NuFACE Before and After, What Results Really Look Like
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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NuFACE before and after results usually show a subtly firmer, more lifted jaw and cheek after several weeks of regular use, not a facelift, and they fade if you stop.
This article walks you through what to expect, such as:
- what changes in the first session and what takes weeks
- how to tell a fair before and after photo from a misleading one
- what NuFACE cannot change
- how to take your own before and after photos
- how NuFACE results compare with other microcurrent devices
and many more!
We make a competing device, PureLift, so we have kept this to what any microcurrent device can and cannot do and how to judge the photos yourself.
Key Points:
The first session often gives a short-lived lifted look that fades within hours to a day, while the lasting change builds over weeks of regular use.
The published evidence for facial electrical stimulation comes from twelve weeks of regular sessions, so a fair before and after compares photos taken months apart, not minutes.
A before and after photo is only fair if the lighting, angle, distance, expression and makeup are the same in both images.
NuFACE, like every microcurrent device, works on muscle tone and does not tighten loose skin, restore lost volume or erase deep lines.
Results are maintained rather than permanent, so they fade gradually if you stop using the device.
What NuFACE does
NuFACE is a handheld microcurrent device with two spheres that pass a low current through the skin into the facial muscles. NuFACE lists the TRINITY+ Starter Kit at $395 and the MINI+ Starter Kit at $250, and both hold FDA clearances, K212947 and K191672.
NuFACE does not publish the output of its devices, and it requires a branded gel, starting around $35.
Our full review of the flagship model is in our NuFACE TRINITY+ review.
What results look like over time
Right after a session
Many people see a lifted, more awake look straight away, mostly around the jaw and cheekbones. This immediate effect fades within hours to a day.
It is the reason many brand photos are taken right after a session, and it is not the lasting result.
After four to eight weeks
With five sessions a week, most people start to see a firmer jawline and a slightly lifted cheek that lasts between sessions.
After twelve weeks
A randomized controlled trial by Kavanagh and colleagues, published in 2012, measured the effect of facial electrical stimulation after twelve weeks of regular use, which is the time frame to judge any device by.
A week by week breakdown is in our week by week results article.
How to judge a before and after photo
Check that the lighting is the same. Light from above deepens shadows under the jaw and cheeks, while light from the front flattens them.
Check the angle and distance. A camera held slightly higher or further away changes how the jawline looks.
Check the expression and posture. A raised chin or a slight smile lifts the face on its own.
Check makeup, hair and skin condition. Contour, a fresh tan or hydrated skin changes the result without any device.
Check the time between photos. A before and after taken an hour apart shows the temporary effect, not the result you will keep.
More on reading these photos is in our guide to microcurrent before and after photos.
What NuFACE cannot change
Loose or crepey skin, since microcurrent works on muscle rather than skin laxity.
Lost volume in the cheeks or temples, which needs filler or fat rather than muscle work.
Deep etched lines, covered in our wrinkles article.
These limits apply to every microcurrent device, including ours.
How to take your own before and after photos
Take the before photo on day one, in the same spot by a window, at the same time of day, with no makeup and your hair pulled back.
Hold the camera at eye level, at arm's length, and take a front photo plus one from each side.
Keep a neutral face with your teeth together and your chin level.
Take the after photos the same way at four, eight and twelve weeks, before a session rather than right after one.
How NuFACE results compare with other devices
No study has compared NuFACE with another consumer device head to head, so claims that one brand gives better results are not backed by published evidence.
What differs is cost, published output, the gel requirement and the technologies on offer. Our comparisons are in PureLift vs NuFACE, NuFACE vs ZIIP HALO and FOREO BEAR 2 vs NuFACE TRINITY.
For a full ten device comparison, see our best microcurrent device for face article.
Do NuFACE results last
The result is maintained rather than permanent. If you stop, muscle tone gradually returns to where it was over the following weeks.
Most routines move from five sessions a week to two or three once the result is where you want it, as covered in our article on stopping a facial device.
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
Does NuFACE really work
NuFACE can give a subtly firmer, more lifted look with regular use over weeks. It does not replace a facelift and it does not tighten loose skin.
How long does it take to see NuFACE results
An immediate lift fades within a day. The lasting change usually shows after four to eight weeks of five sessions a week, and is best judged at twelve weeks.
Are NuFACE before and after photos real
Many are real but taken right after a session, which shows the temporary effect. Check that lighting, angle, expression and timing match.
Do NuFACE results go away
Yes, gradually, if you stop. The result is maintained with two or three sessions a week.
Is NuFACE FDA cleared
Yes. The TRINITY+ and MINI+ hold FDA clearances K212947 and K191672, which you can look up in the FDA 510(k) database.
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.