What Is Face Taping Hack For Reducing Fine Lines, And Is It Safe? Why Has It Gone Viral And Become A Beauty Trend?
What is face taping and why has it become a beauty trend?
Facial taping is the act of applying tape to your face to lift and prevent tissue movement which causes wrinkles. This can include applying tape to your forehead and brows – holding the tissue in a restricted state so you are unable to move the muscles which over time can lead to fine to moderate depth lines developing.
Are there any benefits to this or is it a total fad?
The truth is we do frown and make facial expressions during non-REM sleep – the pillows can potentially scrunch our skin up causing fine lines to form.
Hypothetically it would be great to relax the skin and keep it smooth throughout the night so we aren’t forming fine lines. However, tape can’t really stop the skin unless it’s very tight – uncomfortably so. And even then we’d need a trial or study to prove it’s benefit – it would only be hypothetical.
Is this dangerous in any way, for example if the tape is too sticky, could it damage skin or cause irritation?
Yes if the tape is too sticky (which it would have to be to stay on all night) or taped too tight especially around areas with thin skin such as eyes and neck this would pose a major issues as you would have to remove the tape in the morning which causes unnecessary tugging at the skin which over time can cause the skin to lose elasticity and sag.
Furthermore, the ingredients used in tape, especially the stronger ones which you will need for it not to come off during sleep are not intended to be used on skin and in some skin types could cause sensitivity, irritation, redness and even cause breakouts.
Why do you think we’re so obsessed with preventing wrinkles?
I believe the beauty standards for women especially are so dramatically different in comparison to men it’s hard to step away from that. The media constantly praises women over 50 who look 35 and critizises those who don’t. We believe in ageing gracefully with subtle treatments so you leave looking like the best version of yourself.
What are the best products/tools/treatments for minimising fine lines or skin sagging safely? Retinol etc?
Well you can tackle this in many ways. At home using a retinol – this product reduces fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen. They also stimulate the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color. Additional benefits include fading age spots and softening rough patches of skin.
You could also use a serum that contains copper peptide. Studies have shown that copper peptide promotes the production of collagen and elastin in your skin. It also acts as an antioxidant and promotes production of glycosaminoglycans such as hyaluronic acid (which is great for hydration, keeping the skin plump and smooth).
As for in clinic treatments, there is always the industry gold standard of botox injections to relax the muscles in your face to smooth out lines and wrinkles, such as crow’s feet and frown lines.
There are other non surgical treatments in clinic such as HIFU, This stands for high intensity focused ultrasound and is an innovative, painless and non-invasive way to reduce wrinkles that can last up to two years and is skin-friendly. Additional treatment areas include face and brow lifting, tightening of the connective tissue and cellulite treatment.
