Is facial exercise any good?
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free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:19 am

IMCathy wrote:

is it also on the side you sleep on?

Have you stopped the exercises on that side (or both sides) for awhile for that area to have the effect either calm down or go away?

Hi IMCathy,

I sleep on my back, and don't have wrinkles anywhere else (I'm 35). The pouches don't go away completely, even after a couple of weeks, but they swell right back up even after one day of exercises. This seems to be very common if you go to the ageless forum and have a look around.

Of course, I'd love to have big high cheeks, but unfortunately my efforts don't seem to be producing anything that I can notice aside from ugly pouches on the sides of my mouth (one worse than the other, but both there!). The jury is out on it for me, as giving myself wrinkles that weren't there was not what I was hoping for.

I'd never heard about her nose surgery, and I've LOOKED, believe you me. It's the one thing that I think has noticeably improved her looks for the better, and even without all the exercise, I'm sure she'd have had a big improvement in her looks with the nosejob. And, it's definitely not the 'angle', as I've watched her videos, and she's moving her face about.

I'm a bit emotional about this particular subject, mainly because I believe that women are so vulnerable about the ageing issue, and are prepared to suspend their disbelief for the hope that there is a magic bullet that stops ageing. Parting with ten bucks, and spending months (as I've done) hoping to improve our looks to the degree Lou Lou has done, without stopping to think that perhaps there are other reasons that her transformation is so dramatic.

I'm just amazed that a full disclosure about ANY SURGERY that has affected the looks hasn't been discussed in a place that is easy enough to find, for anyone considering investing lots and lots of time (and some money).

That said, I'm not entirely sure what I believe about facial exercise. I'm sure there's some merit, and I'll keep trying- if I can find a way to stop the pouches from making my nice mouth appear apelike.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:06 am

Trigger... LL, had some surg. this year. It's all over this board and hers (and she's involved in the conversations). I have NO idea what was done exactly.

Since you purchased her program, I can only assume that if you're that distressed over her nose that you would ask her outright on her board.

Now... You are proving that exercising the muscles works. However, due to your newbieness (Is that a word??) you are not recognizing why your problems might exist. I SUSPECT due to your age, that the reason you are seeing "mouth pouches" has to do with a very fast responding risorius muscle. It can tighten up MUCH faster on some people. Imagine your face a smooth sweater (regardless of it's wear and tear, and any out of shape sag to whatever degree), and one thread, (the risorius) pulls tight= MOUTH POUCH! At age 35, even if you currently have no wrinkles, it's very likely that your face has dropped (sagged) a bit, and the tissues thinned out. If they have not, your current picture would look about exactly like one taken when you're 15. Given that you're just now starting to exercise your face. That seems quite reasonable to me. There are other reasons this can happen... I'm guessing without a photo.

Now... if you're developing an apelike mouth... UM... your mouth builds fast. Mouths often do. Read further back to my explanation of this. Just because you CAN build fast, doesn't mean that you should. Not sure which of LL's exercises address Orbicularis Oris. Go through your book, whichever exercise that is... CUT BACK on it.

Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:13 am

Quote:

I'm just amazed that a full disclosure about ANY SURGERY that has affected the looks hasn't been discussed in a place that is easy enough to find, for anyone considering investing lots and lots of time (and some money)

Hi Trigger, wave

When Loulou's photos were first displayed at FlexEffect she explained all that took place to get where she was. She admits it took more than training. Go to FE's website and look up Loulou on the before/after page then click on Loulou's comments.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:24 pm

ok...so, I joined the FE forum, jumped through the usual hoops, and when I got to LouLou's comments on her photos (I had to join to see them), apparently it's all just exercise! oh, and she got a bit of filler in her tear troughs. No mention whatsoever of her nose. Just all the usual praising from the women that are hoping in vain their faces will miraculously change like Loulou's if they keep squeezing away, and some wondering why their's haven't.

If anyone can direct me to something that resembles the truth, it would be very helpful. I apologize for my scepticism, but I just find it helps protect me from getting overinflated with hope, and then jaded afterwards!!

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:07 pm

Trigger, why don't you go to Loulou's forum and actually ask her? She will probably respond openly, as she's already mentioned it there at her forum.

I believe the nose surgery was quite recent. It was done long after her FE results were posted.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:17 pm

Yes, Ask LL. If you don't believe what she has to say... then there you go. Nothing anyone points you to will make you feel better. Which is fine.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:25 pm

oh, one more thing, before I get booed off the stage...

isn't it interesting that she's vain enough to pump away with those face muscles for years on end, but that a completely face altering nose job was for 'medical reasons' Laughing

Just sayin'!

