Though it seems like everyone is using Botox, many people wonder if there are more natural, less invasive solutions for keeping skin glowing and healthy. The answer is yes! We consulted leading anti-aging skin care experts to bring you alternatives to Botox.
Botox is one of those treatments that is both low-key exciting and unsettling. It promises to radically reduce the appearance of wrinkles and generally give your skin a temporary refresh. It’s unsettling because Botox is derived from a toxin that comes from the same bacteria that causes botulism and works by causing weakness or paralysis of muscles and nerves, which is bound to cause at least mild alarm.
Why Might People Want to Avoid Botox?
For the most part, you can put your worries about the safety of Botox to rest. Research shows that cosmetic Botox, when performed by medical professionals, rarely has long-lasting side effects, and those side effects are seen more commonly among patients who are receiving therapeutic Botox for conditions like muscle contractures, for which the dose is much higher.
However, there are a multitude of reasons why someone might choose to swipe left on Botox. Though rare, side effects from Botox do happen.
One unexpected result of getting Botox injections is that patients have expressed feeling fewer emotions afterward. Why? A scientific theory called facial feedback hypothesis says that not only do our feelings influence our facial expressions, but our facial expressions also impact our emotions. One study on Botox users found that the relaxing effect of the treatment on their expressions may have dulled the strength of their emotional experiences.
Botox can also be pricey. Depending on what clinic you go to, injections can set you back $300 to $600 each time, and it’s not a one-and-done procedure. Results last anywhere from three to 12 months, and then it’s back to the doctor’s office for upkeep.
For some, Botox feels too invasive and aggressive, and they prefer to care for their skin with at-home, natural treatments.
Interested in learning more? Check out Nonsurgical Facelift
9 Natural Alternatives to Botox
The following options, which include lifestyle choices, facial exercises, massages, and over-the-counter topical ingredients, are all popular and impactful options to keep skin looking and feeling its best, say experts.
1. Diet and Lifestyle Choices
Beauty comes from the inside out — and we’re not just talking about personality. There are many lifestyle choices — including sleep, diet, and self-care habits — that you can prioritize to give your face a healthy glow.
There’s a reason they call it beauty sleep: One study found that people who got enough rest were perceived as more attractive than those who were sleep deprived. And another study found that not getting enough sleep can accelerate intrinsic aging because it hindered participants’ ability to recover from external stressors like UV exposure, water loss, and disruptions to the skin barrier.
A fruit- and vegetable-rich diet can positively affect how our skin looks, though science still has more to learn about the link between consuming antioxidant-rich foods (or applying them topically) and anti-aging, but certain antioxidants have demonstrated positive results: Green tea, for example, has been shown to protect the skin against free radicals, or age-accelerating toxins, when applied to the surface of the skin.
Avoiding smoking and lowering alcohol intake can keep skin looking smoother, since research shows that both are associated with increased forehead wrinkles, crow’s feet, under-eye puffiness, tear-trough hollowing, lip fullness and a bunch of other markers of tired-looking skin.
2. Face Yoga
As we age, the muscles and connective tissue in our faces begin to weaken. According to Gary Sikorski, creator of the long-running facial exercise program Happy Face Yoga, face yoga reinvigorates and lifts these muscles while increasing blood circulation to the face to produce a brighter complexion. Meghan Markle is just one devotee who attributes her ageless beauty to this practice.
One breakthrough study found that in middle-age women, face yoga reduced their appearance in age by three years after only just a few months of practicing, giving their face a lifted look.
“Proper muscle-resistance face yoga will tone weakened muscles (lifting the muscles back to their original position), which will soften fine lines,” Sikorski told DailyOM for this article. “Wrinkles appear for a variety of reasons, mostly damage to developing skin cells. Face yoga cannot remove [deep] wrinkles. But it can help to soften fine lines.”
Face yoga may also offer that lit-from-within glow. Research found that face yoga improved the well-being of older adults and helped strengthen their face muscles so they could better emote and express themselves.
Begin face yoga at any age, Sikorski says. Starting young will help to maintain the strength of your facial muscles, while taking it up at an older age will help to slowly retrain them.
