Using your face to show how you feel is an essential part of life — until, of course, those feelings start to get permanently imprinted in the form of fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. Luckily, we live in a time when beauty and wellness technologies like red light therapy devices, PEMF therapy devices, and microcurrent therapy devices are all readily available. At HigherDOSE, we go even further and believe that wellness and beauty can be done from the comfort of your own home!
While there are numerous beauty and wellness devices that we can talk about, one of our newest is our microcurrent therapy device. The perfect solution for those who want to enhance their self-care routines.
Overly-invasive anti-aging treatments be damned with this painless hack for your most prized possession.
What Is a Microcurrent Facial?
A microcurrent facial is a painless, non-invasive skincare treatment that uses low-level electrical impulses to stimulate facial muscles and tissues. Microcurrent facials are often referred to as a "non-invasive facelift" because they can help tone, lift, and sculpt the face, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
Think of it as fitness for your face, encouraging your skin cells to recharge and glow from within. Microcurrent facials rely on prongs that deliver pulses of electricity to targeted parts of your face to stimulate facial muscles, promoting collagen production, boosting circulation, and giving you that sculpted, healthy look, no needles required.
What Do Microcurrent Facials Do?
As you age, your skin naturally loses fat deep within the skin and lessens its collagen production, leading to the beginnings of those so-called “jowls” you used to study on your grandmother’s face. Things, literally and figuratively, start going south. This is where microcurrent facials really begin to shine.
Keeping your face nice and tight is all about toning and definition. Don’t get it twisted: the muscles in your body aren’t the only ones in need of some serious exercise. Using low-voltage electricity, microcurrent facial therapy gives your face a full workout with immediate results — we’re talking minutes. Since microcurrent facials rely on prongs that deliver pulses of electricity to targeted parts of your face to stimulate facial muscles, results can be seen relatively quickly.
Microcurrent Facial Benefits
Microcurrent facials both repair and increase collagen within the deepest layer of the skin, the dermis, while also undoing signs of aging on the top layer of skin, the epidermis. Aestheticians like Joanna Vargas swear by the treatment, suggesting that microcurrent facials “increase production of collagen by up to 14%, elastin by 48%, and blood circulation by 38%.”
Microcurrent also brings another thing we’re obsessed with into the mix: lymphatic drainage. Your lymph system, when working properly, transports toxic buildup out of the body. But stress, diet, inflammation, and environmental factors can throw a wrench into this well-oiled machine, leading to improper drainage. Are you waking up in the morning and noticing facial puffiness and bags under your eyes? We’ve got news for you. Your face has lymph nodes, too.
In the same way exercise helps promote lymphatic drainage in the body by increasing blood flow and circulation and decreasing water retention, microcurrent initiates the same process in your face by working out those seldom-used facial muscles, leaving you with plump, glowing skin. When you tie in red light therapy and Light-Activated Glow Serum, you can further enhance your skincare routine.
Are Microcurrent Facials Safe?
Yes — when performed by a trained provider (or with FDA-cleared at-home devices), microcurrent facials are considered very safe. The electrical currents used are extremely low, mimicking your body’s own natural bioelectricity, so there’s no risk of burns or major irritation.
Like any wellness treatment, it’s important to use high-quality equipment and follow proper guidelines. Always consult with your doctor if you have underlying medical conditions, are pregnant, or use a pacemaker.
What is a Microcurrent Facial Like?
If the idea of electric currents sounds intense, don’t worry. A microcurrent facial is deeply relaxing. During the treatment, a trained professional will glide metal wands or probes across your skin, delivering gentle electrical impulses. You might feel a slight tingling or a subtle muscle twitch here and there, but most people find it soothing — some even fall asleep.
Expect an in-person session to last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the treatment. You’ll leave feeling refreshed, lifted, and radiant — like your face just went on a wellness retreat.
How Is Microcurrent Therapy Different Than Botox?
Microcurrent technology is all about naturally fighting aging at the root by moving facial muscles. Botox focuses on freezing them. Botox — also known as botulinum toxin A — is an injectable that goes into the skin to temporarily paralyze facial muscles for the sake of smoothing fine lines and wrinkles.
The philosophy behind Botox is that you can prevent wrinkles if you limit facial movement. However, in the world of Botox, too much of a good thing can lead to some major imbalances.
This wildly popular treatment, when done modestly, can combat aging for up to three-to-four months without compromising the appearance of the face.
However, in the same way that you can weaken certain muscles by over-strengthening others during exercise, your face can get knocked out of balance if one facial muscle is paralyzed while others are left to over-compensate. Have you ever seen celebrity photos where one eye looks a little more closed than the other? Three words: Too.Much.Botox.
Can You Do Microcurrent Therapy With Botox?
The short answer? Yes, you can have microcurrent facials with Botox.
Botox takes about 24 to 48 hours to set into the skin and facial muscles, so microcurrent within this period is a big no-no. Because of the malleability of Botox beneath the skin’s surface, microcurrent therapy can potentially disrupt the placement of Botox within this early period.
After things have taken effect, microcurrent is a total green light. In fact, microcurrent can actually smooth the effects of Botox, providing a more natural look while also elongating its lasting anti-aging effects.
If you’re just opting for microcurrent on its own — sans injectables — you’re looking at once-a-month visits for the best long-term results.
And remember, when you’re looking your best, you feel your best, and when you feel your best, you release our favorite DOSE of happy chemicals. Uplift your face while getting high naturally.
