Microcurrent Facial (McF) treatment, also called Bio Microcurrent Lift or Microcurrent Tightening, is -
It is done to lift and tone the face and to improve the skin quality. Multiple sessions are required to achieve a lasting effect. Maintenance sessions every four to eight weeks are recommended to maintain the results, unless a patient also has injections of Botox and/or fillers. In the latter case, consider undergoing several microcurrent treatments, then repeat them in a year or two, before doing more facial filler injections.
Bio Microcurrent Lift uses extremely low-level electrical currents that mimic body's own electrical currents. In theory, this should eventually increases production of natural collagen and elastin, improve lymph and interstitual fluid circulation in the treated area, relax and tones the mimetic muscles on the face. Microcurrent is supposed to affect all layers of the face, to tighten, tone, and smooth the skin.
Microcurrent Therpary (MT) or Microcurrent Electrical Nerve Stimulation (MENS) has been originally developed for and used in physical therapy to facilitate recovery from a muscle injury. The effectiveness of Microcurrent Therapy for the muscle injury has been well studied, demonstrated, and prompted adaptation and use of the technology in the facial rejuvenation.
Besides salon-grade microcurrent devices, there are many microcurrent at-home treatment devices such as NuFace, Biosincron, ReFa S Carat, ZIIP Beaty, and many others.
- non-invasive,
- not painful,
- no downtime,
- with gradual and cumulative rejuvenation effects.
It is done to lift and tone the face and to improve the skin quality. Multiple sessions are required to achieve a lasting effect. Maintenance sessions every four to eight weeks are recommended to maintain the results, unless a patient also has injections of Botox and/or fillers. In the latter case, consider undergoing several microcurrent treatments, then repeat them in a year or two, before doing more facial filler injections.
Bio Microcurrent Lift uses extremely low-level electrical currents that mimic body's own electrical currents. In theory, this should eventually increases production of natural collagen and elastin, improve lymph and interstitual fluid circulation in the treated area, relax and tones the mimetic muscles on the face. Microcurrent is supposed to affect all layers of the face, to tighten, tone, and smooth the skin.
Microcurrent Therpary (MT) or Microcurrent Electrical Nerve Stimulation (MENS) has been originally developed for and used in physical therapy to facilitate recovery from a muscle injury. The effectiveness of Microcurrent Therapy for the muscle injury has been well studied, demonstrated, and prompted adaptation and use of the technology in the facial rejuvenation.
Besides salon-grade microcurrent devices, there are many microcurrent at-home treatment devices such as NuFace, Biosincron, ReFa S Carat, ZIIP Beaty, and many others.
What concerns can Microcurrent Facial help with?
The Microcurrent facial is supposed to affect all layers of the face. Particularly, one may expect to see -
- a slight face lift due to the toning of the muscles,
- relaxation of the mimetic wrinkles on the forehead and around the eyes due to the muscle re-training,
- lessening of the fine wrinkles due to the production of new collagen and elastin,
- an overall skin tightening and toning, and
- a smoother complexion,
- removal of the injectable products, fillers and Botox, from the face. This is an important consideration in planning your treatments. Read here
Skeptics will point out that there have been no well designed scientific studies to demonstrate that the microcurrent treatment is effective for the facial rejuvenation. However, there is abundant anecdotal evidence (confirmations of those who had the treatment) that the microcurrent facial works, and customers keep coming back for the treatment.
It is not entirely clear how exactly Microcurrent technology affects the face. However, based on the available studies from the physical therapy, and applying the knowledge of biological mechanisms, it is reasonable to conclude that likely that microcurrent stimulation affects and acts on most layers of the face (see the layers here), including the interstitium (see here), but excluding the deep and superficial fat pockets/layers.
Particularly, it appears that microcurrent 1) relaxes and tones facial muscles, which leads to a lifting effect and less mimetic wrinkles, 2) stimulates skin renewal by an increase in ATP production, 3) affects both muscles and skin by an increase in the extracellular stimulation of intracellular signaling.
Manufacturers of the one of the most known at home microcurrent devices, NuFace, conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a consistent use over a 60 day period. 70 - 80% of users reported an improved facial contour, better skin tone, less wrinkles. Medical grade/spa grade micro current devices are supposed to be more powerful and produce even more visible results than at home devices do.
