With the popularity of different social media forums, there have always been some new and unconventional tips and tricks related to beauty, fitness, and health. You might have encountered many beauty fanatics, bloggers, and influencers on Instagram and TikTok breaking weird or funny-looking ideas to answer your beauty questions. Each story and buzzy beauty trend comes with many burning questions and drives people to dig into the facts behind all the viral online advice.
Without the research and expert opinions uncovering the safety and truth behind these trends, nobody would be sure about what they should and shouldn’t try. Face taping is a beauty hack that seems to have taken the online world by storm lately. So if you’ve been thinking about giving it a try but are not well-versed in the legitimacy and effectiveness of this technique, keep scrolling down to find out.
What is Face Taping?
Face taping means precisely what you think when you hear the term. The technique involves putting sticky tape strategically on different areas of the face in an attempt to prevent or decrease the appearance of facial fine lines and wrinkles. The tape is applied at night and left overnight. It is placed in a manner that constricts muscles to limit their movement, helping to prevent you from making any line-inducing motions, such as frowning, during your sleep.
Moreover, face taping is also believed to assist in preventing and fighting sagging and lines caused due to sleeping on your stomach or your side. The technique also provides an instant face-lifting and smoothing effect, making the skin appear more even-textured and youthful.
Although the approach seems new because of the current trend, the technique has been known to be around for decades. Celebrities and models often used it for an instant facelift to hide wrinkles and fine lines.
How Does Face Taping Work?
There are two different types of face tape or two ways in which face taping is done. The first technique uses face tape attached to a string. In the first type of face tape, two pieces of tape are connected to each other using an elasticized band. Each piece is placed near each temple and pulled backward, and the strings are tied behind the head. This tape runs around the head and is easily disguised by covering it with hair over it. This tape is meant to provide a lifted appearance around your eyes and cheeks. This technique is known to be particularly useful for those looking to change their appearance temporarily, such as for capturing pictures or videos.
The second kind of face taping method involves using individual pieces of sticky tape that are not connected by a band. These separate adhesives are used to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles in the long run. The science behind this technique is to place the tape where you have wrinkles. You must put the tape on before hitting the sack and wake up with a plumper and smoother complexion. This can also help to improve the appearance of wrinkles on the forehead, neck, jaw, and cheeks. Such individual pieces of tape can also be used to create folds on the eyelids for hooded or monolid eyes or to give your eyes a lifted look.
What are the Benefits of Face Taping?
A facelift is probably considered the most transformative treatment for getting rid of wrinkles and giving the face a youthful, lifted appearance.¹ However, the surgery comes with a high cost and recovery time, making it an unsuitable option for many. You may need other options for your sought-after rejuvenated, tightened, and toned look. This is where face taping can come in handy. You can choose from various tapes to achieve the look you want. You can use facial tape during the day to get that snatched and firm look or use it overnight to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Some of the potential benefits and ways face taping is seen to help restore saggy skin include:
- Reduces and prevents facial wrinkles and lines
- Helps to relax stiff and overworked muscles
- Minimizes puffiness
- Increases microcirculation to the face and neck
Does Face Taping Help Wrinkles?
Regarding the effectiveness of face taping in helping to get rid of wrinkles, experts and skincare enthusiasts tend to have varying opinions. The fact is that the technique is undoubtedly helpful in providing a lifted look in the short run but may not be as functional in the long run. You can find various videos on social media, especially TikTok, where a makeup artist or blogger experimented with face taping and ended up with visibly tighter skin.
Face taping can help enhance the plumpness and outline of the jaw, cheeks, and neck. It can also give your eyes an uplifted and wider appearance by firming the skin around the eyes. However, most skincare experts and artists argue that all these effects are temporary.
Therefore, they aren’t sold on the idea of face taping offering long-term lifting action. Some might believe this trend to be an outcome of visually appealing content without sufficient scientific evidence. So, to cut it short, face taping is an excellent strategy for instantly reducing wrinkles and fine lines, but it may not create a long-lasting effect.
Are there any Side Effects of Face Taping?
While sticking a few pieces of tape on your face may seem harmless, it may have some potential adverse effects on the skin. Besides being cumbersome to walk around with tape on your face, you can also face some skin concerns.
One commonly known negative impact of applying face tape on your skin is irritation. Since the skin of your face is delicate and thin, using face tape with glue can cause discomfort and damage the skin’s outermost layer. Therefore, using face tape daily may not be recommended by skincare and beauty experts.
Face taping can also affect the skin barrier or stratum corneum negatively. The skin barrier is the outermost surface of the skin that plays a vital role in preserving the health and appearance of the skin by maintaining the moisture level, fighting off oxidative stress, keeping the skin protected against microbes, and preventing inflammation.
When the skin’s barrier is damaged due to wearing adhesive tape regularly, it becomes susceptible to several skin concerns, such as dryness, wrinkles, discoloration, allergies, and irritation. It can even worsen your inflammatory skin issues, like dermatitis, acne, and eczema. So, avoid using face tape if you’re struggling with any such problem.
Furthermore, wearing face tape too often and for too long can clog your pores, be the breeding ground for bacteria and cause sebum buildup on the skin. This makes your skin more prone to blackheads, acne breakouts, whiteheads and even sagging.
Are there any Alternatives to Face Taping?
While opting for face taping, it’s important to remember that face taping is a great way of getting a short-term facelift but may not be a permanent solution to your skin problems. It can certainly make your skin look suppler and smoother, helping conceal aging signs.² It yields an immediate lifting and firming effect on the face but don’t mistake it for a long-term fix to those deep wrinkles and fine lines. Here are some of the alternatives to face taping to look at if you’re in search of a more permanent solution to erase those unwanted signs of aging:
- Dermal fillers (especially hyaluronic acid)
- Injectables (like Botox)
- Laser skin resurfacing
- Collagen and elastin-boosting ingredients
- Products with antioxidants³
- Chemical peels and exfoliating hydroxyl acids
Final Thoughts
With the popularity of viral beauty and skincare hacks, people have been going crazy over the latest trends to look and feel their best. If you’re using social media platforms, you might already know about the latest skincare and beauty trick, face taping. Face taping has become one of the most talked-about beauty trends lately, and for the right reasons.
The technique is known for helping to reduce the signs of aging, particularly wrinkles and fine lines. These signs of aging are inevitable; everyone wants to reduce or prevent these issues from keeping their skin plump and radiant. In addition, face taping is known to offer a natural skin-lifting effect that restores the skin’s elasticity and suppleness.
Citations:
- Mayo Clinic Staff. (2023). ‘Face-lift’, Mayo Clinic, Accessed March 17, 2023. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/face-lift/about/pac-20394059
- S. Brooklyn. (2022). ‘Skincare Mistakes That Can Lead To Premature Aging’, Sundree, Accessed March 17, 2023. Available at: https://sundree.com/blogs/news/skincare-mistakes-that-can-lead-to-premature-aging
- Richards, Louisa. (2022). ‘What to know about antioxidants for skin’, Medical News Today, Accessed March 18, 2023. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/antioxidants-for-skin
