know at FlexEffect they tell you all the time that rest is important and one time I didn’t listen and I regretted it, so working out every day might be making things worse.

Now to get rid of both NL folds – depends what type of NL folds you have. You say you read that this was because you overbuilt your mouth, but it can be also due to your other muscles slackening, but this isn’t likely to be the case of someone of 38 years. So I’m wondering why these sudden changes would have just started for you? Do you know any reasons why this might be so?

Secondly I’d hold off doing anything. You have got your face into a mess in the first place by doing lots of different things, and so your face may just need a plain old rest. Tanaka does produce good results for some, but it can produce bad results too – especially if you do not read about it (someone posted the other day already about not having good success).

Tessie

free skin care · Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:20 pm

HI TheresaMary,
Thanks a lot for your message and guidance..
You are insisting on resting... I will keep that in mind..

I have not done any facial exercises in last two days..

But I was planning to continue the cheek and the eyes execrises from CFF..

My cheeks have also lost volume and fullness and I was thinking that continuing that will take care of these issues..What do you think?

Also when i laugh, there is a deep groove around my mouth witch bothers me..specially when we are taking pictures and stuff.. how do I get rid of that?

Thanks again for your advice really appreciate it.

Mansi

free skin care · Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:21 pm

sai79 wrote:

Hi Mansi,
I'm 34 years old. I first noticed my naso labial folds (with the dark shadow) about 6 months ago. I have been using this Stillmen's bleach cream, Fair & lovely etc mixture (very common in India) for more then 10 years. Most of the time people think I'm in my 20's. So any way for some reason I stopped using that cream and it was around the same time I noticed those dark smile lines. I have started using that cream again, and my dark lines are almost gone Thank God. But the skin is not that plump as it used to be. I have just placed an order for HA serum, as I have heard its good for skin firming...

Hi Sai79,
Are you in India too..

I have my concerns regarding Fair and lovely cream because that has hydroquinone in it, not very good for long use.. I instead use Arbutin based cream for lightening.

Thanks,
Mansi

free skin care · Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:12 am

Mansi

If you do not rest you may have monkey mouth for a long time because you say you have overworked muscles. If you overwork something then you have to rest it. Surely you can see that.

Two days is not a very long time, particularly if the area is overbuilt. Do you own CFF? As you have mentioned the cheek and eyes so maybe you should email CFF directly as she guides people and can perhaps tell you what to do that will work.

Tessie

Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:15 pm

Hi Mansi,

Nopes, I'm in US but my parents are from India Smile

I have also heard about hydroquinone in Fair & Lovely, but the one (Fair & Lovely multi vitamin) I'm using doesn't say that it has hydroquinone Confused

In the past I have also used Neutrogena sun block instead of F & L and it has given me the same results.

Sai

free skin care · Thu Jan 10, 2013 3:46 pm

Mansi, I wish you'd listen to the advice TheresaMary is giving you. If you want to do more than one program, that's fine, but I think you would do well to do them in their entirety. Also if I had a problem, I'd stop whatever caused it and let things return to normal before I jumped on something else. But that's just me.

A lot of people do mix and match, but honestly I think most of them who have had success with that are veterans who started off doing full programs and then somehow mastered their faces enough to know how to mix and match properly. I, on the other hand, (even though I have been doing face exercises for years) don't think it's safe to do that in case you're missing out some muscles that need to be worked or doubling up on those that other exercises also targeted and overworking them.

You have mentioned so many programs and if I'm following you're doing bits from here and bits from there. It'd be hard to know what is causing the problem that way. Why not commit to one and do it alone for a spell? See how your face looks after months of that. You may just find that Facercise is all you need.

You said you're wondering if you're doing the Facercise exercises correctly. Why not research that by seeing what others say in that long thread? Or email Carole and ask for clarification or even send her a video for ehr confirmation that you're doing it right? Or send someone here like Aprile whose done the program for years, a message with questions on the areas you're not sure?

