On social media we can find a whole lot of various tips and tricks that are intended to help us improve the appearance of our skin, brighten it or get rid of wrinkles. Recently, however, “facial taping” has become popular. Is facial kinesio taping as good as social media shows us?
Taping your face as a way to combat wrinkles? Experts on the new trend
“Face taping” sounds like a great idea in theory. Pulling off the accumulated, wrinkled skin and taping it down to prevent it from shifting? Thanks to this, we would wake up looking several years younger. Doing this every day would bring visible results after just a week.
It’s no wonder that cosmetic taping is quickly gaining popularity on social media. After all, it would be an easy, quick, effective and relatively cheap way to fight wrinkles. You can come across “taping” posts and videos everywhere on almost all platforms. However, now the question arises, what is behind this trend and does it actually work? Experts have commented on this.
Experts on facial kinesio taping. Theory versus practice
Dr. Rebecca Marcus, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of the skin care company Maei MD, spoke about the new trend. He says “face taping” may be a trend that’s currently gaining popularity on social media, but that doesn’t mean it’s new. According to her, people have been practicing similar treatments for centuries. Applying tape to the skin to tighten it gives an immediate lifting effect. Taping at night is intended to prevent muscle movement, which significantly reduces the likelihood of wrinkles and their fixation in the skin.
According to supporters of tape, it has many benefits. Not only does it help with long-term wrinkle reduction, but it also provides lymphatic drainage (a pressure massage that helps remove toxins and waste from the body). But do the experts agree with the proponents?
Dermatologist Roberta Del Campo is positive about this practice, but it is not without reservations. According to her, she tried taping in the evening and in the morning she actually noticed a smoothing effect. However, he warns that taping may have long-term consequences.
She says long-term taping can cause muscles to overcompensate, potentially leading to stronger muscles trying to break through the tape. As he points out, “when muscles become thicker as a result of working harder, it can ultimately lead to the development of deeper wrinkles.”
According to her, the optimal solution is to use facial tape at night, but only for a few days before, for example, an important event, instead of regular use every day.
Dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick said that this is a great solution for people looking for a quick, but temporary solution. She emphasized that there are much better and more effective methods of reducing wrinkles.
Interestingly, most experts completely advise against using tape. They say skin irritation may occur when removing the tape.
