Damaged face due to facial exercise! Please help.
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Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:37 am

Okay so this is a long story short:
Hi, I am 23 about to turn 24.
I heard about facial exercise and thought it might help myself develop some cheekbones because I am seriously lacking in that department.
So I started doing a facial exercise to firm and build the apple of the cheeks. I will admit I was quite rigorous because I wanted results, which I know now was so stupid of me. Anyway this was back in early November. After a weekend of doing this facial exercise I noticed the corners of my mouth felt weighed down. I thought it was my imagination or (lol) thought that the exercise might be working. A week later I noticed on my left cheek that I was developing a...smile line.. the devastation and horror I felt was astronomical. I've never have had the slightest wrinkle ever. So I discontinued the program immediately and started applying strong retinol creams. But little did I know that the smile line was just the tip of the iceberg.

As the holiday months progressed so did my face in looking more aged and saggy (especially my left side). I literally, not to sound conceited, had perfect skin. I always got compliments on my skin and everyone used to tell me I look like I'm 18. Now, people don't complement me anymore and some woman thought I was 26. I've never ever in my life have been told I look any older than 20. So that little smile line snowballed into a complete collapse of my left apple of cheek. It's completely saggy and now has MANY fine lines developing. It's so bad that even when I smile it hurts, there is a literal pain as if I'm straining the muscle to smile. It's horrible, I had such a nice smile too and I ruined it. I really dont mind aging or being older but damn only if it happens naturally! But I did this to myself.

Both sides of my face are developing smile lines, wrinkles, descended nasal fold, bad texture, and dramatic sagging but the left side is unbearable. It's as if my face muscles were a nice springy balloon that has now been deflated.

I can at least cheat my right but the left looks like I'm 34. I don't know what to do. Skin care won't help because it's an issue of the underlying structure of my facial muscles. I'm definitely NEVER doing facial exercises again. Will I need surgery to correct this? Can surgery correct this? Even if surgery is possible will I look like a pulled plastic surgery nightmare? I just want my old (youthful) face back. I can feel the apple of the cheek right next to the left side of my lips instead of lifted up which is my main concern. Maybe if it's lifted it will make the developing wrinkles will disappear?

free skin care · Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:38 am

Okay JustinMacabre

Okay which exercise/program were you doing. Sounds like you only did one exercise and over did it so I think there are a few things that it could be.

You say your mouth felt weighed down. That may be because you worked the triangularis muscle that pulls the mouth corners down when you were working your cheeks. It may be the player here that needs to be addressed with an exercise and/or massage to rebalance that muscle.

Ignore the woman who thought you were 26. She was being unkind pure and simple. If you had perfect skin before then obviously any change is going to be a shock especially one like this but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. It sounds like you tried to do your own thing and got haphazard results because you didn’t research things properly. If you used a particular program like facercise, flexeffect etc then you may want to contact the program creators and ask them for advice.

Now you can of course opt for surgery but it may not help you in this area because it sounds like it was created by you just doing one exercise and other muscles working out during that exercise.

I hope you get a speedy result and would suggest you try resting off exercises for now and not creating any further imbalance but incorporate a massage into your routine to help with these areas. Tanaka is good and there is a free English video on youtube you can find.

Tessie

Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:42 am

Thank you for the reply!
I did the exercise were you curl your lips in and without creating lines you smile (while holding your thumb underneath your apple of cheek). I thought since I wasn't creating wrinkles on the surface of the skin that it would be okay but the problem was that I overworking the actual muscle.
I've tried contacting Carroll Magio (forgot how to spell that it's been awhile) with no response. I know she has a studio of some sort in Seal Beach, should I go directly to the facility? I've actually never thought of that! Maybe that's what I should do.

free skin care · Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:37 am

Okay that doesn’t sound like Carole Maggio’s Facercise program, so you must have got that exercise from somewhere else? Try finding out because that is going to help you. Carole’s got a good program but you haven’t been doing her program and so you need to get clear on what you have been doing. I would suggest you contact the person who designed the program you used – but it doesn’t sound like Facercise.

free skin care · Mon Feb 16, 2015 7:48 pm

I don't know which muscle that exercise might build, except maybe the risorius, which is not going to help with a cheekbone look. Have a look at a facial muscle diagram and analyse what you were actually working.

