Celebs hail me the ‘skin sculptor’ as I banish wrinkles without Botox and it’s all thanks to a stationery buy for kids
There are countless anti-ageing tips circulating on social media at the moment: from homemade “Botox in a bottle” to banana peel hacks that supposedly age skin backwards.
But one at-home hack that has some medical backing, and is even done by celebrities like Bella Hadid and Chrissy Teigen, is face taping.
The practice was pioneered in the seventies as a way to relieve muscle pain following injury.
Japan-based chiropractor, Dr. Kenzo Kase, discovered tape could be used to decrease muscle activity and relax the area it was placed.
Fast forward fifty years, beauty buffs are now applying that principle to their faces.
Since anti-wrinkle injections and Botox work to paralyse facial muscles and stop them from moving, facial taping works towards a similar goal.
Once you’ve stuck it down over your smile lines and forehead, those muscles can’t contract anymore – meaning they can’t form the lines and expressions that contribute to wrinkles.
Celebrity facialist, Guendalina Gennari, recently took to Instagram to back face taping as your ticket to wrinkle-free skin.
Known amongst her clients as the “skin sculptor”, the London-based expert revealed that she has been using the anti-ageing hack “for a while now”.
“I have been using tape for a while now at night to treat my nasolabial and forehead lines,” she penned.
“Being a side sleeper, I used to wake up with deep lines on the left side of my face.
“Face taping is helping me incredibly.”
But she doesn’t use just any type of tape – Guendalina reaches for the kind that you find in children’s craft sets.
“I prefer using children’s tape as the glue is more gentle – or facial tape for sensitive skin,” she said.
“Always cleanse and hydrate the skin before applying the tape, and avoid any type of oils.”
The skincare pro shared a tutorial on how to cut the tape with rounded ends and massage it onto her face to secure it over the dynamic areas of her face.
In addition to following her lead on Instagram, Guendalina also urged people to place the tape so that it “follows the lymphatic system and muscle structure”.
Areas of focus for this are the nasolabial folds (smile lines), outer corners of the eyes, cheekbones, and the forehead.
“It is very important not to stretch the tape, as it can stress the muscles and do more damage than good,” Guendalina added.