Deep lines or furrows of the face are classified as dynamic or static. Dynamic lines appear with movement i.e. the activity of facial muscles when you smile or frown. Static lines are unchanged with muscle movement such as Crows Feet. Eventually dynamic lines become static.... Oh really?

Every muscle of the face is there to do a specific job. For instance, there’s a muscle that opens the eye, and one that closes the eye, a muscle to lift the eyebrow, and one to lower the eyebrow.   In other words, for every muscle that does one job there is another one to do the exact opposite. The muscles that do the exact opposite are called ’antagonistic muscles.  These muscles work as a team.  When one is shortened (contracted) the other muscle is lengthened to the same extent. 

When we make a facial expression, only a portion of the muscle is being used… otherwise we would be making some pretty outrageous faces!  If one muscle is constantly contracted, than its antagonistic muscle is constantly relaxed.  Over time, this constant state partial contraction and relaxation (everyday expressions) cause the muscles to lose tone. When facial muscles begin to lose tone (starts around mid twenties) you’ll begin to see expression lines. Yes, there are other factors involved in making that line (photo damage etc.) but the muscle that was used to… lets say… pull back (smooth out) a frown just doesn’t SNAP back the way it used to.

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FlexEffect Facialbuilding®:

Because the majority of facial muscles terminate into the skin, we are literally able to stretch the muscle before contracting it.  This allows us a greater advantage in building the muscle because we are able to execute an *eccentric contraction.

This very action is what separates FlexEffect Facialbuilding from today’s mainstream facial exercise programs.

The force generated by muscle contraction is related to the speed of the movement (force-velocity) as well as the initial length of the muscle belly (length-tension).  The length-tension relationship demonstrates that a muscle generates maximum force when it begins its contraction slightly stretched passed its resting length. This action comes into play when I direct you to first pull before the contraction.

Again, mainstream facial exercise tells you to anchor the muscle (hold in place) for resistance.

Muscle contraction comes from both ends of the muscle (the ends move to the center of the muscle.) You will note that sometimes you are directed to pull from the muscles insertion and sometimes to pull from the muscles origin depending on the exercise. To understand the placement of the pull, study the line of contraction.   Again, it is the pulling action that makes our training so effective.

*eccentric contraction:  when the resistance is greater than the force generated by the muscle i.e., the individual fibers of sthe muscle contract but the force (pull) is so great the muscle actually lengthens.