Microcurrent! It’s all about the energy….
Before
After 5 weeks (10 microcurrent treatments at Rich Earth).
I did ten microcurrent treatments on Gia (two treatments per week) with the new microcurrent device at Rich Earth. (At home, she used this cleanser, this and this to exfoliate once per week, this and this each PM and this each AM, and she used her own sun protection each AM as well.)
In the after picture, the lines between her brows are smoother, her upper eye lids have more lift, the skin around her eyes is smoother, her cheeks are perkier, her chin/jaw area has a bit more firmness, her neck is smoother, and her skin overall is more hydrated and supple.
Here are her thoughts: “I had a series of micro current treatments with Marna and I was absolutely floored. The results were far and away better than any botox treatment I’ve ever had, and no needles! It is painless, in fact, it actually feels good, and the lift in my brow, mouth and neck areas were evident every time I looked in the mirror. I had family and friends complimenting me on my skin (the beauty of this treatment is that it is subtle — no frozen face or duck lips… it looks very natural.) I highly recommend!”
Now let’s delve in to what is going on in this treatment…
Microcurrent is an electrical energy that can, when harnessed and utilized correctly, stimulate the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in our skin cells, which can help to rejuvenate our skin. (Yes, please!)
Inside our mitochondria (the “powerhouse” of our cells) ATP is produced from turning the nutrients in our food into energy that our cells can use to repair our body. ATP essentially provides our cells with the source of energy needed to heal from all kinds of damage that ages our skin (such as from ultra violet light exposure, pollution, stress, on and on…).
The older we get, the less effective our innate healing processes are. Our skin takes longer to heal, and heals incompletely. Eventually, we reach the tipping point where these micro-damages begin to accumulate faster than our cells can heal them, and then the aging process charges ahead in full force. (Lines, wrinkles, sagging, discoloration, the whole catastrophe.) Flaccid, lifeless skin is associated with a lack of ATP. (Ack.)
One way to combat this slowing down of healing on a cellular level is to stimulate our ATP in a healthy way…and when a microcurrent device is set at the right strength and frequency, it can do exactly that.
A properly sequenced microcurrent treatment can actually do many fabulous things for our skin. Such as…
Help our mitochondria to create more ATP (hurray!!!) which helps our cells repair and regenerate our skin more effectively;
Increase product penetration (interesting and true! And this is more important than you might think- we lose a surprising amount of benefits when our products don’t penetrate as well as they could);
Increase healthy circulation, collagen production, and elastin production. (The holy trinity.)
Help our facial muscles (and skin) to be more toned and firm.
(Its worth noting that microcurrent technology is not some new kid on the block we’ve never seen in action. Microcurrent has been used in many alternative and complimentary healing capacities for decades, such as sports injury healing and wound healing, as well as in skin rejuvenation.)
Microcurrent’s healing ability places it in that sweet spot of being gentle but still effective. While microcurrent treatments are not going to be as dramatic as a surgical facelift or other cosmetic medical treatment that causes enough trauma to require healing time for your skin (such as Thermage, Ultherapy, medical micro-needling, laser, IPL, etc.,), microcurrent offers little to no risk, lower expense, and no injury to heal from. Plus, it appears that microcurrent’s ability to stimulate the ATP in our cells is truly beneficial for our skin. (This makes microcurrent a favorite with those who have had medical cosmetic treatments as a way help keep the benefits of the treatment fresh, as well as with those who don’t do any medical cosmetic treatments at all but still want some gentle and natural rejuvenation.)
Are all Microcurrent Devices the Same?
So will any microcurrent device rejuvenate our skin? I wish, but unfortunately, no.
Home handheld devices are just a single unit, while quality professional devices will have two handheld probes that are used in specific, coordinated movements. The two coordinated probes ensure not only proper electrical polarity, but are also able to provide a kinesiology technique to help restore and rejuvenate our facial skin (and facial muscles) by holding the probes in specific positions for specific lengths of time.
Microcurrent should stimulate our ATP, not cause muscle contractions. (Have you seen those videos online of facial muscles twitching while undergoing a “microcurrent” treatment or using a home “microcurrent” device? This is actually electrical muscle stimulus {EMS} and it is not what we are looking for when our aim is facial rejuvenation.) If your microcurrent device is causing muscle spasms or twitching or feels painful, the current is stronger than what we want for skin rejuvenation. Sometimes these stronger currents can produce temporary firming, as our body responds to this invasive current by attempting to force the twitching to stop by making our muscles stiffer. But once the current stops, our muscles will eventually get looser and more slack than they were to begin with…because so much cellular energy was used to try to protect the body from this invasive experience it leaves your cells depleted of ATP. This is the opposite of what we want. (Here is an example of what happens when the current is way too strong.)