Some science behind the microcurrent is as follows -
Microcurrent effects were first studied in relation to healing muscle injury and pain reduction. One of the first and major studies (Cheng, 1982) showed that micro current 1) dramatically stimulates an increase in ATP production (Cheng, 1982); ATP fuels all biochemical reactions within the body; 2) increases the uptake of aminoisobutyric acid, which is essential for protein synthesis and membrane transport, by 30-40%.
Thus, ATP increase and extracellular stimulation of intracellular signals are generally proposed as the mechanisms behind the microcurrent effectiveness.
Multiple studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Microcurrent Therapy in the healing of the muscle injury and muscle pain. Those studies show -
It is not entirely clear how exactly Microcurrent technology affects the face. However, based on the available studies from the physical therapy, and applying the knowledge of biological mechanisms, it is reasonable to conclude that likely that microcurrent stimulation affects and acts on most layers of the face (see the layers here), including the interstitium (see here), but excluding the deep and superficial fat pockets/layers.
Particularly, it appears that microcurrent 1) relaxes and tones facial muscles, which leads to a lifting effect and less mimetic wrinkles, 2) stimulates skin renewal by an increase in ATP production, 3) affects both muscles and skin by an increase in the extracellular stimulation of intracellular signaling.
Manufacturers of the one of the most known at home microcurrent devices, NuFace, conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a consistent use over a 60 day period. 70 - 80% of users reported an improved facial contour, better skin tone, less wrinkles. Medical grade/spa grade micro current devices are supposed to be more powerful and produce even more visible results than at home devices do.
Some science behind the microcurrent is as follows -
Microcurrent effects were first studied in relation to healing muscle injury and pain reduction. One of the first and major studies (Cheng, 1982) showed that micro current 1) dramatically stimulates an increase in ATP production (Cheng, 1982); ATP fuels all biochemical reactions within the body; 2) increases the uptake of aminoisobutyric acid, which is essential for protein synthesis and membrane transport, by 30-40%.
Thus, ATP increase and extracellular stimulation of intracellular signals are generally proposed as the mechanisms behind the microcurrent effectiveness.
Multiple studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Microcurrent Therapy in the healing of the muscle injury and muscle pain. Those studies show -
- Some reduction in facial muscle pain (Zuim, 2006);
- May be beneficial for regrowth of atrophied muscle (Ohno, 2013);
- Potentially effective in delaying age-related macular degeneration and possibly even improving it (Chaikin, 2015).
A microcurrent facial device has two prongs. An esthetician moves the prongs along the client face, along the facial muscles, and the prongs deliver a very low dose of energy to the face. Some people feel a slight tangling or a slight metallic taste in the mouth. There is no pain and no downtime. No one will be able to tell a treatment was performed. The results are very subtle and accumulate over the weeks of the initial treatment series.
An Microcurrent treatment session in a medical spa or an office takes about an hour for the face and neck.
A series of six to 12 weekly sessions are recommended to achieve the optimal results. After that a maintenance procedure every four to eight weeks is recommended to maintain the results, unless a patient is also planning on having filler and/or Botox injections.
The protocol is different for the at home devices, partially because they are not as powerful as the medical grade ones are and also because the treatment time is much shorter. Typically at home microcurrent devices are recommended to be used on an almost daily basis for a month or two to see the results.
An Microcurrent treatment session in a medical spa or an office takes about an hour for the face and neck.
A series of six to 12 weekly sessions are recommended to achieve the optimal results. After that a maintenance procedure every four to eight weeks is recommended to maintain the results, unless a patient is also planning on having filler and/or Botox injections.
The protocol is different for the at home devices, partially because they are not as powerful as the medical grade ones are and also because the treatment time is much shorter. Typically at home microcurrent devices are recommended to be used on an almost daily basis for a month or two to see the results.
sThere are no published studies on the topic, however, medical aesthetics practitioners who have experience with both microcurrent and injections of fillers and Botox have observed that micro currenttreatments dissolve fillers and remove Botox. Sometimes, micro current treatments are used for that very purpose - remove unwanted fillers or Botox from a patient's face.
Typically several procedures are required to completely remove thicker (volumetric) fillers such as Voluma by Allergan. Thinner fillers may take one or two procedures.
