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So… how ‘bout that new Skims Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap?
If the comments and reaction videos on social media and seemingly instantaneous editorials are any indication, the new launch—which wraps around the chin and jawline, securing around the top of the head and behind the neck with velcro—hasn’t been met with universal excitement. In general, it seems people are fed up with the idea that women’s appearances must be “fixed” by way of getting snatched via any means possible. One content creator called the face wrap “peak fuckery”; others left character-limit-hitting diatribes about what this says about society, capitalism, feminism, etc. That exasperation, while entirely valid, is nothing new.
But neither is the desire—no matter how that desire might have been planted in your head—to look a certain way. That’s probably why, for as much criticism as the launch announcement has received, it appears there’s just as much optimistic interest: The Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap sold out shortly after the announcement of its release.
What even is it, though? Founder Kim Kardashian’s now-expired Instagram Story called it “face shapewear” that “snatches your little chinny-chin-chin;” a user-generated video Skims shared on its Instagram grid also calls it “face shapewear.” But the actual product copy itself isn’t overflowing with claims about what the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap does. It’s not even regular-flowing with claims—other than what the name implies, Skims notably doesn’t make any specific promises about what the wrap will do to your face in its social media captions or on the retail site’s product page.
It’s more or less up to the consumer to infer what this face wrap is actually for, and given Kardashian’s fleeting assertions, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to conclude that this $48 “collagen-infused” polyamide and elastane head girdle is intended to prevent or undo jawline drooping. It is, in fact, difficult to come to any other conclusion; otherwise, what’s the point? There’s a faction of commenters who are curious about its potential to help with TMJ symptoms, but that doesn’t seem to be what the brand is banking on. So I asked a handful of experts to get to the bottom of what, if anything, this buzzy new launch can do.
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.
But the expert feedback on this product isn’t all bad, I promise. When I asked Dr. Vasyukevich if this product is utter nonsense, he replied, “I wouldn’t call it nonsense,” mainly because it might provide a brief smoothing effect or help reduce puffiness, similar to what you might see after a professional lymphatic massage. And that’s definitely something a lot of people can appreciate, even if it’s fleeting.
Dr. DeRosa also sees a silver lining—literally in the lining. “On a positive note, the collagen-infused fibers may make it more comfortable to wear than some of the other head wraps available on the market,” she says, noting it may make the fabric feel smoother compared to often-itchy post-op wraps. “I do not think the collagen will do any lasting improvement in the skin, though, as collagen is found in the deeper layers of the skin.”
A lot of snap judgments have been made about this product in the past few days, and I honestly can’t blame anyone for rolling their eyes at it. But the last people I’m going to judge are the ones who are hopeful it may change something they don’t like about their appearance, even if other people insist they shouldn’t let societal pressures make them dislike the way they look. Two things can be true: You can look upon this kind of product with rational disenchantment (like I do) and also be susceptible to wanting to look the younger, firmer, smoother way society has all but insisted upon (like I am). And the only way to navigate this irreconcilability sanely, I’ve found, is with knowledge.
“The popularity of products like this shows how much interest there is in noninvasive ways to refresh the face,” says Dr. Vasyukevich. “My advice is to understand their limitations.”
