Best facial exercise program for the forehead?
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Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:50 am

I have been doing and loving Flex Effect 3 for a year and I think it has been having a nice effect on most of my face. I have not been doing the forehead exercises since I have been doing Safetox and Yamuna balls. While these two have helped a lot (and for a while looked like they would be enough) I am getting horizontal lines again, and am looking for the best program to deal specifically with that.

Anyone have any advice or success?

free skin care · Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:13 pm

LBH wrote:

I have been doing and loving Flex Effect 3 for a year and I think it has been having a nice effect on most of my face. I have not been doing the forehead exercises since I have been doing Safetox and Yamuna balls. While these two have helped a lot (and for a while looked like they would be enough) I am getting horizontal lines again, and am looking for the best program to deal specifically with that.

Anyone have any advice or success?

LBH Why don't you do the forehead exercise FE offers? I honestly believe that doing a complete program is the secret to having success with it because each program is designed to work all the muscles of the face and since the muscles are interconnected, whatever you do to one part of the face affects what happens in another. So if you are leaving out some exercises that are needed--unless trainers advice you to--I think you risk getting awkward results. Even if you do something different, you cannot be sure you're making up for what you left out since not every movement will target the same muscles even if it's applied at the same area.

For example, Tom Haggerty's scalp exercise works your forehead, temples and scalp areas. So if someone else decided say to do Judith Olivia's forehead exercise, they'd not target the temples or scalp the way Tom's exercise does. But Judith's program doesn't need Tom's exercise perhaps because she has other exercises that make up for what her forehead one lacks when compared to Tom's.

Another thing I want to address is the quest for "best exercise". Who determines that? Everyone's experience will be different so I don't think you can ever get an answer that is accurate. Depending on what tone your face muscles have in different areas, your forehead my respond to an exercise better than another forehead does. So how would you be able to convince someone that it's the best exercise when it did not work the same way for them as it did for you?

I always think that the best place to get direction when doing a program is from the author or instructors of that program. They may understand better why you are not getting the results you seek and help tweak your program in a way that works. Throwing in something new without understanding what's going on may cause you more problems. So I suggest you share photos and details of your journey so far with FE trainers and see if they can help. If not, then you can consider trying something new. Better the devil you know....

free skin care · Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:34 pm

I agree with Nonie - the devil you know is usually the best choice. And if you've paid for the FlexEffect program, I understand that a big benefit of their program is the online support forum - why not take advantage?

Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:42 am

i agree with Novie

Mon Dec 24, 2012 6:47 am

Thanks for reminding me about their online support. I have long since lost the book/dvd that came with the program and have just been doing everything from memory. I honestly don't remember what their forehead exercises are.

The reason I didn't do them originally is because I have been doing Safetox, and word on EDS is that you shouldn't exercise the forehead while Safetox is trying to stun your forehead muscles into submission.

And perhaps I should rephrase my question: Has anyone done a facial exercise program that has made a obvious change in their forehead lines?

Finally, with respect to Tom's scalp exercise, I would love to be able to do it, but I really have trouble finding a way to access the muscles. Some of the muscles are the same ones you would use if you were able to wiggle your ears right? I so far haven't been able to get there. Any tips?

free skin care · Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:06 pm

You just need to have a little time to experiment - I got it in 1/2 hour while I was modeling (I am an artists model & need to hold poses for prolonged periods - it was just one more way to amuse myself).

What worked for me was to feel the occipital muscles at the lower back of the head and then concentrate on trying to squeeze them together.

There is a picture on Tom's website that shows the location of the muscles and you can first identify them with your hands while you try to move them. With practice it is quite easy. Then you can graduate to his "advanced" version of some exercises.

free skin care · Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:06 pm

You just need to have a little time to experiment - I got it in 1/2 hour while I was modeling (I am an artists model & need to hold poses for prolonged periods - it was just one more way to amuse myself).

What worked for me was to feel the occipital muscles at the lower back of the head and then concentrate on trying to squeeze them together.

There is a picture on Tom's website that shows the location of the muscles and you can first identify them with your hands while you try to move them. With practice it is quite easy. Then you can graduate to his "advanced" version of some exercises.

free skin care · Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:15 pm

re Tom's scalp exercises, I can v easily wiggle my ears but I feel that only temple muscles are working and not the occipital.. is it possible that occipital muscles are contracting and I just don't feel em? Thnaks

free skin care · Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:09 pm

LBH wrote:

Thanks for reminding me about their online support. I have long since lost the book/dvd that came with the program and have just been doing everything from memory. I honestly don't remember what their forehead exercises are.

