Everyone loves the results of a great facelift but rarely is anyone excited to go under the knife for the procedure. Experts in the beauty field are always on the lookout for the latest and greatest treatments to lift tone and tighten those problem facial areas. Extra bonus points are added if the treatment eliminates the need to have surgery. That’s just the case for microcurrent therapy. Though the technology has been around for almost 70 years, it’s only really hit the beauty scene in the last couple of years. When performed correctly and often, the microcurrent therapy can work as a non-surgical facelift, toning the muscles and provide your skin with a taut and youthful appearance. Here’s the 411 on how microcurrent therapy works and why it might be the perfect solution to your aging dilemma.
WHAT IS MICROCURRENT THERAPY?
Microcurrent therapy first originated in the areas of physical therapy to help patients recover and heal faster. It works by using a low-voltage electrical current to stimulate the nerve to help rejuvenate the facial muscles. As you age, various environmental factors work together to create the demise of your taut skin. Gravity, smoking, toxins, illness, stress, lack of activity and natural aging can cause your skin to become loose around the neck, jawline and cheekbone area. Your skin can appear to sag or droop as you age. Repetitive facial expressions can also cause wrinkles to appear in common facial areas like around the corner of your eyes, in between your brows, on your forehead and around your mouth. Using microcurrent technology can help stimulate these at least 30 muscles in the facial region. There are actually natural electrical currents present in the muscles and cell but sometimes these electrical frequencies get thrown off my environmental factors, stress or disease. The microcurrent therapy helps realign these electrical currents which help give the muscles a boost. The treatment actually helps your muscles regain their tone. The electrical frequency also helps your body speed up collagen production and elastin, both of which break down as your body begins the aging process.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM A MICROCURRENT SESSION?
If you’ve ever visited the spa for a facial, you won’t find much difference in a microcurrent session. Your aesthetician will prepare your face and apply a gel (much like an ultrasound gel) that will allow the electrical current to penetrate to your facial muscles and stimulate the nerves to rebuild collagen and elastin in the face. A hand-held tool with two metal prongs is used on different points of the face, much in the same way acupuncture spots are chosen on the body. Then the procedure is performed on the face and can last for up to 45 minutes, though the entire process may last around an hour. It feels like a tingly sensation and you may feel a pull at the hairline or taste a metallic taste in the mouth. Most patients report falling asleep during the procedure because the therapy is so relaxing, helping to reduce stress which helps manage fine lines and wrinkles as well. The results are immediate but you may need to repeat the procedure over the course of several weeks just like you would exercise the other muscles of your body. You can expect to see a lift, a tone and tighten, as well as, an overall plumper, healthier glow. The benefits of this type of procedure include the fact that there is no downtime after the procedure, so by the time you make it back to the office, your colleagues will notice how amazing you look and you won’t even need to take the afternoon off. It’s really an incredible breakthrough in the skincare industry.
WHEN SHOULD YOU BEGIN THE PROCESS?
You can begin the process of microcurrent treatments as early as your late 20s when treatments will be for a more preventative measure. As you age the frequency of your treatments may need to increase to accommodate the rate at which your muscles are losing tone. But just like exercise, the more you do it, the more adapted your muscles will be at the workout, showing better results and for a longer period of time. Starting early is a great way to ensure you lose less muscle tone over time and that’s something that is never too early to start considering.
There’s nothing better than a procedure that provides a facelift without having to go through the surgery and recovery required by a traditional facelift. It’s a very exciting aspect to explore both as a professional and as a patient seeking the newest and best techniques possible for giving the face a plumper, more tightened appearance. Microcurrent therapy is not only proving to be beneficial in the fields of physical therapy, medical recovery and the treatment of certain neurological disorders, it’s proving to be an exciting advancement in the field of dermatology and cosmetology. Fighting back against the forces that are out of your control (natural aging, gravity, and environmental factors) is a great way to feel empowered as you age. The results of the microcurrent treatment are immediate and you will see your skin have improved muscles tone, collagen production, and overall resiliency. The procedure works to really target the muscles along the jawline, the cheekbones and along the forehead. Though it works mostly to stimulate the muscle tone, inadvertently you’ll see results that improve facial lines and wrinkles as well. It’s really a win/win situation for anyone that’s trying to avoid going under the knife but still want the benefits of a traditional facelift. If you’re thinking about considering this process, talk to your dermatologist about the benefits you can expect to see and what you can hope to get out of this type of procedure. Those with a history of epilepsy, those currently pregnant or those with heart issues shouldn’t undergo microcurrent therapy. For the rest, this process can be revolutionary to where you see yourself in the future. Following a microcurrent therapy regimen can literally take years off of your face, letting you shine through just like you were meant to do.
