In the quest to minimize the effects of aging on our faces, we're willing to try just about anything. But if you feel like you've just about exhausted all the creams, devices and other at-home options on the market, you might be interested to hear about a non-invasive option that people are calling a "Botox alternative."
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Wrinkle patches have been popping up all over our social media pages. Different variations of the products have racked up millions of views on TikTok, with users posting impressive before and after results, showing how their smile lines and forehead wrinkles have smoothed after just a handful of uses.
While it sounds promising, we tapped two experts to get the details on whether or not the viral product is actually worth your time. Here's what you need to know.
What are wrinkle patches? | Do wrinkle patches really work? | Wrinkle patches to shop | How we chose | Meet the experts
Wrinkle patches are patches (typically made of adhesive paper or silicone) that cover an area of the skin to decrease mobility and prevent or improve the appearance of wrinkles, explains Dr. Sejal Shah, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of SmarterSkin Dermatology.
"The theory is that they prevent movement of the skin and therefore the creation of wrinkles," says Dr. Mary Stevenson, associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "Some also purport that they prevent moisture from leaving the skin, therefore plumping it as you retain moisture."
While people on social media have seen some promising results, the answer to the question of whether or not they will really have a positive effect on your skin isn't so straightforward. "They can, but it's important to understand that while they can have a positive effect, is it a long-term effect or a short-term effect? I think it's probably more of a short-term benefit," Shah says.
If you wear one of the patches overnight — which Shah says is the most typical way to wear it — it's going to prevent mobility of the skin throughout the night. So, when you wake up, you may not notice those "sleep wrinkles" that can sometimes form as you snooze.
"On top of that, the wrinkle patches are going to prevent water loss from the skin, so the skin will appear more hydrated and plump," she says.
The effects also depend on how often you wear them. "If you wear them for long periods of time regularly then, yes, theoretically they work," Stevenson says. It's another step that you can take, like sleeping on your back, that can help prevent lines from being formed.
Overall, you'll likely notice the effects start to wane throughout the day. "When you wake up and you take it off, that's going to be when it's at its most effective," Shah says. "But, as you go through the day, you make facial expressions, you move your face around, those lines are going to start to reform."
Here, we rounded up eight options that you can try.
Count: 1 reusable patch | Other key ingredients: 100% silicone
This reusable forehead mask is meant to be used with your favorite serums or after your skin care for up to 30 minutes. According to the brand, it’s made of 100% silicone and just needs to be washed with warm water after each use.
Count: 1 reusable patch | Other key ingredients: 100% silicone
While this 100% silicone mask is designed to be paired with your favorite serum to "seal" in the ingredients and boost hydration, the brand says that it can also gently lift and flatten skin to help with fine lines and wrinkles.
Count: 6 patches | Other key ingredients: Retinol, hyaluronic acid
Containing retinol, peptides and hyaluronic acid, these wrinkle patches can be used anywhere you're looking to target facial lines, says the brand. The patches are made with 80 "micro-cones" that are meant to dissolve into your skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines in just two hours.
Count: 6 patches | Other key ingredients: Retinol, vitamin C, multi-peptides
You may know this brand for their hydrocolloid acne patches, but now they're getting into the wrinkle game with these microneedling patches. According to the brand, the patches contain retinol and have 450 hyaluronic micro-needles that dissolve into your skin to soften fine lines around your eyes, frown lines or any deep set wrinkles.
Count: 144 patches | Other key ingredients: Natural unbleached Kraft paper
A popular option from the brand, these patches are designed to target wrinkles around the corners of your eyes and mouth. To see results, the brand says that you should wear the patches for at least three hours at a time.
Count: 1 reusable patch | Other key ingredients: 100% silicone
This reusable patch is another option that is designed to smooth “forehead furrows, expression lines and frown lines.” While some shoppers have found that it works to temporarily improve the look of wrinkles, the brand says that it’s also great to use in between in-office treatments.
Count: 2 reusable patches | Other key ingredients: 100% silicone
Wrinkles Schminkles is one of the most popular options on TikTok. In fact, one video from the brand featuring the product racked up over 55 million views and 3.3 million likes. The reusable patches (which the brand says you can use up to 20 times) are designed to be applied to your forehead area to prevent wrinkles. While the company says that they can be worn for as little as one to two hours for a quick boost, you'll see the best results if you wear them overnight.
Jennifer Birkhofer, the vice president of commerce at NBC News, uses these patches (along with the brand's patches for eyes and lips). She says, "I started using these patches recently. Over Christmas, I went to dinner with some girlfriends, and one of them who looks incredibly youthful (and who’s forehead has never shown a wrinkle) said she uses silicone patches every night."
