Microcurrent Before or After Skincare, the Right Order
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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Use microcurrent after cleansing and before the rest of your skincare, apply active ingredients such as retinol and acids afterward rather than underneath the device, and use LED or red light either straight after microcurrent or at a different time of day.
This guide gives you a clear order, such as:
- cleanse, conduct, then microcurrent
- which serums go on before and which after
- retinol, acids and vitamin C
- LED masks and red light
- gua sha and facial massage
and many more!
The order below works for any microcurrent device, including ours.
Key Points:
Microcurrent goes on clean skin, after cleansing and before the rest of your routine.
The only product under the device should be a water-based conductive gel or serum.
Apply retinol, acids and other strong actives after the session, not underneath the device.
LED and red light can follow microcurrent straight away, or be used at a different time of day.
Moisturizer and, in the morning, sunscreen always go on last.
The basic order
Cleanse to remove makeup, sunscreen and oil.
Apply a generous layer of water-based conductive gel or serum.
Run your microcurrent session.
Remove the gel, or press in a conductive serum you want to keep on.
Apply the rest of your skincare, then moisturizer, then sunscreen in the morning.
Technique for the session is in our step by step guide.
Why microcurrent goes first
Makeup, oils, silicones and thick creams resist current, so applying them first weakens the session.
Doing the session on clean skin also means your other products are not wiped or dragged around by the device. Why a device can feel weaker is in our article on a device feeling weaker.
Serums, before or after
Before, as the conductive layer
A water-based serum that conducts can be the layer under the device. Hyaluronic acid serums are a common choice. See our gel and serum guide.
After
Oil-based serums, facial oils and silicone-heavy serums go on after the session.
How to test whether a serum conducts is in our article on testing a serum.
Retinol, acids and vitamin C
Apply retinol, exfoliating acids and strong vitamin C after the session, not underneath the device.
If your skin is sensitive, use these actives on a different evening from your microcurrent session or reduce how often you use them, and stop if your skin becomes irritated.
LED masks and red light
Microcurrent and LED do different jobs, microcurrent working on muscle and LED on the skin's surface, so they combine well.
Use LED straight after microcurrent on clean skin, or at a different time of day. How they compare is in our microcurrent vs red light article, and our LED stacking routine is in our LED stacking article.
Our GLOW model adds red light at 634 nm and blue at 465 nm to the same device.
Gua sha and facial massage
Gua sha or massage can go before microcurrent as a warm-up, or after as a finishing step. Keep the conductive layer wet if you go straight from one to the other.
How the two compare is in our microcurrent vs gua sha article.
Morning or evening
A morning session gives the short-lived lifted look for the day ahead. An evening session fits around a longer skincare routine.
Both work. See our microcurrent morning or night 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.
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
Should I use microcurrent before or after skincare
Before. Use it on clean skin after cleansing, then apply the rest of your skincare.
Can I use serum with microcurrent
Yes. A water-based serum that conducts can be the layer under the device. Oil and silicone serums go on after.
Should I use microcurrent before or after red light
Microcurrent first, then red light or LED on clean skin, or use them at different times of day.
Can I use retinol after microcurrent
Yes, after the session. If your skin is sensitive, use it on a different evening.
Should I use microcurrent before or after gua sha
Either works. Keep the conductive layer wet if you go straight from one to the other.
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.