6 best at-home facial devices to mimic in-clinic treatments

The trend of at-home facial devices, which soared in popularity during the pandemic, is here to stay. 

What's more, the beauty industry's current focus on promoting skin health has led to more women investing in not only skincare products, but DIY beauty gadgets as well. 

For some, a skincare routine that includes the diligent use of a facial device can supplement their regular aesthetic treatments done at the doctor’s office while for others, it's an easy first-step to achieving a similar treatment result without the discomfort and downtime of in-clinic options. 

“We have been seeing our customers incorporating home tools into their daily routines for a few years now. Women like the science and the clinicals behind the many of the technologies used in these devices, and having had similar treatments in the spa or clinic, they know them and trust them,” says Newby Hands, global beauty director at Net-A-Porter. 

Kim Byung Hoon, chief executive officer of APR Corporation, which owns K-beauty brand Medicube, says “beauty devices are as symbolic as smartphones are within the mobile phone market”. 

He shares that customers who are diligent in keeping up with their youthful-appearance goals have shown interest in beauty devices that "improve skin with effective anti-ageing effects".

In fact, the range of beauty devices that Medicube offers are all inspired by what can be done at the doctor’s. For instance, its recently released AGE-R Booster H uses the brand’s Glow Poration technology that harnesses an electrical pulse to enhance the absorption of active skincare ingredients to achieve a supple, dewy complexion. 

This is similar to electroporation technology or needleless mesotherapy that is available in the clinics. What this does is that it delivers short electro-stimulation pulses that help increase the permeability of the skin cell membranes, which allow for skincare products to be absorbed more efficiently and effectively. 

Think of it as an intensive workout session, but for your skin, says Kim. “Beauty devices are obviously less intense than dermatological treatments, but if electrical stimulation is applied to the skin every day, or two to three times a week, it can help to sustain the effect.” 

He adds: “I wanted to make lavish age-reversing technologies and treatments available to the masses. After the efforts of many dermatologists and medical engineers, Medicube AGE-R series [was born in 2021] has become an effective skincare device range that can be used comfortably at home.” 

Aesthetic machines vs DIY devices

Today’s DIY facial devices pair LED with cryotherapy, microcurrent with LED and even radio frequency and infra-red; each working in harmony to address various skin issues to restore skin health and youth. 

More importantly, says Inge Theron, founder and creative director of beauty tool brand FaceGym, “the new trending tools are really high-performance, fast, hands-free and require no downtime”. 

In addition, Theron also adds that she’s “seeing EMS take over from microcurrent as the newest best-in-class firming and lifting technology, cool lasers are replacing red LED light therapy and blue LED light therapy is replacing acne topicals as a much safer, more effective way to deal with acne, spots and blemishes”. 

For the uninitiated, EMS is a non-invasive electrical muscle stimulation technology that helps tone and tighten the muscles for a firmer and more lifted appearance. 

Sure, these at-home facial devices claim to help sustain the results of your aesthetic treatments or even prolong the need to visit a dermatologist, but are they truly effective?

According to Dr Rachel Ho, an aesthetic doctor at La Clinic, despite at-home facial devices mirroring technologies like radio frequency, ultrasound and sonic cleansing, they tend to be weaker in parameters than their medical device counterparts in order to be used safely by non-medical professionals like the everyday woman. 

However, that doesn’t mean that they’re completely ineffective. 

With effective parameters and protocols, Dr Ho does believe that these at-home facial devices may be able to prolong the effects of in-clinic treatments. Though she admits that more rigorous studies need to be done to be sure.

Safety first

Both Theron and Kim have stated that DIY facial devices are safe to use at home as long as you follow the directions. 

“Before we launch any product or device, we carry out strenuous testing to ensure they provide both immediate and long-lasting effects,” says Theron. 

And at Medicube, Kim explains that “the intensity of the devices is set lower than that used in professional medical facilities and the safety of our consumers is our number one priority”. 

More importantly, Kim also adds that just as you would give your skin time to recover after an aesthetic treatment at the doctor’s office, you should do the same with your beauty gadgets. “It is always recommended that beauty devices be used with patience and in accordance with the guidelines.”

For results that resemble… Ultherapy and HIFU

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What: At-Home Medicube Age-R Ussera Deep Shot Device, $581

How it works: It combines the use of ultrasound and high-frequency technologies to work on the skin dermis, which in turn promotes collagen production and increases skin elasticity. This collagen then fills up your sagging skin, to help you achieve a lifted effect for a youthful-looking complexion.

Get it from: medicube.com.sg and Lazada

For results that resemble... Non-ablative lasers

Credit: Lyma

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What: Lyma Laser Pro, USD$6,250 (approximately S$8,434)

How it works: It utilises Lyma's patented laser light technology to penetrate up to 10 centimetres beneath the skin to effectively stimulate collagen production and cellular regeneration. Suitable for both face and body, simply use the Lyma Laser Pro for three minutes daily on the areas you want to treat, to see a reduction in wrinkles, pigmentation, cellulite scarring and more.

Get it from: Lyma

 

For results that resemble… Microneedling

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What: At-Home FaceGym Hydrating Active Roller Crystallised Microneedling Tool, $112

How it works: The roller contains 3,000 non-invasive dissolving microneedles that are infused with pro-grade hyaluronic acid, tri-active peptides and antioxidant-rich centella asiatica. And with every roll across your skin, it delivers these active ingredients into the skin to not only imbue the skin with moisture, but also improve skin texture and boost elastin production.

Get it from: Lookfantastic

For results that resemble… Sonic deep cleansing

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What: At-Home Skin Inc Deepcare Flash Facial Spatula, $148

How it works: This isn’t your regular deep cleansing device. With the use of 25,000 per second ultrasonic vibration and ion technology and its four modes – Deep Cleanse, Exfoliation, Ion Infusion and Lifting, it helps to unclog pores, remove blackheads, reduce excess oil and even boost skincare absorption.

Get it from: Lazada

For results that resemble… Thermage

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What: At-Home Silk’n Face Tite V2, $300

How it works: This device combines bi-polar radio frequency, infra-red red energy and LED light therapy to reduce the signs of ageing like wrinkles while tightening and lifting the skin from the inside-out. Together, these three technologies work to repair collagen and elastin fibres from within to reveal a smooth and youthful-looking complexion.

Get it from: CurrentBody

For results that resemble… LED light therapy

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What: At-Home Dr Dennis Gross Spectralite Faceware Pro, $785

How it works: A wearable facial device that boasts both red and blue LED lights to help reduce wrinkles and fight acne. The red light penetrates the skin to stimulate collagen production while the blue light works to destroy pesky p.acnes bacteria that cause breakouts while reducing redness and inflammation. All it takes is three minutes.

Get it from: sephora.sg

For results that resemble… IPL hair removal

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What: At-Home JOVS Venus Pro, $433

How it works: A handy DIY beauty gadget that uses Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to remove unwanted hair on your body, such as bikini line, underarms, legs, arms and even face. Best bit? It comes with an in-built cooling technology to minimise discomfort and risks of burns. But that’s not all. Change the adaptor head and the device is able to boost collagen and elastin production to reduce the signs of ageing and skin dullness, while improving skin texture.

Get it from: CurrentBody

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