Have I reached a plateau?

[soniad]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to this forum - thank you, Tom, for allowing me to join.

I have some specific questions in relation to facial exercises. I’ve tried to find the answer on many forums but have been unsuccessful.

I’m a 53YO female. My diet is excellent, I drink plenty of water, am a non-smoker and drink a couple of glasses of alcohol once a week.

I have been doing facial exercises for 6 months. I’m following Peta’s program (lady from Australia), and I think it is an excellent program.
I did as was recommended and took photos before I started, and thereafter at each 6 week interval.

The first 3 months I was thrilled with the results. The areas that showed significant improvements were my cheeks and mid face area.

However, 3 months later, I find that nothing else has really changed. In other words there has been no change to my eyes, jowl or neck area.

It’s almost as though I have reached a plateau. I have full faith in Peta’s program, as she has us changing up the exercises every 6 weeks and taking a week’s break after each 6 week period, so I feel she has addressed the plateau problem as best she can.

I know that patience is the key; and I plan to do facial exercises for the rest of my life, regardless of whether not I see any more improvements. The change in my mid face area is motivation enough for me to keep going. Even if I can maintain that result, it's better than nothing.

What I’d really like to know is, for those of you who have been doing facial exercises for years, was there a point in time where you stopped seeing improvements and if so, when was that time?

In other words, if a person follows an exercise program for say, one year, can she expect to see any further improvements after that time?

I’d love to hear your feedback and advice.

Thanks for reading

Cheers

Sonia

[Tom Hagerty]

Peta Prior is on my Links page because she is an excellent teacher of facial exercise. Her exercise program will tone-up facial muscles and keep the face looking young. I like her style.

You noticed improvement of your cheeks and mid-face in the first three months of doing Peta's program. But in the next three months, there was little or no improvement around the eyes and front of the neck. "Have I reached a plateau?"

The area around the eyes is slow to respond; the front of the neck often does not respond at all after a certain age. I wish I could see what your neck looks like. Sometimes a pad of fat under the chin becomes less visible, but vertical loose lines at the front of the neck are often stubborn.

Of course everyone ages differently. The strong Australian sun can speed up aging. I hope that you are not a sun worshipper. But I have the feeling after reading your message that you are not Crocodile Dundee.

Final thoughts: Six months are nothing!

[soniad]

Hi Tom,

thanks for your reply.

I do have some sun damage from stupidly baking myself in the sun years ago but I stopped that nonsense when I reached the age of thirty and even then, I wasn't exactly a sun worshipper.

I don't have any vertical loose lines at the front of my neck, just the slight beginnings of a 'waddle'. I'd be happy to send you photos to your private email? Let me know if that's okay.

Tom, you've been doing facial exercises for years - did you continue to see improvement over the years, or was there a point where you stopped improving?

That's what I really want to know. I know 6 months is a short time. I'd just like to believe it could improve more with perseverance.

thanks.

[Tom Hagerty]

I looked at the six photos you sent me. You have no signs of platysmal banding. Platysmal banding is caused by lack of muscle tone in the platysmal muscle at the front of the neck. I don't think that facial exercise can get rid of this. But the exercise for this muscle at the front of the neck can keep this thin muscle toned up. When you do the exercise be sure to apply some pressure of your tongue to your hard palate.

The slight aging of the area around your eyes can be improved by doing the scalp exercise. This exercise targets the scalp but it also tones-up those small muscles around the eyes. I'm going to send you my DVD and booklet tomorrow so you will be able to see how it's done.

You have a good face. Facial exercise will keep it looking good. You asked me about improvement to my face as I kept doing the exercises. I don't think there was any improvement but the exercises kept my face from falling apart as I got older. They will do the same for you too.

[soniad]

Thank you Tom!

I really appreciate your advice:)

[Nonie]

I don't know if this happens with all programs but I have heard of and personally experienced something called a "youth jump". This is whereby you think you have reached a plateau as no change seems to be happening. But you keep doing face exercises to maintain your results and/or to slow down the aging process. Then one day you see yourself in the mirror and are shocked at what you see: It is as if you suddenly got young overnight--hence the reference "youth jump".

While I do not know why this happens, my guess is that toning of facial muscles continues to happen within the muscles even when it is not outwardly obvious; and as all the muscles individually improve in shape and strength, they get to a point where they are strong enough to exert a pull or lift on each other greater than before. And since they are interconnected, that teamwork of newly stronger muscles creates enough force to effect a pronounced lift and improvement to the outward appearance.

I think the mistake people make, whether it is in losing weight, getting in shape, or toning their faces is to set deadlines or continually check for results. "How long does it take to see results?" is a question that no one can answer for another with any honesty since we are all different. My greatest successes occured when I took Nike's advice to "just do it" and didn't really worry about when I would "arrive" at my goal. Results just sneaked up on me and I can tell you that surprise gift is so well worth it.

So stop worrying about whether anything new is happening or not. You are better off than the person not doing anything, and that alone should make you feel really good about yourself.

[Tom Hagerty]

I like the "youth jump" concept. Just keep doing constructive things and one day when you look into a mirror you'll like what you see. Good results just "sneak up."

Nonie, your second paragraph is a perfect example of what happens. That "interconnected" theme is especially important for facial muscles. They do work together producing surprising results when you least expect them.