3. Gua Sha
Performing gua sha looks a lot like a massage involving a smooth kidney-shaped or ridged tool. Gua sha, which translates to “scrape” or “scratch” and “sand” in Chinese, is all about the upward swipe of the tool on moisturized skin. The scraping motion is key — that’s what creates petechiae (those little red dots you might recognize from cupping) on the skin, increasing blood flow to the target areas.
While there are few studies on the impact of gua sha on appearance, it has been proven to reduce puffiness and inflammation, which can help to create a fresher look.
But the benefits of gua sha are not just skin deep. Gua sha has been proven to help with headaches and neck pain, and one study concluded that the ancient Chinese practice reduces muscle pain by increasing microcirculation to the face. Another study even found that it alleviated symptoms associated with perimenopause, like headaches, insomnia, hot flashes, melancholia, and fatigue.
4. Skin Cycling and Other Topical Treatments
Topical skin care is highly effective in combating signs of aging when you pick the right products for your skin’s unique needs. Caring for your skin also offers an opportunity to enjoy pampering and self-care. That includes getting regular facials, whether done DIY-style at home or with an experienced esthetician.
If you want a skin care routine but aren’t sure where to begin, try skin cycling — a trendy regimen that’s garnered billions of views on TikTok. The term “skin cycling” was coined by New York–based dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe, who’s been promoting the technique on her social media channels for over a year.
Skin cycling involves a four-day cycle. On night 1, after cleansing you use a chemical exfoliant, like a glycolic acid (AHA), salicylic acid (BHA), or polyhydroxy acid (PHA). On night 2, you instead apply a retinoid, an antioxidant derivative of vitamin A that you can find over the counter (or have prescribed for stronger concentrations). This tried-and-true ingredient works by increasing skin cell turnover and boosting collagen production, making it a great tool to combat uneven skin texture and tone as well as acne and sun damage.
On nights 3 and 4, you take a break from active ingredients to focus on moisturizing.
Dr. Bowe, who has over a million followers on TikTok, says that the two days off gives our skin a chance to replenish, and by balancing the use of active ingredients with moisturizing, it keeps the skin barrier intact and avoids irritation. “The beauty of skin cycling is that you can adjust your cycling schedule to meet your skin where it is,” Bowe told DailyOM for this article.
Protect your skin from sun damage and hyperpigmentation by applying a good SPF to your face, neck, and chest at least twice a day, year-round. “Sunscreen is the be-all and end-all anti-aging ingredient,” says Gregory Dylan, a Los Angeles–based celebrity esthetician and creator of Gregory Dylan Skincare.
If your goal is to achieve a more youthful look, Dylan also recommends incorporating peptides. Peptides are building blocks for collagen and elastin, which are what make your skin look plump and firm. And unlike collagen, peptides are small enough to penetrate the surface of your skin, making them highly accessible to your body, and a great topical ingredient.
Another helpful skin brightener: vitamin C, an antioxidant, which means it combats free radicals or toxins. One study found that the daily use of topical vitamin C for three months reduced the appearance of wrinkles in the face and the neck. Vitamin C has also been shown to reduce hyperpigmentation, and when paired with ferulic acid and vitamin E, it helps protect the skin from sun damage.
5. Face Patches
You may have seen facial smoothing patches trending on TikTok, where the #frownies hashtag (one popular brand) has garnered over 60 million views. You put on the skin-safe silicone or paper face patches, go to sleep, and wake up with smoother skin. They work almost as if they’re taping your skin in place, so it can’t move to form wrinkles.
Esthetician and founder of New York City’s Inderma Studio Nichelle Temple, whom DailyOM spoke with for this story, likes them because people tend to be very expressive in their sleep. “If I’m scowling while snoozing, a patch protecting my glabellar lines will ease any tension or expression lines,” she says.
Face patches are also far more affordable compared to other anti-aging methods (typically under $25 for nearly 150 patches).
However, Temple notes that some people find them uncomfortable to wear. Others stop using them because one has to wait 15 minutes after applying products to put the patches on, so some people “fall out of the habit before getting desired results,” she says.
6. Microneedling
Microneedling stimulates your body’s healing response by causing small injuries to the surface of your skin. It’s often used in conjunction with topical creams because the procedure allows for increased absorption of your creams and serums. Microneedling induces the skin’s production of collagen, the body’s most abundant protein, which plays a major role in cell regrowth and making the skin strong and flexible.
