You’ve probably seen countless videos of beauty influencers on social media wearing strips of colored tape on their faces in order to achieve a “natural botox” effect. While face taping may currently be all the rage on social media, the practice has actually been around since long before the Internet era. In fact, the first and best-known facial taping product, Frownies, was developed all the way back in 1889. Nearly a century later, Dr. Kenzo Kase expanded on the idea with Kinesiology Taping, also known as Neuromuscular Taping.
Face taping is non-invasive, convenient, affordable, and very easy to do. But does it really work for smoothing wrinkles? Read on for all the details.
What is face taping?
Face taping is exactly what it sounds like: A technique that employs the use of medical-grade tape on the face to smooth wrinkles and expression lines. It’s meant to help the skin and muscles relax to counteract the signs of aging by smoothing folds and wrinkles.
Does face taping work?
According to Marialuisa Morelli, a facial osteopath based in Italy, the effectiveness of the practice comes down to the “mechanical pumping” action the tape asserts to the lymphatic and blood systems. When face tape is affixed properly to cleansed skin, it restricts the movement of certain muscles and creates space in the facia, thus improving blood pressure and lymphatic circulation. It also helps “freeze” the muscles to create a smooth, wrinkle-free effect.
What are the benefits of face taping?
- It can improve the texture of the skin, especially in expressive areas of the face like between the eyebrows
- It relaxes muscles and preserves elastic fibers
- It stimulates the lymphatic system to help release toxins
- It reduces signs of aging caused by wrinkles and expression lines
- It helps balance facial asymmetries resulting from temporomandibular joint problems like clenching or sleeping on the side
How to choose the best face tape?
Choose a cotton, medical-grade tape made specifically for facial taping as these will have optimal thickness, weight, and flexibility. Look for a breathable texture and avoid latex adhesives—the skin must be able to breathe so that it can regenerate and perform its natural functions while you wear the tape overnight.
How often should I use face tape?
There is no one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to an ideal face taping schedule. However, according to experts, facial tape should not be used every day, so many people do it every other night or two to three times a week. Most fans of facial taping apply their tape at night to prevent wrinkles from forming while they sleep, but if that’s uncomfortable to you, try wearing it for just a few hours at first.
How to apply face tape
Face tape can be applied anywhere you’d like to improve wrinkles or folds caused by expression or movement, including nasal labial folds, the jawline, the cheekbones, crow’s feet, the forehead, the browline, and the décolletage. You can either use pre-cut patches or cut your own strips to perfectly fit the areas you’d like to treat. Just be sure not to stretch or pull the skin; instead, aim to apply the tape with enough pressure to gently lift the skin and reduce muscle movement. Most experts recommend keeping it on for a minimum of three hours to see results, but if you have sensitive skin or are prone to allergies, you may want to first test a small area for a shorter period of time before keeping the tape on overnight.
7 tips for applying face tape
Below are some best practices to follow if you want to achieve excellent results.
- Test the tape on the skin before use, especially if you have particularly sensitive and delicate skin. It is important to use the right tape with respect to your skin type, because there is no one tape that is absolutely good for everyone. If you notice an adverse skin reaction after using the tape, discontinue the treatment.
- Remove makeup properly before applying face tape.
- Do not apply face tape after using strong active ingredients such as retinol, tretinoin, AHA/BHA. Avoid face taping on days in which you use these products.
- Do not use rich creams or oils before applying face tape as they can prevent the tape from adhering properly to the skin or clog the pores.
- Measure the size of the area to be covered and cut the tape in a rounded fashion to prevent scratching skin.
- Apply the patch with the skin gently stretched to flatten the treatment area.
- In the morning, remove the tape gently.
Is face taping dangerous?
Face taping is generally considered safe, but the practice doesn’t come without risks. During the night the face moves a lot—even if we don’t notice it—so there is the possibility that the skin could become pulled or stretched.
Remember to always use a medical-grade, sterilized tape on the skin. And, always remove the tape gently to avoid irritation or damage to the outer layer of the skin. If the tape is difficult to remove, use water to soften the adhesive to avoid ripping or pulling the skin.
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