How To Use Facelift Tape
Facelift tape is great for anyone who wants to boost their confidence and improve the way they look. It’s also a great tool for makeup artists and professional performers who want to add subtle definition to their face without having too much makeup on it. The best part about this product is that you can use it anywhere on your body too! Whether you’re looking for a way to hide stretch marks or scars from acne outbreaks, this type of tape will help conceal those areas so you don’t have them showing when being photographed on social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat
In this guide, we review what is facelift tape, How To Use Facelift Tape, how does instant face lift tape work, and Can you put makeup over facelift tape?
what is facelift tape
Facelift tape, also known as face lift tape, is a great tool to have in your beauty arsenal. This miracle worker can do everything from lifting and contouring the eye area to covering up blemishes on your face, neck, or chest. It’s also great for sculpting your face before applying makeup or even hiding some of those stretch marks you’ve accumulated over the years. So let’s get into how you can use this miracle product in order to achieve what I like to call “instant youth.”
Use it to lift and contour the eye area and jawline.
Hold the tape in place, using a bit of pressure to pull up on your skin. The aim is to lift the underlying tissue and create an effect that makes you look more refreshed.
It’s important to note that this method is not permanent, so you should only use it if you’re going out for the evening or heading out on a date with someone special. Otherwise, your eyes will look unnaturally stretched out—not exactly attractive (or natural).
When removing the tape, go slowly and gently in order to avoid any tearing or pulling. You may also want to apply some oil-based moisturizer around your eyes beforehand so that when you do remove them, it’s easier for them not to stick together or leave residue behind on your face.
Cover up the eyelids in a pinch.
If you’re looking for an easy way to cover up all of these things, it’s time to put facelift tape to use. Facelift tape can also help with:
- Dark circles under eyes
- Blemishes and scars on the face (such as acne and chicken pox scars)
- Under eye bags or puffiness caused by food allergies, pregnancy or high blood pressure
Use it to cover up blemishes on the face, neck, or chest.
Use it to cover up blemishes on the face, neck and chest. Facelift tape is a great way to cover up scars, birthmarks, and other blemishes that you don’t want showing in photos or when applying makeup.
- For example: If you’ve recently had a breakout on your face or chest and need some extra coverage for an upcoming event, try using this product to hide the blemish before putting on any foundation or concealer. You’ll be left with an even surface that’s free of discoloration!
Use it for sculpting your face before applying makeup.
If you’re looking to get a more dramatic look by sculpting your face, first use the tape to lift and contour the areas that need it. Apply it to your chin, cheeks, jawline, neck and under eye area. This will make it easier for you to apply makeup because you’ll already have a smooth base with which to work. Also try applying it around your forehead for a lifted look without having to worry about creasing in this area of concern.
It’s great for covering session scars as well as some sun damage and stretch marks.
Facelift tape is a great option for covering session scars, stretch marks and sun damage. The product can be used for both men and women. However, it should not be applied to the chest or neck area.
Use Facelift tape to even out your skin tone and apply a new layer of youth to aging skin
Facelift tape is great for applying a fresh layer of youth to aging skin. It can be used to even out skin tone and give you a smooth, natural look.
The most obvious thing about using this product is that it allows you to apply makeup without having to use brushes or sponges. This saves time and makes the application process easier, which means that if you’re in a hurry then this might be the best choice for you.
How To Use Facelift Tape
The formation of tiny bumps or lumps can occur during the healing process after any surgery, including eyelid surgery. In this blog I’ll discuss what situations can cause lumps after a blepharoplasty as well as how they can be treated. It’s important to note that you should never self diagnose and treat yourself. Always follow up with your plastic surgeon, they are experts in cosmetic surgery and will ensure you don’t inflict any damage on yourself.
A small lump, the size of a grain of rice can occur along the incision after blepharoplasty. This is a normal occurrence. It’s due to fibrosis or focal swelling after any surgery, since eyelid skin is quite thin, the lumps are easily seen and felt.
The most common reason for small lumps that occur along the eyelid incision may be due to lymphatic fluid retention or a small amount of scar tissue. The scar tissue in the immediate post-operative period is usually raised and feels firm. All blepharoplasty and eyelid surgery scars get worse before they get better. The scar will mature and soften over 3 – 4 months. Normally no intervention is required and these scars respond well to routine scar treatment like moisturising creams and silicone gel. A small dose of cortisone injected into the scar may be used occasionally to help break up these small, hard lumps.
