I Got A Brow Lift — Without Surgery

SKINCARETREATMENTS

Dec 20

This noninvasive treatment painlessly lifted and contoured my face.

A few months ago, I got a plastic surgeon's unsolicited recommendation for a brow lift. “I thought I’d do my neck first,” I quipped back. The surgeon replied, “You have time for that!” I literally laughed out loud. In my line of work (researching and trying the latest and greatest in the beauty industry), I’ve grown thick skin and generally don’t let appearance-based comments throw me. But still, I thought, ‘What’s the deal with my brows?’

I’ve always had slightly hooded, downturned eyelids, but my heavy lids look heavier as I age. Some people turn to blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure to remove excess skin from the eyelids. Another option is a brow lift, which surgically repositions the brows higher, giving the eyelid skin a lift, too. That’s why the surgeon suggested it. However, I’ve been more curious about my nonsurgical options, mainly Emface.

Emface is a technology that combines radiofrequency energy (RF) and high-intensity focused electromagnetic stimulation (HIFES) to lift and contour the face without surgery, needles, or downtime. I tried the treatment at North Shore Medical Wellness in Huntington, under the direction of Frank M. Ocasio, MD, MS. He explains that the RF penetrates the dermis, the middle layer of skin, heating the tissue to stimulate collagen and elastin production. On the surface, this will eventually help improve texture and wrinkles and have a tightening effect. The HIFES is like a workout for the underlying muscles in your face, which support the skin on top. “The HIFES targets the facial muscles, causing them to contract and relax, resulting in enhanced muscle tone and a lifted contour,” says Dr. Ocasio.

So, what are Emface treatments like? One treatment takes 20 minutes, and it’s recommended that you have four treatments spaced about a week apart. You’ll see results early on (I could tell that my cheekbones appeared lifted in pictures), but it takes a few months to visually reap the benefits of all that newly produced collagen and elastin. During the treatment, electrodes are placed on your face in key areas: the cheek/jawline area and across the forehead. Once the machine is powered up, you’ll feel the warmth from the RF, while the HIFES causes muscles in those areas to contract and release repeatedly. It feels funny (and makes you look funny; see my reel), but it’s not painful. If you’ve ever had microcurrent done on your face, you may have felt tingles and slight twitching, but this is a deep contraction of the muscles.

I got Botox a few weeks before starting the treatment and worried that the neuromodulator would skew the results of the Emface, but Dr. Ocasio told me that it can be used in conjunction with injectables such as Botox and fillers, and they can enhance the results. Cool!

Does Emface work? Yes! I could see early on that my cheeks were more contoured. It almost looks as if I had buccal fat removal (another surgical procedure, only this one chisels out your cheekbones by removing fat pads from the sides of the face), but I did not. You can see the visible contour along the side of my face in the “after” profile picture below. But the most significant difference was in my brow and lid area! My eyelids and brows are less heavy in the “after” picture. And the effect looks soft and natural, not pulled and tight. I’m thrilled with the eye area results!

How long do Emface results last? Results can last up to one year. But because you’re working muscle, maintenance is highly recommended. Dr. Oscasio suggests touch-up treatments every 3 to 6 months.

What does Emface cost? Many places charge as much as $4,000 for four sessions, but North Shore Medical Wellness is currently running a special for four treatments at $2,500. I’ll be back for maintenance. I want to preserve my newfound lid space!

Check out my results!