Microcurrent Facial Guide, What It Does and What to Expect
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
Read bio
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
Read bio
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 microcurrent facial uses low-level electrical current to tone facial muscle and refresh how skin looks, with a visible same-day lift and a cumulative result that builds over about twelve weeks.
This guide covers everything you need before booking or buying, such as:
- what actually happens to your face during a session
- how a salon facial compares with an at-home device
- what results to expect and when
- what it costs over a full year
- who should not have one at all
and many more!
If you read one article on microcurrent facials, make it this one, and follow the links for the detail on any single question.
Key Points:
A microcurrent facial passes very small currents through the face using two probes and a conductive gel, toning the muscles underneath the skin.
You see a firmer, less puffy face straight after a session, which fades within hours, and a cumulative improvement in definition over about twelve weeks.
The strongest published result is an 18.6 percent increase in cheek muscle thickness over twelve weeks in 108 women.
Salon sessions typically run as a series with ongoing maintenance, while a home device costs more upfront and far less over a year.
Anyone with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, anyone pregnant, and anyone with epilepsy should not have one.
What a microcurrent facial is
The short version
A microcurrent facial is a treatment in which a practitioner, or you at home, glides two small probes across the face over a layer of conductive gel while a device delivers very low electrical current.
The current reaches the facial muscles just below the skin, and at higher settings makes them contract gently, which is the basis of the toning effect.
It is non-invasive, involves no needles and no downtime, and most people describe it as feeling like very little at all, covered in our article on what it feels like.
Why the face responds
Most facial muscles attach to skin rather than to two bones, so when they gain tone the skin above them sits differently.
That is why a toned cheek reads as a lifted cheek, and why a defined jawline depends on the platysma muscle in the neck, set out in our article on which muscles a device reaches.
The current types involved, microcurrent, nanocurrent and EMS, behave differently, and our comparison is in our article on microcurrent and EMS.
What happens during a session
In a salon
The practitioner cleanses your face, applies a conductive gel, and works the probes or gloved fingertips along set paths across the forehead, cheeks, jaw and neck.
A session usually takes thirty to sixty minutes and is often combined with other steps such as a mask or LED.
A careful practitioner screens you for contraindications first, and how to tell a good one from a salesperson is in our guide to finding an esthetician.
At home
The same principle in ten minutes. Cleanse, apply a generous water-based gel, work three minutes per side moving upward and outward, then the forehead, and finish with moisturizer and sunscreen.
The step by step technique is in our step by step guide, and where to move the probe is in our probe diagram.
Morning sessions give you the depuffing effect when you want it, evening sessions fit better around retinoids, compared in our article on timing.
What results to expect
The same-day effect
Straight after a session your face looks firmer and less puffy. This is fluid movement and circulation, and it holds best for a few hours.
It is real and it is temporary, and it is not the result the trials measured.
The cumulative effect
Kavanagh and colleagues in 2012 followed 108 women for twelve weeks and reported an 18.6 percent increase in cheek muscle thickness measured by ultrasound at the cheek.
Chang and colleagues in 2020 used a double-blind sham-controlled design and reported improvements in skin appearance measures.
Nothing cumulative is visible in the first two to three weeks, the first durable change usually appears between weeks four and six, and twelve weeks is the measured point, set out in our timeline article.
What it does not do
It does not tighten loose skin, because that needs heat, covered in our radiofrequency comparison.
It does not restore lost volume or fill hollows, covered in our hollow cheeks article.
It does not remove etched wrinkles, and on the forehead and around the mouth it can work against you, covered in our wrinkles article.
The full evidence picture, including what has never been measured, is in our research article.
Results by concern
Jawline and jowls respond best, because the muscle layer is a large share of the problem there, covered in our jowls article.
Cheek lift is the most visible single change, since the zygomaticus muscles raise the midface.
The eye area responds modestly and needs a much lower level, covered in our eye area article.
Neck definition improves along the platysma, covered in our neck and chest article.
Nasolabial folds, marionette lines and hollow cheeks respond least, because they are volume problems.
What it costs
Salon microcurrent facials are usually sold as a series followed by maintenance sessions, and the cost over a year adds up quickly.
A home device is a one-time purchase plus conductive gel. Our range runs from Face at $499 to GLOW at $999, and any water-based serum that conducts works with it, so there is no required branded gel.
At four sessions a week over three years, a $499 device works out at roughly eighty cents a session.
The full side by side comparison is in our salon and device cost comparison, and the honest arithmetic on whether a device is worth it is in our cost benefit article.
Who should not have one
Anyone with a pacemaker, implanted defibrillator or other implanted electronic device. This is an absolute exclusion.
Anyone pregnant, covered in our pregnancy article.
Anyone with epilepsy or a seizure disorder, or with a heart condition, without a doctor's clearance.
Anyone with a facial nerve condition, active skin infection, broken skin or flaring rosacea, covered in our nerve safety article and our rosacea article.
Anyone with recent filler or toxin should follow their injector's timing, covered in our injectables article. The full safety list is in our safety article.
Salon or home, how to decide
Choose a salon series if you want a trained practitioner, an occasional treat, or guidance before committing to a device.
Choose a home device if you want the cumulative result, because that needs four or five sessions a week, which is impractical and expensive in a salon.
Combine both if you want professional guidance for the first few weeks and home maintenance afterward.
Whichever you choose, the result is maintained rather than banked, held while you keep going and lost when you stop, covered in our article on stopping.
Frequently asked questions
What does a microcurrent facial do
It tones facial muscle with low-level electrical current, giving a firmer, less puffy look straight after a session and a cumulative improvement in definition over about twelve weeks.
How long does a microcurrent facial last
The same-day effect lasts a few hours. The cumulative muscle result holds while you keep up regular sessions and fades when you stop.
How often should you get a microcurrent facial
At home, four or five sessions a week of about ten minutes. Salon schedules vary, usually a weekly series followed by maintenance.
Is a microcurrent facial worth it
It is worth it if your concern is muscle tone and definition and you will keep up regular sessions. It is not the right tool for loose skin, lost volume or etched lines.
Does a microcurrent facial hurt
No. Most of a session feels like very little, with a gentle tingle or pull at higher settings. Sharp pain usually means the conductive gel has dried.
Who should not get a microcurrent facial
Anyone with a pacemaker or implanted electronic device, anyone pregnant, and anyone with epilepsy should not. Heart conditions and facial nerve conditions need a doctor's clearance first.
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.