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Despite our wildest hopes and dreams, there’s simply no such thing as filler in a bottle—I mean, if there was such a thing, we’d all be using it, right? There are, however, plenty of skincare products that work like filler to defy gravity and restore volume when you’re feeling a bit, well, sunken.
Dermal fillers and injectables are obviously the only sure-fire, in-office treatments that yield instant results, but these alternative skincare treatments and beauty tools will give you a similar effect with continuous use (consistency is key). For me, skincare is self-care and frankly, an act of self-love, so why not take to at-home treatments to keep your skin looking bouncy and supple and your confidence at its peak?
To get the low down on the best OTC skincare products for plump and supple skin, we went straight to the experts to get their suggestions. After all, as someone who performs dermal fillers, Botox and lip injections on the daily, who better to ask for the next best thing to going under the needle? “I swear by consistent microcurrent treatments. This is going to retrain your facial muscles to go back to where they once were when you were younger. For example, brows will be lifted, cheeks will regain shape and life, and frown lines will be lessened. It’s truly the best alternative to fillers! Nuface has a great at-home option you can use in between treatments,” advises Rachel Liverman, CEO and Co-Founder of Glowbar.
Generally speaking, these plumping skincare products work by causing the skin to temporarily swell up, and therefore fill in lines and texture. It’s kind of the similar effect you experience when you apply a plumping lip gloss—but without the tingle. Aside from beauty tools and facial massagers, moisture-retaining hyaluronic acid and elastin-boosting collagen are your next best bets.
“As we age, we lose our hyaluronic acid and collagen that keep our skin looking youthful,” says Nurse Nancy Pellegrino, (aka Nurse Nancy), RN, MN, NP, owner and operator of NP Aesthetics Inc, and co-founder of THE ROUTE Beauty.
Hyaluronic acid is able to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, which allows the humectant to restore moisture levels in even the most parched skin, as well as promote firmness and soften the look of fine lines over time. While topical collagen can be controversial when it comes to its effectiveness, reaching for a product that contains both the naturally-occurring protein, as well as other anti-aging actives, will help give “fill in” fine lines and restore fullness. Below, find our favorite skin-plumping products for a juicy, glowing complexion minus the needles.
RELATED: These Skincare Products Are the Next Best Thing To Injectables, According To a Professional
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 Moisturizer
If you’re looking for a solid skincare splurge to treat yourself to bouncier skin, this pricey product is your go-to. This lightweight moisturizer contains a blend of lipids (2 percent pure ceramides, 4 percent natural cholesterol and 2 percent fatty acids) along with a cholesterol-dominant ratio to restore facial fullness and lock in moisture all day long.
NuFace Trinity Starter Kit
While a contouring device may sound like a counterintuitive choice, if your ultimate goal is getting plump skin, this celeb-loved sculpting device works to not only lift and tone, but its motions also help promote accelerated collagen production.
Bio-Oil Skincare Oil
This multi-use face and body oil provides skin with a surge of moisture for a youthful, plumped-up appearance. It also improves texture and discoloration over time. The more hydrated your skin is, the plumper and line-free it will look.
Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift Advanced Wrinkle Treatment
This wrinkle treatment from Kate Somerville is like an oxygen facial in a bottle that you can use within the comfort of your own home. Hyaluronic acid plumps, hydrates and smooths your complexion. Plus, the formula also protects against blue light, which is known to speed up the aging process for your skin. One shopper said it’s a “transformational product that is saving me from having fillers.”
Tane-Luxe Super Glow Hyaluronic Acid Self-Tanning Serum
Not only does this HA-infused serum help boost moisture and promote a plump complexion, but it also deposits a glow courtest of the build-in self-tanner. I’m simply in love with this multi-tasking product.
BeautyBio GloPRO Regeneration Tool
Microneedling helps boost collagen (and the plump factor) by slightly wounding the skin, which causes your skin to produce more collagen as a line of defense against the self-induced “injury.” It also helps open your pores, allowing your serums to serums to penetrate more deeply.
Isle of Paradise Day Dew Self-Tan Face Mist
This Isle of Paradise face mist is packed with brightening vitamin C, soothing rosemary leaf oil, plumping glycerin and hydrating hyaluronic acid. There’s also cocoa seed oil to shield your skin from harmful blue light. You’re left with a gradual, natural-looking glow. One reviewer said the self-tanner makes them look like they “got a full face of filler.”
Pixi Collagen Plumping Mask
For an instant pick-me-up, Pixi’s volume-boosting collagen mask is the quick fix that’ll perk your complexion up in a pinch (and it’s actually affordable.) The creamy 15-minute mask is infused with nourishing and moisture-boosting ingredients like arginine and botanical collagen to help improve elasticity and give the skin a healthy-looking glow.
The Route Beauty The Girlfriend Skin-Loving Glow Primer
This multipurpose skincare-prime hybrid is my go-to for when my skin looks a little less stellar and a bit sunken in. It smooths out texture and fills in fines lines, leaving skin looking plumper, hydrated and even-toned. It’s also an excellent option for sensitive skin.