Dr Alison Colville dives into whether the trend to tape your face at night really works for wrinkles as an alternative to treatments such as botulinum toxin injections (or 'botox').
We’ve all seen them – the influencers on TikTok or Instagram, confidently claiming that a few strips of tape at night have miraculously erased their wrinkles. But is it really that simple? Can something as basic as facial taping replace the need for skincare, injectables, or collagen-boosting treatments?
Before jumping on the trend, let’s take a step back. To understand whether taping works, we first need to look at why wrinkles form in the first place. The answer determines whether this viral hack is a game-changer – or just another social media myth.
What causes wrinkles?
Before deciding whether taping works, we need to consider what is causing the wrinkles or creases we might want to treat.
There are 2 types of wrinkles on the face:
Wrinkles caused by SLEEP
Wrinkles caused by FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Sleep wrinkles vs facial expression wrinkles:
In this last picture you can see two different patterns of wrinkles:
GREEN - from facial expressions
RED - from sleep
This shows how important it is to work out what is causing each type of wrinkle in order to know how to improve them.
Why does skin quality matter?
So now that we know that there are two ways that repeated creasing of the skin causes wrinkles, why do they not happen to children, who also have full facial expressions and sleep all smushed up on their pillows?
The answer is.... SKIN QUALITY
When you look at the bloomin' gorgeous skin of your pre-teen child you'll see the following characteristics:
Dewy/glowing - due to lots of hyaluronic acid for hydration, tight pores, + few dead layers of skin on the surface
Bouncy/springy - due to lots of elastin allowing the skin to bounce back after stretching
Smooth/tight - due to lots of collagen for structure + plumpness
From our 20's onwards we start losing these qualities as our production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid begins to decline meaning our skin becomes more like paper, rather than soft rubber. Therefore, with repeated creasing, we start seeing lines being etched in the skin.
So improving our skin quality by increasing levels of collagen, hyaluronic acid, elastin, (and more), means that the presence of fine lines with reduce.
Read more about how to improve collagen here: Read my blog ‘5 Ways to Boost Collagen’
Does face taping help wrinkles from facial expression
Facial expressions such as smiling, frowning, raising eyebrows etc, are usually first noticed in our late 20’s or early 30’s. They are simple creases in the skin from repeated muscle contraction.
THEREFORE - taping your face at night is not going to help these lines!
If you taped your face throughout the entire day then yes they would work. But I don’t suppose walking around all day long at work, out for lunch with friends etc, is really a solution to the problem……
Does face taping help wrinkles from sleep?
Wrinkles from sleep aren’t usually noticeable until later in life and tend to be vertical lines on the forehead and around the mouth and eyes and a deep nose-mouth line (naso-labial fold).
THEREFORE - taping or using patches on your face at night could help these lines
Ways to help wrinkles from facial expression:
Botulinum Toxin injections (botox)
By relaxing the muscles responsible for certain facial expressions the overlying lines reduce in depth and it can prevent them from deepening.
Improving skin quality using collagen boosting treatments such as poylnucleotides, Profhilo, microneedling or skin peels
As collagen and overall skin quality reduces with natural ageing, the creases show up more easily. By improving the quality of the skin we can improve wrinkles/creases.
Avoid being so expressive (easy said that done!)
The less you frown, smile, show emotion…. the less lines you’ll have… Let me know if you manage to control your face to this degree!
Restore lost volume with dermal filler
Sometimes lines can appear because we’ve lost some of the fatty support underneath the skin. Using a dermal filler to restore the padding can plump out some lines and wrinkles
Ways to help wrinkles from sleeping:
Use tape or patches over the areas that crease up
I particularly like the silicone patches which can be used on the face and chest
Anti-wrinkle pillows
There are a few available online which support your head and face in a way that avoids pressure on the points that crease. Some encourage back sleeping by cradling your head, others offer dips and grooves to prevent creasing when on your side.
Sleep on your back
If you can channel the sleeping habits of a vampire/corpse by lying only on your back then you’ve avoided the creasing… just make sure your back can take it!
Improving skin quality using collagen boosting treatments such as poylnucleotides, Profhilo, microneedling or skin peels
As with wrinkles caused by facial expressions - collagen and overall skin quality reduces with natural ageing, the creases show up more easily. By improving the quality of the skin we can improve wrinkles/creases.
Restore lost volume with dermal filler
The less support we have under the skin, the more likely it is to crease so using a dermal filler to restore the padding can plump out some lines and wrinkles
Trust your gut, find a professional for advice
It really is the Wild West out there - bogus claims, filtered images, and a supposedly magical cream that does everything.
As with many things – if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
Celebrities, Tiktokers, influencers and even aesthetic practitioners are often not entirely transparent about what they do to achieve their smooth skin/plump lips/youthful face. Even to the degree of the lighting they take all their content with.
ALWAYS question if something seems so simple. After all, if there was a simple piece of tape, or a magical cream making all these people look like they’re airbrushed then why on earth do all these expensive, needle-based treatments still exist?!
I’m always interested to hear your thoughts so comment below:
Otherwise, if you’re local to Leamington Spa and would like to come for a consultation to start your facial regeneration journey then book below.
Written by
Dr Alison Colville
Founder, Medical Directory at The Avery Clinic, Leamington Spa
Aesthetics Doctor & GP
Winner ‘Best Clinic Warwickshire 2024’, GHP Awards
Finalist 'Best Clinic UK & Ireland' 2024 Aesthetics Awards
Interested in learning more? Read my blog ‘Anti-Ageing Mistakes You Might Be Making’ here.
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