Also, I'll add that I haven't given up with the Ageless program. I find it enjoyable, and I'm hoping to see some plump cheeks at some time or other Smile

I'm just keeping my expectations in check, and don't mind being the voice of reason for other hopefuls Very Happy

I'm considering looking into FE too, although the strong jaw would be something I'd hope to avoid.

I hope people don't think of my posts as sour grapes, but more that I'm just incredulous that people are prepared to overlook the obvious when desperate enough.

I love EDS!! I've learnt so much here (even though I spent two years studying to be an aesthetician, and practised for a good number too). I get a bit wary of people being shunned if they dare say anything negative, though.

I'm scared Crying or Very sad

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:30 pm

Quote:

I believe the nose surgery was quite recent. It was done long after her FE results were posted.

Um, so why is her nose almost an inch shorter in the FE photos? That's very strange indeed. Am I truly the only one that noticed this?

Quote:

Nothing anyone points you to will make you feel better. Which is fine.

Why do I need to feel better? I didn't know I felt bad. I was just in search of the truth, which appears to be fairly elusive on this topic.
And why is it fine that nothing will make me feel better (if I felt bad)? Strange remarks indeed. Confused

Do you feel this is threatening to FE's credibility? I'd wager that it is.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:33 pm

*runs* to ageless board in search of answers, and to ask LL herself. Will report back!

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:45 pm

trigger wrote:

*runs* to ageless board in search of answers, and to ask LL herself. Will report back!

I can't wait to see how long it takes to get an answer to this query.

Ahem.

Question

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:46 pm

Hi Trigger,

I have had results with facial exercises although after just over a year of exercising I'm not exactly where I want to be. So, if you've only been doing it a couple of months it doesn't surprise me that you don't have LL cheeks (I think her AFTER on the FE site is the result of 2 years of exercising). After just over a year of flex effect, I have to say I notice a subtle but substantial difference which I wrote about in the thread Sister Sweets initiated.

As far as Loulou, I read all her posts when I started FE (read ALL the posts in the archive and in both the main and members-only boards). At that time she hadn't started Ageless and I too was a fan of her cheeks (as well as Deb's and LaLa's and Denise's). In the posts I read, I remember her admitting to having BioAlquamid in the tear troughs (a permanent injectible btw), restylane in the NL's (repeated injections of resty are said to spur collagen production), and she talked about WANTING an injectible in her cheek to make it even bigger (now I don't remember at what point in her training she said this... I would assume before she attained her current cheek structure) as well as wanting a nose job. She has had the nose job which she discussed quite a bit at the beginning of the Ageless thread here. You can see a difference between her new nose in her current video (I have only seen the taster on her site, don't have the vid) and the rough video she originally posted. I have never heard her further discuss getting anything in her cheeks so I would assume she didn't -- despite the almost unbelievable difference in her BEFORE/AFTER cheeks.

Trigger, it does take awhile for your face to kick in. Surely after a few months you have noticed some differences -- albeit perhaps not the ones you were looking for?

Vangirl Smile

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:48 pm

trigger wrote:

Metaphora wrote:

I believe the nose surgery was quite recent. It was done long after her FE results were posted.

Um, so why is her nose almost an inch shorter in the FE photos? That's very strange indeed. Am I truly the only one that noticed this?

Almost a whole inch? Really? Seriously? A whole inch?! Laughing

I just five minutes ago finished doing the Ageless routine, and I looked very closely at the photos on the cover of Loulou's book, and I can verify her nose in the "after" photo appears (to me at least) to be the exact same nose she has in the "before" photo. It's got the exact same shape to the tip, "hookiness" and all, and the same length! It's just photographed from a slightly different angle.

Her more recent photos such as the one she uses as her avatar on her forum do show a newly refined nose with no hookiness at the tip - but this is recent. In none of the older post-FE photos I have seen, including the one she uses on her book cover, does she have the "new" nose.

There isn't some great coverup going on here. Why are you so sure there is?

I hope Loulou does respond to your questions - I recommend you also ask her advice on this "pouchiness" you are experiencing.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:24 pm

Vangirl,
Wouldn't injectibles, even ones that are supposedly permanent, be exercised out, by doing facial ex's?

