“If someone wants visible and lasting improvement in facial contour, energy-based devices like radiofrequency microneedling or ultrasound treatments, neuromodulators for muscle balance, and surgical lifting where the SMAS is actually repositioned are the only effective methods,” Badreshia-Bansal says.
With the average cost of a facelift in the U.S. coming in at $11,395, reaching that goal is easier said than done.
“If you’re looking for some of these products that you can use at home, one product that has shown very slight improvement is microcurrent devices,” Gerth says. “Microcurrent devices are very similar to a gua sha [a handheld device used to reduce puffiness], but they use electric currents in them as well. And with those currents, it’s actually stimulating your musculature to contract. So that has shown when you use it continuously over time, it is going to tighten your jaw line or tighten your cheekbones or lift your eyebrows, because it’s actually stimulating the musculature.”
Despite the explosion of videos about skin care devices, Osuampke says there’s not much scientific evidence to support their effectiveness. The marketing of the SMAS lifting bands, she says, is “pretty careless.”
“They seem very attractive, because everyone, especially right now, doesn’t want any pain, but they want great results.”
While Gerth doesn’t outright advise against using them, he agrees with Osuampke. But if people are going to use lifting bands, he recommends wearing a mouth guard, too.
“Everyone out here is trying to do anti-aging and age gracefully, and everyone’s so micro-focused on every little imperfection of their face,” he says. “I think it’s a little bit of a cash grab because people are insecure—and they’re playing off those insecurities.”
Badreshia-Bansal has some advice if you’re influenced enough to add one of these products to your shopping cart: “Use them gently if you like the short-term effect, but be realistic about what they can and can’t do.”