At your age the skin should recover. Are you eating well (plenty of protein), getting lots of water, enough sleep?

Meanwhile, a smile line on a man is gorgeous. Look at all the hottest dudes: they don't look like teenagers but like men with a bit of experience Wink

.

Tue Mar 10, 2015 3:53 pm

It also sounds like you were spot training. That can cause issues. I would stop the exercises for a bit and do some facial massage 'til your face snaps back... and it will. =)

free skin care · Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:54 am

JustinMacabre – okay there’s quite a bit here. Firstly at 24 your face is capable of still changing, and will change throughout your life – so relax a little here. What you are experiencing is capable of changing, but you need to be a little bit more sensible than you have been.

Okay have you done a specific program. You mention doing a facial exercise to firm the apple of the cheeks and being rigorous. Well my first question to you is which exercise did you do and what does “rigorous” mean? The reason this is important to know is because if you were doing say one exercise a hundred or thousand times a day, you may have simply exhausted and overworked a muscle, and of course if you think to what happens when you overwork or exhaust yourself you can understand that this has quite an impact.

Now retinol is a skin remodelling agent, and can be quite challenging for some people. Now what also is very apparent to me is that you mention “lines” specifically. Now two of the essentials is that lines cannot appear in a properly hydrated body. So with the stress of this I am guessing you will have been neglecting your water intake, and as a result causing further stress to your body. So right now I want you to start drinking some more water. Don’t look for immediate results, its likely your body has been dehydrated for some time but in you starting to take on the habit of drinking water you will start to feel different and you will start to gradually reverse the lines.

Surgery is one option, but there are more natural options available to you – and with throwing facial exercises you are going to limit your options. Not all programs are the exact same, and maybe in doing just one exercise you found you created a mismatch that is going to take a while to undo and recorrect and or rebalance.
Sean

Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:37 pm

You poor dear, that sounds absolutely devastating! Has your face improved since March?

I am 33 and, due to cranial-facial exercises that I literally figured out on my own (I have never heard of Carole Maggio), I look about 10 years younger now. It's pretty amazing--people comment on how pretty and young I look and guys are hitting on me like no tomorrow, something that has not happened in a long time. I have been doing these exercises since December last year--at home, while I'm driving, whenever I remember to while I'm alone. My TMJ is also resolved (no more mouth guard!) and my hearing has improved significantly too (I grew up mildly hard of hearing).

It sounds to me like you did resistance exercises on your face (pressing your fingers against your cheekbones for added tension)--I would NEVER do that. Introducing artificial resistance is always risky because you don't always know what your body's limit is--especially with our small facial muscles. But just as exercises led to this undesired change, they can also lead to desired change! Our bodies are amazingly resilient; you just have to know how. If you somehow send me a picture of the problem side of your face, I can tell you what you need to do to correct it. Because you're squeamish about more exercises you can try it little by little and if it doesn't have positive results, stop Smile

free skin care · Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:50 am

Onarose could you describe what “cranial-facial exercises” are as I’ve never heard that term before. That’s wonderful that you are getting such compliment.

The only thing I might add about resistance exercises is that whilst I understand you are against them, they do work for a lot of people. Look at Eva Fraser who is 80 and doesn’t look anywhere near it. Also Deb Crowley in her 60’s uses resistance and has great results too. So whilst I understand caution I just want to throw it out there that resistance isn’t the all bad character.

free skin care · Fri Apr 17, 2015 10:30 am

onarose,
i am also potentially interested in learning more about your technique.

but i have also very successfully used resistance training on my face…and have done so (almost) every day for the past 5 years or so.

the trick is, of course, as with any exercise, to be sensitive to your own bodies needs and not just to blindly follow any program, although a program with proven success can be your 'map.'

