PureLift Pro Plus or GLOW, the Only Real Difference Is Light
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 have the same electrical engine: 9 mA, PDM++, the diamond-faceted probe, ten levels, Lift and Infuse.
This article compares the two on what decides the result you actually see, such as:
- What the two share
- What GLOW adds
- Being honest about handheld light
- Buy Pro Plus if
- Buy GLOW if
and many more!
So the question is not which device is better; it is whether you want light at all.
Key Points:
Identical on current, waveform, probe, modes, levels and session length.
GLOW carries seven technologies plus two lights, so nine in total; Pro Plus carries seven.
Red at 634 nm is aimed at wrinkles, blue at 465 nm at mild to moderate inflammatory acne.
A handheld light head covers far less area than a dedicated LED mask.
If you have no interest in light, Pro Plus is the same device for less money.
What the two share
Both reach 9 mA, the highest output in the range, and both cross the motor threshold at level 3 with levels 3 to 10 delivering EMS.
Both run PDM, cycling 361 frequency points between 1,370 and 1,730 Hz, and both add PDM++, the bipolar pulse that builds and releases charge gradually so the same power lands more smoothly.
Both use the patented diamond-faceted probe, which is the contact surface introduced in the 2019 refresh and not fitted to Face, Pro or Pro Edition.
Both have ten levels on one dial, Lift and Infuse modes, and a ten minute session that ends on its own, with three minutes per side as the maximum.
Both are made in Japan in an ISO 13485 facility. Pro Plus is cleared under FDA K221443 dated 21 October 2022; GLOW under K243587 dated 6 March 2025.
What GLOW adds
Red light at 634 nm, aimed at wrinkles, and blue at 465 nm, aimed at mild to moderate inflammatory acne, with a purple setting combining the two and five light levels.
The cleared indication covers mild to moderate inflammatory acne, not severe or cystic acne, and the light must not be used over the eyes or eyelids.
GLOW measures 16.6 by 6.1 by 4.4 cm and weighs 150 g, with a one-year warranty.
Counting technologies, GLOW carries nine and Pro Plus seven; the two extra are the two wavelengths.
Being honest about handheld light
A dedicated LED mask treats the whole face at once. A handheld head treats whatever it is pointed at, which means light coverage is a matter of moving it around and holding it in place.
So if light is the main thing you want, a mask does that job better, and the masks in this category run from around $570 to $800.
GLOW's light makes sense as an addition to a device you are buying for the current, not as a substitute for a mask. Lee and colleagues ran a split-face LED study worth reading before buying anything light-based (PMID 17566756).
Buy Pro Plus if
Contour is what you want and light does not interest you. You are getting the identical electrical performance and keeping $100.
You already own an LED mask, in which case GLOW's light is a smaller version of something you have.
You want the simplest possible device, since fewer settings means fewer decisions and a routine you are more likely to keep.
Buy GLOW if
You want light and would rather have one device than two, and you accept that the coverage is smaller than a mask's.
Blemishes are part of what you are dealing with, since blue at 465 nm addresses something the current does not, within the mild to moderate inflammatory range.
You want the complete range in one purchase and the $100 is not the deciding factor.
What neither one does
Neither replaces lost volume, because no current or light creates fat, and a hollow cheek is a clinical question.
Neither repositions the SMAS, which is what a surgical facelift does.
Neither delivers a result in a fortnight. Kavanagh and colleagues measured an 18.6 percent increase in cheek muscle thickness over 12 weeks of motor-level stimulation (10.1111/jocd.12007), and that is the honest horizon for either device.
And if 9 mA is more than you need, which for most people starting out it is, Face at $499 runs the same PDM engine at 7 mA.
For the full breakdown, see how the nine PureLift technologies work.