It is possible that a lump or granuloma may form as a reaction to suture material used in eyelid surgery. Suture reaction occurs when the body develops a wall of scar around a retained stitch, particularly around the knot. Since the eyelid skin is very thin, these lumps are easily felt. When deep sutures are used to anchor eyelid tissues to the bone (periosteum), often a lump is formed. This is commonly seen following lower eyelid surgery. If you had a transconjunctival blepharoplasty with the incision made inside of the eyelid, it is possible that the lump is a reaction to the ointment that was placed on your eye during surgery. The ointment can incite a foreign body reaction. The treatment is surgical excision and it is relatively simple. It can be done in the office with minimal to no pain.
how does instant face lift tape work
When it comes to TikTok beauty advice, things can get dicey pretty quickly, with everyday people making sweeping proclamations with little to no evidence to back them up—think the viral Vitamin C tests. That’s not to say all TikTok-born beauty hacks are bad; quite the contrary. After all, who could forget Mario Dedivanovic’s viral lip liner technique or the endless tutorials on blush placement? But overall, TikTok beauty trends and advice should be taken with a grain of salt—we need to look at who is sharing this advice, why they’re sharing it, and what proof they have to back it up.
The latest trend to hit the FYP? Face taping. Yes, as in putting tape on your face either overnight or for a limited amount of time under makeup to reduce wrinkles.
It’s actually nothing new. Frownies, the most famous brand of face tape, hit the market in 1889 and has long been one of Hollywood’s oldest secrets—actress, singer, model, and international sex symbol Raquel Welch even admitted to applying them nightly in her autobiography. Meanwhile, many leading ladies have spoken of wearing face tape for events or during filming to give the skin a lifted, smoother appearance. It’s also a technique frequented by the drag community.
So what’s the deal? Is face taping the key to staying youthful or just another ill-advised social media trend? We asked the pros—board-certified dermatologists Anthony Rossi, MD, and Ranella Hirsch, MD, and board-certified plastic surgeon Raja Mohan, MD—to weigh in. Keep reading for their thoughts on face taping.
What Is Face Taping?
Unromantically, face taping is exactly what it sounds like. Simply put, it’s a technique that claims to fight and prevent fine lines and wrinkles using strategically placed sticky tape on areas of the face. By wearing it overnight, the tape should ideally constrict muscles and limit their motion, preventing you from frowning or making other line-inducing expressions in your sleep. It’s also said to reduce and prevent lines caused by sleeping on your side and stomach. Face tape can also be used for an immediate lifting and smoothing effect—like Spanx for your face, says Hirsch.
“Face taping may not be mainstream but it’s not new,” Rossi says. “From drag performers to movie stars, face taping has been used to help instantly lift the skin and disguise wrinkles in strategic places. By taping the face up in certain vectors, you can give an instant facelift effect.”
You might have seen the aforementioned Frownies in your grandmother’s medicine cabinet growing up; they’re flesh-toned face stickers that come in various shapes and sizes depending on their intended uses (a rounded triangle shape for the forehead and in between the eyes, butterfly-shaped for the corners of the eyes and mouth, and so on). Today, there are dozens of options available from brands like Furlesse, SiO Beauty, and others.
Benefits of Face Taping
Here’s the thing: All of the doctors agree that wrinkles and fine lines certainly look better when the tape is on. So using it overnight seems to be a moot point—the tape isn’t going to reduce your wrinkles. When used for an event, though, it can hide signs of aging and gives an immediate lift to the face.
But, as Mohan puts it, using face tape is similar to using makeup to cover blemishes—it’s an instant material effect, not a long-term solution or fix. If you’re looking to actually treat wrinkles, he suggests looking into laser therapy, chemical peels, and other in-office procedures.
Potential Side Effects of Face Taping
Even as a short-term, momentary solution, face tape can be fairly cumbersome. According to Rossi, it’s hard to camouflage, even with heavy makeup or a wig. Beyond that, all the doctors mentioned the potential for irritation due to the glue on the tape. And while Hirsch points out that certain materials are often used for face tape to lessen this risk, irritation is still a possibility.
And, Rossi says, repeated use can and will be irritating for most people—regardless of the tape’s materials. He also points out that if the tape is left on too long, its occlusive nature could cause clogged pores and acne from the sweat and sebum buildup.
Can you put makeup over facelift tape?
In the quest to look “snatched,” various beauty practices have emerged for lifted and smooth skin. The most obvious options are Botox and face-lifts, which have surged in popularity the past few years thanks to pandemic-induced Zoom dysmorphia and Instagram beauty filters. But for those unwilling to get cosmetic procedures or go under the knife, face tape has become an appealing alternative.
Face tape has recently taken over TikTok for its seemingly easy and effective results. The hashtag #facetaping has racked up more than 472 million views and features two different types of face tape: (1) face taping overnight for wrinkles and (2) face-lift tape, which mimics the effects of a face-lift for a short period of time.
