I am wondering… Will Facial Flex Utra facial exercises work for me?
Here I am on the left. My face is showing signs of aging some of which does not bother me but what is not as noticeable when I am smiling is my jowls. These while typically a sign of aging also seem to be a common problem in my family.
My thinking all along has been that I would not want any kind of facial work as I aged. Now, after seeing recent pictures, I’m thinking if finances were different I might reconsider my options. Boy, have I changed my tune.
For now I am glad to have some affordable options like the Facial Flex Ultra, a tool to help efficiently exercise facial muscles. Of course I could just try a routine of facial exercises but I like the idea of using something like this. I think I may be more likely to remember to do the exercises if I have a piece of equipment on my bathroom counter to remind me.
The Exercises
Facial Flex Ultra is a little tool that you insert in your mouth to exercise and stimulate the facial muscles. Sounds simple and safe. After checking it out I thought why not?
To be honest it sounds quite appealling, the ability to firm and tone my face on my own with just some simple exercises. I can handle that. Now…. if only it works.
Before purchasing this system I wanted to see the exercises performed. No problem there. Quite a few videso are available showing people using this tool. I chose the one below. This woman is just entertaining to watch. See for yourself.
I also checked reviews most of which were positive. This like most things seems to work very well for some women and very little or not at all for others. I wonder which group I will be in.
So I made my purchase a few weeks ago. The Facial Flex Ultra comes in it’s own box with two sizes of bands for resistance, a VCR and a DVD of instructions, why not be less wasteful and give us a choice either online, on DVD or VCR, along with Advanced Renewal Complex which I will not use because I don’t like the ingredients. I use my own Shea ButterSkin Renewal Cream from Alaffia which I like very much and will work very nicely as a replacement.
What I Start With
I like to see before and after pictures. Don’t you? I decided to be brave and put my before picture on this page so you can see just what I have to work with. (I look in the mirror everday but there is nothing like a photo for some reality.)
Ah well… smiling makes such a difference. Not to self: Smile more!
I will as the weeks pass post current pictures for comparison and I’ll do my best to keep the images uniform so we can really see the effect.
How to Perform the Facial Flex Ultra Facial Exercises
Instructions suggest starting at reps of 30 to 40 doing two sets twice a day if possible and increasing gradually to about 2 minutes twice a day about 120 reps each time. The bands should be changed weekly and as one level is reached the next set of bands can be used for greater resistance.
Before I began I applied my shea butter cream to my face. I also suggest using lip balm. Using your mouth like this can be drying and if your lips are chapped it can be uncomfortable.
According to the instructions, it is important to make sure the top lip remains smooth over the teeth while exercising. When I started I noticed that if I did not make sure my top lip was smooth as I exercised that I ended up using my lips to push the Facial Flex in, more like a pucker which didn’t involve the muscles on the sides of my mouth as much.
Also, it is important to do the exercises in a way that does not create any more lines which if you notice puckering your lips makes lines above your mouth. I could feel the difference when I performed the exercises correctly.
My Results
I tried to duplicate my picture taking efforts. I know how much lighting etc can alter results and I think I did fairly well.
First Month Results
In the first set of pictures the picture on the left is where I started (I didn’t realize my mouth was so crooked and thin and…. sorry, need to stay focused here). The picture on the right is after 4 weeks of using facial flex once a day. On occasion I did them twice a day but mainly just once. I am presently using the smaller bands and I do 120 reps twice which I do every night.
Probably the hardest part is making sure I do the exercises properly. I tried to do the exercises while reading and just didn’t feel it was as effective. Since different muscles can be used to perform this exercise I had to focus to make the right ones work.
Three to Six Months Results
In the second set of pictures the one on the left is the results of using facial flex for 3 months. Doing the exercises once a day for two reps of 130. Do you see a subtle difference? I was hoping for something a little more noticeable but I am going to keep at it.
The picture on the right is after 6 months of performing the exercises just about every single day although I only do them once a day. (I tried but there is a little difference in lighting.) I do think that there is a difference between the very first and last shot.
In comparing these two images I can see a firmness in the last that is not present in the first. You be the judge. Is it worth it to continue? My inclination is to say yes. The exercises are easy and don’t take much time so why not. Would I have had better results with twice a day? Possibly.
Final Result
The very last picture is after using facial flex for 9 months. I think there is definite improvement between the first picture and the last one. Although, I really just notice it when I look at these pictures. The image I see in the mirror everyday is not as noticeable but I’ll take what I can get. But because I like to experiment I will not be doing facial flex any more. I was pleased enough with the results that I am going to try other facial exercises to see how well they work.
