Microcurrent on Face, Where to Use It and Where Not To
Medically reviewed by
4 independent reviewers
Andrew Conrad Barile, Fisioterapeuta, Doctor en Terapia Física
Doctorado en Terapia Física (DPT), Fisioterapeuta Licenciado (PT)
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El Dr. Andrew Conrad Barile es Doctor en Terapia Física y CEO y Fundador de Xtreem Pulse LLC. Obtuvo su Doctorado en Terapia Física en Daemen College y aporta más de dos décadas de experiencia clínica y empresarial en terapia física pediátrica, terapia craneosacral e innovación en dispositivos médicos. Su profundo conocimiento de la anatomía humana, la fisiología muscular y la tecnología terapéutica ofrece un enfoque invaluable respaldado por la ciencia para la rejuvenecimiento facial y soluciones antienvejecimiento.
Bertica M. Rubio, M.D.
Director Médico, Clínica de Medicina Regenerativa y Antienvejecimiento | Médico Certificado por la Junta | Escuela de Medicina de Dartmouth
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La Dra. Bertica M. Rubio es una médica certificada y Directora Médica de la Clínica de Medicina Regenerativa y Antienvejecimiento en Redlands, California. Obtuvo su licenciatura en Ciencias en la Universidad Loyola Marymount y su título de Doctora en Medicina en la Escuela de Medicina de Dartmouth (Geisel School of Medicine). Completó su residencia en pediatría en el Centro Médico UC Irvine.
Con décadas de experiencia clínica, la Dra. Rubio se especializa en medicina para el manejo de la edad, medicina regenerativa, cicatrización de heridas y terapias con factores de crecimiento. Su práctica integra la ciencia médica basada en evidencia con tratamientos estéticos y regenerativos avanzados, ayudando a los pacientes a alcanzar una salud óptima y vitalidad juvenil.
La Dra. Rubio siente pasión por educar a los pacientes sobre la ciencia detrás del cuidado de la piel, el rejuvenecimiento facial y las tecnologías no invasivas como EMS (Estimulación Eléctrica Muscular) para el tonificado facial. Sus artículos para PureLift LAB combinan un conocimiento médico riguroso con orientación práctica para lograr resultados reales y duraderos.
Daniel Grinberg, MD, FACS
Otorrinolaringólogo y cirujano de cabeza y cuello certificado | Miembro, Colegio Americano de Cirujanos | Profesor clínico asistente, Escuela de Medicina Mount Sinai
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Daniel Grinberg, MD, FACS, es un otorrinolaringólogo certificado por la junta y cirujano de cabeza y cuello en ENT and Allergy Associates en West Nyack, NY. Obtuvo su título de médico en la Facultad de Médicos y Cirujanos de la Universidad de Columbia, completó su residencia en Otorrinolaringología en el Centro Médico de la Universidad de Nueva York y es profesor clínico asistente en la Escuela de Medicina Mount Sinai. Es miembro de la American College of Surgeons y de la American Academy of Otolaryngology.
La perspectiva quirúrgica de cabeza y cuello del Dr. Grinberg ofrece a los lectores de PureLift LAB una visión clínica más amplia, conectando la práctica de EMS en casa con la anatomía médica subyacente con el mismo rigor científico que aplicamos a cada especificación del dispositivo.
Prof. Dr. med. Ivo Buschmann
Cátedra de Angiología, Hochschule Médica de Brandeburgo | Director de Clínica, Clínica Universitaria de Angiología, Hospital Universitario de Brandeburgo | Ex Consultor Senior, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlín
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El Prof. Dr. med. Ivo Buschmann es Catedrático de Angiología en la Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane (MHB) y Director Clínico de la Clínica Universitaria de Angiología en el Hospital Universitario de Brandeburgo. Completó su formación médica en la Universidad de Hamburgo, fue becario de la Sociedad Max-Planck en el Instituto Max-Planck de Investigación Cardiaca y Pulmonar, y ocupó cargos de consultor senior en la Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Campus Virchow antes de ser nombrado Catedrático en la MHB en 2016.
El Prof. Buschmann es una de las principales autoridades europeas en arteriogénesis — el crecimiento y remodelación de los vasos sanguíneos impulsados por el flujo — con más de 150 publicaciones revisadas por pares y varias patentes en EE. UU. y la UE sobre dispositivos que estimulan el crecimiento de vasos colaterales mediante terapia controlada de tasa de cizalladura. Su investigación conecta la estimulación mecánica y eléctrica con la adaptación vascular, la microcirculación y la perfusión tisular.
