Microcurrent in Esthetics, What Estheticians Need to Know
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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In esthetics, microcurrent is a very low level current measured in microamps, used with dual probes or a handheld device to tone the facial muscles, and an esthetician needs to know its units, technique, contraindications and the honest limits of its results.
This guide covers the core knowledge, such as:
- definitions and units
- technique, from toning to relaxing
- contraindications to screen for
- consultation and aftercare
- how to talk about results and evidence
and many more!
We make professional and home devices used by estheticians, so we have kept this to what applies to any machine.
Key Points:
Microcurrent is measured in microamps, while galvanic and high-frequency work in esthetics is usually measured in milliamps.
Training materials typically place microcurrent intensity at roughly 50 to 500 microamps, below 1,000 microamps.
Training materials describe shortening techniques for slack muscles and lengthening techniques for overactive muscles such as those between the brows.
Pacemakers, epilepsy, pregnancy, active cancer and metal implants are among the contraindications to screen for, and a pacemaker means declining the service.
Some figures in study guides, such as large ATP and collagen increases, come from limited or laboratory studies, so present results carefully to clients.
Definitions and units
Microcurrent is a very low level current measured in microamps, millionths of an amp. Esthetics study guides describe it as mirroring the body's own bioelectric current.
Galvanic and high-frequency treatments are usually measured in milliamps, a thousand times larger. More on the units is in our microamps explainer.
How microcurrent differs from nanocurrent and EMS is in our microcurrent vs nanocurrent article and our EMS versus microcurrent article.
Technique
Dual probes
Most professional machines use two handheld probes, with gloves and handheld devices as alternatives. See our professional microcurrent machine guide.
Shortening and lengthening
Training materials describe shortening, moving the probes toward each other along a muscle, for slack muscles, and lengthening, moving them apart, for overactive muscles such as those that cause frown lines. See our frown lines article.
Conductivity
Keep the conductive gel wet throughout, since dry spots weaken the current and can sting. See our article on stinging.
Contraindications
Training materials list these among the reasons not to treat: a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator, heart conditions, metal implants in the treatment area, epilepsy, pregnancy, active cancer, blood clots and open lesions or active cold sores.
With a pacemaker, the correct response is to decline the service, not to lower the intensity. See our pacemakers article and our cancer article.
Consultation and aftercare
Ask about health, medications, implants, recent injectables and recent peels, lasers or surgery. Timing after other treatments is in our article on microcurrent after other treatments.
Explain that results build over a series, and recommend maintenance visits or a home device.
Talking about results honestly
The strongest evidence is for muscle toning. A randomized controlled trial by Kavanagh and colleagues, published in 2012, measured facial electrical stimulation over twelve weeks.
Some study guides quote large increases in ATP and collagen. The ATP figure traces to a 1982 laboratory study on rat skin, covered in our ATP article, so avoid promising these to clients.
Benefits ranked by evidence are in our benefits article.
Building microcurrent into your business
Offer a series with clear pricing, and a home device for maintenance between appointments. What clients experience is in our facial with microcurrent 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.
Frequently asked questions
What is microcurrent in esthetics
A very low level current measured in microamps, used to tone the facial muscles with probes, gloves or a handheld device.
What unit is microcurrent measured in
Microamps, millionths of an amp. Galvanic and high-frequency treatments are usually measured in milliamps.
What are the contraindications for microcurrent
Pacemakers or implanted defibrillators, heart conditions, metal implants, epilepsy, pregnancy, active cancer, blood clots and open lesions, among others.
What is the difference between shortening and lengthening in microcurrent
Training materials describe shortening for slack muscles and lengthening for overactive muscles such as those between the brows.
Should an esthetician treat a client with a pacemaker
No. Decline the service and offer a non-electrical alternative.
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.