In one study, 34 out of 36 participants reported seeing a significant improvement in facial scarring after trying microneedling. And, while most existing studies have been small, they overwhelmingly suggest that microneedling can help with hyperpigmentation and scarring with very few adverse effects.
Multiple reviews say that microneedling is a great option for people with darker skin tones, because the risk of post-inflammatory pigmentation is low compared to other techniques that damage the epidermis.
Microneedling can be done at home. “Shorter-length tools are great for home use to create microchannels in the skin that help increase product penetration, helping yield better results,” Dylan says. Note that using needles longer than 0.5mm is best left to professionals.
7. Cosmetic Acupuncture
From afar, cosmetic acupuncture and microneedling may look like similar treatments — after all, they both involve lots of little needles. But it’s actually quite easy to spot the difference: Whereas acupuncture involves longer needles that target specific muscles and stay in your skin for about 20 minutes, microneedling uses tiny needles that simply puncture the surface of the skin.
Acupuncture, performed by a licensed acupuncturist, is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that is often used for pain relief. As to whether facial acupuncture actually increases collagen or elasticity, more studies need to be done, but one did show that facial acupuncture (along with facial exercises) may be helpful for improving your skin’s overall appearance, and with no negative results experienced.
8. Lasers, Microcurrent, and Radiofrequency Therapies
If you’re willing to dole out a bit more cash, laser, microcurrent, and radiofrequency therapies are all highly effective alternatives to Botox. Like Botox, they require you to see an expert, but they’re less invasive, dealing with the surface of the skin and its natural healing process.
Laser therapy uses fractional lasers to damage the top layer of the skin to stimulate the skin’s natural healing process — not unlike microneedling. Though it’ll cause your skin to look sunburned for about a week afterward, research shows that laser therapy is an excellent solution for dark spots, scarring, and texture issues, leaving your skin looking healthy and glowing.
Microcurrent therapy is Temple’s favorite treatment because, like Botox, it works on the muscles. “Botox is telling those muscles to stop moving, whereas microcurrent reeducates, strengthens, and relaxes contracted muscles. Scientific studies have found that microcurrent sessions trigger the body’s production of mitochondria activity and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) [involved in muscle contraction], which accelerates cell repair and promotes cell production.”
Like with laser therapy, radiofrequency triggers a controlled injury, which in turn speeds up collagen and elastin production. However, radiofrequency penetrates deeper into the skin, meaning it doesn’t leave any surface scabbing or redness — instead, it can make your face look a bit puffy for about seven days, but leaves you with plumper skin and reduced fine lines.
“I like it, but in moderation,” Temple says. “If too much radio frequency is done, it can sort of melt the fat on the face, which can give a sallow appearance.”
These treatments can leave a dent in your wallet. For example, a microcurrent session at Temple’s or Dylan’s studio will run you $185. But you may find the instantaneous — and long-term — results worth the investment.
9. Supplements and Probiotics
Supplements and probiotics are no longer sidelined on the shelves of health food stores; whether in pill, powder, or liquid form, these dietary enhancers are having a big moment. But with so much availability and diversity comes the problem: which one to pick?
A few that have been proven to work include antioxidants vitamins A and E, as well as zinc and collagen. Research shows that supplement mixes containing vitamin C have improved skin elasticity, texture, and tone; reduced wrinkles; and boosted moisture retention. Vitamin E supplements have been shown to reduce oxidative stress, which can cause inflammation. And science has found that supplements containing zinc, an essential micronutrient involved in growth and immune system function, help with acne, wound healing, and collagen production.
“My go-to supplements that I typically recommend are probiotics; omega-3, -6, and -9 essential fatty acids; and a multivitamin for hair, skin, and nails,” Dylan tells DailyOM. Studies show that probiotics and omega-3 supplements have been beneficial for people with acne and atopic dermatitis.
Dylan cautions that while a balanced and healthy diet is key to maintaining a vibrant complexion, it’s important to note that topical treatments will help more readily and are much more targeted.
“While many of these have ingredients that are beneficial, there is no drink powder or supplement that will magically make you younger and fix all of your skin issues,” Dylan says. “One area we do see results in with certain dietary restrictions and supplements is acne, which can be easily triggered by foods like dairy and sugar and has been shown to benefit from the addition of a probiotic. This is why I always tell people to see an esthetician as we can help guide you in what may or may not work, depending on your particular concerns for your skin.”
