Gymnastics for the face Carol Maggio: exercises, contraindications

American cosmetologist Carol Maggio developed a set of exercises that she called “Aerobics for facial muscles and skin.” This gymnastics is so effective that it is even called “ non-surgical facelift". Carol herself, in support of the method, shows two photographs of herself - at the ages of 36 and 56 years. She looks better on the second... What’s important is that you can erase years from your face completely free of charge and spend about 20 minutes a day on it. The first effect, as Maggio promises, becomes noticeable within a week.

What does Carol Maggio look like now?

Some reviews...

Carol Maggio: the path to face formation

Any woman over 30 can be overcome with horror one fine morning: she has noticed the first wrinkle, now her skin is no longer as radiant as in her youth, which means old age is just around the corner. No matter how comforting the thought may sound that the main thing is the feeling of youth in the soul, such obvious changes in the face make us despondent.

Almost the same thoughts once visited American cosmetologist Carol Maggio. A master of her craft, she was aware of the latest innovations in the field of skin care and rejuvenation, and, of course, she used similar products herself. Therefore, she discovered the first noticeable changes quite late, at 38 years old, although many people face the problem of aging facial skin even earlier. Be that as it may, it was Carol who thought about the question: if you can maintain youth and flexibility of the body through regular training, why can’t you achieve the same effect, you only need special anti-aging gymnastics for the face. By the way, it is also called “sculptural gymnastics”, face forming, face building.

Carol began to intensively observe and conduct experiments, trying out the effects of the exercises on herself. Gradually, Carol Maggio's original gymnastics for the face was created, which included the most effective exercises. By the way, the best advertisement for the technique was itself: just look at the photographs of it in those days and how it looks now. She even seems younger.

Carol Maggio and her facial gymnastics

Carol Maggio, a former American cosmetologist, has developed a unique and scientifically based set of exercises for the muscles of the face and neck, which successfully prepares the face for age-related changes. The author of the method uses the exercises herself and looks great at 70 years old, which proves the high effectiveness of gymnastics.

Facial exercises from Carol Maggio work all 57 muscles of the facial area! Most of those who try feel the first results after a week.

Using facial gymnastics according to Carol Maggio's method, you can increase the size of your lips, raise your eyebrows and highlight your cheekbones, and correct facial asymmetry. This gymnastics is widely used for wrinkles and sagging skin. And thanks to active oxygen saturation, the epidermis becomes soft and velvety.

Beginners should not get carried away with long exercises; 11 minutes a day is enough. When doing this type of fitness for the first time, you may feel a tingling sensation in the trained areas of the face and neck. This is a sign that you are doing everything right and the muscles are working well.

What is the role of exercises in a facelift?

Regular gymnastics of the facial muscles leads to the same results as plastic surgery. Only wrinkles are smoothed out not due to tissue tightening, but because the volume of the facial muscles increases. In fact, face building causes muscle spasm - from constant tension, they look something like after a botulinum toxin injection. Meanwhile, the load on the tissues should not be constant; most of the time they are in a passive state, and this is normal. Overexertion causes side effects, facial expressions are distorted, and nervousness appears. Women who oppose Maggio's exercise system say they have noticed involuntary, slightly nervous facial expressions on Carol herself.

What results can you achieve?

In addition to the general anti-aging effect, facial gymnastics according to Carol Maggio’s method allows you to achieve the following results:

give the face the desired shape, correct the oval, correct the features;
tighten sagging skin on the cheeks and neck;
restore skin firmness and elasticity;
normalize complexion;
raise the corners of the mouth and eyebrows;
slightly enlarge the lips;
smooth out nasolabial folds and crow's feet;
strengthen and tighten the muscles of the eyelids;
eliminate swelling, bruises and bags under the eyes;
improve the shape of the nose;
eliminate double chin;
tone your face.

It is worth remembering that only regular exercises for the face will allow you to get the desired effect. On average, it takes half a year for noticeable results. The period is not short, but the goal is worthy - your face will look 10 years younger! In addition, the achieved effect will be long-term and persistent, unlike most anti-aging procedures.

Nose shortening exercise by Carol Maggio

You can fix your nose not only with the help of a surgeon. Carol found a way to change the tip of her nose with the help of special training.

We take the position for the procedures - the stomach is pulled in, the hips and buttocks are tense;
Hold the tip of the nose with your index finger;
We pull back the lower lip so that the tip of the nose drops. You need to feel the tip of your nose pushing your finger;
After a couple of seconds, relax your lip.

