The Surprising Way People Are Using Tape to Look Younger

People are now using tape to reduce the appearance of neck wrinkles. Yes you read that correctly. And while you might be thinking just a niche group has tried this, there was a 160 percent surge in searches behind the trend recently. We needed to know more about this trend and what the experts had to say about it. Join us on the journey.

Wait, what is face and neck taping?

According to Nanuet, NY dermatologist Heidi Waldorf, MD, it could mean two things. “The first is a very old technique to make the skin look pulled back. Tape is placed on the skin along the hairline and the sides of the neck and then pulled back using more tape or string,” she explains. “The tape and string are usually hidden by hair, a wig or the direction of posing for a photo.” Dr. Waldorf compares it to “doing a fashion photoshoot with a dress bunched up in clips behind the model to make it look fit from the front.” She notes that the tightening effects of tape only lasts as long as the tape is in place. “Remove it, and everything falls back where it was.” Nexsey is a popular neck tape brand for this technique.

Another kind of taping involves placing patches on the skin overnight in an effort to keep skin smooth. “For an area like the mid-chest, a patch covering the skin might keep a woman with heavier breasts from developing as many sleep wrinkles from the skin folding from the weight of the breasts. If someone frowns at night, a stiff patch between the eyebrows might lessen the movement slightly,” explains Dr. Waldorf.

Be careful when removing tape

If you want to give this quick fix a try, Dr. Waldorf just asks that you be aware pulling off the tape can be irritating. “Anyone using exfoliating products like retinoids or alpha hydroxy acids or who has had any resurfacing procedure should be especially careful of pulling off and wounding superficial skin,” she warns. “In addition, allergies can occur to any tape itself—so avoid taping if you have a known allergy to bandages or surgical tape.”

Face and neck tape are not permanent solutions

Unsurprisingly Scotch tape is not the anti-aging solution the beauty industry has been waiting for. Tape isn’t a long-term solution because “ultimately whether you have wrinkles is multifactorial,” says Dr. Waldorf. “Facial taping won’t improve or prevent wrinkles from photoaging, cigarette smoking, loss of facial volume, daily muscle movement or genetic and age effects on the epidermis and dermis.”

More permanent tightening solutions

If you’re looking for more permanent neck firming, skin tightening and wrinkle-reducing results Wayne, NJ facial plastic surgeon Jeffrey B. Wise, MD says a lower face and neck lift are the gold standard. There are also nonsurgical minimally invasive options to try, such as “CO2 laser skin resurfacing, radio frequency, microneedling, hyper-diluted Radiesse and ultrasound-guided tightening.”

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