I think jumping from one program to the next when you're not even giving the whole program a chance will not only lead to frustration but may end up giving you problems you never would have had if you were not all over the place.

free skin care · Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:59 am

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your most valuable inputs...
I dont own the CFF program/kit.

I own Carole's Facersize book..

The Facersize insists on lot of visualization , soemthing I am not very good at and hence I was struggling with the program..

Then I started doing the free exercises from the net and had this issue..

I really want to start a good problem from start to end..I know most people follow here FlexEffect and Ageless.. Can't afford those..

I think I will give Tom's free exercises a try..

Thanks a everyone..

Cheers
Mansi

Fri Mar 01, 2013 6:29 pm

Mansil,
I can totally understand how you feel! I just turned 38 myself and I am also very upset by my sudden and very deep nasolabial folds that seem to have appeared out of nowhere. What is it about the late 30s, I just feel like I look soo old. I read your entire thread and see that you are doing Tanaka, I am also trying that. I am only on about day 4 of Tanaka, but I think it makes a difference. As far as skincare goes, I have gotten so many good ideas form this forum. I decided to try SkinBiology's Copper Pepptides. I ordered it today and we will see how it goes... I guess nothing can really prepare us for getting older, but the rate at which it seemed to happen was shocking. I can only say good luck to you and I hope we both start feeling better about ourselves soon. Surprised

Tue Aug 20, 2013 8:37 pm

Is there a way to get rid of monkey mouth and how long should it take?

free skin care · Tue Aug 20, 2013 10:37 pm

dddddd wrote:

Is there a way to get rid of monkey mouth and how long should it take?

It all depends on how you got it. As already discussed upthread, if you got it from overworking the muscles around the mouth or spot-training, stop what you are doing and let your muscles return to how they were before. If you have never done face exercises and are seeing it due to weak/slack muscles, then face exercises for the entire face (not spot training) can help lift everything up.

What exercise program, you ask? That's something only you can decide based on your research of the programs out there. There are many discussions on face exercises and a lot of reviews here on this forum so reading up on people's experiences, as well as visiting the program websites to see what results others have had and contacting trainers for more info can help you make an educated guess on what program may be right for you.

How long does it take? There is no cookie-cutter schedule for results of any program. Everyone's face is different so you will know how long it takes to see results when you see how long it takes you. But that time frame will be yours alone and cannot be used to assume how long it will take another. Face training is a very personal journey.

As crazy as it may seem, problems in one area of your face may be resolved by tone being improved in another area since face muscles are interconnected. Which is why spot training is a bad idea. And because it is so hard to know what area needs to be toned to smooth things out, you are better off working the whole face thus getting all muscles stronger, firmer and better toned so there is a nice balanced contouring and lift.

free skin care · Wed Aug 21, 2013 2:42 am

I got your pm and responded. For me I've had monkey mouth many times, and its usually when I overdo things, but if you created it doing only one exercise, I would ask the person who created that exercise to see what they suggest you do. I've gotten rid of it in about 2 weeks (when I've bulked up the mouth muscle (forget the name).

dddddd wrote:

Is there a way to get rid of monkey mouth and how long should it take?

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 8:35 am

TheresaMary wrote:

I got your pm and responded. For me I've had monkey mouth many times, and its usually when I overdo things, but if you created it doing only one exercise, I would ask the person who created that exercise to see what they suggest you do. I've gotten rid of it in about 2 weeks (when I've bulked up the mouth muscle (forget the name).

dddddd wrote:

Is there a way to get rid of monkey mouth and how long should it take?

What is monkey mouth? I'm confused.

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:35 am

bellabambiiina wrote:

TheresaMary wrote:

I got your pm and responded. For me I've had monkey mouth many times, and its usually when I overdo things, but if you created it doing only one exercise, I would ask the person who created that exercise to see what they suggest you do. I've gotten rid of it in about 2 weeks (when I've bulked up the mouth muscle (forget the name).

dddddd wrote:

Is there a way to get rid of monkey mouth and how long should it take?

What is monkey mouth? I'm confused.

