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Facial taping for wrinkles

A new beauty trend to fight the signs of age

Author: Charlotte Kuchinsky June 11 2013

One of the newest trends in the world of beauty is using facial tape to help minimize wrinkles, double chins and jowls. A lot of women still don’t understand what causes wrinkles in the first place. While free radicals, poor diet and improper exercise certainly add to the wrinkle pool, the real culprit is gravity. When a body is younger, it has a certain amount of natural elasticity to help it fight back; skin can be pulled out of place, but it will naturally bounce back. However, with age, that natural elasticity decreases, skin becomes more and more susceptible to gravity, and that’s when it begins to wrinkle and sag.

Taping counteracts gravity by pulling the skin in the opposite direction, and the end result is a relatively natural looking, albeit sometimes temporary, face lift.

One facial tape method is employed by luxury spas; the skin is manipulated to alter facial appearance, for example, the jaw line gets pushed upward toward the cheeks, the nose is pulled backward and outward toward the ears, or the eyelid is pushed up toward the brow. Each is taped into the desired position and the tape is left in position for a period of time, encouraging the skin to retain the new, altered shape. The process can be repeated multiple times over a series of weeks until the desired effect is achieved.

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While some reports indicate this approach can make a noticeable difference, if the process is abandoned, facial skin will eventually begin to sag once more. More treatments will be required and they aren’t cheap, running anywhere from $95 to $150 per treatment. At a minimum of six treatments on each cycle, that equates to between $570 and $900 for a short-term face lift. Over the course of a year, that could add up to thousands of dollars.

The more common taping treatment is typically done right at home. It involves placing an anchor toward the back of the head, which gets hidden within the hair, then loose skin is gathered up and secured with the facial tape that has elastic on the end. The elastic is used to secure the tape to the head anchor. This method requires daily use, but can be done for short or long periods of time depending on the desired results.

Over time this facial restructuring will make the face look and feel smooth and less wrinkled. However, if the process is stopped or altered, skin will once again begin to sag. The cost of the facial tape varies depending upon the beauty outlet. An average cost per kit is around $25.

While a cosmetic or surgical facelift offers greater change of facial features, for women who choose not to go under the knife, facial taping provides a viable alternative. It is safer, more economical and easy to control.