Trying to find new techniques to deter the effects of aging is a constant concern in the skin care industry. New extracts, serums, and other compounds appear and disappear constantly as people think they’ve found the next big thing. Understandably, this makes keeping up on things somewhat difficult. One of the possible techniques that has come to OROGOLD’s attention recently is microcurrent facials. These use a small machine run across the face to pass incredibly small charges of electricity through the skin. Ostensibly this is capable of giving facial muscles a bit of exercise, but you never can tell precisely how useful a new technique is.

Micro Amps for Great Skin?
The basic principle initially seems sound at least. Passing a current through any area of the body inherently causes a reaction, and the degree of a reaction depends on the amperage. Everyone is familiar with the dangers of too much electricity and the damage it can cause. There have been some therapeutic success in health care that use smaller doses of electricity to stimulate muscles and other problematic areas to aid in recovery from specific conditions. Since the idea doesn’t seem too out there, we then need to focus on what the results are for most people. People self-report a degree of improvement to the skin, but this isn’t always consistent. For some the improvement is fairly dramatic, but others only experience a relatively minor boost.

Push-Ups for the Epidermis
Most proponents advocate that the process largely works through exercising the facial muscles. As OROGOLD mentioned, electrical stimulation of muscles is a relatively routine thing in health care. The face has numerous muscles that help shape it. Some doctors express skepticism at the idea that this is of any use for the face itself though. The electrical stimulation in health care does relax tight muscles much of the time, but that’s because of the type of muscle tissue. Facial muscles, while muscle tissue, are not the same kind as found in other major areas of the body. They don’t actually respond the same to electrical stimulation. These facts don’t necessarily call into question whether a microcurrent facial works, but it does call into question if the way they work is the actual truth.

What’s Going on Here?
Now we know something is happening, but the question of what remains. Microcurrent facials generally involve patients being in a relaxed position as an esthetician lightly passes the device providing the current over the face. Smooth, gentle motions helps ensure that all the skin receives proper attention without stretching or pulling the skin. These motions are fairly similar to the standard advice to lightly massage products into the skin during a skin care routine. We know this stimulates blood flow and collagen production in the skin even without an electrical current. This in turn benefits overall skin health. As a result, this fact is likely linked to apparent benefit of microcurrent facials.

A microcurrent facial is an interesting trend in skin care, but the benefits remain slightly dubious. The likelihood of one of these procedures causing any harm to your skin is quite low though. OROGOLD recommends trying more reliable and known techniques for skin care before trying a microcurrent facial though. Time will tell if there actually is something to this technique.