The two most common electrical currents
estheticians use are galvanic and high frequency.
Galvanic current, a constant and direct current
(traveling in one direction) on the miniamp scale,
with two poles (one positive and one negative)
is mainly used for desincrustation, to soften and
emulsify oil deposits and blackheads in the hair
follicles, and iontophoresis (or ionization), which
uses the positive pole to introduce water-soluble
products deep into the skin’s layers.
“Nothing can replace galvanic current for
desincrustation on really oily skin,” says Annet
King, director of training and development for the
International Dermal Institute, Carson, California.
“Its use in iontophoresis is also valuable for conditions such as hyperpigmentation; the electric current can push the active ingredients down to the basal skin layer, where the melanocytes are located.”
Galvanic is also well-suited for skin stimulation,
according to Christian Jurist, M.D., a dermatologist
and national education director for Cosmopro in
Miami. “Galvanic technologies are very beneficial for the stimulation of skin circulation with vasodilation/ vasoconstriction of the blood vessels,” he says.
“Galvanic is a very old technique, but there
are some drawbacks,” says Danielle Tsoklis, director of education and development for Silhouet-Tone, Quebec, Canada. “For example, it’s a direct current, so the client must hold an electrode. When you use one polarity only a concentration of ions builds directly under the electrode on the skin, preventing part of the product from penetrating. It can also create a mild redness and itchiness. A galvanic form called bipolar balanced waveform alternates the current: 3.5 seconds positive, half a second neutral, 3.5 seconds negative, and then the cycle repeats. We’ve found this promotes 30% more product penetration and eliminates the redness and itchiness.”
High frequency, a Tesla current with a high
rate of oscillation, is primarily used to produce
heat and kill bacteria on acne-prone skin, and
after extraction and waxing. “High frequency is
primarily used as a surface germicidal,” says Dr.
Mark Lees, esthetician and president of Mark Lees
Skin Care, Pensacola, Florida. “It also works well
on redness and swelling; it warms the tissue, but
doesn’t provide enough stimulation to cause the
skin to turn red.”
Microcurrent, although not a new technology,has been gaining in popularity in the esthetic field.
Originally introduced in the medical industry in
the 1960s, microcurrent has the ability to firm
facial muscles, drain the lymphatic system, boost
cellular activity and ionize product for improved
absorption. It uses an extremely low amperage (in the microamp range, lower than that of galvanic or high frequency) that mirrors the body’s own electrical impulses. “Microcurrent not only aids in the penetration of products, but by sending a certain amount of energy, it can really boost the cellular energy in muscles,” explains Sonia Boghosian, president/CEO of Europro Equipment, Camarillo, California.
In microcurrents main benefit of facial
contouring, facial muscles can be shortened or
lengthened through the use of an extremely low
current during the course of a single treatment.
Microcurrent’s electricity level is far below any pain threshold, and will not visibly stimulate muscles.
(Devices that cause visible muscle contractions
are considered Class II medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and aren’t meant for esthetic use.)
Suzuki believes that iontophoresis is one of
the most undervalued properties of microcurrent
treatments. Like all forms of electrical therapy, microcurrentincreases circulation, thereby increasing oxygen flow; it also stimulates fibroblasts, which produce collagen.
One of microcirculation’s biggest benefits,
however, is the boosting of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy carrier molecule that transfers energy from chemical bonds to endergonic (energy absorbing) reactions within the cell for building proteins, contracting muscles and other biological functions (Source: University of Bristol Department of Chemistry). “The more ATP you have, the better your body functions on a cellular level,” says Suzuki. “Research has shown that using an electrical current of less than 400 microamps can
increase ATP levels by more than 500%. Once
you’ve crossed the 400 microamp border, however,
not only will the body not synthesize ATP, levels
will actually drop.”
Alterations of the basic microcurrent form
can make the technology more targeted. Bio-
Therapeutic’s new Suzuki Sequencing allows for
more customized treatments based on an individual’s
tolerance for the current. “The Sequencing
technology begins with a targeted response level
of electrical current (for muscle re-education, for
instance),” says Suzuki. “The target is a norm for
the majority of the population, but genetically
we’re all different, so the technology creates a
25% to 50% variation on either side of the target
to allow for individual results. The computer
is fed information on the percentage of skin
conductivity, the percentage of skin resistance
and how much current the tissue is absorbing, and
the computer adjusts the current flow up to 1,024
times per second.”
