| Author | Message | ||
     shawn New member Username: Shawnvon Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2009 |
Hey Tom, what would be the long term effect on facial fat if you continuously work the facial muscles? Would it be logical to assume the more you work out the face the more you reduce facial fat similar to how body fat decreases when one exercises and works out the muscles? I have put on some weight the past couple of months and along with doing facial exercises on a consistent basis, have begun to notice my facial features enlarging as well becoming a little more defined. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 179 Registered: 05-2006 |
shawn: Working the facial muscles is good for the skin covering them but it doesn't burn fat. Most scientists say there is no such thing as spot reduction. The only time you lose weight on your face is when you lose weight all over. And I think it's a good idea to lose weight all over if you are a little fat. As one gets older, fat on the face is not good because gravity pulls it downward. This in turn pulls down on the facial muscles making your face look older than it otherwise would. | ||
| Maurice S New member Username: Maurice Post Number: 4 Registered: 08-2009 |
Do facial muscles gain mass in the same way that skeletal muscles do? Can they actually increase in size? | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 189 Registered: 05-2006 |
Maurice S: I've been interested in this question and have studied whether facial muscles grow in size with facial exercise. Even with a rigorous regimen of exercises the facial muscles grow only a small amount, but they definitely become toned-up and stronger and more expressive. The skin covering these facial muscles starts to look more healthy too - an added benefit. Sometimes if you go to gyms where serious bodybuilders work out, you will see the facial muscles of these bodybuilders start to enlarge. This is because of the effect of anabolic steroids though. The faces of bodybuilders who train without steroids do not enlarge. | ||
| Maurice S New member Username: Maurice Post Number: 5 Registered: 08-2009 |
Tom I've seen what you're referring to w/ steroid users. Specifically in their jaws. Here's another question - do you think that facial exercises shorten facial muscles? This is a description of the effect of facial exercise that I've read on other sites. That the lifting a/o toning is by reducing the elongation of facial muscles. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 192 Registered: 05-2006 |
Maurice S: It's true that facial exercises shorten the facial muscles but this should not be understood as a negative. The shortening just makes the muscles stronger and nicely toned. | ||
| C M New member Username: Ceeme Post Number: 134 Registered: 06-2007 |
Maurice, think of sag as loose, stretched muscles due to gravity and tone as firm, tightened hence shortened muscles. (Not sure if there's any accuracy to what I just said, but that's how I look at it.) Tom feel free to point out whatever part of my post that all should disregard coz it's poppycock. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 193 Registered: 05-2006 |
C M: I wrote that facial exercises shorten the facial muscles. What I should have written is that these exercises shorten the muscle cells. (Since the muscle cells are elongated, they are usually referred to as fibers.) When muscles contract the cells (fibers) get shorter. Even when we are not using our facial muscles they still are in a state of partial contraction. This is called muscle tone. Many people as they get older use their facial muscles improperly or hardly at all. They also have poor facial posture. All this contributes to completely relaxed (limp, flaccid) muscles. The fibers of completely relaxed muscles are long; the fibers of toned-up muscles are relatively short. | ||
| C M New member Username: Ceeme Post Number: 136 Registered: 06-2007 |
Thanks for explaining that better than I could, Tom. | ||
| Maurice S New member Username: Maurice Post Number: 6 Registered: 08-2009 |
Thanks. That's what I was wondering. There's been some research on functional motor nerve integrity that you might be interested in, though you may already be familiar with the findings. Studies of muscle physiology and also physical rehabilitation methods have observed significant improvements in motor nerve conduction velocity (i.e. nerve signal relay time) and functional axon density (i.e. the proportion of active motor nerve connections to a given muscle) in response to exercise. Basically it seems that targeted exercise is capable of restoring motor nerve function. It's not that exercise regenerates motor nerves, but that it can rejuvenate them. If this is the case w/ motor nerves in the face, which I assume respond similarly, this phenomenon could support improvements in tonicity. That is, facial exercise may not only improve muscle integrity, but also the innervation of these muscles. This could also explain two effects that I've noticed from the exercises. That they result in greater facial muscle dexterity (i.e. control and isolation ability) and also the ability to gain control of these muscles by sympathetic contraction (i.e. inducing a contraction by contracting attached muscles). The techniques you've described for gaining control of the scalp muscles, by working the brow or neck muscles, are examples of the latter. | ||
| Thomas Hagerty Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 194 Registered: 05-2006 |
Maurice S: "This could also explain two effects that I've noticed from the exercises. That they result in greater facial muscle dexterity..." Two TV actresses in Los Angeles have told me that the facial exercises, especially the scalp exercise (Exercise Five), make their faces more expressive in close-ups. I'm sure that toned-up facial muscles can convey even subtle emotions better than flaccid facial muscles covered by a thick layer of fat. |