Instead, what we are aiming for is healthier, more resilient skin fortified with abundant ATP energy, both now as well as in the years to come (not over-stimulation and then depletion).
So, the right strength of current is essential, and you know what else is vital? The correct electrical frequency! The right frequency can communicate with your cells to increase ATP production. Without the correct frequency programmed into your microcurrent treatment, it will be about as effective as picking a random key to fit a random lock- the chances of the right fit (a beneficial connection and real communication between the microcurrent energy and your cells) are super slim to none. The professional microcurrent device used at Rich Earth is one of the few that provides correct electrical frequencies- called frequency specific microcurrent, or more specifically, Suzuki Sequencing.
One of the other problems with the onslaught of microcurrent devices on the market…its nearly impossible to know if the strength and frequency of the electrical current will actually be able to stimulate positive changes in our skin. (Some devices are just duds that don’t do anything for our skin, while others are too strong and can deplete our ATP, eventually leaving our skin more slack than it was to begin with.)
If a home use device becomes available that has both the right strength and frequency and is designed in a way to provide proper polarity, I will let you know! (While it can’t replace professional microcurrent treatments, an effective home device can help keep up the benefits of professional microcurrent treatments longer, helping to keep the results fresh.) In the meantime, I’m sticking with the professional microcurrent device at Rich Earth. ***Exciting update here! Biotherapeutic now provides an exceptional microcurrent device for home use. Here is info on how to use the home device.
More info on microcurrent and the specific microcurrent device at Rich Earth~
*Microcurrent FAQ – Bio-Therapeutic
*Meet the bt-nano and Bio-Ultimate Platinum – Flagships of Microcurrent – Bio-Therapeutic
*Stay True to Microcurrent – Bio-Therapeutic
*Introducing the Home Microcurrent Device
*Biotherapeutic Home Device Results
This technology is engineered, designed, and assembled at Biotherapeutic’s Seattle, Washington corporate headquarters in an FDA registered, ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified medical device manufacturing facility.
In addition to using one of the most reputable devices available, your Rich Earth microcurrent treatment is designed with the knowledge that hydrated, healthy, properly nourished skin responds better to treatment. To ensure you get the most out of your microcurrent session it is packed with beneficial protocols and active, professional-grade skin care products to boost rejuvenation (and this is also key because the microcurrent treatment itself will enhance your skin’s ability to deeply absorb product).
The Upshot!
The microcurrent device at Rich Earth uses the correct strength of current and correct current frequencies, and in addition to this, utilizes a specific kinesiology technique to help retrain facial skin to get back into shape. The abundance of ATP energy this kind of microcurrent treatment can stimulate increases your skin’s resilience, cellular fitness, ability to repair damage, and restores healthy, cellular energetic reserves. (Even one treatment can offer benefits to our skin, but a series of treatments received in succession can provide deeper and longer lasting benefits.)
Who can benefit from microcurrent?
Microcurrent is considered safe and beneficial for just about everyone, but as with all things in life, there are a few exceptions. A different skin care treatment will be best if any of these apply to you:
pacemaker or other implanted electronic device
metal implant (pins, plates) in area to be treated
epilepsy
cancer
thrombosis
phlebitis
pregnancy
under a physician’s care for a disorder, illness, disease or injury
any untreated, acute, inflammatory skin condition
*Microcurrent is fine to receive if you have facial injections (such as Botox or filler), just wait at least two weeks after getting any facial injections to receive your microcurrent treatment. (Some people like to have microcurrent treatments instead of Botox or filler, and others like to do both. Either way works well.)
You are welcome to book your microcurrent treatment here.
You are welcome to purchase your home micro-current device here.
xoxo marna
Studies on the anti-inflammatory, healing, or wrinkle reduction benefits of microcurrent for skin:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8910224/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33584001/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33945225/
Articles on microcurrent and skin rejuvenation:
https://www.dermascope.com/treatments/the-physiological-effects-of-microcurrent
https://labmuffin.com/microcurrent-devices-science-and-review/
https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/a27700335/microcurrent-facial/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/microcurrent-facial
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Blog written by Marna Herrington with Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio
Blog copy editing and polishing provided by Karen-Eileen Gordon (MsGordonLovesWriting@gmail.com)
This blog is not intended to take the place of in-person consultations with qualified skin care and health care practitioners. This blog is for the purpose of education and fun only.
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