Wed May 23, 2018 4:52 am

Hi Justin. I did the some experience AS you did. My skin texture is destroyed all over my face after 2 month oft facial exercises. I have wrinkles everywhere, and they was not there before. How it is looking now with you? Did you search for some solutions? Did iz gets better over time?
Would Mike to hear Form you
Megi

free skin care · Wed May 23, 2018 8:21 am

Megi

You seem to be on a bit of a mission re people and facial exercises. I have to disagree with you - not all programs are the same. You have said in several posts you have had a bd experience, but you havent mentioned which program you were doing. Could you share that and the specific results you have which you dislike and then we can help give you suggestions?

For me, I started exercises in my 50s after rapid weight loss. They have been my saviour.

Tessie

Megi wrote:

Hi Justin. I did the some experience AS you did. My skin texture is destroyed all over my face after 2 month oft facial exercises. I have wrinkles everywhere, and they was not there before. How it is looking now with you? Did you search for some solutions? Did iz gets better over time?
Would Mike to hear Form you
Megi

Wed May 23, 2018 9:10 am

Well, i do want to stop young people to do this. It is definitely not for 25years old, like some of facialexercises creators recoment. I shered which Programm i was doing in my post " what happen when you stop to do facial exercises" It was PETA facial exercises Level 1 and Level two just two weeks.
And my skin looks now probably the same as yours after waithloos when you was 50. Creepy, Schrank, i have wrinkles even on my Nose and on my upper and lower lips.

And i want to know what happened with others which have the some experiences, what they did, and how they live and how they feel and what helped them.... I do not want to schut against those who do facial exercises vor PETA, but i would never do them agian.

free skin care · Wed May 23, 2018 9:58 am

Hi Megi

I am inclined to agree with you in that I don’t think people under 30 should do them, but you didn’t share which program you were doing previously which is why I asked. Peta has a loyal following and two weeks is a short space of time so the one thing I would encourage you straight off doing is contacting Peta for help. She created that program so should be able to help you better.

I do know that sometimes you have to give your face a rest from training. I don’t do Petas, but do other programs and a combo and have done them for at least 10 plus years now. I’m not sure about your comment after my weightloss but understand you are in a bad place so will let that slide for now but please don’t get personal – I’m trying to help you here which is why I asked for further information.

Now two weeks off doing no exercises after having done an intense program – seems like a long time but it really isn’t. Really let your face have at least a month off. That’s what is often advocated in other programs because its during that time that the face starts to revert back to its former state, and if you are young as you indicate, then this may be all that’s needed.

Tessie

Megi wrote:

Well, i do want to stop young people to do this. It is definitely not for 25years old, like some of facialexercises creators recoment. I shered which Programm i was doing in my post " what happen when you stop to do facial exercises" It was PETA facial exercises Level 1 and Level two just two weeks.
And my skin looks now probably the same as yours after waithloos when you was 50. Creepy, Schrank, i have wrinkles even on my Nose and on my upper and lower lips.

And i want to know what happened with others which have the some experiences, what they did, and how they live and how they feel and what helped them.... I do not want to schut against those who do facial exercises vor PETA, but i would never do them agian.

free skin care · Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:54 am

Megi - I know exactly what you are going through as I have been there myself. I bought a program on the suggestion of friends, and emailed the program owner to get advice and sent photos and messages repeatedly. At first, she tried to say it was all in my imagination. I got really angry at that suggestion and wrote a stern email and then she finally agreed she could see what I was talking about. I created these fat little rolls under my eyes that never went away. I also sought advice from doctors and they referred me to surgeons who said cosmetic surgery was the only way around. I tried stopping exercises for a while - about a month and was assured it would go back to its former state but it didn't and if anything it got worse.

The reason I chose to do them, was as I was approaching my 30th birthday and feeling low and depressed about getting older and so seeing raves and praises of them they seemed like a good idea. They weren't by any way or means and I highly regret doing them and if I could go back in time and stop myself doing them I would within a heart beat. I regret the results I got and got next to no help in the beginning and really had to create a fuss to get action.

In the end I was sent some rather complicated instructions for isometric exercises that were supposed to correct the problem. It never happened and I was in touch with the program creator a lot. I opted to go surgical in the end, my boyfriend saw how depressed I was getting and so he kindly paid for the lower lid surgery.

I get I may be an exception - but just want to say face exercses aren't for everyone at all.

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