If you've ever been in a mirror

If you've ever been in a mirror—or worse, in a small zoom frame—after looking at you and pulling your skin across your face, please raise your hand. Congratulations: You just had a facelift at home. Anyway, a few seconds.
According to a report by the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the Americans spent $16.7 billion on cosmetic surgery in 2020, of which nearly $1.9 billion was spent on facial lifts. After nose plastic surgery and eyelid surgery, facial lifts are the third most popular plastic surgery, with 234,374 performed in 2020—a 75% increase from 20 years ago.
But what if you could skip cosmetic surgery (costing an average of $8,005) and sculpt your face on the sofa? Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are flooded with beauty tutorials that provide ways to get more refreshing results through facial massage, home micro-current devices, and even facial tape. (Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. Tape. On your face.)
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Frankly speaking: No. "'Surgery at home' is a good marketing term," said Dr. Jacob D. Steiger, a facial plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Florida. "But anything you do at home is just to treat the skin. You will never go deep enough to repair the ligaments in the face."
Our face contains ligaments that support cheeks, chin and neck structures. As people age—usually in their 40s and 50s—these ligaments begin to sag, causing sagging cheeks, sagging chins, and the charming-sounding "turkey neck" with a fleshy slack under the chin. Skin and fat pockets.
Dr. Steiger said that facial lift or wrinkle reduction is a surgical procedure that "lifts facial structures" that cause the appearance of sagging and "restores them to their original positions." This will produce a firmer, more contoured face and make you look younger.
Of course, you can use laser resurfacing to improve skin texture in the dermatologist’s office, or use injectable fillers to create a lifting effect. You can even tighten the problem area with radiofrequency therapy, a non-surgical skin tightening procedure that heats the deep layers of the skin to promote the production of collagen and elastin, which make the skin firm and plump.
But even that procedure can only get you so far, says Dr. Debra Jariman, a dermatologist in New York City. "We always say to patients,'Yes, it will tighten your skin, but remember: this is not a facelift.'"
As for putting on your skin to maintain facial features and prevent facial muscles from moving? Dr. Michelle Green, a dermatologist in New York City, said: “In the past, actresses used this technique a lot.” Alas, she said, although you might look a little nervous temporarily, “when you remove the tape, everything will return. To the previous state, it's like a house of cards."
The micro-current facial conditioning device manufactured by NuFace and Ziip claims to lift and tighten the skin by using low-voltage current to stimulate facial muscles and promote the production of collagen and elastin. But experts are not enthusiastic about their effectiveness.
Dr. Rina Allawh, a dermatologist practicing in suburban Philadelphia, said: “There is no substantial data or any well-conducted research showing strong evidence that these devices can actually promote skin firmness.”
Although Dr. Allawh has some patients claiming to see results, she said that some of the improvement may actually come from the serum they were paired with. "A lot of these devices come with a gel primer containing hyaluronic acid, which is an ingredient we use in fillers to help plump the skin," she said.
Because household devices use very low power-NuFace uses a 9-volt battery for power, and most doctor-grade devices usually require about 110 volts-"They need to be used frequently" to see the plastic surgeon and Modrn Sanctuary medspa in New York City Partner Dr. Kenneth Rothaus said. (NuFace, which touts "5 minute facial lift", recommends using it five times a week for the first 60 days, 5 to 20 minutes each time, and then 2 to 3 times a week.)
"Not many people will really abide by this," Dr. Rothhouse said. "The reality will be like that treadmill used as a coat rack."
Dr. Green said that strict use may "make you look better temporarily-but only temporarily." She said that any impact will only last for a few days. She added that household micro-current devices "definitely will not replace Botox or laser skin resurfacing or actual facelifts." "I really don't think this will bring long-term benefits."
If you decide to give it a try, don't overuse it-and consider what you know about your skin before you start. Dr. Jaliman said that if you are sensitive and irritable, the experiment at home may not be worth the gamble.
Massage your face with a piece of jade or powder crystal may be all the rage on social media, but for centuries, Chinese medicine has used scraping and jade rolling to move the body's "qi" (or energy) flow and relax muscles. Chicago's REMIX Said Giselle Wasfie, the founder of Acupuncture and Comprehensive Health, a doctor of Chinese medicine.
Dr. Vasfi said that although it is traditionally performed on the shoulders and neck, facial scraping-you slide a contoured stone tool on the skin-has become more and more popular in the United States as a cosmetic treatment in the past few years. popular.
She said that in addition to pushing topical products into the skin for better absorption, Gua Sha and jade rolling can increase blood flow, improve lymphatic drainage, and reduce inflammation and edema. Since the Gua Sha tool is more precise than the Jade Roller, Dr. Wasfie added that she has noticed that the Gua Sha tool makes her customers look more "upgraded" compared to the Jade Roller. The massage movements of these two techniques can also help relieve tight muscles in the face and jaw. "You can get soothing benefits from the stones on your skin," she said. "It's almost like a little meditation."
Dr. Allawh said that scraping and rolling jade will not promote collagen production or eliminate wrinkles. "So far, there is little evidence to support this."
According to your budget for household micro-current devices-NuFace Trinity is priced at $339, Ziip GX is priced at $495-Dr. Jaliman recommends investing in skin care products. She said that retinol, glycolic acid toner, vitamin C essence and niacinamide-containing creams "really make your skin look great at home." You can also try moisturizing products containing hyaluronic acid and eye creams containing peptides to stimulate collagen production.
Of course, sun protection is the key. "Many times, we see that the cause of sagging or sagging of the face is sunburn," said Dr. Alaf. "Long exposure to the sun will actually accelerate the loss of collagen in our skin." This means (you guessed it) you should work hard on SPF.
"The three most important things I tell people are sunscreen, sunscreen, and sunscreen," Dr. Green said. "Anything you will use will not be copied just to avoid sun damage."
For a quick fix, get the page from a beauty influencer and use makeup to disguise it. "It's all about the play of light and shadow," said Danielle Vincent, a celebrity makeup artist and founder of beauty brand Kimiko. "You can trick your eyes into seeing non-existent three-dimensional objects."
Ms. Vincent said that in order to create the illusion of a more raised cheek, you can mix a highlighter on the top of the cheekbones, and then add blush just below it on the outer part of the cheekbones. Finally, apply a light matte contour makeup on the natural depressions of the cheeks. You can mix makeup along the jawbone to cover up the sagging, "or even slightly higher, so that you will back off something that might glow," she said.
Whatever you try, make sure to manage your expectations. And stay healthy and skeptical about the idea of facial lift at home. "It's like a pipe dream," Dr. Green said. "This is a sexy term with popular appeal. Who doesn't want to undergo plastic surgery at home-no needles, no anesthesia, no recovery?"