As you age, your once taut and bouncy skin starts to lose elasticity and become creased with fine lines; just thinking about it may be enough to give you (even more) wrinkles. While there’s only so much you can do at home to prevent the inevitable—beyond maintaining a consistent skincare routine that incorporates active ingredients like retinol—the best microcurrent devices can ramp up those efforts by firming skin and encouraging collagen production, all while being easy to use and requiring no downtime. After working with a panel of testers to evaluate different microcurrent devices, I chose the NuFace Trinity+ as the best overall due to its convenient features and ability to produce noticeable results. We also like the Therabody TheraFace Pro for its lifting capabilities and extra features, the Ziip Halo for its ease of use and the Foreo Bear 2 Body for its skin-smoothing potential.
The best microcurrent devices can firm-up skin and encourage collagen production, all while being … [+] easy to use and requiring no downtime.
Microcurrent tools work by delivering low-level electrical pulses to stimulate facial muscles to contract. While in-office treatments with your dermatologist will likely be more effective, the benefits of at-home devices are significant so long as you’re committed and consistent. With that in mind, our panel of testers, ranging in age from their mid-30s to mid-40s, did just that, using their microcurrent device daily. Ahead, all our tested recommendations for the best microcurrent devices to help you depuff skin, smooth over fine lines and give your skin a more contoured appearance, all from the comfort of your couch.
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Best Microcurrent Device Overall: NuFace Trinity+ Starter Kit
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Best Microcurrent Device For Lifting: Therabody TheraFace Pro
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Best Microcurrent Device For Beginners: Ziip Halo
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Best Microcurrent Device For Jowls: Bio-Therapeutic BT-Sculpt
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Best Microcurrent Device For Body: Foreo Bear 2 Body
NuFace
NuFace Trinity+ Starter Kit
As a deputy editor, I edit, assign and write about all things beauty and grooming, from buzzy styling tools to celebrity skincare favorites. I’ve been a journalist covering style and travel for more than 15 years, and I’ve written about everything from the best international spas worth the long-haul flight to the art of French girl hair. My work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Allure, NYMag, Teen Vogue, People, Afar and many more. Previously, I held senior editorial roles at Lucky magazine, NBC Universal and Cookie magazine. A California native, I majored in English and French literature at Amherst College and attended Columbia Journalism School.
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Our score: 8.5/10 | Additional features: Two activators with applicator brush, NuFace app | Usage: Five minutes a day, five days per week | FDA clearance: Yes | Conductive gel included: Yes
Best for:
- A comprehensive, all-in-one treatment system
- Treating saggy, droopy skin
- Boosting elasticity
Skip if:
- You want a device that automatically shuts off after each five-minute treatment period
Created by aestheticians, the NuFace Trinity+ uses three different levels of microcurrent to treat sagging neck skin, drooping brows, deep forehead lines and cheeks that have lost elasticity. It improves skin tone and minimizes fine lines, plus you can pair it with its accompanying app to track your progress, see step-by-step tutorials and set reminders. (Read our in-depth Trinity+ review for more detail.) This set comes with all you need to get started: the Trinity+ facial toning device, a hydrating Aqua Gel Activator, the firming and brightening Silk Crème Activator and an activator applicator brush. (There are additional attachments sold separately, or you can also purchase the Trinity+ Complete Set.)
Before one use of the NuFace Trinity+ (left) versus after (right).
During use, our tester found the device very easy to set up and comfortable to hold, although she would’ve preferred that the instructions give more direction on areas of the face to target and specific motions to use without having to access the app or watch YouTube videos. She appreciated that the NuFace Trinity+ would beep every five seconds to indicate the end of a glide interval. Where this device really stands out, though, is its ability to produce results—and quickly. “My skin definitely felt tighter and a little tingly after each session using the device,” she says. “I could see my cheekbones ‘pop’ after every session… and the skin around my jawline was lifted slightly.” One con: The device doesn’t automatically turn off after five minutes to indicate that your session is complete, so you have to stay on top of timing.
