Who Invented Microcurrent, the History of the Microcurrent Facial
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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No single person invented microcurrent; it grew out of nineteenth century research into the body's own electricity, was developed for medical use in the 1960s to 1980s, moved into salon facials in the 1980s and 1990s, and became a home device in the 2000s.
This history traces the key steps, such as:
- the first measurements of electricity in the body
- early medical studies
- the move into salon facials
- the first handheld home devices
- the research and devices of today
and many more!
Where a date comes from a brand or an industry account rather than a published paper, we say so.
Key Points:
In the 1800s, the Italian scientist Carlo Matteucci was among the first to measure electrical current in injured tissue.
In 1969, Wolcott and colleagues published a study applying low current to skin ulcers, an early medical use.
In 1982, Cheng and colleagues published a laboratory study on rat skin that is still behind today's ATP claims.
Industry accounts credit Dr. Thomas Wing with an early purpose-built microcurrent instrument in the late 1970s, and describe medical use for facial nerve conditions before cosmetic use took off.
NuFACE was founded in 2005 and says it introduced the first FDA cleared handheld microcurrent devices.
The 1800s, electricity in the body
Scientists in the nineteenth century discovered that living tissue carries its own electrical signals. The Italian physiologist Carlo Matteucci is credited as one of the first to measure electrical current in injured tissue.
That idea, that the body runs on small electrical currents, is the root of every microcurrent device.
The 1960s to 1980s, medical research
Interest in low-level current for healing returned in the mid twentieth century. In 1969, Wolcott and colleagues published a study applying low current to skin ulcers.
In 1982, Cheng and colleagues published a laboratory study on how electrical currents affect ATP in rat skin. It is still the source of most ATP claims made for facial devices, covered in our ATP article.
Industry accounts credit Dr. Thomas Wing with introducing an early purpose-built microcurrent instrument in the late 1970s, with a clinical focus.
The 1980s and 1990s, from clinic to salon
Industry accounts describe physicians using microcurrent for facial nerve conditions such as Bell's palsy, and noticing that patients' faces looked more toned and lifted.
That observation pushed microcurrent into the beauty world, and by the 1990s it was a professional salon facial marketed as a non-surgical lift. What a salon facial involves today is in our facial with microcurrent article.
The 2000s, the first home devices
NuFACE's founder, Carol Cole, began her career as an esthetician in 1985. NuFACE was founded in 2005 and says it introduced the first FDA cleared handheld microcurrent devices.
NuFACE reached a mass audience through QVC in 2008 and launched the TRINITY in 2010. Its current range is reviewed in our NuFACE TRINITY+ review.
The 2010s, the first controlled trials
A randomized controlled trial by Kavanagh and colleagues, published in 2012, tested a facial electrical stimulation device over twelve weeks, giving the field controlled evidence on facial muscle toning.
The wider research picture is in our research summary.
The 2020s, more brands and more technologies
Home devices spread fast, with brands such as ZIIP, FOREO, Therabody and MyoLift. Some added nanocurrent, LED, massage or EMS. See our microcurrent vs nanocurrent article.
Our own story is in our company history article.
Our devices run nanocurrent at level 1, microcurrent at level 2 and EMS from level 3 to 10, plus an Infuse pass, on one dial, with a ten minute session and no more than three minutes per side of the face, and they work with any water-based conductive serum.
What this history means for you
Microcurrent is not new. It has decades of medical and salon use behind it.
The cosmetic claims are better supported for muscle toning than for collagen or ATP, which come from much weaker evidence.
To learn how a device works today, start with our article on what a microcurrent device is.
Do not use any facial current device if you have a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, if you are pregnant or if you have epilepsy, and skip broken or irritated skin. The full list is in our safety article.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented microcurrent
No single person. It grew out of nineteenth century bioelectricity research, was developed for medical use from the 1960s to 1980s and moved into beauty in the 1980s and 1990s.
When did microcurrent facials start
Industry accounts place the move from medical to cosmetic use in the 1980s, with salon microcurrent facials widespread by the 1990s.
Was microcurrent first used for Bell's palsy
Industry accounts describe physicians using it for facial nerve conditions such as Bell's palsy before cosmetic use took off.
What was the first at-home microcurrent device
NuFACE, founded in 2005, says it introduced the first FDA cleared handheld microcurrent devices.
How long has microcurrent been around
Research into the body's electricity dates to the 1800s, and medical microcurrent studies date to the late 1960s.
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.