FULL DISCLOSURE: Dr. Goesel Anson, plastic surgeon and inventor of the Juverest Pillow sent me this pillow. I didn't pay for it. I think Dr. Anson meant it as a thank you for quoting her in my post, Beauty Tips for Skin. So she's a nice lady, right?! She did not ask me to review the pillow - and I'm not receiving any kind of compensation for this review.
Phew! Glad we've got that out of the way! ; )
First things first. Let's talk about sleep wrinkles!
Did you know?
- 65% of the time you sleep is spent on your side. So most people are side sleepers.
- 30% of the time you sleep, you're on your back.
- 5% is spent on your stomach.
- The number of times we change position while sleeping decreases as we get older. Young people average 27 position changes each night. Older people move just 16 times. That makes the average 20 position changes! So we move a LOT!
* These numbers are from Cosmetic Surgery Times, Rested and Wrinkled? Oh, the Irony by Lisette Hilton.
So how does sleeping cause wrinkles?
Anytime you sleep on your side or stomach, your face presses against your pillow. That pressing creates "compression" wrinkles. And when you slide your face on your pillow, your skin is pulled - it's called a "shearing" force. You're pulling and stretching your skin. UGH.
The video below shows compression wrinkles really well. You won't see shearing forces in this video because the person doesn't move.
Results from an independent clinical study of 40 people showed 1700% less facial distortion with the Juverest pillow when compared to a standard pillow. In the study, half the people slept on a JuveRest pillow and half slept on a traditional pillow for 4 hours.
OK. There's an easy answer for that. Just sleep on your back, right?
Yes! Sleeping on your back is a great idea . . . . if you can do it.
The problem is you're asleep! You can't choose your sleep position while you're asleep because - well, you're ASLEEP! As Homer Simpson would say, "D'OH!"
65% of the time you sleep you're on your side. 5% you're on your stomach.
I did the math:
That means 70% of the 8 hours (that you should be sleeping!) your face is getting sleep wrinkles. That translates to 5 hours and 36 minutes each night!
Another problem with sleeping on your back. It's not good for everyone. Doctors often advise people with sleep apnea, gastric reflux, and pregnant women not to sleep on their backs. And if you snore and try to start sleeping on your back, your spouse is - well, let's not even go there!
How do you tell a sleep wrinkle from any other old wrinkle?
Here's how Dr. Anson defines sleep wrinkles. "Sleep wrinkles are the lines that are formed when the face is compressed against a pillow night after night and they occur in predictable locations based on fixed anchor points that hold the skin to bone."
It's easy to see sleep wrinkles on a person's face when you know what to look for. Sleep wrinkles are usually vertical and most are on the sides of the face. In comparison, expression lines (the lines you see when you move your face) are often horizontal - with a few exceptions.
BELOW IS A PHOTO HIGHLIGHTING EXPRESSION LINES:
This pretty lady is smiling and you can see how her muscles make wrinkles when she smiles (or frowns). These are called expression lines. Botox is really good at minimizing frown lines.
BELOW IS AN IDENTICAL PHOTO HIGHLIGHTING SLEEP WRINKLES:
Now look at this same pretty lady. She has vertical lines that form while she sleeps. I purposely did not include her nasolabial folds (the lines that run from her nose to her mouth and then down to her chin) because they are technically expression lines. BUT some expression lines (like nasolabial folds) are made worse when we sleep.
While expression lines can be fixed with things like Botox, sleep lines cannot. Botox limits the amount of movement muscles can make, so facial wrinkles (especially frown lines and crows feet) are minimized. Because sleep wrinkles aren't caused by muscle movement, Botox won't fix them.
BUT, here's the kicker. Expression wrinkles can be exacerbated by compression and shearing.
It's like when you fold a piece of paper. There's a fold line left after you flatten the paper out. Now if you go to fold the paper a second time, it still wants to fold in that same exact place that's already been folded.
It's the same with your face - and I see this on my own face most mornings. I usually wake up with a deeper left side nasolabial fold / smile line. It's because I wake up on my left a lot. So the left side of my face has been getting compressed more than the right, making that particular wrinkle worse.