Therabody
Therabody TheraFace Pro
As a deputy editor, I edit, assign and write about all things beauty and grooming, from buzzy styling tools to celebrity skincare favorites. I’ve been a journalist covering style and travel for more than 15 years, and I’ve written about everything from the best international spas worth the long-haul flight to the art of French girl hair. My work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Allure, NYMag, Teen Vogue, People, Afar and many more. Previously, I held senior editorial roles at Lucky magazine, NBC Universal and Cookie magazine. A California native, I majored in English and French literature at Amherst College and attended Columbia Journalism School.
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Our score: 8/10 | Additional features: Three percussive attachments, LED light therapy ring, microcurrent ring, cleansing ring, conductive gel, Therabody app | Usage: Five to eight minutes a day, up to seven days per week | FDA clearance: Yes | Conductive gel included: Yes
Best for:
- Those who want a multipurpose device
- Tightening and improving tone
Skip if:
- You want a device with a shorter treatment period
The Therabody TheraFace Pro is one of the most comprehensive devices on the market, with a variety of attachments that increase the value of the set. It has a microcurrent ring to improve skin elasticity, an LED light ring to treat wrinkles and acne, percussive attachments to relieve muscle tension and maximize circulation, plus a cleansing attachment to remove dirt and oil.
The Therabody TheraFace Pro is one of the most comprehensive skincare devices on the market.
With all these components to experiment with, there’s a steep learning curve—I had to invest significant time poring over the instructions and watching videos prior to using it. During testing, I was at first unsure anything was happening because this device doesn’t vibrate, but it helpfully beeps every 15 seconds to indicate it’s time to move to a new treatment area, and every eight minutes once a treatment period is complete. After using the Therabody TheraFace Pro, my skin felt tingly, almost as if I’d used an exfoliant. My face and neck appeared slightly plumped and lifted for three to four hours afterward. I also found that fine lines—particularly the smile lines on either side of my mouth—were less noticeable, and my skin appeared more radiant overall. One small complaint is that I wish there were a second microcurrent attachment with slightly smaller nodes for the gentle areas around the eyes and upper lip, though the provided attachments overall cover a lot of ground and don’t take up much space in a drawer.
The provided Therabody TheraFace Pro attachments cover a lot of ground and don’t take up much space … [+] in a drawer.
I loved that this came with so many small attachments, so it really felt like an all-in-one device that didn’t take up a ton of real estate in my bathroom vanity drawer. In addition to the microcurrent attachment, the cleansing ring and LED light ring have become my go-tos.
Our score: 8.5/10 | Additional features: Electric Complex Gel, Ziip app | Usage: Three to five times per week | FDA clearance: Yes | Conductive gel included: Yes
Best for:
- Easy setup and helpful app
- Targeting wrinkles
- Boosting collagen production and cellular regeneration
Skip if:
- You want a device with lots of microcurrent settings
If you’re new to microcurrents, it can take a while to get the hang of these devices and all their features. But the Ziip Halo is as straightforward as it gets for lifting, smoothing and brightening skin. It features what the brand calls Dual Waveform Technology—meaning it offers both microcurrent and Nanocurrent technology to stimulate muscles and collagen production.
The Ziip Halo offers both microcurrent and Nanocurrent technology to stimulate muscles and collagen … [+] production.
The app has an introductory three-minute “Learn Your Halo” tutorial to get you acquainted with using your device and provides a variety of guided skin treatments between two and 12 minutes tailored to your specific needs. “The app made it easy to feel confident that you’re doing the treatment correctly because you do it along with a video tutorial,” says our tester. Other helpful features, she says, are the beep and vibration alerts that help you transition between treatments and areas of the face. “It beeps once to alert you to do a new sweep targeting a new area, and at the end of the whole treatment, it beeps twice and turns off.” Our tester observed a very subtle smoothing of fine lines after sessions.
CurrrentBody