Acne-Prone Skin and Facial Devices, What to Know First
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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Moving a probe across an inflamed spot spreads bacteria across the face and irritates the lesion, so the rule is to work around active breakouts and never over them.
This article sets out what to check before you start, such as:
- The hygiene problem
- Working around breakouts
- The serum question
- Prescription treatments
- What the light does and does not cover
and many more!
Blue light at 465 nm on GLOW is cleared for mild to moderate inflammatory acne, and expressly not for severe or cystic acne.
Key Points:
Never work over an active lesion, a broken spot, or anything you have picked at.
Clean the probe before as well as after every session.
Use a light water-based serum; heavy conductive gels can make congestion worse.
Electrical stimulation does not treat acne, and blue light addresses only the mild to moderate inflammatory type.
If you are on a prescription acne treatment, ask the prescriber before starting.
The hygiene problem
A device session moves one probe across the whole face in sequence. If it passes over an inflamed lesion, whatever is in that lesion travels with it to the next area.
That is the single most important consideration for this skin type and it is rarely mentioned. Clean the probe before the session as well as after, with a soft cloth dampened with water, and dry it.
Do not share the device with anyone while you have active breakouts.
Wash your hands before starting, since you will be touching your face repeatedly to reapply serum.
Working around breakouts
Skip any area with an active inflamed spot, anything broken or crusted, and anything you have picked at. Work the areas that are clear and come back to the rest another day.
Do not use the device at all during a significant flare. There is no urgency in a routine measured in months, and a fortnight off costs nothing.
Pressure aggravates lesions, so if you are working near an area, keep the glide light rather than pressing.
The serum question
Use a light water-based serum rather than a thick conductive gel. Heavy occlusive products sitting on acne-prone skin for ten minutes and then worked in thoroughly is not a combination that helps congestion.
This is one place where PureLift working with any water-based serum is a practical advantage, since you can use something you already know your skin tolerates rather than a proprietary gel chosen for conductivity alone.
Avoid anything with heavy oils or silicones as your session serum, and remove it properly afterwards.
Prescription treatments
If you are on a topical retinoid, benzoyl peroxide, or a prescribed acne treatment, ask the prescriber before adding a device.
Do not have any of those on your face during a session. A device distributes whatever you applied far more thoroughly than the product was formulated for, and on skin already being treated that is a needless irritation.
Oral treatments for acne can make skin considerably more fragile, and that is specifically a question for the doctor managing it rather than something to judge yourself.
What the light does and does not cover
GLOW carries blue light at 465 nm, and the cleared indication covers mild to moderate inflammatory acne. Lee and colleagues ran a split-face LED study worth reading on the category (PMID 17566756).
It is not indicated for severe or cystic acne, and the light must not be used over the eyes or eyelids.
A handheld light head also covers far less area than a dedicated mask, so if light is the main thing you want for acne, a mask does that job better.
The current itself does not treat acne in any form. EMS works muscle, which has nothing to do with sebum, bacteria or inflammation.
What you are realistically buying it for
Contour and muscle tone, which is the same reason anyone else buys one, and which is unrelated to your acne.
Kavanagh and colleagues measured an 18.6 percent increase in cheek muscle thickness over 12 weeks of motor-level stimulation (10.1111/jocd.12007). That is the claim, and it is not an acne claim.
Three minutes per side is the maximum on any PureLift model, and the ten minute session ends on its own.
When to leave it alone entirely
During a flare, over anything broken, and while the skin is actively irritated by a treatment.
If your acne is severe, painful, or scarring, that belongs with a dermatologist, and a facial device is not part of the answer.
For the barrier question, see protecting your skin barrier, and for cleaning, how to clean and look after your device.
This is general information and not medical advice.
Two related questions come up often alongside this one, and we have answered both in full: why blue light has an acne mechanism and microcurrent does not, and how microcurrent compares with high frequency.