ENTER THE JUVEREST PILLOW!
The pillow is great for sleeping on your back. It keeps your back in good alignment so you wake up rested.
But the sides of the pillow are where the magic happens. They're contoured like the the curves of the beautiful Riverwalk in Cincinnati - I couldn't find any good pictures, but the one below gives you an idea. The sides were engineered to keep pressure off the sides of your face and sleep wrinkles from forming!
What is the pillow made of?
It's not memory foam like I thought. Instead, it's made from a soft, 100% polyurethane foam. The material was selected to provide support and resilience.
Does the Juverest Pillow Work?
Juverest.com lists an independent study on their website. In the study, 27 participants slept on the JuveRest pillow for 8 weeks in March, 2014. 89% of the participants thought their skin looked better after using the JuveRest pillow for eight weeks.
The problem with this kind of study, is that the findings are all subjective. That is, they are all based on the participant's opinion. There's no objective data like, "wrinkle depth decreased by 10% over a period of 2 months." Another problem, the study is small.
Dr. Anson addresses these issues in an article for Cosmetic Surgery Times:
“We have a small amount of unpublished data comparing a standard pillow to the JuveRest pillow. We see a clear improvement in distortion and wrinkles immediately. How that relates to long-term improvement is much more difficult to study due to the length of time required for those studies and many variables in sleep position.”
So while she can't prove that the Juverest - or any of the pillows designed to minimize sleep wrinkles - will make a difference long term, Dr. Anson says,
“The argument is that this is all logical.”
And I agree with Dr. Anson. It does makes sense that if you eliminate the cause of wrinkles, then the wrinkles should start to fade as your body builds new collagen and elastin. But more studies are needed to prove this.
How much does the Juverest cost? Where can I buy it?
You can buy the Juverest pillow at Juverest.com. It costs $159.95.
Do people like it?
I couldn't find many reviews, but the ones that I did are very positive. On Juverest.com the pillow has a 5 star rating based on 17 reviews.
The most common complaint seems to be getting used to the pillow. This is probably because the pillow is so different from a regular pillow. Side sleepers are instructed, "your shoulder should be fitted snugly into the shoulder cradle" and "the back of your head, chin and forehead will be supported by the 'horseshoe' shaped lateral support."
So the pillow takes some getting used to. But when you buy from Juverest.com, the company backs their product with a 60 day money back guarantee.
If you can't get used to the pillow - and sleep - the Juverest isn't going to help you.
Dr. Mary P. Lupo, a clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University in New Orleans, explains:
But if you're worried about sleep wrinkles, I think the Juverest is worth a shot.
If you constantly sleep on the same side of your face, "your facial skin will age more rapidly," says Dr. Lupo. "It's like ironing a wrinkle into a pair of pants – in this case, you're mechanically wrinkling the skin by deforming the skin's collagen and impeding circulation to the skin, which makes the creases permanent."
Watch the video below to learn more about the Juverest from Dr. Anson herself:
So What did I Think of the Juverest?
I gotta be honest. One thing happened that I did not expect. I woke up after my first night using the pillow. AND MY BACK DIDN'T HURT. I had been having lower back pain and thought maybe I needed a new mattress. It never occurred to me that it could be my pillow - but obviously it was! How cool is that?!
I didn't have much problem adjusting to sleeping with the pillow at all. It does feel different. Lumpy in spots you're not used to. It's not a great reading pillow. And it won't look pretty on your bed. BUT in the morning that smile line (nasolabial fold) on my left side did look better! So I'm very excited to see the long term results - which is what the spots below are reserved for. PICTURES!
Update 2/28/2018: I keep waking up on my side with my head in the spot meant for back sleeping. That's not helping my wrinkles! But I'm not giving up yet!