Las contribuciones del Prof. Buschmann aportan a los lectores de PureLift LAB una perspectiva de biología vascular que complementa nuestra autoría clínica, de fisioterapia y de anatomía quirúrgica existente — explicando cómo la estimulación EMS activa no solo los músculos faciales sino también la microcirculación que los abastece, y por qué la administración inteligente es tan importante a nivel del flujo sanguíneo como en la contracción muscular.
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Use microcurrent on the jaw, cheeks, forehead, brows and neck, gliding upward and outward along the muscles, and keep away from the eyelids, the front of the throat, broken skin and recent injection sites.
This guide covers each zone of the face, such as:
- the jawline and the area under the chin
- the cheeks and the smile lines
- the forehead and brows
- the under eye area, and how close is too close
- the neck, and the part of the neck to skip
and many more!
Each zone below has the direction to glide, how long to spend and what to expect from the area.
Key Points:
Microcurrent works on the facial muscles under the skin, so the best zones are where those muscles sit close to the surface, such as the jaw, cheeks and brows.
Always glide upward and outward, holding each end point for a second or two, and keep both contact points touching the skin.
Avoid the eyelids, the eyeball area, the front of the throat over the thyroid, broken or irritated skin and fresh filler or injection sites.
A full face session on our devices takes about ten minutes, with no more than three minutes per side.
A conductive layer that stays wet matters as much as where you glide, because a dry patch weakens the current and can sting.
Why the zone matters
Microcurrent passes a low current through the skin into the muscles underneath. The visible effect, a firmer and more lifted look, comes from those muscles, so results show most where they sit close to the surface.
Every zone also has a direction. Gliding upward and outward follows the lift you want to see, while gliding downward works against it.
The muscles each zone works on are mapped in our microcurrent facial chart.
Zone one, the jawline and under the chin
How to do it
Start at the center of the chin and glide along the jawbone toward the ear, holding for a second at the end point. Repeat three to five times per side.
For the area under the chin, glide from the center of the chin back toward the angle of the jaw.
What to expect
The jawline is the zone where most people notice a change first, usually a crisper edge after several weeks of regular sessions.
Loose skin on the jowls is a different problem from muscle tone, which we explain in our article on sagging jowls.
Zone two, the cheeks and smile lines
Glide from the corner of the mouth up toward the top of the ear, then from the side of the nose out across the cheekbone toward the temple.
These paths work the muscles that lift the cheek. Sessions here give a fuller, more lifted look across the mid face.
Hollow cheeks caused by lost fat are not something microcurrent fixes, as covered in our hollow cheeks article.
Zone three, the forehead and brows
Glide from the top of the brow straight up toward the hairline, working from the center of the forehead out to each side.
For the brows, glide from the inner end of the brow outward along the brow bone toward the temple, then hold for a second at the tail of the brow.
Keep the contact points on the brow bone and above it, never on the eyelid.
Zone four, around the eyes
The skin around the eyes is thin, so use a low level and stay on the bony orbit rather than the soft tissue.
Glide from the outer corner of the eye toward the temple, and along the upper cheekbone under the eye, never across the eyelid itself.
What microcurrent can and cannot do for under eye puffiness is in our under eye bags article.
Zone five, the neck
Work the sides of the neck only, gliding upward from the collarbone toward the jaw.
Skip the front of the throat, over the thyroid and windpipe, and the area over the pulse at the side of the neck.
Start on a low level here, since the neck can feel more sensitive than the face.
Where not to use microcurrent on face
The eyelids and the eyeball area.
The front of the throat, over the thyroid.
Broken skin, active breakouts, rashes, sunburn or skin under treatment by a dermatologist.
Fresh filler or neuromodulator injection sites, until your provider says otherwise.
Over metal implants in the face, unless your doctor has cleared it.
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.
How long to spend on each zone
On our devices a full session is about ten minutes, with no more than three minutes per side of the face, so each zone gets roughly a minute.
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.
Step by step technique for a full session is in our step by step guide.
Keep the conductive layer wet throughout, using any water-based conductive serum, as covered in our guide to the best gel or serum.
Frequently asked questions
Where should you use microcurrent on your face
On the jaw, under the chin, cheeks, forehead, brows and the sides of the neck, gliding upward and outward along the muscles.
Where should you not use microcurrent
Avoid the eyelids, the front of the throat, broken or irritated skin, fresh injection sites and anywhere your doctor has advised against.
Can you use microcurrent under your eyes
Yes, on a low level along the bony orbit and upper cheekbone, but never across the eyelid itself.
Can you use microcurrent on your neck
Yes, on the sides of the neck gliding upward, but skip the front of the throat over the thyroid.
Which direction should you move a microcurrent device
Always upward and outward, holding for a second or two at the end of each glide.
How long should you spend on each area of the face
About a minute per zone, with a full session of around ten minutes and no more than three minutes per side.
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.