14 DAY TRIAL // When considering the methods available to fight the most troublesome signs of old age, wrinkles and saggy skin, we all know that they are quite limited: either Botox, which freezes the muscles of the face, or fillers that add more volume to the face, making it plumper. However, as of late, a third option has started gaining more ground: electronic stimulation of the facial muscles is supposed to fight wrinkles and other signs of aging, a piece in the Daily Mail reveals.
Electronic stimulation of the muscles is definitely not a new technology, as some of us have probably already used it on parts of our bodies that needed more toning, thanks to home products that work the abs, bums and thighs. However, it’s just now that it’s starting to be used for the face, after research has shown that, by working out the muscles, wrinkles and saggy skin appear later on and are less obvious than without the extra “exercise.”
“Latest research has shown that it’s loss of volume, as much as wrinkles and sagging skin, that contributes towards making us look old – hence the explosion in the number of women opting for plumping fillers. […] Experts believe working the facial muscles regularly can do just that. But while exercising muscles in the body is relatively straightforward, giving facial muscles a good workout is harder. This is where electronic stimulation, or electro-stim, comes in. Essentially, it involves running a micro-current to the facial muscles, which causes them to contract, firming the muscles and consequently making them bigger.” the Daily Mail writes.
Of course, this is a procedure that beauty salons all over the world have been using for years. Still, it’s just now that it’s becoming widely accessible, with home options being released, which means any woman (or man) in need of a good facial electro-stim can do so for a fraction of the cost – and hope that what some doctors say about plumpness and volume being the closest thing to the fountain of youth holds water. In the UK, for instance, Slendertone Face comes out next month at Harrods and women are so hyped about the product, that there is already a waiting list of more than 2,000 customers.
“For [£299] you get what looks like a pair of high-tech headphones and a rechargeable headset system with a hand-held controller. The idea is that the two pads, which transmit electrical current through the skin, sit on either side of the face, in front of the ear. At this point is a specific nerve that has branches to all of the major muscles of the face, treating the whole face in one go.” the Mail writes. Studies say this device, along with the many others like it, works wonders: to determine if this is actually true, all those interested have to get in line and brace themselves for a long waiting.