How PureLift EMS Complements Your Skincare Routine
Medically reviewed by
4 independent reviewers
Andrew Conrad Barile, PT, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) | Licensed Physical Therapist (PT) | CEO and Founder, Xtreem Pulse LLC
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Dr. Andrew Conrad Barile is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the CEO and Founder of Xtreem Pulse LLC, the engineering company behind PureLift. He earned his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Daemen College and is a licensed physical therapist.
He brings over two decades of clinical and entrepreneurial experience across physical therapy, craniosacral therapy and medical device innovation, built on a working knowledge of human anatomy and muscle physiology.
For PureLift LAB he reviews how current is delivered across all ten levels, from sub-sensory nanocurrent and skin-level microcurrent to motor-level EMS, and how the Infuse pass fits into the same ten-minute routine.
Bertica M. Rubio, M.D.
Board-Certified Physician, Dartmouth Medical School | Medical Director, Antiaging Regenerative Medicine Clinic
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Dr. Bertica M. Rubio is a board-certified physician and Medical Director of the Antiaging Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Redlands, California. She earned her Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth Medical School and completed her pediatrics residency at UC Irvine Medical Center.
With decades of clinical experience, she specialises in age management medicine, regenerative medicine, wound healing and growth factor therapies, and her practice integrates evidence-based medical science with advanced aesthetic treatment.
For PureLift LAB she reviews articles for medical accuracy across the whole dial, from the gentle nanocurrent and microcurrent settings through to muscle-level EMS and the Infuse pass.
Daniel Grinberg, MD, FACS
Board-Certified Otolaryngologist | Head and Neck Surgeon | Fellow, American College of Surgeons | Mount Sinai
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Daniel Grinberg, MD, FACS is a board-certified otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon at ENT and Allergy Associates in West Nyack, New York. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
He completed his otolaryngology residency at New York University Medical Center, serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
For PureLift LAB he brings a wider clinical lens, connecting at-home facial stimulation from microcurrent to EMS to the anatomy underneath, with the same rigour we apply to every device specification.
Prof. Dr. med. Ivo Buschmann
Chair of Angiology, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg | Clinic Director, University Clinic for Angiology
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Prof. Dr. med. Ivo Buschmann is Chair of Angiology at the Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane and Clinic Director of the University Clinic for Angiology at the Brandenburg University Hospital.
He trained at the University of Hamburg, was a Max Planck Society Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, and held senior consultant posts at the Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin before his appointment as Chair in 2016.
One of Europe's leading authorities on arteriogenesis, with over 150 peer-reviewed publications and US and EU patents, he reviews for PureLift LAB how the evidence on electrical stimulation is read and where its limits lie.
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A device and your skincare work on different layers, so nothing in your routine needs replacing, and only the order and timing need adjusting.
This article slots a device into what you already own, such as:
- Which products go before, during and after
- What makes a serum conductive, and what does not
- How to handle retinoids and acids around a session
- What the Infuse pass supports, and what it does not
- The two products that outperform any device
and many more!
By the end you will have one routine rather than two competing ones.
Key Points:
Skincare works on the skin and a device works on the muscle underneath, so they are not competing for the same job.
Work from cleanest to most occlusive, so the device session comes before your leave-on products.
A water-based conductive serum is what the session needs, and oils and rich creams carry current poorly.
Leave 48 hours between a session and any strong active, and skip the session if your skin is tender.
Daily sunscreen and a retinoid outperform any device for skin quality, and we would rather say so.
The worry behind this question is usually that a device will disrupt a routine that took years to settle.
It should not, because a device is working underneath the layer your products are working on, and the only real changes are order and timing.
Two layers, no overlap
Your skincare works on the skin, improving texture, hydration, tone and the barrier.
A facial EMS device works on the muscle layer, since around forty small muscles sit under the skin of your face inside a connected sheet called the SMAS, and engaging them repeatedly is how EMS supports a firmer, more defined look with continued use.
One split-face study shows the distinction neatly, because the microcurrent side improved eye-wrinkle volume and dermal density while the EMS side improved lifting measures (Kwak 2023).
So nothing in your routine is being replaced, and a good routine plus a device covers two layers rather than doubling up on one.
The order
Cleanse first, thoroughly, with no makeup, sunscreen or residue left on, since anything between the device and your skin reduces conductivity.