Just wondering, b/c I DO think LL is pretty upfront, and has never mentioned getting fillers in her cheeks, but has said she's had them in her tear troughs, but that it's been ex'd out by now.

Linda

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:37 pm

Nope... I don't think this is threatening to FE's credibility at all.

You're not the first person to question the photos. They are questioned all the time...I personally think it's wise to question b4/afters...

My word choice was not stellar... What I mean is. You ask for something that resembles the truth. LL says that the pictures are valid. Surely she still means that they are a valid representation of all her work (exercises, and topicals and what not), or she wouldn't still be using them. Which to me means that you feel you already KNOW some other truth. And therefore, how could you be swayed? And I mean, that if you're not swayed... It's fine.. by me and all the others that KNOW and experience our own truth. We don't lose out. You do. Yes, it was an odd thing to say. But that's what I meant.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:38 pm

Linda Lou wrote:

Vangirl,
Wouldn't injectibles, even ones that are supposedly permanent, be exercised out, by doing facial ex's?

Just wondering, b/c I DO think LL is pretty upfront, and has never mentioned getting fillers in her cheeks, but has said she's had them in her tear troughs, but that it's been ex'd out by now.

Linda

Hey Linda,

I don't think the permanent ones get exercised out, although they could be moved around -- but I don't know for certain. There's a long-time facial exerciser on Miss J's forum (oh God, I can't believe how many beauty forums i peruse -- seriously embarrassing) who has had to have her Bio Alq surgically removed. LL did say she "thought" her BA had disappeared. But it is a permanent so perhaps it hasn't. She never said she "got" the injectible in her cheek, just that she wanted it. And I never saw her refer to it again. I give her the benefit of the doubt and too think she's been upfront about her procedures, including resty a few times in her NL's.

I only brought these up as Trigger was questioning what she had had done... that's what I've read but obviously should be verified by LL herself. Very Happy

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:55 pm

vangirl3 wrote:

Linda Lou wrote:

Vangirl,
Wouldn't injectibles, even ones that are supposedly permanent, be exercised out, by doing facial ex's?

Just wondering, b/c I DO think LL is pretty upfront, and has never mentioned getting fillers in her cheeks, but has said she's had them in her tear troughs, but that it's been ex'd out by now.

Linda

Hey Linda,

I don't think the permanent ones get exercised out, although they could be moved around -- but I don't know for certain. There's a long-time facial exerciser on Miss J's forum (oh God, I can't believe how many beauty forums i peruse -- seriously embarrassing) who has had to have her Bio Alq surgically removed. LL did say she "thought" her BA had disappeared. But it is a permanent so perhaps it hasn't. She never said she "got" the injectible in her cheek, just that she wanted it. And I never saw her refer to it again. I give her the benefit of the doubt and too think she's been upfront about her procedures, including resty a few times in her NL's.

I only brought these up as Trigger was questioning what she had had done... that's what I've read but obviously should be verified by LL herself. Very Happy

I always like to give ppl the benefit of the doubt too, VG.

Sure, I agree that LL should address this issue herself, but she told me today that she's not obligated to answer questions, at least not mine. lol Laughing

It's fine, I guess I do ask too many. Rolling Eyes

ANyhow, I think what with all the squeezing that goes on with ageless, you could perhaps move that stuff around at the least. And, if it could be ex'd out, I think someone could really lose their credibility if they claimed their face was the result of exercising but was in fact fillers.

It's why I struggle with Carole Maggio for example.

I personally think she's had everything known to man to make one younger, perhaps just short of a full face lift.

She's got zero credibility in my book as do some of the others.

Linda

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:03 pm

Linda Lou wrote:

vangirl3 wrote:

Linda Lou wrote:

Vangirl,
Wouldn't injectibles, even ones that are supposedly permanent, be exercised out, by doing facial ex's?

Just wondering, b/c I DO think LL is pretty upfront, and has never mentioned getting fillers in her cheeks, but has said she's had them in her tear troughs, but that it's been ex'd out by now.

Linda

Hey Linda,

I don't think the permanent ones get exercised out, although they could be moved around -- but I don't know for certain. There's a long-time facial exerciser on Miss J's forum (oh God, I can't believe how many beauty forums i peruse -- seriously embarrassing) who has had to have her Bio Alq surgically removed. LL did say she "thought" her BA had disappeared. But it is a permanent so perhaps it hasn't. She never said she "got" the injectible in her cheek, just that she wanted it. And I never saw her refer to it again. I give her the benefit of the doubt and too think she's been upfront about her procedures, including resty a few times in her NL's.

