Microcurrent vs Electroporation and Derma Shot, What Is the Difference
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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Microcurrent is a low, steady current used for facial muscle tone, electroporation uses very short electrical pulses to make the skin temporarily more permeable so skincare absorbs, and Medicube's Derma Shot is described as a mid-frequency EMS mode for stronger muscle contraction, so they are three different jobs.
This guide explains each technology, such as:
- what microcurrent does
- what electroporation does and the science behind it
- what Derma Shot is on the Medicube Booster Pro
- how electroporation differs from iontophoresis
- the order to use them in
and many more!
We make devices that run several of these technologies on one dial, so we explain each one in plain terms.
Key Points:
Microcurrent is a very low current used to tone the facial muscles for a lifted look.
Electroporation uses short electrical pulses to open temporary pathways in the skin's outer layer so serums absorb better.
Medicube's Booster mode is described as electroporation, and Derma Shot as mid-frequency EMS.
Electroporation is a delivery tool and does not tone muscle; microcurrent and EMS are toning tools.
Use a delivery pass with a simple serum, then microcurrent or EMS with a conductive gel, or follow your device's order.
Why the terms get mixed up
Many new facial devices combine several electrical technologies under brand names, such as Booster, Infuse, MC or Derma Shot. All of them use electricity, all of them are glided over the skin, and all of them are marketed for a firmer, glowing face, so it is easy to assume they are the same thing.
They are not. The useful split is between delivery technologies, which aim to help skincare get into the skin, and toning technologies, which work the facial muscles. Electroporation belongs to the first group, and microcurrent and EMS to the second.
What microcurrent does
Microcurrent sends a very low current, measured in millionths of an amp, through a conductive gel to the facial muscles. With regular sessions it gives a firmer, more lifted look along the jaw, cheeks and brows.
A randomized controlled trial by Kavanagh and colleagues, published in 2012, measured the effect of facial electrical stimulation after twelve weeks of regular use. A full explanation is in our article on what a microcurrent device is.
What electroporation does
Electroporation applies very short electrical pulses that temporarily disrupt the tightly packed outer layer of the skin, creating tiny pathways that close again shortly afterward. While those pathways are open, ingredients from a serum can pass more easily.
Prausnitz, Bose, Langer and Weaver, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 1993, showed that brief high-voltage pulses could make skin temporarily far more permeable to molecules that normally struggle to pass. Home beauty devices use much gentler versions, and brands rarely publish measurements of how much more product actually absorbs. What the delivery evidence does and does not show is in our skincare absorption article.
What Derma Shot is
Derma Shot is a mode on the Medicube Booster Pro. Medicube describes it for areas that need more definition, and independent guides describe it as mid-frequency EMS, which makes the muscle visibly contract rather than giving the gentle sub-sensory effect of microcurrent.
Medicube's Booster mode, by contrast, is the electroporation-style delivery mode. Every mode on that device is explained in our Medicube Booster Pro modes article, and how EMS differs from microcurrent is in our microcurrent vs EMS article.
Side by side
| Microcurrent | Electroporation | Derma Shot (EMS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Muscle tone | Skincare delivery | Stronger muscle contraction |
| Feel | A light tingle or nothing | A faint tingle or warmth | A visible twitch or pulse |
| Use with | Conductive gel | A simple water-based serum | Conductive gel |
| Tones muscle | Yes | No | Yes |
Electroporation vs iontophoresis
Iontophoresis is a separate delivery method that uses a steady current to push charged molecules into the skin by repulsion, so it works only with ingredients that carry a charge. Electroporation instead opens temporary pathways, so the ingredient does not need a charge.
Galvanic devices are a form of iontophoresis, explained in our microcurrent vs galvanic current article and our galvanic current article.
The order to use them
If your device has both a delivery mode and a toning mode, follow its instructions first. As a general rule, use the delivery pass with a simple serum on clean skin, then apply conductive gel for the microcurrent or EMS pass, and finish with moisturizer.
Keep active ingredients such as strong acids or retinoids out of any delivery pass unless your device brand approves them, because helping them absorb can also make them more irritating. The full order is in our microcurrent before or after skincare 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
Is electroporation the same as microcurrent
No. Electroporation is a delivery technology that helps skincare absorb, while microcurrent is a toning technology for the facial muscles.
What is Derma Shot on the Medicube Booster Pro
Medicube describes it for areas needing more definition, and independent guides describe it as a mid-frequency EMS mode.
Does electroporation lift the face
No. It is used to help serums absorb, not to tone muscle.
Should I use electroporation before microcurrent
Usually yes, a delivery pass with serum first, then microcurrent with conductive gel, unless your device says otherwise.
Is electroporation safe at home
Home devices use gentle settings. Follow the brand's instructions and avoid broken or irritated skin.
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.