Apply your water-based conductive serum next, generously, enough that your skin feels distinctly wet and slightly slick.
Run the session, three minutes on each side of the face at a level where you can see the muscle answer, refreshing the serum before the second side.
Finish with the Infuse pass while the serum is still on.
Then apply your leave-on skincare as normal, with moisturiser and, in the morning, sunscreen last.
The principle is cleanest to most occlusive, since anything sitting on your skin gets in the way of what comes next.
What makes a serum conductive
Water is what carries the current, so a water-based serum or gel is what the session needs.
Hyaluronic acid serums, aloe-based gels and dedicated conductive gels generally work well, and PureLift works with any water-based conductive serum rather than requiring its own.
Facial oils, balms and rich creams do not carry current evenly, so they make the device drag and the session uneven.
Silicone-heavy products form a film that gets in the way, which is why a silicone-free routine before a session is easier.
The practical test is how it feels, since a device that glides smoothly has enough of the right medium and one that drags does not.
Retinoids, acids and other strong actives
Keep them in your routine, since a retinoid has the best evidence of anything on a bathroom shelf for skin texture and fine lines.
Separate them from the session by 48 hours, and skip the session entirely if your skin is tender that evening.
Do not apply a strong active immediately before a session, because it does not conduct well and it puts an irritant on skin you are about to work on.
Applying one after a session is a personal-tolerance question, and the cautious approach is to leave it for another night.
Do not use the device at all after exfoliation, a peel, waxing or any in-clinic treatment until your practitioner says when to resume.
What the Infuse pass supports
Infuse is the electroporation mode, built on delivery science where brief electrical pulses were shown to open temporary routes through the skin's outer barrier (Prausnitz 1993).
On the device it runs gently after the muscle work and supports absorption of the serum already on your skin.
We say supports absorption and no more, since no product-specific penetration study exists.
It is also not a reason to put anything unusual on your face, so run it with the same water-based conductive serum you used for the session rather than switching to something stronger.
All five PureLift models carry Infuse.
The two products that outperform any device
Daily sunscreen, because ultraviolet exposure is a leading driver of the collagen and elastin loss underneath everything else, and it is the highest-value habit available.
A retinoid, introduced slowly, for texture and fine lines over months.
Both work on the skin layer, where a device does comparatively little, and neither is replaced by anything we sell.
Saying that plainly is more useful than pretending a device is the centre of a routine.
Morning or evening
Evening sessions let your skin recover overnight without makeup or sunscreen over the top, and many people find the morning-after appearance better.
Morning sessions give you the immediate lift when you can see it, at the cost of applying products over freshly treated skin, so wait 30 minutes before makeup.
Run one session a day rather than two, since three minutes a side once daily is the routine the research timeline is built on.
Pick whichever you will actually keep doing, because consistency decides the result and the research clock runs to twelve weeks.
Model notes
All five PureLift models run nanocurrent at level 1, microcurrent at level 2, EMS from level 3 to 10, and Infuse as a second pass, so this routine applies to any of them.
The session is three minutes on each side of the face, about ten minutes including the Infuse pass, and running it longer does not produce more change.
Face at $499 and Pro at $699 reach up to 7 milliamps, Pro Edition at $799 reaches up to 7.7, and Pro Plus + at $899 and GLOW at $999 reach up to 9, all measured at 500 ohms and always written as up to.
GLOW alone adds light, red at 634 nm cleared for the treatment of wrinkles, blue at 465 nm cleared for mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne, and purple, which is red and blue running together, and light is never used over the eyes or eyelids.
Every model is cleared through the FDA 510(k) pathway, under records K190269 for Face, K230506 for Pro and Pro Edition, K221443 for Pro Plus + and K243587 for GLOW, and all five are made in Japan in an ISO 13485 facility.
Anyone with a pacemaker or another implanted electronic device, anyone pregnant, and anyone with epilepsy or a seizure disorder should not use the device at all.
For the full routine, read the beginner's guide, and for combining with other devices, read the stacking guide.
Model figures verified on 9 September 2026 against the PureLift LAB store and FDA records K190269, K230506, K221443 and K243587. Every model runs nanocurrent, microcurrent, EMS and Infuse; consumer copy always says up to.