Do Wrinkle Patches Actually Work? I Tried Some & Here Are My Thoughts!

I don’t know about you, but I have been seeing wrinkle patches ALL OVER the internet lately! As someone who is always interested in non-invasive options for keeping my skin youthful, my interest was piqued, to say the least. I decided to try some wrinkle patches out myself to see what they’re all about!

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Now, I already feel like I take good care of my skin and don’t really have intensely pronounced wrinkles. But I am 31 years old and my crow’s feet like to make an appearance when I’m having a good time, and I do have a faint line on my forehead starting to creep in.

So why not give some patches a shot?!

What this post covers:

• How Do Wrinkle Patches Even Work?
• Frownies Wrinkle Patches Review
• Pacifica Reusable Silicone Patches Review
• Conclusion & Which Patches I Prefer

How Do Wrinkle Patches Even Work?

Most wrinkle patches act like a cast or a splint for your facial muscles, meaning they keep the muscles relaxed and help train them to move less. This slowly helps smooth out wrinkles and fine lines.

So if you tend to have a really expressive forehead, for example, wrinkle patches can help calm down the expression and prevent creasing.

Now, I’m not going to pretend that wrinkle patches work as well as Botox. I’ve never had Botox myself, but it essentially blocks signals from your nerves to your muscles. Therefore, the injected muscle can’t contract and wrinkles will soften after injection. It basically freezes your face 🙃

Wrinkle patches are more of a temporary solution and don’t affect your nerves. Usually, it’s recommended to use the patches consecutively for about 20-30 days at a time, and then can be used less frequently for maintenance. You can wear them for a couple of hours at a time or overnight.

So let’s take a look at two different patch brands that I tried! 🤓

Related post: “How to Microneedle at Home: Get Rid of Scars & Wrinkles“

Frownies Wrinkle Patches Review

Frownies is a women-owned family business that started in 1889! They are the original wrinkle patches and probably one of the most popular options on the market. They have a couple of patch options with various sizes and purposes: Forehead & Between Eyes, Corner of Eyes & Mouth (2 shapes in 1 pack), and Lip Lines. As well as masks and eye gels.

I tried both the Forehead patches and the Eye/Mouth Corner patches!

Frownies are single-use paper and have a proprietary adhesive backing to help them stick to skin. The adhesive is activated with water so you need to spray them with water or toner before applying. To remove, you need to get them really wet to release the adhesive and they will peel off easily.

Frownies Pros:

• Have a very strong hold and do not budge
• They are smaller so for larger areas like your forehead, you can overlap multiple patches and place them exactly where you need them to create one large cast (versus one large forehead piece that might not fit all face shapes well)
• $21.95 for 144 patches (~15 cents per patch, but you do need to use multiple patches at a time. I use 3-4 at a time so I get about 36-40 uses per box)

Frownies Cons:

• Single use
• The adhesive is synthetic and can be irritating for people with sensitive skin (it does not really cause irritation for me, but I have noticed it is a bit itchy and tight sometimes)
• The Mouth Corner patches don’t really fit my face or stay on well
• They can hurt when you peel them off if you don’t get them wet enough, even more so on delicate skin areas like the corner of the eyes
• Sometimes they can leave a mark or slight redness and you can tell where the patches were applied after removing them (it seems to fade within about half an hour)

Shop Frownies Patches Here

Pacifica Reusable Silicone Patches Review

These are newer and were super intriguing to me! They are 100% high-grade silicone and you can reuse them over and over again; you just gently wash with soap and water then let them dry (sticky side up). One side is soft and the other is slightly sticky and tacky; you use your own facial oil or moisturizer and the silicone has a natural vacuum seal lifting effect. They come in cute metal storage tins, too. Pacifica also has different size patches: Brow, Lip Line, Under Eye, and Smile Line.

I tried both the Brow and Under Eye patches!

Pacifica Pros:

• Reusable
• No synthetic adhesives
• Does not leave marks on your skin
• Feels cool and comfortable
• Easy to peel off and doesn’t hurt when you remove them
• You can use your own serums/oils with them and helps further seal in your products

Pacifica Cons:

• The stickiness might fade over time so they are not indefinitely reusable
• Not immediately super sticky; you need to gently press and hold the edges for a few seconds to activate the vacuum seal effect (the hold is not as strong as Frownies)
• Need to be washed and dried after each use
• Pretty thick (my husband jokes that I look like Wonder Woman when wearing the forehead mask 😆)
• The patches are kind of big so if you have a smaller face they might not fit perfectly; for example, the bottom flap on the forehead patch doesn’t totally seal onto my skin because it’s a little too big. You can always trim them though!
• $10.50 for one mask (but it’s reusable!)

I truly did not expect these to stick well because there is no adhesive, but they DO! Especially overnight; the forehead patch stays on through the entire night without falling off or moving. I don’t use the eye masks overnight, but rather, for an hour or two at a time during the day with an eye cream underneath.

I have read reviews that the stickiness can subside after about 15-20 uses. However, they should last longer if you take good care of them. After using them for a while, I can say that the forehead mask lasts longer than the eye patches!

My forehead mask STILL is sticky, even after more than 35+ uses which is surprising. It has lost a little bit of stickiness, specifically on the bottom flap that goes between my eyes, and I notice that it takes longer for the vacuum seal to take effect. But it still stays on throughout the night! The eye patches started losing stickiness after about 10 uses for me; I think it’s because they sit on more of a curved area that’s harder to stick to.

Overall, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with these, especially the forehead mask!

Shop Pacifica Patches Here

Also available online here at Target and in select stores.

And the winner is…

SO…with both Frownies and Pacifica, I do feel like my muscles feel kind of “frozen” and stiff after removing the patches, and fine lines appear a bit softer. So I can tell that my muscles are being trained and relaxed. It’s kind of an odd feeling, but you get used to it, and it seems to last about an hour or so before your muscles go back to normal.

Frownies do have a stronger hold and better restrict movement, but ultimately, the winner for me is PACIFICA! 🏆

Pacifica is just easier to use, feels way more comfortable, and I LOVE that I can use my own skincare products with it. I also feel like my skin looks MUCH better after removing the Pacifica patches; it’s sooooo smooth and there are no lines, redness, or marks! It definitely has a softening effect. Pretty cool.

My recommendation would be: if you’re someone that has more intense wrinkles and wants to stop excessive facial movement, go with Frownies. If you’re like me and don’t really have deep lines and want to focus more on smoothing, go with Pacifica!

Do wrinkle patches look ridiculous? Yes. Absolutely.
Do they work? With consistent use, yes! (just don’t expect miraculous Botox-like results)
Will I keep using them as needed? You bet!

For even MORE info about holistic and non-invasive ways to keep your skin youthful, check this post ⬇️

Red more: “11 Natural & Effective Ways to Prevent & Smooth Wrinkles (without Botox!)“

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What do you think, would you use wrinkle patches? Have you tried any of these brands? I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you have any questions, drop them in the comments! 💚