It can be all too easy to fall into the trap of TikTok trends. Why wouldn't we believe our favorite influencer when she says she swears by an amazing product or is obsessed with a skincare hack? And while many of these trends are legit, some fall through the crack. Even ones that A-list celebrities have shared their love for! Face tape promises to give you a defined and sculpted face, but does it really work? Here's what a dermatologist had to say.
Before we dive deep into the effectiveness of this trick, let's understand what it is. "Face tape has a long history of being used in film and theater to define and lift the face and jawline, typically hidden by wigs and costumes," explained celebrity makeup artist Alana Wright. "Eventually, it spilled over into fashion and the world of glam to tighten the face to give a 'snatched' look." Basically, as the name suggests, the tape is used to mold the face into how a person wants it. For example, Bella Hadid has confessed to using this practice. "Whoever thinks I've gotten my eyes lifted or whatever it's called—it's face tape," she told Vogue. "The oldest trick in the book."
According to an oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Christopher Zoumalan, MD FACS, face taping can work - but it's probably not best for day-to-day use as TikTok users have been suggesting. "I've been seeing eye taping for years in my practice, where patients use eyelid tape to help reduce the excess upper lid skin, thus giving them a good idea of what they would look like if they wanted something more permanent like upper eyelid surgery," he explained. Using sticky tape to tug on the skin is only beneficial in the short run. In fact, using this trick too much can actually give people the opposite effect of anti-aging.
@chloewaterz Why is everyone obsessed with this #makeup #facetape #makeuphacks #makeuptransformation #transformationchallenge ♬ TO THE MOON - Jnr Choi & Sam Tompkins
Typically tape is used on the eye area of the jaw for a chiseled look but constantly stretching and pulling these delicate skin areas can actually speed up the aging process, according to Dr. Zoumalan. Even makeup artist Wright agreed, "Face tape is only meant to be worn for a few hours. I wouldn't recommend wearing it for long periods of time." Well looks like this TikTok trend has been debunked. We're gonna stick to our gua sha to provide us with a lifted look and ditch the tape!
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