The mechanism behind that effect lies in the increase of the lymphatic and blood flow in the area and muscle movement stimulated by the microcurrent treatment.
Therefore, there are three options to avoid wasting money on injectables that will be dissolved by the microcurrent action:
1. Have filler injections only. This may be the best treatment approach who want more dramatic longer lasting results and do not mind injections;
2. Have micro current treatments only. This may be the best course of action for someone who wants some, not drastic, and more natural (through strengthening and lifting underlying facial muscles and some improvement in the skin quality) results in improving facial contour and smoothing facial wrinkle, and also prefers non-invasive approach.
3. First undergo a series of 6 to 12 micro current treatments to lift and rejuvenate the underlying muscles and improve the skin. Then discontinue the microcurrent treatments and correct the remaining issues on the faces with injectable fillers. This is the route for someone who does not mind spending more time and money and is aiming the most natural looking results through addressing several aging facial layers.
Typically several procedures are required to completely remove thicker (volumetric) fillers such as Voluma by Allergan. Thinner fillers may take one or two procedures.
The mechanism behind that effect lies in the increase of the lymphatic and blood flow in the area and muscle movement stimulated by the microcurrent treatment.
Therefore, there are three options to avoid wasting money on injectables that will be dissolved by the microcurrent action:
1. Have filler injections only. This may be the best treatment approach who want more dramatic longer lasting results and do not mind injections;
2. Have micro current treatments only. This may be the best course of action for someone who wants some, not drastic, and more natural (through strengthening and lifting underlying facial muscles and some improvement in the skin quality) results in improving facial contour and smoothing facial wrinkle, and also prefers non-invasive approach.
3. First undergo a series of 6 to 12 micro current treatments to lift and rejuvenate the underlying muscles and improve the skin. Then discontinue the microcurrent treatments and correct the remaining issues on the faces with injectable fillers. This is the route for someone who does not mind spending more time and money and is aiming the most natural looking results through addressing several aging facial layers.
Chaikin L, Kashiwa K, Bennet M, Papastergiou G, Gregory W. Microcurrent stimulation in the treatment of dry and wet macular degeneration. Clinical Ophthalmology (Auckland, NZ). 2015;9:2345-2353. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S92296.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689270/
Cheng N., Van Hoof H., Bockx E., Hoogmartens M., Mulier J.C., De Dijcker F.J., Sansen W.M., De Loecker W. (1982) The effects of electric currents on ATP generation, protein synthesis, and membrane transport of rat skin. Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research 171, 264-272.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7140077
NuFace. Clinically tested.
https://www.mynuface.com/pages/clinically-tested-fda-cleared
2018. Accessed May 15, 2018.
Ohno Y, Fujiya H, Goto A, et al. Microcurrent Electrical Nerve Stimulation Facilitates Regrowth of Mouse Soleus Muscle. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2013;10(10):1286-1294. doi:10.7150/ijms.5985.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752717/
Zuim PRJ, Garcia AR, Turcio KHL, Hamata MM. EVALUATION OF MICROCURRENT ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION (MENS) EFFECTIVENESS ON MUSCLE PAIN IN TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS PATIENTS. Journal of Applied Oral Science. 2006;14(1):61-66. doi:10.1590/S1678-77572006000100012.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689270/
Cheng N., Van Hoof H., Bockx E., Hoogmartens M., Mulier J.C., De Dijcker F.J., Sansen W.M., De Loecker W. (1982) The effects of electric currents on ATP generation, protein synthesis, and membrane transport of rat skin. Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research 171, 264-272.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7140077
NuFace. Clinically tested.
https://www.mynuface.com/pages/clinically-tested-fda-cleared
2018. Accessed May 15, 2018.
Ohno Y, Fujiya H, Goto A, et al. Microcurrent Electrical Nerve Stimulation Facilitates Regrowth of Mouse Soleus Muscle. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2013;10(10):1286-1294. doi:10.7150/ijms.5985.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752717/
Zuim PRJ, Garcia AR, Turcio KHL, Hamata MM. EVALUATION OF MICROCURRENT ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION (MENS) EFFECTIVENESS ON MUSCLE PAIN IN TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS PATIENTS. Journal of Applied Oral Science. 2006;14(1):61-66. doi:10.1590/S1678-77572006000100012.