9 Needle-Free Ways to Temporarily Smooth Wrinkles
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Every fine line and wrinkle has a story to tell. But when you’re not feeling as nostalgic, there are ways to smooth fine lines—without the need for injections. Enter wrinkle fillers and blurring products.
Wrinkle fillers are “products designed to fill in wrinkles, plumping the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” says Marisa Garshick, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. She explains that they typically contain hyaluronic acid to help hydrate or peptides to help boost collagen production and smooth the appearance of wrinkles.
Blurring products, on the other hand, “are intended to provide more of a temporary effect by visibly improving the appearance of lines without addressing or treating the underlying cause,” Dr. Garshick explains. She says they work by filling in lines with silicone-based ingredients or polymers to smooth, or they use light-reflecting particles that diffuse light so it makes the lines appear less noticeable.
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Which is right for you? “Blurring products may be better for superficial fine lines while wrinkle filling skincare products may also be considered for deeper lines and folds,” Dr. Garshick says. Whichever approach you use, GH Beauty Lab Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler reminds us to have realistic expectations. “Some products do contain ingredients like retinoids and anti-aging peptides that can improve the appearance of fine lines with consistent use,” she says. However, “from what I saw in my small test, the improvement in the appearance of fines lines and wrinkles is not dramatic. I felt that the blurring products gave results that were more visible in photos.”
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How we test wrinkle fillers
To decide what to test, we tapped our beauty editor and searched online retailers to put together a list of 17 of the most popular wrinkle-filling products. We narrowed that list down to six products with a range of prices that we hadn’t evaluated in the Beauty Lab before.
Of the six wrinkle filler products chosen for in-person testing, three of the products were skincare-focused products that have both instant wrinkle plumping and long-term anti-aging claims, while the other three were blurring products with only instant wrinkle filling claims. The other three products included in the story were previously tested.
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In the Beauty Lab, we blinded the products and assigned them codes to prevent brand bias. We invited 18 testers who are 35 and older to participate and indicate the areas of their face where they felt they had wrinkles: under the eyes, crow’s feet, around the mouth, or the forehead.
We asked them to remove makeup from the areas where they would be applying the wrinkle filler product. We then took digital “before” photos of the testers’ faces zoomed in to 3X followed by pictures in the Visia Skin analysis system. Afterwards, we gave testers a mirror and allowed them to apply as much product as they wanted to the areas they indicated. We set a timer for 10 minutes to allow the product to set in.
After 10 minutes, we took “after” digital photos and used the Visia system. The testers then responded to a survey about how they felt the product performed. A total of 54 Visia pictures were taken.
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What to look for when shopping for a wrinkle filler
Keep these factors in mind:
✔️ Product claims: “Look at the products claims to see whether it claims just instant smoothing and hydrating, instant blurring, or instant and long-term anti-aging benefits,” Butler says. “Consider whether you want a moisturizing/anti-aging product that will moisturize in the short-term and provide anti-aging benefits over time, or a blurring product with an immediate skin-perfecting effect that may not have skincare benefits.”
✔️ Usage: Think about where you will be using the product on your face, which can help determine whether a blurring or filling product is better. “Since blurring products tend to be thicker on the skin, they can be trickier in high-movement areas like the crow’s feet where product can settle in the lines, so I think plumping products are better for the crow’s feet while blurring products are great for flatter areas like the forehead,” Butler advises.
✔️ Ingredients: “When looking for a wrinkle filling product, it is important to look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which helps to draw moisture in and work to plump the skin,” Dr. Garshick says. “Some products may contain different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, which may allow for different levels of penetration for best results.
Additionally, other ingredients to consider include peptides, which help to boost collagen production and retinol which helps to regulate skin cell turnover and works to boost collagen production, improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In the case of neuropeptides, the peptides block the release of chemicals that are responsible for muscle movement that leads to fine lines and wrinkles.”
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What is the best way to apply wrinkle fillers and blurring products to maximize their effects?
Dr. Garshick says that wrinkle filling products should be used daily and consistently for maximum benefits. “The specific ingredients will determine if it’s better for morning or evening use,” she says.
As for application, Butler says: “For plumping or tightening products, apply them to clean dry skin, then wait for them to set and dry. Follow the directions on your product for the best results. For blurring products, tap, don’t rub, into fine lines, and gently smooth out the product as needed. Some of these products can be used as makeup primers or even on top of makeup.”
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How long do the effects of wrinkle fillers last?
“The effects of these products typically last only a few hours, or until you wash them off,” Butler says. However, for skincare products that can bring benefits with continued use over time, the perks last longer.
“With consistent use and depending on the specific ingredients, the effects may continue to improve over the course of three to six months,” Dr. Garshick says.
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How do wrinkle filling skincare and blurring products compare to in-office treatments?
“In general, wrinkle filling skincare and blurring products are not going to yield the same results as in-office treatments and the results may be more temporary,” Dr. Garshick says. “That said, some of the at-home products can complement in-office treatments with some products being used to help prolong the benefits of in-office treatments like filler, neuromodulators, and lasers.
More specifically, in-office dermal fillers can be a good way to truly fill in wrinkles and are an injectable form of hyaluronic acid, the same ingredient that may be found in topical at-home wrinkle fillers as well.”
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Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Celia Shatzman wrote this story. She has two decades of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare journalism. She also consulted Marisa Garshick, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.
GH Beauty Lab Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler has years of experience as a cosmetic chemist, formulating skincare products for a variety of brands. She conducts skincare category tests and provided an expert review of this article.
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