Ever since I received a treatment called “the beauty sandwich,” I’ve been chasing down the right way to sculpt my face at home. The beauty sandwich—which causes celebs from Vanessa Hudgens to Nina Dobrev to flock to skin pro Ivan Pol—is a topical facial treatment that uses heat-derived radiofrequency to plump and sculpt your face or, in other words, feed it from the outside-in. “It’s a multilayered effect that will volumize, lift, help with wrinkle reduction, and rebuild and synthesize collagen,” he says.
For my facial, Pol decided to “plump” and “sculpt” (though you can also rejuvenate, resurface, or polish skin, as well). “The plump facial helps with the deeper layers to really lift and firm from within,” he says. “The sculpt facial is going to help tone and strengthen certain muscles—so they pull and sculpt to enhance the jawline and really contour the cheekbone area.” The sculpting part incorporates infrared radiofrequency, which communicates directly with the muscles in your face, which then releases all tension.
The whole process takes about 45 minutes, and all I felt was heat on my skin via a wand—kind of similar to a hot stone massage. The amazing thing about the treatment is that the results are immediate, and there’s no redness or downtime. “It has a lasting result, even if you get only one, it’ll last for up to six months,” says Pol. It’s because the tissue in your skin responds to the heat, which supposedly makes lines plump from the inside-out. “Collagen is denatured, so there’s mild swelling but it’s good swelling—then in about five days the heat will escape your tissue,” he says. “In about 10 days the fibroblasts accumulate and synthesize and start to rebuild the inner walls.” That all goes to say that magic is being worked on your collagen.
Pol was right—as soon as my skin gets its fill of the “sandwich,” I see a returned fullness to my skin. My cheekbones are noticeably more prominent, my jawline is sculpted AF, and my skin is honestly just all around more taut. And in the days that follow, riding high on the results, I wonder how to recreate the effects at home. Pol’s suggestion? Using something like the NuFace ($249)—which is a handheld microcurrent skin toning device. I scored one ASAP and started using it every single night.
“NuFace is like at-home cardio for your face,” says Pol. “I recommend NuFace as an excellent tool to help my clients maintain the results between treatments. When used consistently, in conjunction with regular in-office treatments, it’s a great way to maintain that muscle memory and facial tone for longer lasting results.”
He’s right: Using the microcurrent device on my face only takes about five minutes total, but has kept my cheekbones and jawline lifted. The microcurrent works in a similar way to the Beauty Sandwich, but rather than heat, uses a low-level current that mimics the body’s natural current for anti-aging results. You don’t really feel anything as it glides over your complexion, since the waves are so gentle, but it’s really working to stimulate the facial muscles beneath the skin. According to research, microcurrent’s also capable of stimulating collagen and elastin, so the waves that penetrate the skin are sort of like a workout for your face. It’s something that I’ve now added to my fitness regimen. Yep—now, I’m working out my body and my face.
Besides using microcurrent or radiofrequency technology, pressure on your skin also has loads of benefits. And here’s what to know about the buzzy advanced facial treatments that are sprouting up.
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