The reason I didn't do them originally is because I have been doing Safetox, and word on EDS is that you shouldn't exercise the forehead while Safetox is trying to stun your forehead muscles into submission.

And perhaps I should rephrase my question: Has anyone done a facial exercise program that has made a obvious change in their forehead lines?

Finally, with respect to Tom's scalp exercise, I would love to be able to do it, but I really have trouble finding a way to access the muscles. Some of the muscles are the same ones you would use if you were able to wiggle your ears right? I so far haven't been able to get there. Any tips?

LBH forgive my ignorance: I don't know anything about Safetox so didn't know you aren't supposed to exercise if using it.

As far as mastering Tom's scalp exercise, the forums can help a lot. People who previously couldn't do it share tips of how they were able to do it. You can probably find some suggestions in the current discussion forum:
http://www.shapeyourface.com/syfbb/viewforum.php?f=5&sid=9ebc32b6aa9a91c40da5a1678eaee72a

...but the one in the archives I recall had a lot more:
http://www.shapeyourface.com/forum/messages/2/2.html?1289166403

In answer to your question about whether anyone has been able to see an obvious change, in my case, I started face exercises before I ever had any problems at the age of 20 and so avoided getting forehead furrows. I did Eva's program for 15 years and then found Tom's scalp exercise in 2005 and have been doing it since. So I attribute my smooth forehead to those first, and now I do Carolyn's Facial Fitness (and Tom's when I am short of time) so I believe that has also been a blessing to me.

You can see that when I raise my eyebrows, the furrows on my forehead a pretty shallow due to good muscle tone:

But I do believe it doesn't matter when you start; exercises will help give you tone. Initially as the muscles push up on the skin, wrinkles may open up and appear worse but eventually they will smooth out. Just don't set deadlines. Just commit to the workout you pick and let the results surprise you. Maybe Robert's journey will inspire you: http://www.carolynsfacialfitness.com/robert

free skin care · Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:28 pm

daler wrote:

re Tom's scalp exercises, I can v easily wiggle my ears but I feel that only temple muscles are working and not the occipital.. is it possible that occipital muscles are contracting and I just don't feel em? Thnaks

daler it is possible that they are contracting. One way to feel it is to place your hand at the back of your head as you wiggle your ears...or lie down/lean head back on some pillow or headrest, and then wiggle your ears. You will feel movement at the back of the head. If you still don't, it probably is just coz your muscles are not strong. Just keep doing it, in time you will feel it.

free skin care · Tue Dec 25, 2012 1:54 pm

Nonie aka AD wrote:

daler wrote:

re Tom's scalp exercises, I can v easily wiggle my ears but I feel that only temple muscles are working and not the occipital.. is it possible that occipital muscles are contracting and I just don't feel em? Thnaks

daler it is possible that they are contracting. One way to feel it is to place your hand at the back of your head as you wiggle your ears...or lie down/lean head back on some pillow or headrest, and then wiggle your ears. You will feel movement at the back of the head. If you still don't, it probably is just coz your muscles are not strong. Just keep doing it, in time you will feel it.

Hi Nonie, I tried the pillow thing last night, and yes I do feel movement at the back of my head which i couldn't with my hands! Thanks...

Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:36 am

Noni, thanks for the links and you have great results! How often do you do Tom's exercise and for how long?

free skin care · Thu Dec 27, 2012 2:01 pm

LBH wrote:

Noni, thanks for the links and you have great results! How often do you do Tom's exercise and for how long?

Hi LBH,

Thanks for the compliment!

I don't really have a schedule for doing Tom's program (I do his entire program, not just the scalp exercise; I'm a believer in all or nothing). My main face exercise program is Carolyn's Facial Fitness which I try to do 3 times a week. If I find on a day I plan to do CFF that I'm short of time, that is when I do Tom's program. So it's sort of my backup, not my main program.

I do all the exercises as he suggests. The scalp exercise, I do it till I get bored. The neck exercise #4, I do it once and just hold it for however long I feel like it.