Hi bellabambiiina:

I explained what it was in this post:

Nonie aka AD wrote:

Panda1 wrote:

I don't know what "monkey mouth" is, but I would be concerned about promoting lip lines. I try not to pucker too much at this point.

Panda1 Monkey Mouth is when the muscles around the mouth overbuild so that you seem to have a look similar to this:

And that's what is tricky about face exercises. There's creasing of the face that seems to be the cause of wrinkles in the first place and why so many are afraid of them. But what separates a good program from one that is lacking is there has to be another exercise within the program that counteracts that wrinkle-causing movement so as to iron out the crease that would otherwise become permanent if one only did that creasing exercise.

For instance, people who opt to get Botox in order to freeze their face and who are totally against moving the face to remove wrinkles feel that way because they know that a repeated action...like frowning is what gave them wrinkles in the first place. The keyword being repeated (without any other action to counteract that movement).

Face muscles are so intricately intertwined and connected, not to mention the overlapping of muscles lying in different directions, that contracting one muscles expands another or pulls on another at a weird angle--making it really tricky to work all of them in a way that they equal strengthening.

So to effectively get tone in all muscles, it has to be a combination of exercises that wake muscles up that don't normally get used in order to balance out the ones that have had years of uses and pull them out to open up wrinkles.

For instance, puckering might cause lip wrinkles but Tom's exercise that I posted upthread may actually iron them out but only if done correctly so you don't end up with monkey mouth.

Smiling and laughing (and of course muscle sag/weakening) lead to permanent creases we call nasolabial lines. But that's because when we smile, we use the same muscles over and over so they get a workout while others under them or lying at a different angle to the ones used for that movement don't get a workout. In the end the strengthening of the ones being used and the repeated folding creates permanent creases. So a good face exercise program will awaken the muscles that have not been worked over the years so they too can get toned so they can pull on the ones that caused the folds and create an opening up of the wrinkles. Then there also has to be a building up of muscles under the wrinkles to push up and out on the wrinkles (See why I hate to even think about what exactly is needed to fix things? It's too complicated for my poor head to deal with). The aim of face exercises is to get ALL muscles in such good tone that your face seems to regain the elasticity is had before because every muscle has good strength to not be overpowered by another. Instead of some muscles being so slack and weak that they cannot counteract the ones that maintain a facial expression permanently, they become just as strong as the previously overused ones so that once someone completes an expression, the newly strong muscles pull everything back to its original place giving your face a relaxed look as if no expression had been made.

That's the aim of face exercises anyway. To improve tone and apparent elasticity so facial expressions are not permanently ironed in. The tone also makes your face expressive rather than frozen yet you look relaxed and fresh when you aren't making expressions, instead of having a dead or tired look all the time.

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:08 am

Too much filler can also create the monkey mouth:

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:56 am

But that IS a much younger looking monkey LOL!

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:36 pm

Nonie aka AD wrote:

Too much filler can also create the monkey mouth:

I am totally missing where this woman has filler. is it above her lip? Guess I still don't understand monkey mouth:( Isn't that a typical facial movement when one smiles???

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 1:45 pm

Panda1 wrote:

Nonie aka AD wrote:

Too much filler can also create the monkey mouth:

I am totally missing where this woman has filler. is it above her lip? Guess I still don't understand monkey mouth:( Isn't that a typical facial movement when one smiles???

I would have to agree. I dont see too much wrong with that last picture.

free skin care · Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:06 pm

Nonie aka AD wrote:

bellabambiiina wrote:

TheresaMary wrote:

I got your pm and responded. For me I've had monkey mouth many times, and its usually when I overdo things, but if you created it doing only one exercise, I would ask the person who created that exercise to see what they suggest you do. I've gotten rid of it in about 2 weeks (when I've bulked up the mouth muscle (forget the name).

dddddd wrote:

Is there a way to get rid of monkey mouth and how long should it take?

What is monkey mouth? I'm confused.

Hi bellabambiiina:

I explained what it was in this post:

thanks!!

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