2 days ago
- Health
- National Geographic
Face wraps promise a snatched jawline—but do they really work?
A snug compression wrap promises to sculpt the jawline, but experts say its effects are only skin deep. The trend's fleeting results come from temporarily shifting lymphatic fluid beneath the skin. Photograph by Rebecca Hale, National Geographic
Once a niche beauty technique practiced by only the most devout anti-aging obsessives, face wrapping has recently surged into the skincare spotlight. Beauty fans are raving about these snug, balaclava-like wraps and their supposed tightening and 'snatching' effects. But can a stretchy wrap really reduce your jowls and tone your jawline? Here's what experts have to say. What can face wraps do?
The use of compression garments for treating facial scars dates back to World War I. It became widespread in aesthetic surgery in the 1980s and is still used today for post-operative patients. A 2019 literature review showed a statistically significant improvement in facial scars with the use of pressure masks and a 2023 study on facial skin cancer patients found long-term stable aesthetic outcomes after 10 months of mask use.
'The body's natural reaction to a surgery is to swell, to gather fluid,' says Foad Nahai, a plastic surgeon from MetroDerm, who requires patients to wear compression garments for up to a week after a facelift. 'It compresses and reduces the swelling in front of the ear, especially on the neck.' Compression is also 'incredibly effective' for treating scars, especially burns, he says. 'Early in my career, when I was taking care of burn victims, we used to put them in a custom-made face mask—not unlike the wraps that you see on social media – to compress the scars.'
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Today, those same principles have been repurposed in the beauty world, where face wrapping devotees claim these garments can help lift and define the jawline, reduce bloating, improve circulation, and prevent sagging. Still, experts say any perceived changes are temporary.
'You may notice some improvement after taking off the wrap, maybe for a couple hours or so,' says Glen Nosworthy, an aesthetic physician and founder of the medical spa Glo by Glen. That's because the compression temporarily moves lymphatic fluid—a watery substance that can collect in soft tissues and cause puffiness—out of the face. 'Think of it like a sponge,' says Hannah Kopelman, a dermatologist at DermonDemand. 'You're squeezing the fluid out of the sponge, but as soon as you take the compression off, it starts to fill up again.'
But tighter isn't always better, and could actually have the opposite effect, Nahai says. 'If you compress too tight, you compress all the arteries and the blood vessels, and there won't be as much blood coming through into the tissues.' Over time, this reduced blood flow can deprive skin cells of oxygen and nutrients, slowing repair and potentially harming skin health.
It will also not improve laxity, the firmness and elasticity of skin that decreases as we age due to the decline in collagen and elastin. 'The only thing that really changes skin sagging is if you can alter the collagen, elastin, or fat distribution in the face, and none of these can be done with compression alone,' Kopelman explains. Nosworthy adds that if you can hold a 'full pinch' of sagging skin between your fingers, surgery is likely the only way to tighten it effectively.
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Ultimately, there is 'absolutely no evidence' that face wrapping has any lasting effect on facial rejuvenation, Nahai says, but if all you want is the fleeting illusion of a sculpted jaw, a compression garment could help. 'If you're going to be in photos, this could be a temporary fix for you,' Kopelman says, 'but I don't view it as a long-term solution.'
Face wrapping is generally considered low risk, as long as the compression isn't too intense. 'You don't want to wrap too tightly because it can irritate your skin or even cause an exacerbation of dermatitis or rosacea,' Kopelman says.
Nosworthy warns that face wraps 'can cause skin irritation if you're in them for eight hours at night, especially if you're not keeping them clean, which could do more harm than good [and cause] acne.' As with any garment worn close to the skin, a face wrap should be washed regularly with mild detergent, Nahai advises. 'I would recommend that they should be cleaned at least every second or third night.' What else can you do to sculpt your jawline?
While experts agree that face wrapping won't get rid of jowls, they have plenty of advice for maintaining a firm, defined jawline.
'Limit your exposure to the sun, don't smoke, keep your skin hydrated—those are the things that will prevent or at least will slow down the aging and the sagging of the skin,' Nahai says. Nosworthy recommends a lymphatic drainage facial to 'directly push extra fluid out of the soft tissue space, and then you can follow up with something like a gua sha,' a smooth-edged tool used for DIY facial massage. 'Facial exercises can also help to strengthen the muscles and move fluid along the lymphatic chain to exit out of the body.'
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Professional-grade options for collagen stimulation include radiofrequency, ultrasound, and specific fractional laser procedures. At the same time, plastic surgery may be the 'only effective' solution for sagging skin on the jawline beyond the age of around 60, Nahai says. 'There's no substitute for removing excess skin other than to re-drape it and surgically remove the excess.'
Instead of investing in a face wrap, Nahai suggests buying a tube of retinol or retinoid serum instead. Backed by decades of research, these vitamin A-derived ingredients are proven to increase collagen production and reduce wrinkles, providing a 'greater return on investment than an elastic wrap.'
