Emface is touted as a needle-free, knife-free and painless alternative to a facelift. So… does it actually work?
Welcome to Capsule Considers, where we try out and review the latest products on the market and offer our honest, unbiased opinions, free from any obligation or expectation because if you’re parting with your hard-earned money based on any of our recommendations, we’re gonna make sure it’s damn well worth it. Here’s Alice’s review: did she see any changes to her face?
When I first heard about Emface, I was both confused, and skeptical.
“It’s a new, innovative treatment; less wrinkles, more lift and needle free,” I was told. “Think of it as a more holistic approach to Botox or a Facelift.”
Just earlier that week I’d caught sight of my reflection and thought, once again, ‘should I finally try Botox?!?’ But seeing as I’m a scaredy-cat when it comes to injecting anything into my face, I figured this sounded like a good opportunity – essentially, they had me at a ‘more holistic approach’.
And so, a week later, I found myself at Beautilase Aesthetic Clinic on Auckland’s North Shore, sitting across from Smita Padharia. Smita has been working as a beauty therapist for almost 30 years, having trained in the UK. She has a holistic approach when it comes to beauty – which I love. Smita herself looks fantastic, maybe a good decade younger than her true age, but not in a frozen/plastic over-the-top way – more so just in a healthy, natural way which immediately makes me feel in safe hands.
The pain-free treatment plan for my face, is for four 20-minute sessions, one week apart. Apparently, I’ll be able to see some changes immediately (?!?), but the true results will be visible after 12 weeks.
The treatment, Emface, essentially sees you hooked up to a machine, with little pads on your face that feel like they have an electrical current going through your face, forcing your face to contract (and pull some pretty bizarre faces). First, the pads heat up your face, and then the contracting begins. Smita starts me off low, at about 25% and then gradually builds the intensity up until I’m comfortable with 100%. I definitely wouldn’t say it is a painful experience – but it’s not relaxing. At first it feels quite prickly and zappy, but it becomes less uncomfortable as your face gets used to it (and you stop trying to fight it). By the second time I go, I zoom up to 100% quickly, and the 20 minutes flies by.
Emface® is actually a two-in-one treatment – that, like I was told, is for tonigh and lifting skin muscles. It utilises RF energy, using gentle heat to stimulate the skin’s natural healing process – quickly reaching a temperature of around 40-42 degrees Celsius (it feels pretty incredible on the cold winter mornings I was going). This process triggers the production of new collagen and elastin – which is meant to create a smoother and more rejuvenated appearance, reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
The other part of the magic is the HIFES advanced technology – this is the part that targets the motor nerves, contracting facial muscles 75,000 times in 20 minutes. It’s like a mini workout for your face (it definitely feels like you’ve just left some sort of face gym when you walk out the door!).
It’s apparently becoming a popular celebrity go-to, for getting results without having to go under the knife (Jessica Simpson and Kelly Osbourne are particularly big fans) – and it is so far one of the most sought after celebrity treatments of 2024 (according to a Luxe Cosmetics study.
You can work two areas at once, so Smita suggests we do two sessions working on my jaw/chin and cheeks – and the last two on my forehead and cheeks.
The great thing about the sessions is you come out looking completely normal. I definitely walked out with a bit of a spring in my step, feeling somehow fresher and lighter. I’d look in my rear-view mirror and felt like I looked a bit different, but nothing too major.
In a flash, my four weeks were up – and then another eight weeks flew by and it was time to see what my results were from the treatment. Driving there, I started feeling bad for Smita. I’d had a hellish last four weeks – a family member in hospital, lots of sickness and stress – and, just that night, I’d been up most of the night with my toddler. Would I just look more tired than ever?!?
But no, as it turned out I was actually shocked by the results. I was taken aback by the differences I saw in my before and after photos at how much the shape of my face had changed in 12 weeks.
In these before and after photos (excuse my grim face – to get a clear idea of results, my face had to be completely relaxed, and in the exact same spot as before!) I could see some big changes in my face – particularly my jawline. I have given zero thought to my jawline before, but suddenly, it had my attention – it was there! A much more defined jaw!
The treatment had also lifted the appearance of my cheekbone – and, where my mouth previously drooped at the corners when in a neutral face, I now had much less of a resting bitch face. I also have hooded kind of eyelids, but this treatment helped lift ‘em u p a little bit.
I couldn’t quite believe that my super tired self could look so much better than my more well-rested, less-stressed face from three months earlier!
Now that I’ve been through my four-week program, I can work on just maintaining the progress I’ve made with a yearly visit.
Apparently, Emface is also one of the top ten most sought-after beauty treatments (Jessica Simpson and Kelly Osbourne are apparently big fans)
