To say TikTok is a well of skincare hacks would be an understatement. Every day, there seems to be a nifty hack to help you get the skin of your dreams.
From skin icing (which helps depuff your face) to slugging (slathering your face in Vaseline) and contouring your nose with eyeliner, there never seems to be a shortage of clever beauty tips.
But, like most social media buzzes, there’s always a somewhat questionable one. Take the thick hair hack doing the rounds or gluing your lips for a fuller pout (please, just don’t).
This time, TikTok skincare buffs are raving about face taping – using adhesive tape or face lifting patches overnight to keep your skin looking all snatched up. But does this beauty hack actually smooth fine lines, or is it one of those ‘too good to be true’ trends?
Keep scrolling to find out.
What’s Face Taping?
The idea behind the viral face-taping videos, which several estheticians and dermatologists have stitched in response, is that plastering your face with adhesive tape overnight can help blast fine lines and wrinkles.
According to several TikTok users, applying tape to areas of the face, especially the forehead and neck area, and wearing the tape overnight to prevent muscle movement can help manage visible aging signs. In the morning, users get the tape off and repeat the process for five to seven days, recording the progress.
The assumption is that the tape will keep muscles in place, limiting their functions and reducing the appearance of fine lines, smile lines, and wrinkles.
According to studies, when people sleep, they still make facial expressions and move around as they adjust, so it’s assumed that using tape can help keep your face ‘in place,’ reducing fine line formation.
But, can six to seven days of face taping help you retain that fine lines-free, radiant glow? More on that below.
Does It Work?
Short answer, no. In fact, hell no!
While the logic might seem to make sense, in reality, using tape throughout the night to keep your muscles in check can actually ‘have completely opposite effects.’
Yap! Plastic surgeons and dermatologists say face taping can make those fine lines and wrinkles even more prominent. Taping your face throughout the night to ‘calm your muscles down’ prevents them from functioning as they’re meant to, thus adding resistance.
In doing so, you involuntarily train your facial muscles to work extra harder and, in turn, become overly powerful. With time, they get stronger, amping up the formation of the fine lines, smile lines, and wrinkles you were trying to eliminate.
Tape can also trigger skin irritation, leading to further skin damage.
The best way to handle aging signs is to consult certified professionals like dermatologists, estheticians, and plastic surgeons. They’re thoroughly trained and know how your muscles should and usually work.
Plus, if wrinkle-blasting were this easy, $$$-worth of cosmetic procedures such as fillers, neurotoxins and lasers wouldn’t exist. So, skip this ‘hack’ entirely – unless you want to look like an 80-year-old at 25, which I believe you don’t!
What Are the Best Alternatives to Face Taping?
The tried and proven methods of reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles apply here: anti-aging serums, injectables (if you’re willing to go the Botox way), and SPF.
So, rather than plaster your face with tape all night long, use sunscreen with SPF 30 to 50 to protect your skin from UV ray damage or include retinol in your nighttime routine to boost cellular turnover, which helps minimize the appearance of age spots, fine lines, and wrinkles.
When done by a certified professional, Botox can also help prevent fine lines, making it a safer alternative to face taping. In any case, a dash of prevention is worth more than $$$-worth of cure, or face tape for that matter.
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