Can you reshape your face by reshaping your fasciae? Fasciae are sheets of connective tissue that provide the body with structure. The makers of claw-shaped tools like the FaceBlaster ($130) from Ashley Black, author of The Cellulite Myth: It’s Not Fat, It’s Fascia, claim that they loosen fascial adhesions – when skin or muscle sticks to fasciae – at home, reshaping and contouring the body in ways that dry brushing and foam rolling can’t. “Fascia is like a hair tangle,” says Black. “Rolling over it is like using the back side of a brush; it’s not going to get the knot out.”

Everyone wants to know the secret to LOSING BODY FAT as if it is some hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. We try all kinds of fad diets, cleanses, crazy workouts, extreme fasting, and gimmicky pills. Yet the answer is much more simple than all that — just Get F’d: FOOD, FITNESS, FASCIA, and FREEDOM! ??? • The age-old facts still ring true: you need proper diet (FOOD) and proper exercise (FITNESS). I mentioned the word proper twice because, in general, my clients have had IMPROPER information and in some cases, conflicting diet and exercise programs. I have also added the virtually unknown factor inhibiting people from having the body they’ve only dreamed of — FASCIA! ✨ • The mental component of FREEDOM is equally important; knowing that you are doing the scientific things and feeling confident that, beyond any shadow of a doubt, this WILL work for you. Get ready to Get F’d: FOOD, FITNESS, FASCIA, and FREEDOM! I will take a lot of complex information, condense it, and make it understandable and practical!?? • Read more on AshleyBlackGuru.com/get-fd • • • • #AshleyBlackGuru #AshleyBlackFasciology #GetBlasted #fasciology #Fascia #Cellulite #BeTheMovement #TheCelluliteMyth

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Scientifically, though, the jury is out. Professional therapists can manipulate fascial adhesions through therapies like massage, but this treatment’s efficacy is based only on subject­ive evidence, like how a patient feels (less sore or stiff). “It’s incredibly difficult to measure,” says Greg Wells, assistant professor in the faculty of kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto. While there is no conclusive research, and Wells says it would be very challenging to achieve proper fascial release yourself, the results on social media from Black’s tool are compelling.

The take­away? Try this at your own risk.

This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of ELLE Canada.