The complex is repeated up to thirty-five times.

For whom facial exercises are contraindicated?

During facial gymnastics according to Carol Maggio's method, many structures are affected: the deeper layers of the epidermis, the system of capillaries and blood vessels, nerve endings, lymph, etc. Therefore, the exercises cannot be performed by everyone and not always. The main contraindications include:

damage to the skin of the face (scratches, wounds, inflammation, rashes in the active phase);
surgical interventions in the facial area performed within the last month;
cosmetic injections (“beauty injections”) performed 2 or less weeks ago (gymnastics will not allow the injected solutions to perform their function);
damage to the facial nerve (neuritis, paralysis, consequences of injuries, etc.);
hypertension or “jumping” blood pressure.

In addition, muscle exercises should not be performed during exacerbation of any other diseases of the body, at elevated body temperature and in a tired state.

Jaw strengthening exercise

With these exercises, you can form a clearer jawline and even out facial swelling, tone loose and sagging skin, and restore the shape of your cheeks.

We take the starting position of the body (sitting);
Open your mouth and roll your lower lip inward behind the teeth of the bottom row. The corners of the mouth should try to be pulled towards the back row of teeth, towards the inside of the mouth, while the upper lip fits tightly to the teeth;
Place your index finger on your chin to create light pressure. The scooping movement is necessary to open and close the jaw;
With each movement of the jaw, the chin must be raised one centimeter. You should carefully monitor your feelings. If the exercise is performed correctly, the side muscles should rise.
Throwing your head back so that the ceiling looks at your chin, your jaw freezes in motion and counts to thirty. It should be understood that the main movement of the jaw is made by the corners of the mouth, and not by the joints.

Features of the technique

Gymnastic exercises from Carol Maggio have their own characteristics. In order for face-building to bring the desired results, you should follow the recommendations on the technique of its implementation:

muscular gymnastics is best done in front of a mirror to ensure that the exercises are performed correctly;
body position - sitting, with a straight back, tucked in stomach, for some exercises a lying position will be more useful;
during exercise, breathing should be smooth and free;
you need to concentrate on each exercise, the ideal option would be to imagine the movement of energy into the trained areas and the feeling of warmth in these areas;
all exercises end with relaxation of the muscles of the face and body and sharp exhalation through pursed lips;
It is optimal to perform the complex 2 times a day or supplement it with a facial massage and perform the procedures every other day (one day - gymnastics, one day - massage).

Currently, there is a basic set of exercises for facial gymnastics from Carol Maggio, a basic complex for “advanced” and an adapted course . The latter is becoming increasingly popular due to the fact that it allows you to perform gymnastics right at your workplace, in a car, at a computer or TV.

The basic complex consists of 14 simple exercises, the advanced one - of 9 more complex ones. You need to start with a basic or adapted course. You can order a study guide online or find free lessons. We will look at the most basic exercises for different areas of the face, which will be quite enough for the first time.

Book by Carol Maggio in Russian

The original book by Carol Maggio was published in English. In translation, the book was called “Aerobics for the skin and muscles of the face” (Moscow, Eksmo-Press, 2012. – 128 p.). This work sets out in detail the author's recommendations for performing each exercise, and there are few of them, which is why the book turned out to be small. The first section contains a complex for beginners (14 exercises), the second contains gymnastics for professionals (9 exercises). Each complex is divided into 5 blocks, which contain exercises for different muscle groups. The section “Exercises in the car” is highlighted.

The book “Aerobics for the skin and muscles of the face” is called not the most successful translation of Carol Maggio’s work, but in Russia it is the only one

It is not necessary to do the entire set of exercises every day. If your chin is bothering you, you can only work with exercises from the corresponding block. The book provides the basics of anatomy - the names of the muscles and explanations of what they are responsible for and which part of the face. For each exercise, the technique of execution is shown and comments are given on why exactly it is useful and what results can be expected. The text is accompanied by black and white photographs that clearly show the technique. At the end, general recommendations for skin care are given.

Carol Maggio's gymnastics for the face: basic exercises

First of all, let's pay attention to the eye area . Thanks to the following exercises, bags under the eyes will disappear and wrinkles will smooth out:

The middle fingers should be placed just above the level of the nose, and the index fingers should be placed in the outer corners of the eyes. At the same time, you need to try to close your eyes, straining your lower eyelids. Repeat 10 times, feeling the tension increase. You don’t need to close your eyes throughout the entire exercise, but at the very end you should close your eyes for 40 seconds. In this case, pulsation and a slight burning sensation may be felt.
Starting position as in the previous exercise. It is necessary to open your eyes wide and tense your lower eyelids. This state should be maintained for up to 40 counts, after which you can relax.