BEFORE & AFTER USING THE JUVEREST:
BEFORE USING THE JUVEREST PILLOW - unretouched, no makeup. The nasolabial fold / smile line on the left is deeper than on the right. Even the shape of my upper lip is different when comparing left to right. I'm pretty sure this is from sleeping on my left side. And nope, haven't used fillers - obviously - or those sleep wrinkles would look a LOT better! ; )
I WAS GOING TO INCLUDE A PICTURE AFTER USING THE JUVEREST FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. But I decided not to. Here's why:
I don't have any true sleep wrinkles - the vertical wrinkles that are from sleeping - and only sleeping. The only vertical lines I have are nasolabial folds (the lines from your nose to your mouth). And there's an inherent problem with that. Nasolabial folds are mostly caused by aging. As your face loses fat and bone mass and as your skin thins, you develop those lines between your nose and mouth. Sure, they're made worse by side sleeping, but aging is their biggest cause. And there's no way to show how much of a nasolabial fold is caused by aging and how much was from sleeping. So showing before and after photos of nasolabial folds just didn't seem fair.
I did take follow up pictures of my nasolabial folds - AND THEY LOOKED WORSE! UGH! But it's not because of my pillow. It's cause I'm getting OLD. : (
I will say the Juverest made sleeping on my back much more comfortable. Before getting the pillow, sleeping on my back meant back pain each morning. And I've found I'm less likely to sleep on my side since the Juverest. BUT I've found that when I sleep on my side, I don't always use the pillow the way I should. And therein lies the problem - I'm asleep. Can't control stuff the way I'd like while I'm asleep! Overall, I do think the Juverest helps prevent sleep wrinkles.
I think I've also helped reinforce Dr. Anson's statement, "How that (the Juverest Pillow) relates to long-term improvement (of sleep wrinkles) is much more difficult to study due to the length of time required for those studies and many variables in sleep position.”
If a sleep wrinkle pillow isn't for you, you might benefit from treatments that stimulate new collagen formation like micro-needling or fillers. Or you could try the Juverest in combination with a liquid facelift or Botox and speed those wrinkles' demise!
How about you? Have you tried the Juverest for sleep wrinkles? Did you like it? I'd love to hear! Email amy {at} masterpieceskinrestoration {dot} com or leave a comment below! Thanks for reading!
Amy Takken, RN
Amy Takken is a registered nurse with 20+ years of experience helping people improve their health. Her in-depth skincare articles have been featured on Nazarian Plastic Surgery and The Palm Beach Center for Facial Plastic & Laser Surgery. She's also been quoted on Dermascope.com.
Amy loves research and constantly watches for new products and treatments to help you improve your skin’s health – because healthy skin is beautiful! To reach Amy, visit our contact page.
Masterpiece Skin Restoration is your online resource for all things medical aesthetics, skincare, beauty, and wellness. We keep you up to date on leading edge technology and the services available to help you restore your natural beauty.
We have all the information you need to restore your skin.
If you like this post, you'll LOVE these:
References:
https://medestheticsmag.com/sleep-wrinkles-and-aging-skin
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/skin-care/advice/a10486/how-to-prevent-sleep-wrinkles/
https://www.dbreath.com/blog/how-to-prevent-wrinkles-in-your-sleep/?
https://www.aestheticchannel.com/cosmetic-surgery/rested-and-wrinkled-oh-irony
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14764172.2012.685563?journalCode=ijcl20 The influence of the sleeping on the formation of facial wrinkles
https://academic.oup.com/asj/article/36/8/931/2613967 Sleep Wrinkles: Facial Aging and Facial Distortion During Sleep
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23865987 Effect of sleep position on perceived facial aging.
https://www.allure.com/story/sleep-wrinkles-fact-or-fiction
https://www.realself.com/blog/face_wrinkle_sleeping.html#.Woyf5YPwbIU
https://www.the-dermatologist.com/content/night-skin
https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/hair-skin-nails/do-pillows-cause-wrinkles/
https://www.qvc.com/footers/fth/pdf/H205157_FAQs.pdf FAQs About the Juverest
Disclaimer:
The Information provided on our website is not medical advice and should not be viewed as such. By law, only a medical doctor can diagnose or give medical advice. As a registered nurse, my goal is to educate, so I provide information on skin care, skin care products, and skin care treatments. If you have any condition that concerns you, please see a medical doctor. While most skin conditions are benign, some - like melanoma - can be deadly. If there is any doubt, please, please consult your physician. Thank you!