I only brought these up as Trigger was questioning what she had had done... that's what I've read but obviously should be verified by LL herself. Very Happy

I always like to give ppl the benefit of the doubt too, VG.

Sure, I agree that LL should address this issue herself, but she told me today that she's not obligated to answer questions, at least not mine. lol Laughing

It's fine, I guess I do ask too many. Rolling Eyes

ANyhow, I think what with all the squeezing that goes on with ageless, you could perhaps move that stuff around at the least. And, if it could be ex'd out, I think someone could really lose their credibility if they claimed their face was the result of exercising but was in fact fillers.

It's why I struggle with Carole Maggio for example.

I personally think she's had everything known to man to make one younger, perhaps just short of a full face lift.

She's got zero credibility in my book as do some of the others.

Linda

To me, Carol looks totally lifted.

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:47 pm

OH yeah........she's lifted starting at her toes....lol

I don't know...maybe so, but she swears she's not had any pS!

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:29 pm

vangirl3 wrote:

Hi Trigger,

I have had results with facial exercises although after just over a year of exercising I'm not exactly where I want to be. So, if you've only been doing it a couple of months it doesn't surprise me that you don't have LL cheeks (I think her AFTER on the FE site is the result of 2 years of exercising). After just over a year of flex effect, I have to say I notice a subtle but substantial difference which I wrote about in the thread Sister Sweets initiated.

As far as Loulou, I read all her posts when I started FE (read ALL the posts in the archive and in both the main and members-only boards). At that time she hadn't started Ageless and I too was a fan of her cheeks (as well as Deb's and LaLa's and Denise's). In the posts I read, I remember her admitting to having BioAlquamid in the tear troughs (a permanent injectible btw), restylane in the NL's (repeated injections of resty are said to spur collagen production), and she talked about WANTING an injectible in her cheek to make it even bigger (now I don't remember at what point in her training she said this... I would assume before she attained her current cheek structure) as well as wanting a nose job. She has had the nose job which she discussed quite a bit at the beginning of the Ageless thread here. You can see a difference between her new nose in her current video (I have only seen the taster on her site, don't have the vid) and the rough video she originally posted. I have never heard her further discuss getting anything in her cheeks so I would assume she didn't -- despite the almost unbelievable difference in her BEFORE/AFTER cheeks.

Trigger, it does take awhile for your face to kick in. Surely after a few months you have noticed some differences -- albeit perhaps not the ones you were looking for?

Vangirl Smile

(Bolding above is mine.) Thanks, Vangirl, for mentioning the specific thread.

Trigger, FYI:

I went to the Ageless thread and did a search - and as I said previously - Loulou has been quite open about her recent nose surgery.

From http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=31539&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=925 (Page 38, posted 1.27.2009):

otherloulou wrote:

... I was up at my youngest daughter's school yesterday and one of the mums who I haven't seen for ages came up to me and said, 'Not being rude, but have you had Botox or something cos you look great!' I said, 'Oh wow thanks, no, but I've just had the inside of my nose done and the guy made it a bit shorter while he was there'. ...

From http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=31539&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=975 (Page 40, posted 1.28.2009):

otherloulou wrote:

... I understand entirely why you're sceptical, but for what it's worth, I can assure you that my nose is exactly the same in all the pics of me... it was very umm irregular (still is!) which might be why it looks different from different angles, but the nose surgery I had a few weeks back was my first. If you follow the link to my book on my signature you can see my nose at a similar angle, and it has all the same characteristics. ...

As I said previously in this thread - I've had a good inspection of the cover of Loulou's book and her nose looks exactly the same to me in the "after" picture as it does in the "before" picture - simply photographed from a slightly different angle - but with the same shape and length.

Since her openly-discussed nose surgery, the tip does look different - slightly shorter (nothing like a "whole inch") Laughing

and smoother - and this can be seen in her most recent pictures/video clips and the avatar she uses on her forum.

HTH!

free skin care · Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:31 pm

I've just gotta say, who cares if LL has had a nose job! I mean really.
It won't make any difference to the muscle build in her face whatever has been done to her nose. I don't think she needs to even keep going over it with people all the time. It's not the nose that we work on when we do face exercises.
I've had a boob job. Should I have to write that in if I had a pic taken. After all it does make me look better overall.
I'm sorry if I'm sounding abit nasty here, but I just don't get the fuss.

free skin care · Sun Jul 05, 2009 3:42 am

I think that if you read the top of this thread, and the previous page, you will see that the nose and its being made of cartlidge, means that your limited in what you can do to it specifically short of surgery and some tissue manipulation (but even then your limited as to how much tissue manipulation your nose specifically can take etc).