The next complex is designed for the forehead area ; as a result of the exercises, wrinkles disappear, eyebrows are raised and straightened. The index fingers should be placed above the eyebrows, bent like an arc. Next, they should be lowered down a little. Move your eyebrows up and down, a total of 10 times. During the last movement, the eyebrows need to be fixed in a raised position, resisting with the fingers. During the exercise, tension should be felt.

Next we strengthen the muscles of the cheeks . To do this, you need to stretch your face very much. The index fingers are located on the upper borders of the cheeks. In this case, the cervical spine is slightly involved. You should smile using only your upper lip. Resistance will be felt, which is aimed at working the muscle. In total you need to repeat 35 times.

A new complex called facial energy will increase blood circulation and reduce stress. You can download it from Carol Maggio's website or follow the audio lessons. After such exercises, the skin will become tightened and elastic. You should open your mouth as wide as possible and try to pull your cheeks up. Next, you need to place your index finger on the tip of your nose and lift it up and down 30 times.

The last exercise shapes the lips and removes wrinkles around them. To do this, you need to close your mouth as tightly as possible, so that your lips are under strong tension. Place your index finger on top of them and do not remove it until you feel a burning sensation in the muscles. You can supplement the exercise by stretching your lips “into a tube”; this will be an additional muscle workout.

The entire set of exercises should be performed daily. After just a few sessions you will feel amazing results. With regular training, muscle discomfort will disappear very soon.

Exercise to enlarge your eyes by Carol Maggio

These exercises make your eyes larger and remove swelling and puffiness under the eyes. The eyelids tighten and sagging disappears. To complete this exercise you need:

Apply light pressure with your fingers, preferably with your middle fingers, on the area between the eyebrows, and with your index fingers, press down on the skin of the eyes at the outer corners.

In the above position, look up;
Alternate eye movements, lifting them up and squinting several times, while the lower eyelid should be gradually pulled up.
After alternating, the eye muscles relax. The exercise complex is repeated ten times.
You should finish the exercise with the following movements: squint your eyes, press your eyelids tightly and count in this position for up to forty seconds.

Expert opinion

We asked one of the leading cosmetologists in Ukraine, Irina Litus, what she thinks about the famous facial aerobics from Carol Maggio. See a review of Carol Maggio's gymnastics from a beauty industry professional.

Women have high hopes for facial gymnastics, probably drawing parallels with body fitness. This technique is positioned as fitness for the body (only for the face) - all books and video lessons on this topic are perceived as a fitness textbook.

However, if we talk about the difference between the muscles of the body and the face, then in addition to the anatomical features of the structure, the peculiarity is also that problems with the figure are associated with hypotonicity of the body muscles, which is why complaints about a “floating” figure arise.

And if we talk about facial deformation, then the main role played here is the hypertonicity of certain muscles, which is why others are compensatory in hypotonicity, which causes them to sag.

Therefore, in order to achieve the desired effect in smoothing wrinkles or correcting the oval of the face, the muscles do not always need to be pumped up; sometimes it is enough to relax them. In this light, to effectively correct facial changes, a specialist should select a set of exercises, having previously assessed and selected the exercises for you personally.

Double chin exercise

The exercise allows you to lengthen the lower contour of the face and remove the double chin.

Hand - at the base of the neck, pull the skin downwards with a resisting movement;
In this position, look up. We tilt our heads back. You need to feel a strong tension in the muscles in the chin and neck;
In this position, we pause for a few minutes, staying in this position. Afterwards we return to the starting place;
Repeat the entire procedure up to thirty-five times.

For best results, it is recommended to do the exercise three times a day.

Neck strengthening exercise

The neck is a large muscle that not only can, but must be kept in good shape.

The neck must be kept two centimeters from the floor, so that the muscles are tense under the palms. In a lying position, we linger for a few seconds and lower our head to the floor;
The exercise is repeated up to thirty times;
Another variation of this exercise is performed on the floor. First, lie down and relax, then raise your head, along with your shoulders and neck, a few centimeters;
In this position, you need to turn your head from side to side up to twenty times. After a few dozen times you can relax.