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yeonsamkim
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TL;DR: Changing how you engage your facial muscles will give you a hollow cheek
I’ve never seen information like this online, so I wanted to share my personal experience. Chances are, many of you might have a similar pattern without even realizing it. I discovered that I’d been relying heavily on my zygomaticus minor and buccinator muscles to move my face. However, the ideal pattern seems to be engaging the zygomaticus major and masseter muscles as the primary drivers.
To make this switch, I started by using my thumbs to massage the inside of my cheeks (the intraoral area). I could feel clusters of tight muscle tissue near my cheekbone—likely the zygomaticus minor—that shouldn’t be dominant.
If you try a “zygo pull” (search Oscar Patel’s YouTube shorts for a demonstration) while trying to close your jaw, you might feel the buccinator muscle activate under your thumb. That’s not what we want to emphasize. Instead, focus on relaxing the buccinator and training the masseter muscle. Incorporating proper tongue posture (“mewing”) into this practice seems to help retrain your overall facial movement pattern and, over time, may contribute to a more model-like facial structure.
Note: This is not medical advice—just personal observations. Misapplication could lead to asymmetries (for example, the left zygomaticus minor remaining tight while the right side doesn’t). Proceed carefully and consider consulting a professional if you’re unsure.
I’ve never seen information like this online, so I wanted to share my personal experience. Chances are, many of you might have a similar pattern without even realizing it. I discovered that I’d been relying heavily on my zygomaticus minor and buccinator muscles to move my face. However, the ideal pattern seems to be engaging the zygomaticus major and masseter muscles as the primary drivers.
To make this switch, I started by using my thumbs to massage the inside of my cheeks (the intraoral area). I could feel clusters of tight muscle tissue near my cheekbone—likely the zygomaticus minor—that shouldn’t be dominant.
If you try a “zygo pull” (search Oscar Patel’s YouTube shorts for a demonstration) while trying to close your jaw, you might feel the buccinator muscle activate under your thumb. That’s not what we want to emphasize. Instead, focus on relaxing the buccinator and training the masseter muscle. Incorporating proper tongue posture (“mewing”) into this practice seems to help retrain your overall facial movement pattern and, over time, may contribute to a more model-like facial structure.
Note: This is not medical advice—just personal observations. Misapplication could lead to asymmetries (for example, the left zygomaticus minor remaining tight while the right side doesn’t). Proceed carefully and consider consulting a professional if you’re unsure.
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