If the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap looks familiar, it may be because it resembles the compression garments we’ve often seen worn by facial plastic surgery patients post-op.
“Facial wraps have been used for decades to help decrease swelling after procedures,” according to board-certified facial plastic surgeon Jaimie DeRosa, MD, who has offices in Boston and Palm Beach. “This garment looks exactly like those I recommend for my patients after facial surgery—especially facelifts, necklifts, and submental (neck) liposuction,” she tells Allure. However, she says, they’re being used less and less these days as there isn’t a lot of evidence that they improve results or decrease complications.
Although the doctors I spoke to haven’t tested the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap, they see no reason to believe it could snatch a jawline in a meaningful manner—certainly not at the same level of a medical procedure.
“While a product like this may create a temporary sense of tightness by reducing puffiness through mild lymphatic drainage, it cannot deliver results comparable to a facelift or surgical procedure,” says Konstantin Vasyukevich, MD, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City. “The effect fades once it’s removed, whereas a facelift repositions the deeper facial tissues for results that are both structural and long‑lasting.” Dr. DeRosa concurs. “Wearing a compression garment without having prior facial surgery would have little to no benefit in facial tightening or rejuvenation.”
And then there’s the understandable curiosity about whether or not this face wrap may bring some relief for temporomandibular joint dysfunction (a.k.a. TMJ or TMD), wherein people experience persistent jaw pain. St. Louis-based orthodontist Erin Fraundorf, DMD, doesn’t believe it would offer meaningful relief—not that Skims was suggesting it could. She says it may actually worsen symptoms for some.
“TMJ patients are often treated with oral appliances that gently protract the mandible, which helps open the airway and place the jaw joint in a more relaxed, physiologic position,” Dr. Fraundorf tells Allure. “In contrast, the Skims wrap appears to do the opposite, retracting and elevating the mandible, applying backward and upward pressure. This type of force can increase joint compression and reduce airway space by pushing the jaw and tongue backward.” The possible result: increased joint pain, tension, snoring, or other airway-related symptoms.