Silhouet-Tone’s microcurrent equipment uses impulse, or pulsated, microcurrent. The technology is based on the Nobel Prize-winning work of Drs. Bert Sakmann and Erwin Neher, who in 1991 discovered how ion channels allow electrically charged particles to pass through human cellular membranes.
“By modulating the current’s polarity slightly to match the cellular frequency, you open
the ionic membrane of the cells for a greater
acceptance of the microcurrent,” explains Tsoklis.
“A small pause between the negative state and
positive state allows for skin cells to relax, to
avoid exhaustion. For esthetic purposes, this gives
better, faster results.”
Electrical stimulation isn’t just being used for
pain reduction on a medical level. According
to Darren Starwynn, O.M.D., president,
MicroLight Research, Phoenix, current can also
be used to affect systems in the body in much
the same way as reflexology or acupuncture
points. “The face is a microsystem—the
map points corresponding to other body
systems are located there, just as they are
in other microsystems, like the feet,” he
says. “By treating areas on the face, we can
connect indirectly with the different systems
in the body. We’ve measured problems
through acupuncture trigger points, such as
sluggishness or weakness in the liver, which
shows up as a resistance at that point. We’ve
placed extremely low-level microcurrent
probes (esthetic microcurrent actually is three
to four times more intense) on those points
for approximately 20 seconds, and if the
points have been well-chosen, the resistance
on that trigger point is lessened. It really
makes us rethink the notion that electrical
stimulation is simply a local stimulation.”
Microcurrent has the ability to firm facial muscles, drain the lymphatic system, boost cellular activity and ionize product for improved absorption.
“The things I believe really seem to drive
effectiveness are microcurrent plus LED, as well
as having a variety of waveforms and frequencies
that allow the microcurrent to be tailored to
different effects,” adds Starwynn. “For instance, a wave form called a modified square wave, which produces a spike, then a square-shaped wave in the microcurrent range, is more aggressive in lifting the facial muscles; for collagen production, a sloped wave form works best.”
Shocking Results
Although electricity can arguably benefit clients
of all skin types thanks to the benefits of improved circulation, there are those who stand to benefit more than others. “The amount of help a client can receive from these treatments has a lot to do with the client’s own electrical polarity,” says Boghosian. “Age has a great deal to do with it as well. The older we get, the more electricity
channels we have in the body, creating problems
with low circulation.”
Suzuki agrees: “The most reactive individuals
are the younger ones. It’s like working out—the
younger you are, the less you need it, but the faster you’ll see results. Electricity technology is relative to the mindset of the younger generation as well, who grew up with the Blackberry and cellular phones. They love the science of skin care.”
Contraindications must be taken into account
before offering electrical treatments, including
pregnancy, those who wear a pacemaker or who
have metal bone pins, epilepsy, thrombosis,
pheblitis and cancer. “If I feel I have questions
about a health condition, I won’t use electricity,
but it’s really more for liability issues,” says Lees.
“We screen for all of these conditions when we
first take on a client.”
The one thing everyone agrees upon is the
usefulness of electricity-based services. “The three machines I can’t work without would be the
steamer, high frequency and galvanic,” says Lees.
“I’ve been using electrical current since I got out
of school in 1979, and I started using microcurrent in the early 1990s.” “I think they’re phenomenal tools that produce amazing results,” adds King.
“You must be able to offer solution-oriented
treatments—the days of frou frou facials are
completely over.”
The biggest problem experts see in offering
electrical therapies is a lack of understanding
and in-depth training. “Electrical therapy is the
biggest area of weakness in the training of most
estheticians; most have never really learned it
properly at the state board level, and they end up
being frightened of the technology,” says King.
Jurist agrees: “Unless skincare professionals
re-educate themselves in these basic and useful
technologies,” he says, “I think we’ll see some
unwanted stagnation, losing the advantage of an
inexpensive, easy and safe road to beauty.”
DAYSPA May 2006