It was suggested in a popular social media clip that the so-called anti-wrinkle straw could prevent facial creasing.
It can be rather tricky to keep up with every beauty trend you see on social media. Whether it’s using coffee to treat the bags under your eyes, or swallowing garlic in the hope of banishing your acne – there’s always some bizarre new life hack that will supposedly cure your cosmetic ills. The latest trend to raise eyebrows is an ‘anti-wrinkle’ straw that has taken over TikTok, so we asked our Women’s Health expert what she thought about it…
Anti-wrinkle straws take over TikTok
“Does anyone else use these?” Asked ‘esthetician’ Michaela Scott, as she showed off her new contraption to her quarter-million-strong army of aesthetics enthusiasts.
The device in question was a plastic draw that could be seen emerging from her trademark baby pink Stanley Cup. The difference between Scott’s straw and any old regular straw, however, is that her straw does not lead directly into her mouth – rather, the beauty influencer could be seen acquiring water from a small hole placed halfway along the top of the straw, so as to not overwork her facial muscles.
The purpose of this, Scott claims, is to prevent her face from picking up wrinkles as she hydrates herself throughout the day. “You’re not pursing your lips as hard when you drink out of it,” Scott told her followers, in a clip that has been viewed over 4.7 million times.
Scott is not the only one, with scores of influencers having taken to TikTok in recent months to show off the supposedly ingenious wrinkle-preventing device that they claim will help to keep their facial creases at bay.
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TikTok users are not convinced by the anti-wrinkle straw
While Scott did rack up over 320,000 likes on her anti-wrinkle straw video, the comments beneath the clip were overwhelmingly skeptical of the new device.
“I’m just gonna age in peace lol” read one popular comment, attracting over 45,000 likes.
“I cannot fathom spending every moment controlling facial movements for fear of wrinkles”, wrote another user – accurately summarising the mood of the comments section.
Scott appeared unimpressed by the internet’s response to the video, however, responding: “Actually no. It’s unreal that strangers care so much about the straw I use”, to one commenter who claimed “these comments are so refreshing”.
The intro to anti-wrinkle straws also did the rounds on Twitter, after one user sarcastically remarked: “this is an awesome way to spend your one wild and precious life”.
Our Women’s Health expert weighs in
Intrigued by what we had seen on TikTok, we decided to bring in our Women’s Health expert to give her two cents on the emerging straw trend.
Courtney Virden is a California-based health and wellness expert who has spent the last 20 years developing her expertise on women’s wellness and the benefits of holistic health measures.
When asked if she could see herself using such a product, Virden did not mince her words: “I won’t be using the viral anti-wrinkle straw… there is no scientific evidence it actually works.”
“Plus the goal (of the straw) is so there is no pursing of the lips and there still is some pursing with this straw. So this is a trend I would pass on for sure.”
Discussing what trends like the anti-wrinkle device show about modern beauty culture, the wellness expert added: “As a woman in my mid forties, I do want to take care of myself so I can feel good as I age, but I also believe there is nothing wrong with aging. I want to feel good and look the best I can, but I know my fine lines are perfectly fine and that I have earned them through countless smiles, laughter, and natural expressions enjoying my life.”
“Women should do what they want and not be judged but normalizing aging, wrinkles, and other things that come with aging needs to happen.”
