Best At-Home Microcurrent Devices

The three at-home microcurrent devices women shop for most are NuFACE TRINITY+ ($595 for the complete set), FOREO BEAR 2 (up to 680 microamps, and it works without its app) and ZIIP Halo (309 microamps, built around app-guided treatments). The best one for you is the one you will actually use on its brand's schedule. NuFACE, for example, asks for about 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for the first two months. Microcurrent gives your face a toned, more defined look. It does not put back volume you've lost in the lower face.

Which at-home microcurrent device is best?

The microamp figures are not strictly comparable. Neither ZIIP nor FOREO says what load the number was measured at, so treat them as a rough guide and not a head-to-head power test.

On the NuFACE complete set, the Boost Button works on the Facial Trainer and the Lip & Eye attachment. It does not work on the LED Wrinkle Reducer. If you aren't sure you want the extras, the $395 Starter Kit gets you in for less. The Lip & Eye attachment and the LED Red Light Wrinkle Reducer attachment are $160 each, so adding both later puts $320 on top of the Starter Kit.

Which one fits you:

• NuFACE TRINITY+ if you want red light and eye-area attachments in one kit.
• FOREO BEAR 2 if apps annoy you and you want to pick it up and go.
• ZIIP Halo if you like a guided program and will follow it, since ZIIP builds its whole offering around the treatment library in your phone.

How often do you have to use a microcurrent device to see results?

Each brand sets its own schedule, so follow the one for your device. NuFACE recommends using TRINITY+ at least 5 minutes a day, 5 times a week for the first 60 days, then 2 to 3 times a week to keep results. The brand says the lift is immediate and improves the longer you keep going. If 5 minutes most mornings won't happen, the cheapest device is the one you don't buy.

The gel is a running cost that the sticker price hides. Microcurrent needs a conductive layer between the device and your skin. ZIIP gels run $29.99 to $79.99. FOREO says BEAR 2 must be used with a conductive serum at $41.90, or its SUPERCHARGED Serum 2.0 at $59. Neither brand says how many sessions a bottle lasts, so budget for refills on top of the device price.

Does microcurrent lift sagging skin or just tone it?

Microcurrent tones. It does not refill lost volume, and "FDA-cleared" on the box doesn't mean it lifts sagging. Clearance means the FDA judged a device to be equivalent to one already on the market. It is not a ruling that the device works for a particular result. The FDA cleared NuFACE Trinity in 2018 as equivalent to the earlier NuFACE Plus. It was cleared under the rules for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators, which are devices that send a small current through the skin. Its stated use is "facial and neck stimulation" for over-the-counter cosmetic use.

The research on home devices is stronger for other technologies. A 2021 systematic review of 37 home-device trials looked at IPL, laser diodes, radiofrequency, LED and UVB devices. It recommended low-power radiofrequency for wrinkles and LED for acne. Microcurrent wasn't among the devices reviewed, so that review doesn't speak to it either way.

When folds deepen in your 30s, volume loss is often part of the reason, and that's what a device or a cream can't fix. On Reddit, a 37-year-old wrote that she had "much deeper marionette lines and nasolabial folds" despite "Tretinoin for about 10 years" and "SPF 50 every single day." The top reply, with 1,741 upvotes, said: "Microneedleing has helped mine but it won't remove them. It is a bit of an awkward age because we're too young for facelifts but no amount of creams and "drink more water" suggestions will stop volume loss." That's why a device works best as one part of a plan that also treats the skin.

Are at-home microcurrent devices safe?

Problem reports for at-home beauty devices are rare, and microcurrent barely shows up in them. An analysis of FDA device reports from 2013 to 2023 found 87 reports across all at-home acne and anti-aging energy-based devices. Of those, 86% were injuries and 62% needed a medical visit. Microcurrent facial devices accounted for 1 report.

The 2021 review of home devices also found that every device it covered had a favorable safety profile with few significant side effects. It noted there isn't much long-term data.

One exception has nothing to do with skin care. If one side of your face suddenly droops or goes numb, call 911 right away, even if it gets better. Sudden face drooping is a warning sign of stroke. The CDC says to call an ambulance rather than drive yourself, because the treatments that work best need to start within hours of the first symptoms. Don't wait for an appointment and don't try to treat it at home.

A microcurrent device works on tone for as long as you keep using it. Take the quiz to get a doctor-led skin plan that works on the skin itself, which can include tretinoin or GHK-Cu copper peptide, alongside whichever device you choose.