Birkhofer continues, "I was shocked and immediately bought some. I don’t sleep in these every night, but I try to a few times a week when I want my skin to look and feel smooth in the morning. They are surprisingly easy to sleep in and far cheaper than other wrinkle solutions I’ve heard of."
Count: 6 patches | Other key ingredients: 100% silicone (patches)
This kit comes with reusable patches that are designed to target various areas of your face, from your forehead to your under-eyes and neck. The viral patches can be used up to 30 times, the brand says. Along with helping improve the appearance of lines and wrinkles, they are said to target stretch marks and sun damage as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
The nice thing is, the viral patches tend to be pretty safe for the skin. While Stevenson says that there can be a risk of irritation with ones that use adhesives, generally, silicone does not cause that reaction. (She adds that silicone is preferred, in her opinion, as it occludes the skin .)
Some of the patches also contain active ingredients, like acids or retinol, and Shah recommends using those with caution, as they could be irritating — especially to those with sensitive skin .
The bottom line is, for anyone hoping to improve the look of fine lines, it could be worth a shot. "It's a relatively low investment, low stakes sort of treatment," Shah says.
"So it's a good way to see what could be possible. And maybe it's [best] for someone who is just looking for some short-term improvement. But, if you need longer-term improvement, you're probably going to want to start investing in some in-office treatments."
The Shop TODAY team spoke with a board-certified dermatologist as well as a dermatologic surgeon about what wrinkle patches are (and how, exactly, they help reduce fine lines within aging skin). We then searched the internet for popular patches to include, keeping the experts' lessons in mind while choosing. While most patches here are made purely with silicone, some include extra ingredients like retinol and hyaluronic acid.
Some folks swear by the products’ ability to smooth fine lines, particularly the so-called elevens that form between the eyebrows. “They make a massive difference, but only to my elevens and frown lines—I’ve not used them anywhere else,” says Becca Caddy, 35, a journalist based in the United Kingdom.
Caddy says her lines aren’t age-related, but rather appeared because she went without glasses for years and squinted instead. “I’m fully aware they’re not magically getting rid of age-related lines, but must be doing a similar thing to Botox in relaxing that area that’s usually mega-tense.”
Gwen Calais-Haase, a graduate student in Boston, found out about Frownies on TikTok. “I get so much baby Botox content that I was like, hmm, interesting alternative!” she says, referencing the trend of people in their twenties—“babies”—getting “preventative” Botox. “I was pretty dedicated [to Frownies] for three weeks” before falling off the wagon, she says.
Frownies are “similar to Botox” in that they “immobilize the underlying facial muscles through their unique design,” according to their maker. Theoretically, the patches prevent the muscles from moving, thus helping to “retrain the facial muscles to relax, release tension, and lay flat.” Other brands of wrinkle patches, such as the silicone-based SiO Beauty, work similarly, though SiO also claims that it helps the skin stay hydrated, thus “plumping” the skin and causing it to appear smoother.
Wrinkle patches require a fair amount of effort daily. Users must first wash their face, and any moisturizer must be allowed to sink in for 10 to 15 minutes before applying the patches. After massaging any fine lines for 10 to 15 seconds, the skin is ready for application. Each patch must be lightly wetted on one side. After gently separating the lines on the relevant area of the face, the user should apply the patch while pressing down with the fingers to ensure it adheres completely; the patches then harden as they dry.
Frownies recommends that people use the patches for several hours a day, preferably overnight for three to five days for shallower fine lines. Long-term results may take up to four weeks, according to the company, which advises users to wear them at least three to four nights every week to “maintain wrinkle-free skin.”
Using them is as uncomfortable as it sounds. I recently tried Frownies on my forehead and around my smile lines, and I was unable to drink water except through a straw; I couldn’t laugh, and could only mumble, as my mouth was too constricted to form words clearly. When I finally tore them off at my bathroom sink—an unpleasant experience—I was incredibly relieved. Considering that laughing, speaking, eating, and drinking all require facial movements that will inevitably result in fine lines and wrinkles, it follows that a product aimed at preventing their formation would also prevent the movements that create them. But in practice it is extremely awkward and bizarre.
“The idea of these types of products is they harden and basically stiffen, so you cannot use the muscles. So temporarily the idea is to prevent a movement, and over time to train the muscle to not move,” says Mary Stevenson, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. “The results of these are temporary, and I think they’re gimmicky,” she says.
Anjali Mahto, a dermatologist based in the United Kingdom and author of "The Skincare Bible: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Great Skin" (Penguin, 2018), says she’s unaware of any data that suggests that wrinkle patches are effective. Any temporary effects “will disappear as you start to use your muscles again—a bit like an ironed piece of clothing in that it’s smooth to start with, but with wear, will become creased.”