Can You Use a Microcurrent Device on Your Body
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 facial device is cleared for facial use and sized for small facial muscles, so it does little on larger body areas, and some body areas should never have current applied at all.
This article sets out what to check before you start, such as:
- why a facial device's clearance stops at the face
- why small probes do little on large muscles
- the body areas you should never use it on
- what cellulite and body contouring claims are based on
- what body stimulation devices are actually for
and many more!
The neck and upper chest are the sensible limit for a facial device, and below that you are outside what it was built for.
Key Points:
Facial devices are cleared for cosmetic facial stimulation, and using them elsewhere is outside that clearance.
Facial probes cover a few square centimeters and facial muscles are thin, while body muscles are many times larger and deeper.
Never use any stimulation device across the chest over the heart, on the front of the throat, over the carotid arteries, on the abdomen during pregnancy, or over broken skin.
Cellulite is a structural feature of fat and connective tissue, and toning muscle underneath does not change it.
Body stimulation devices exist for muscle training and pain, with larger pads, different outputs and their own clearances.
The clearance stops at the face
Facial devices in this category are cleared for over-the-counter cosmetic facial stimulation, and that indication defines what the device is for.
Using a facial device on your thighs or abdomen is not illegal, but it is outside what the manufacturer has shown the device is suited to.
It also means safety guidance written for the face does not cover the body.
How clearance works, and what it does and does not prove, is in our article on FDA clearance.
Why it does little on large muscles
Size
Facial muscles are often a few millimeters thick and sit just under the skin, so a small probe reaches them easily.
Body muscles such as the quadriceps or abdominals are far larger and deeper, with more tissue between the skin and the muscle.
A probe sized for a cheekbone covers a tiny fraction of a thigh, and the current spreads through more tissue before reaching anything.
Output
Facial devices are designed to reach facial muscles comfortably, which is a lower requirement than reaching deep body muscle.
Our devices publish up to 7 mA at 500 ohms on Face and Pro, 7.7 on Pro Edition and 9 on Pro Plus and GLOW, all chosen for facial work.
Body muscle stimulation devices use large adhesive pads and outputs designed for that job.
Where never to use it
Across the chest over the heart, or anywhere a current path could cross the chest, because of the risk to cardiac rhythm.
On the front of the throat, over the thyroid and larynx, and on the sides of the neck over the carotid arteries.
On the abdomen or lower back during pregnancy, and pregnancy is a contraindication for facial use too, covered in our pregnancy article.
Over broken, inflamed or infected skin, open wounds, or areas with reduced sensation.
Anywhere at all if you have a pacemaker or another implanted electronic device, set out in our article on implants.
The neck and upper chest
The neck and upper chest are a reasonable extension of facial use, since the platysma runs from the jaw down across the collarbone.
Stay off the throat and the pulse points, and keep the level below your cheek setting.
The crepey texture on the upper chest is a skin damage problem rather than a muscle one, so toning does little there.
Technique and limits are in our neck and chest article.
Cellulite and body contouring claims
Cellulite is created by the structure of fat lobules and the fibrous bands that connect skin to deeper tissue, which is why it appears in people of every weight.
Toning muscle underneath does not change that structure.
Treatments with evidence for cellulite work on the bands or the fat directly, through procedures such as subcision or specific energy devices, delivered in clinics.
A body contouring claim attached to a microcurrent device deserves the same scrutiny as any other claim borrowed from a different use, which we discuss in our article on what microcurrent is used for.
What body devices are actually for
Neuromuscular stimulation units with large pads are used in physical therapy and sports for muscle activation and rehabilitation.
TENS units are used for pain relief, covered in our comparison with TENS.
Each has its own clearances, outputs and guidance, designed for the body rather than adapted from the face.
If you want body stimulation, buy a device built and cleared for it, and keep your facial device for your face.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my facial microcurrent device on my stomach or thighs
It is outside the device's facial clearance, and small facial probes do little on large, deep body muscles. A body stimulation device built for that purpose is the better choice.
Can microcurrent reduce cellulite
Cellulite is a structural feature of fat and connective tissue, and toning muscle does not change it. Treatments with evidence for cellulite are clinic procedures.
Where should you never use a microcurrent device
Over the heart, the front of the throat, the carotid arteries, the abdomen during pregnancy, broken or infected skin, and anywhere at all if you have an implanted electronic device.
Can you use microcurrent on your neck
Yes, as a reasonable extension of facial use, staying off the throat and the pulse points at the sides and keeping the level lower than on the cheek.
Is there a microcurrent device for the body
Body stimulation devices exist for muscle activation and pain, with large pads and their own clearances. They are designed differently from facial devices.
This article sits inside our full map of the category, where we set out all 33 devices we track, what each one carries and what each brand publishes: Nine Technologies on One Dial, What the Rest of the Market Actually Carries.