The scalp exercise is very relaxing so I think you can do it anytime, for as long as you like. Especially while trying to master it, if you don't find it too stressful, I would encourage you to do it whenever you think of it, as practice will make perfect. It is supposed to be good for your hair too as it has helped a lot of people on Tom's other website (www.hairloss-reversible.com) with regrowing their hair.

free skin care · Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:08 pm

Although I'm a facial exercise devotee (Flex Effect), my experience is that the best facial exercise for the forehead is: none! Yes, I do raise the whole scalp as in Tom Hagarty's exercise to prevent droop, but what has totally removed my horizontal, bunnylines and 11 lines is training myself to not frown and raise my eyebrows, and needling the lines I already had (single needle). I tried to become more aware on when I was raising my eyebrows or frowning (often just when looking at something on the internet, or for no useful purpose in conversation). Admittedly, this might be going too far for some people, but if you've got a facial habit that doesn't really help your social life or your looks, you can change it.

Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:38 am

Back to the original question - all good advice posted here (I have Flexeffect, safetox, yamuna ball and know Tom's ex), I'd also recommend the forehead exs in the Ageless if You Dare Hotspots program. Yet another way to tackle the area that I like. I also found using something heavy like an ankle weight as resistance while lying down - lift your eyebrows against it, and do the opposite, frown against it, it always gives me immediate results (temporary and I've not done it consistently enough to know how permanent that would be).

Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:32 am

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am trying to master Tom's exercise...I feel something, but I don't see my ears move so I am not sure if I am doing it right.

Needl, that is a very interesting idea. It makes sense that you would get results with the weight since supposedly the lines are from the muscle not fully releasing, but staying in a contracted mode. I will give that a try.

Sunrise, I do tape at night, but it is hard not to be expressive during the day, especially since I teach for a living. I will look into Hotspots if it isn't too much money.

free skin care · Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:25 pm

Hi LBH - did you get us confused? I'm basically for less forhead crinkling unless really needed. Anyway, good luck with any approach you think will work for you Smile

. I would say this: having mastered the scalp flex, I can raise my eyebrows without any crinkling on the forehead, so I think it's a very useful thing to learn.

Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:57 pm

Needl, I am sorry...I did get you confused since I read your responses at the same time. Your ability to raise your eyebrows without crinkling the forehead is impressive indeed. I will keep trying to get the scalp flex.

free skin care · Wed Jan 02, 2013 4:37 am

Huh? How can you raise the brows without crinkling the forehead? Do you mean when you stop raising the brows that the forehead is unlined I am guessing? Even the pros (exercise teachers) when they do the exercises you can see their foreheads wrinkle when they raise their brows but their skin snaps back when they stop. I think that maybe you've confused your words, as to raise the brows there has to be crinkling/movement?

Needl wrote:

Hi LBH - did you get us confused? I'm basically for less forhead crinkling unless really needed. Anyway, good luck with any approach you think will work for you Smile

. I would say this: having mastered the scalp flex, I can raise my eyebrows without any crinkling on the forehead, so I think it's a very useful thing to learn.

free skin care · Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:17 pm

No, no confusion at all. If you raise your eyebrows while also raising the whole scalp, the eyebrows are higher but there is no crinkling.

free skin care · Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:44 am

Oh I see. I read that you said you were doing Tom Haggerty’s and Deb’s exercisese, and when I see them demo both exercises they do crinkle their foreheads – so I’m wondering if there is something you are not achieving by doing this. You see on Tom’s forum I learned the most about this, because when you crinkle the frontalis it stretches the occiptalis, and then when you crinkle the occipatlis it stretches the frontalis. So what you are doing is something very different! So I’m wondering if by not wrinkling the brow, you are not engaging the occpitalis fully perhaps?

free skin care · Thu Jan 03, 2013 1:10 pm

Maybe, but I'm 47 and have prevented further forehead lines after getting rid of previous ones through needling.

free skin care · Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:18 am

So are you saying that when you followed Tom's exercise it gave you more forehead wrinkles? Thats interesting as I remember reading something similar elsewhere I think, and Tom actually popped onto that forum and responded in detail but his advice to that person was to continue doing it and over time the forehead would become unlined. I do think Deb Crowley's forehead and Audrea her daughter's forehead (who is on the dvd) does look unlined, even though their brows move up and down, so there has to be something in it I reckon. I did have some wrinkles on my forehead (and I'm in my 60's) but have to say that they are no where near as deep as they were prior to facial exercising.

free skin care · Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:06 am

Sorry, there seems to be so much confusion here, perhaps I can't express it clearly enough. I didn't say that Tom's exercise gave me more wrinkles. It's very good at lifting the whole brow without any wrinkles forming. The wrinkles I already had weren't going away quickly enough, so needling helped.

Sun Jan 06, 2013 4:44 am

Needl, can you explain what you mean by needling? How do you do it, or is it something you have to have done to you?

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