That Lifting Band Isn't Truly Changing the Shape of Your Face, Experts Say

The short answer is that lifting bands are supposed to “sculpt” your face, especially the jawline. The various products work in different ways. For example, the PMD SMAS Lifting Massage Band ​​uses microcurrents and vibrations in combination with the compression from the band to “lift, tone, firm, and sculpt the face,” according to the PMD website. 

The Skims wrap is a strap made of basic polyamide (nylon) and elastane (spandex or Lycra) that attaches on the top of the head and beneath the chin with a fabric fastener. The company claims it’s like shapewear for the face; the product description says it provides “strong targeted compression for shaping & sculpting” and can be worn daily.

What is SMAS, and why is it so important? “The SMAS, or superficial musculoaponeurotic system, is a deep connective layer that surgeons actually reposition during a facelift,” an invasive procedure that results in sustained results, says Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD, FAAD, a dermatologist in San Francisco.

Colby James Gerth, DMD, a dentist and owner of Pearl Aesthetics and Dentistry in Chicago, adds: “SMAS is a tissue layer that sits above our musculature, and it helps our musculature attached to our face. So all of our facial expressions are due to the SMAS.“ 

Badreshia-Bansal says claims about lifting bands are empty ones. “These so-called SMAS lifting bands have become a viral sensation, but from a dermatologic and anatomic standpoint, they can’t do what they promise,” she says, meaning they can’t permanently reposition muscle. 

Social media is flooded with youthful influencers and gorgeous celebs with sharp, unjowly jawlines who leave viewers feeling a little less than, to say the least. “Younger consumers are especially drawn to these gadgets because they seem like an easy, noninvasive shortcut to the sculpted jawlines they see on social media,” Badreshia-Bansal says. “Marketing plays heavily on celebrity beauty ideals and instant gratification culture.”

As a result, at-home skin care devices like lifting bands have become increasingly popular. According to recent data from the market research firm Mintel, more than half of U.S. adults now use a skin care device, up from 41 percent just two years ago. 

Lifting bands also have an economic appeal. Interest in buying skin care devices is rising fastest among people with a limited budget. This growing trust in at-home gadgets helps explain why products like face-lifting bands catch on quickly, even when there’s little evidence they can do what’s promised.

Badreshia-Bansal says the social media claims that SMAS lifting bands excel at depuffing the face by moving lymph, a watery fluid, are overstated. “Lymphatic drainage involves gentle directional massage to encourage fluid movement. Keeping the skin under constant tension overnight doesn’t mimic that,” she says. “For most people, morning puffiness is better managed by elevating the head slightly during sleep, limiting salt and alcohol, and applying cool compresses.”

To test this on my own often puffy morning face, I used the PMD SMAS lifting band every day for almost a week. The strap itself is a basic compression band that goes around the chin, attaches behind the neck, and extends over the head. It includes two small, powered devices that magnetically attach to metal ports on each side of the jaw. 

The manufacturer recommends using the band with its misting spray, which PMD says “helps enhance conductivity and ensures the device works effectively while keeping your skin hydrated and protected.” But I followed my usual nighttime skin care routine, which includes retinol serums. The device powers through five massaging cycles for 10 minutes. The cycles range from a low hum to a light, quick pulsation.

For the first few days, I followed the instructions for the 10-minute session and then removed the band. For the last few days of the test, I got more adventurous and removed the pods, then slept in the lifting band, even though PMD’s directions don’t recommend this.

After the second day, I noticed less puffiness in the side profile view of my jawline and midface. I also noticed that the smile lines on the left side of my face (my sleeping side) were more prominent. The smile-line creasing went away within a couple of hours—and so did the newfound jawline definition. 

“The bottom line is that these lifting bands offer only a fleeting cosmetic change from temporary fluid shift,” Badreshia-Bansal says. “They don’t tighten or lift the underlying facial structure. What people often see is a temporary reduction in puffiness because of mild compression that moves a bit of surface fluid. The effect fades quickly and is only temporary.”

I ended the test early, on Day 6, after waking up with a cramped, tense jaw, again, probably because I wore the band overnight, which PMD doesn’t recommend. In hindsight, I probably should have followed the instructions and used it for only the 10-minute cycle. Further complicating the quest for TikTok-worthy results, I have a TMJ disorder marked by clenching and a misaligned bite. Gerth says when it comes to putting any elastic or compression around your face and jaw, it’s the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that’s going to be affected.

TMJ is the joint that connects the jaw. “One of the biggest [dental] issues in every population is TMJ pain, TMJ clicking and popping, or even some crunching sounds,” Gerth says. “What that is is actually your cartilage disc inside of your jaw joint popping in and out of the socket.” He adds that wearing an elastic around your face is going to compress this cartilage together, and that’s going to be very bad long term.

According to Osuamkpe, “anything that holds your mouth or holds your teeth in a certain position for more than 6 hours is considered, scientifically, an orthodontic appliance.” Because it only takes about 6 hours to create the smallest movement in your teeth, she says, any product you’re wearing every single day can change your bite.

“If someone wants visible and lasting improvement in facial contour, energy-based devices like radiofrequency microneedling or ultrasound treatments, neuromodulators for muscle balance, and surgical lifting where the SMAS is actually repositioned are the only effective methods,” Badreshia-Bansal says. 

With the average cost of a facelift in the U.S. coming in at $11,395, reaching that goal is easier said than done.

“If you’re looking for some of these products that you can use at home, one product that has shown very slight improvement is microcurrent devices,” Gerth says. “Microcurrent devices are very similar to a gua sha [a handheld device used to reduce puffiness], but they use electric currents in them as well. And with those currents, it’s actually stimulating your musculature to contract. So that has shown when you use it continuously over time, it is going to tighten your jaw line or tighten your cheekbones or lift your eyebrows, because it’s actually stimulating the musculature.”

Despite the explosion of videos about skin care devices, Osuampke says there’s not much scientific evidence to support their effectiveness. The marketing of the SMAS lifting bands, she says, is “pretty careless.”

“They seem very attractive, because everyone, especially right now, doesn’t want any pain, but they want great results.”

While Gerth doesn’t outright advise against using them, he agrees with Osuampke. But if people are going to use lifting bands, he recommends wearing a mouth guard, too.

“Everyone out here is trying to do anti-aging and age gracefully, and everyone’s so micro-focused on every little imperfection of their face,” he says. “I think it’s a little bit of a cash grab because people are insecure—and they’re playing off those insecurities.”

Badreshia-Bansal has some advice if you’re influenced enough to add one of these products to your shopping cart: “Use them gently if you like the short-term effect, but be realistic about what they can and can’t do.”