One expert I can think of Carole Maggio, has an exercise that she believes shortens the nose in her book, which manipulates cartlidge to a certain degree, so its probably possible to get an idea for yourself by reading her book.

Not everyone has had surgery, and if you don't like Ageless of FE, there are hundreds of other programs out there, why not take a look around at those?

Sean

free skin care · Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:12 am

I can chime in a wee bit with my opinion/results of Carole Maggio's 'Nose Pump' exercise. I won't say my results are overly dramatic, but to me, I did notice a change one day without even expecting one.

I do 40 reps per day(6 days a week). I have definitely noticed a bit of slimming (I have a somewhat small nose to begin with) but more surprising for me was that the exercise *seemed* to fill in an area between the tip of my nose and a small bump on the bridge. The bump is still there, but not as prominent, so I'm assuming it may be *pushing* the cartilage up, if that's even possible?

At any rate, I am happy to see something happening as a result of that particular exercise. Smile

free skin care · Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:14 am

I was doing Ageless when I read about FE. I hesitated to join FE at first as I thought the exercises would be to difficult. I took the plunge and joined anyway and as I said on an earlier post I can see how those exercises would in fact work because of the resistance that is applied. In Ageless you grab the skin and pinch to contract the muscle but in FE you actually apply resistance that makes more sense to me. Some of the exercises that either I do not understand from the written description or because of my TMJ I avoid. I also use Tuo Viso and FaceMaster a couple of times a week but I find myself using them less as I try to do the FE everyday. I do not look at my face for changes I just do the exercises and then forget about it and then I will glance in the mirror and I will notice something different like maybe my smile is more even now or my face shape has changed somewhat. I am a newbie at FE so I am not pitching anything it is just my opinion that it is more of a common sense approach to facial building but you have to be consistant about it and I think that is one reason plastic surgery is so sought after because as humans we all want instant gratification. I am interested though as to what exercise in ageless you think might have caused those pouches.

free skin care · Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:04 am

Hi there KayS. I'm glad things are working out well for you. I'm not an instant gratification type either. I've enjoyed doing ageless, even if I have had a few 'growing pains'.

By the way, I've realized this is an incredibly emotional topic for many people. Not only have I had a few stern replies from ClaudiaFE here, but when I followed her advice and directed my suggestion to LouLou that she keep a disclaimer next to her before and after photos so that people can be aware of what other 'enhancements' she's had so they keep their expectations in check, well.... see for yourself.
http://louiseannette.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questionsforloulou%26action=display%26thread=349%26page=1

It was like there was blood in the water and the sharks went on a feeding frenzy. Loulou even made an appearance and still ignored the request for an easy to find (near the b/a's) disclosure on procedures.

I'm a little bit in shock right now. I honestly feel a bit queasy after my experience there.

free skin care · Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:13 am

trigger wrote:

Hi there KayS. I'm glad things are working out well for you. I'm not an instant gratification type either. I've enjoyed doing ageless, even if I have had a few 'growing pains'.

By the way, I've realized this is an incredibly emotional topic for many people. Not only have I had a few stern replies from ClaudiaFE here, but when I followed her advice and directed my suggestion to LouLou that she keep a disclaimer next to her before and after photos so that people can be aware of what other 'enhancements' she's had so they keep their expectations in check, well.... see for yourself.
http://louiseannette.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=questionsforloulou%26action=display%26thread=349%26page=1

It was like there was blood in the water and the sharks went on a feeding frenzy. Loulou even made an appearance and still ignored the request for an easy to find (near the b/a's) disclosure on procedures.

I'm a little bit in shock right now. I honestly feel a bit queasy after my experience there.

You were given numerous links here, at EDS, as well as given information directly from LouLou in regards to what she's 'done to her face'. I don't understand why you believe she's not been forthcoming with her info. Honestly, if you see improvement, continue with Ageless, if not, find something else.

I, personally, have benefitted from some of Carole Maggio's exercises. I plan on investigating FE as well as many other avenues towards better health and beauty.

IMO, you're just trying to start drama on both boards.

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