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How did 2 years of using skincare devices like LED, microcurrent and readiofrequency change my skin? What do I keep coming back to, which new devices have I added and how would I rank the ones I currently use in terms of convenience and efficacy?

Do I have a favorite and which one would I ditch first? Welcome to my two year update!

 

 

If you haven’t seen it yet, here is the post I did a year ago for you to see what has changed, both in my preferences and my skin.

 

 

Disclaimer

To get the disclaimers out of the way first: No skincare device for at home use or combination thereof will ever be able to replace a good basic skincare routine or make up for poor diet and lack of sleep. They are an addition, not a necessity on your way to get the best skin possible!

And: Take the before and afters with a grain of salt. While I tried to keep lighting, angle etc. as similar as possible, other variables have changed over the course of the last two years that may have influenced the way my face looks more than the devices, especially as the results of at home ones will always be subtle.

 

 

Which devices do I use in 2024?

My first skincare device was the Currentbody Skin LED Light Therapy mask (full review here), and while I have tried others since then – some of which have reviews here, others never made it further than me unpacking them because they were THAT bad – it is the one I still reach for around five nights a week. It has been going strong since March 2022, so good value for money.

For microcurrent I started with the NuFace (full review here), switched to the ZIIP GX (full review here) and then switched to the ZIIP HALO (full review here) in early 2024. My decision for the ZIIP over the NuFace was purely an aesthetic one. I compared them here and didn’t find the effect on my face to be too different.

And the last one I keep coming back to is the CurrentBody Skin RF Radiofrequency Skin Tightening Device (full review here). I started using it pretty much exactly a year ago and while I have tried others like the NEWA+ (full review here), it is the one I have reached for most often.

What I basically stopped using is the Medicube Age-R Ussera Deep Shot (full review here). Not because I didn’t like it anymore or it broke, but because I didn’t feel it gave me drastically different results to the radiofrequency device and I just wanted to save some time.

 

 

How often do I use my devices and how do I combine them?

Speaking of saving time, incorporating all these different devices into your day can be a challenge and once again emüpasizes the fact that you need to be willing to use them if you want them to give you results!

Here is my schedule: I start my mornings off with using the ZIIP Halo. It sits next to my bed so I don’t really have to leave its warmth to do this very first skincare thing in the morning. No, I don’t wash my face beforehand, but afterwards to get off the gel. Using it first thing in the mornings gives me an immediate lifting effect and the variety of programs available means I can do a quick 4 minute one when I am pressed for time or a more elaborate ten minute routine if it is really cold outside and I will take any excuse to stay in bed a little longer. Interestingly enough that works best during the work week for me, as soon as the weekend rolls around and I don’t have an alarm, I tend to skip it, but even with that it makes for five times ZIIP a week.

After I have gone about my day, I remove my makeup and put on my LED mask, usually while lying down with my eyes closed to unwind. I have even experimented with meditating during this period, but even though I know about the multiple benefits of meditation, I struggle to make it a regular thing in my routine. Not every evening, as I sometimes get home so late that I don’t want to sacrifice even ten minutes of potential sleep, but again I will use it around five times a week.

The radiofrequency device takes the longest, as I treat basically my whole face, which adds up to 70 minutes, but as I am in the maintenance phase here, meaning using it every 3-4 weeks is recommended, I just pencil it it on a Sunday and use it as opportunity to catch up on my YouTube playlist.

Sounds like a lot, but comes down to 15 to 20 minutes a day in total when you break it down.

 

 

What are the differences between the devices?

Why do I combine them in the first place and not use just one? Because despite the overlapping claims, all work differently and will potentially give different results. Here is a quick breakdown – each device has a dedicated post explaining the mechanism of action on here already.

LED masks claim to reduce inflammation and help with wound healing due to an increase in collagen and elastin production triggered by activating the cells responsible for that. The ones that also use blue light are supposed to help with acne in addition to that. (More info: The benefits of LED devices on the skin explained)

Microcurrent devices work by stimulating the muscles, meaning they prevent the muscle loss that occurs with age and leads to sagging due to lack of volume. They also claim to increase collagen production by increasing the amount of ATP, the cell’s main energy source, but the data on that is quite vague. (More info: The benefits of microcurrent devices on the skin explained)

Radiofrequency on the other hand heats up the tissue underneath the skin’s surface, thus creating a wound and breaking down collagen, which in return leads to a repair process triggered that results in more collagen to reduce the one initially broken down and to tightening of the targeted layers due to the healing. Ultrasound and High Frequency do basically the same, so while there are different devices for that, I stick to one and that is radiofrequency. (More info: The benefits of radiofrequency devices on the skin explained)

All of them have a unique effect as well as the combined promise to stimulate new collagen and elastin, so combining those would make sense (at least in theory), while it would not make sense to combine two using the same mechanism of action.

 

 

Have I noticed changes in skin firmness, redness or elasticity? 2 years before and after

First of all: Changes with at home devices are subtle and the camera doesn’t always pick them up. Second: between the first and the second clip I have lost 5 kg of weight and gained a significant amount of muscle due to me being able to get back in the workout routine I had prepandemic. While my weight doesn’t show much on my face, it could explain some changes as well. And third: Between these two clips lie two years. Maybe it isn’t as much about the changes you see as it is about the ones you don’t see because the progress of for example sagging at the jaw line has been slowed down?

With all that in mind I can say that I personally feel my skin is tighter than it was two years ago and that my jowls have not gotten worse. I also perceive my skin as more radiant and even toned. (Please ignore the bruise on the side of my forehead, I really shoudn’t engage in sparring before filming these clips)

Do I still have wrinkles? Absolutely. I am 45 years old and never had any Botox or another invasive treatment done – my age shows on my skin and I am perfectly fine with that. The goal here isn’t and never has been to reverse the aging process.

But I am curious: What do you think? Is this two year results worth the investment in both money and time? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Which device is my favorite?

I am going to cheat and give you two favorites: One for effects and one for convenience. I have seen the most drastic and lasting results with using the CurrentBody Skin RF Radiofrequency Skin Tightening Device, and now that I am in the maintenance phase, it is also pretty easy to keep up with it.

The one I look forward the most to though is the Currentbody Skin LED Light Therapy mask. It is so relaxing to just pop on some red light and lay down for ten minutes, I would probably keep using it even if I didn’t feel it had a positive effect on my skins radiance.

The one I would ditch first is the microcurrent one. While I obviously can’t say which effect comes from which device, I don’t feel as if I had long lasting benefits from using it, even though I do appreciate the immediate lift it gives me.

 

 

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