Facelift bungee: A guide to the $25 Botox alternative
Fight wrinkles with this skin-pulling device that promises to take 10 years off without any expensive and painful injections or surgeries
The combined forces of gravity and Father Time can do unkind things to your face, and those pining for a cost-effective alternative to facelift surgery or botox may finally have an easy, pain-free answer. The Facelift Bungee, a simple $25 device that tightens the skin around your face, promises to reduce the appearance of wrinkles instantly. But does it really make you look younger? Here's what you should know:
How does it work?
The Facelift Bungee is literally a stretchable cord with a small comb on each end. To use it, first you make two small braids at each temple, the tighter the better. Then attach the first comb to one braid, wrap the cord around the back of your head, and attach it to the second braid. (Watch a video demo below.) This pulls the skin taut like when you wear a ponytail, but the advantage here is that women can hide it underneath their hair. Its creator promises the Facelift Bungee will take "10 years off your face." "It's easily inserted, it's easily removable," inventor Kimberly Aschauer tells ABC News.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
How does it feel?
It's said to cause no more pain than a "ponytail headache," says Rebecca Adams at The Huffington Post, but maybe Aschauer "has a higher pain threshold than we do because we're pretty sure we've never worn a casual hairstyle that gave us a headache."
How did Aschauer come up with the idea?
Shortly before her son's wedding, Aschauer created the Facelift Bungee after walking away from a plastic surgery consultation shocked by the "outrageous" cost of the procedure. "I created this out of pure panic," she says.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Are there any problems when wearing it?
There's always the possibility of one of the combs falling out, or someone spotting the contraption when you flip your hair. "We're not plastic surgeons," says The Huffington Post's Adams, "but it seems like stretching your skin for hours on end would only make your skin looser." Hey, it could work, says Madeleine Davies at Jezebel, but you'll have to accept "that your face has been jerry-rigged with ropes and pulleys."
Do people like it?
"It was great," Melissa Wexler, a mother and boutique owner, tells ABC News. "I'll hear, 'Oh, your skin looks great,' or 'Oh, you cut your hair,' or 'Something's different, is it your makeup?' So it feels good."
Take a look:
Entertainment & Celebrity News
Sources: ABC News, Huffington Post, Jezebel
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published