Face taping for wrinkles involves using household scotch tape to smooth fine lines. The practice popped up a few months ago and took off after viral videos showed users literally taping their foreheads to seemingly eliminate wrinkles. After face taping each night for a few days, TikTokers documented the smoothing effects, which are visible and seemingly impressive, leading many to believe that the practice works. But according to board-certified facial plastic surgeon Konstantin Vasyukevich, MD, much of the viral magic is smoke and mirrors.
“Face taping is meant to be a shortcut to medical antiaging techniques,” says Vasyukevich. “The idea behind this is that the tape will be able to constrict the muscles in your face, similarly to how Botox works. Face tape works temporally to reduce the look of wrinkles by strategically placing tape in specific areas of the face. The main aim is to tape the regions of the face that are the most likely to show signs of wrinkles and limit motion, thus preventing wrinkles. However, most of the success with face taping on viral videos is credited to impressive lighting and camera angles and isn’t permanent.”
Not only does face taping not work, but its long-term effects can be damaging. “There are a lot more risks than people consider,” says Dr. Vasyukevick. “Face taping can potentially produce tearing, bleeding, bruising, scarring, and this creates vulnerable skin susceptible to bacteria infections.”
Tangentially, face-lift tape has also been trending on the app. This method aims to create the lifted look seen on the likes of Bella Hadid, Zoë Kravitz, and Hoyeon Jung and is mostly used when applying makeup. Face-lift tape involves sticking tape to the sides of your face and jaw. The tape is then connected by a string that is positioned at the back of your head, pulling on skin to mimic a face-lift.
This is not a novel concept. More often than not, TikTok will resurface old beauty tricks and give them a second life through viral videos. Face-lift tape has been used by makeup artists for decades as a way to create temporary lift and complement makeup looks.
“Face-lift tapes were perfected in 1969 by makeup artist and hairstylist Mark Traynor and have been used ever since,” says celebrity makeup artist Allan Avedaño. “He even has a line of face tapes I’ve used before. Cat eyes and smoky cat eyes look amazing with face tape. You can really achieve a snatched and lifted look with any makeup look, but the emphasis on the tape pulling up your eyes works well with cat-eye shapes.”
According to Norman Rowe, MD, of Rowe Plastic Surgery, face-lift tape is much more effective and generally safe to do in moderation. “Face tape works to create the illusion of a face-lift without an actual face-lift by pulling the skin around the eyes, neck, jawline, and cheekbones to sculpt the face,” he says. “The main aim is to tighten the skin with tape in the areas of the face to get that sharp look similar to celebrities’ and models’. As the effect is temporary, the majority of the success is due to successful placement and makeup.”
Dr. Rowe says he has seen an increasing number of young patients asking for chiseled jaws and angular faces. Face-lift tape has been a longtime Hollywood beauty secret—Hadid admitted to using face tape in an interview with Vogue in March—and TikTok has recently caught on.
You won’t find face-lift tape at Sephora or Ulta—until recently it’s been a trick used only by professional makeup artists who source from speciality makeup and FX supply stores. But as the practice becomes more mainstream, brands are launching their own face-lift tapes, indicating that it may become its own beauty category in the near future. TheFaceTape and FX Eyes have built their brands entirely around face-lift tape and have found much of their success on TikTok.
Unlike face taping, professional face-lift tape uses thin “medical grade” tape. Rowe cautions against using anything else: “Don’t use any additional adhesive besides the tape, as too strong of an adhesive can actually tear the top layer of skin off when removed,” he says.
It’s a brief optical illusion and risks are minimal; hence why celebrities use face-lift tape for big events and red carpets. “If you’re using it minimally as a cosmetic or beauty tool, the risks are low,” Vasyukevich says. “Of course, there may be bruising, scarring, or bleeding depending on the length you keep the tape on. This trick has been used in the entertainment industry for a long while, and as far as I know, there’s never been any serious damage as a result of the practice. But I would emphasize always doing so in moderation.”
Of course, another potential risk is the face-lift tape actually falling off your face. According to Avedaño, staying power comes down to proper application. “Start with clean and dry skin,” he says. “I use an alcohol wipe to the area where I will be applying the tape. It’s important to make sure you’re applying the tape to the exact area on each side of the face before attaching the cord or band unless you’re correcting an eye that isn’t symmetrical to the other. Then you want to figure out the best position to correct the unevenness.”
Still, Rowe maintains that cosmetic work is the best way to achieve the look and suggests procedures like thread lifts, a laser fat reducer and skin tightener called Trusculpt, and Botox. For long-term results, the most effective is surgical procedures. “I commonly see neck lifts, face-lifts, and brow lifts, to get that ‘snatched’ appearance,” he says. “Overall, all treatments, nonsurgical or surgical, are extremely effective at achieving a similar look to face tape. It is up to the patient which route they would like to take since surgical is one-and-done, whereas nonsurgical patients can come in as many times as they want within reason to get their desired result.”