PureLift Pro Plus vs GLOW, Is the Light Worth $100
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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Pro Plus at $899 and GLOW at $999 are the two 9 milliamp models, and everything electrical about them is identical.
This article compares the two on what decides the result you actually see, such as:
- What the two share
- PDM++ is on both, and that is worth saying plainly
- What GLOW adds
- Straight advice on the $100 step
- What either will do for you
and many more!
The whole $100 buys light, which makes this the cleanest decision in the range, either you want red and blue in the same handpiece or you do not.
Key Points:
Both run 9 mA at 500 ohms, the strongest in the range, with the patented diamond-faceted probe.
Both carry the PDM++ waveform, so it is not part of the upgrade.
Both run nanocurrent, microcurrent, EMS, Infusion and iontophoresis, 10 levels on one dial.
GLOW alone adds red at 634 nm cleared for wrinkles and blue at 465 nm cleared for mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne.
If you were about to buy a light mask too, GLOW replaces the mask and the current device in one.
What the two share
Both reach 9 mA at 500 ohms, the highest output PureLift makes, with Pro Plus cleared under K221443 granted 21 October 2022 and GLOW under K243587 granted 6 March 2025.
Both carry the patented diamond-faceted probe from the 2019 design refresh, built for steadier skin contact and controlled glide across the contours of the face.
Both run the same technologies, nanocurrent at level 1, microcurrent at level 2, EMS from level 3 to 10, and the Infuse pass with Infusion and iontophoresis working together on your serum.
Both are 10 levels on one dial, both end the session automatically at ten minutes, and both are built in Japan in an ISO 13485 facility.
PDM++ is on both, and that is worth saying plainly
Send a muscle the same signal for ten minutes and it gets used to it, and your nerves get used to it too, which is why PDM moves the signal across 361 frequency points between 1,370 and 1,730 Hz so it never repeats.
PDM++ is the bipolar evolution of that waveform, engineered for a more gradual charge and release in the tissue, so the contraction rises and falls instead of snapping.
What you notice is that the top of the dial becomes usable rather than just available, which is exactly why it belongs on the two models that reach 9 mA.
Pro Plus and GLOW both have it, so if you have read anywhere that PDM++ is a reason to choose GLOW over Pro Plus, that is out of date.
What GLOW adds
Red light at 634 nm, cleared for the treatment of wrinkles, and blue light at 465 nm, cleared for mild-to-moderate inflammatory acne, at 5 light levels.
The two can run together as purple when lines and breakouts share a face, and the light runs while you work rather than as a separate step, so it costs you no extra time.
Blue light is not for severe or cystic acne and is not a substitute for a dermatologist, and blue light can leave dark marks on medium and deeper skin tones, so start on a low light setting.
GLOW is 16.6 by 6.1 by 4.4 cm and 150 g, ships with a bottle of Activator Serum, and carries a one-year warranty.
Straight advice on the $100 step
If fine lines or breakouts sit alongside the sagging, buy GLOW, because current does not treat either and light is cleared for both.
If you were already planning to buy an LED mask as well, buy GLOW without hesitating, since a Therabody TheraFace Mask is $649.99, a FOREO FAQ 202 is $799 and a CurrentBody Multi Light Mask is $569.99, and none of the three delivers any current at all.
GLOW at $999 replacing a $569.99 mask and a current device makes the last $100 in the range the cheapest money on this page.
If the jawline is the job, your skin is otherwise clear and you already own a mask you like, Pro Plus is the better buy and the $100 stays in your pocket, and you are giving up nothing electrical by choosing it.
What either will do for you
Three minutes on each side and you will see a fresher, more lifted look in the mirror because the muscles have worked, and that first effect is temporary and returns every session.
The lasting change builds over weeks, and Kavanagh 2012 measured an 18.6% increase in cheek muscle thickness in 108 women after twelve weeks of daily facial muscle stimulation, confirmed by ultrasound against an untreated group (10.1111/jocd.12007).
On the light side, Lee 2007 ran a split-face LED phototherapy trial supporting red light for the appearance of lines, and blue light at this range is studied for inflammatory acne.
Those studies used their own devices, so they show what these technologies can do rather than what Pro Plus or GLOW did for any particular person.