Before succumbing to Botox, I tried ‘face taping' my wrinkles

Telegraph

17-03-2025

I turned 40 a few months ago and I've been flip-flopping over whether to give my first try of Botox a go or not. My frown lines seem to be getting deeper and my forehead is striped with more horizontal lines than I'd like at this stage in life.
But, Botox is an expensive commitment, which is why I decided to investigate face tape. I'm aware this is not a new age-defying beauty technique. Using tape to smooth out wrinkles or enhance necklines was common practice amongst Hollywood stars like Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich who wanted to appear younger on the big screen.
Seventy years later, celebrities such as Bella Hadid and rapper Doechii (whose face tape was visible at this year's Grammys) are also using this technique to smooth their faces out. Hadid told Vogue in 2022: 'Whoever thinks I've gotten my eyes lifted or whatever it's called – it's face tape! The oldest trick in the book.'
It's also become something of a viral trend on TikTok with beauty influencers sharing videos of their faces before and after using it. I'm not famous and no one really cares about what my face looks like apart from me but, when so many of my friends are starting to have 'tweakments', it's been hard not to feel the pressure to do the same. But first, I thought I'd give the 'oldest trick in the book' a go myself.
What is face taping?
Face tape is medical grade tape that comes in strips of varying sizes. You stick the tape at different angles on your face, depending on where your wrinkles are. The idea is that the tape will pull them taut and flat. 'Face taping can provide a temporary smoothing effect by restricting muscle movement and preventing skin creasing during sleep,' the facialist Justine Masters tells me.
'It can improve lymphatic drainage and can help to bring blood flow and nutrients to the skin. Consistent use may help retrain the facial muscles to move less and potentially slow down wrinkle formation as it releases fascia adhesions,' says Masters.
I bought some strips from a company called Skin Gym who recommended using them every night for 1-2 hours or overnight. Prices for face tape vary, from around £10 for a roll from Amazon to £150 for retinol wrinkle erasing patches from Space NK. The ones I bought cost £25 for 128 individual pre-cut tapes, which seemed like good value, although who knew if they'd make any difference or not.
Where to apply face tape
The packet had some handy diagrams on the back to help me work out where to put the tape. Being totally new to face tape, I decided to copy the images one by one to see what impact they had. I soon understood why the packet had so many strips in it, because on my first try I had 14 of them stuck to my face.
This felt slightly over the top, but I definitely had all of my creases and wrinkles covered. The strips didn't feel tight on my face or like they were pulling my skin taut which surprised me.
They felt light and comfortable to wear while also making my face quite immobile. I wore the strips for just over one hour. There's no way I could have slept in that many. Fourteen tapes did feel like overkill, so when I tried them the next day I hoped less would equal more (...smooth!).
My neck and cheeks are still looking vaguely youthful, so I decided to just focus on my eyes, forehead and frown lines. This time I decided to start my day with some face tape action, rather than doing it at the end of the day. Now that I'm approaching middle age, it can take some time for the crinkles from sleep to settle down and smooth out.
I thought I'd give them a helping hand by stretching them out a bit, and stopping any morning stress with the kids from making them even deeper. My three boys weren't sure about my new look but I soon forgot about them as we got ourselves ready for the day. When the time came to take them off, wash my face and put make-up on, my skin looked smoother. I felt more awake and fresh-looking.
Does it work?
If you're thinking of giving face tape a try, consultant plastic surgeons Mo Akhavani, and Dan Marsh, of The Plastic Surgery Group, have some tips: 'It's important to make sure you choose medical-grade tape which is specially designed for this purpose and ideally one that lets the skin breathe.
People with sensitive skin should be aware of the redness and irritation that some tapes can cause, and it's important that the tape isn't worn for too long in order to make sure it doesn't negatively impact the skin's natural functions. It's also important to ensure you remove the tape carefully in order to avoid skin damage.'
My packet for Skin Gym tape recommended removing the tape in a 'rolling manner' to avoid aggravating your skin. It also suggests testing a strip on your hand first in case of an allergic reaction.
OK, so now for the key part of this article – would I use face tape again and is Botox off the menu for now? The quick answers to both of these questions are yes, followed by no. I liked the immediate effect the tape had on my face.
It gives your face an instant lift and smooths your face naturally. The downside of course, is that these changes are only temporary and not long-lasting like Botox or other cosmetic treatments. I can use all of the tape, creams and serums to try to defy the ageing process but it's going to happen anyway. I'm just going to have to decide whether to embrace it or not.