EMface lifts and smooths the face by treating the skin and the lifting muscles at the same time, through flat applicators placed on the forehead and cheeks, in a 20-minute session with no needle and nothing injected. It is made by BTL Industries, the company behind EMsculpt NEO and Emsella, and it is the first device to work both layers of the face in one session. We run the full set of applicators at our clinic at 8 Devonshire Place.
Two energies, one session
Synchronised radiofrequency warms the dermis, the living layer of the skin, to the temperature at which it starts producing new collagen and elastin. That is the part that smooths lines and improves texture. BTL's histology study, done on animal skin, measured a 26% increase in collagen and a doubling of elastin two months after a course.
HIFES, high intensity facial electrical stimulation, makes the lifting muscles of the face contract selectively. The frontalis muscle lifts the brow; the zygomaticus and risorius lift the cheeks and the corners of the mouth. Working those muscles in pulses for 20 minutes increases their density and resting tone, and that is what gives the lift. BTL reports 30% more muscle tone and 23% more lift after a course.
The two run together, which is what no injectable, ultrasound or needle-based treatment does: filler adds volume, Morpheus8 and Sofwave tighten the skin, EMface works the muscle underneath as well as the skin over it.
The applicators and the areas
- Forehead: the brow and the lines across the forehead.
- Cheeks: the cheekbone, the fold from the nose to the mouth and the early jowl.
- Submentum: the area under the chin and the jawline, for a soft double chin.
- Eyes: the area around the eyes, run alongside the forehead and cheek applicators.
The forehead and the cheeks are the standard pair. The clinician adds the submentum or the eyes when your face will benefit, and says so at the free consultation.
A session, step by step
- Consultation. The clinician looks at your face at rest and moving, confirms that nothing rules EMface out for you, and agrees which areas are worth treating.
- Preparation. The skin is cleansed. No numbing cream is needed. The applicators are placed and fixed with a light adhesive, and the clinician starts the energy low and raises it to the level you can hold comfortably.
- The 20 minutes. You feel the muscles contract in pulses, a bit like a strong facial massage, with a warming sensation under the pads. You can talk. Many people find it relaxing enough to doze.
- After. The pads come off, the skin is a little pink for ten to twenty minutes, and you go back to work or dinner. Makeup is fine straight away.
A course of four sessions on the forehead and cheeks is about 80 minutes of treatment time in total; the submentum applicator adds about 20 minutes to each session if you include it.
Why it is a course of four
The muscle part of the result behaves like exercise: it builds with repetition and fades without it. Four sessions about a week apart, within BTL's allowed two to fourteen days, are enough repetitions close enough together for the gain to hold. The skin's new collagen builds for weeks after the last session, so the main result shows at six to twelve weeks and we photograph it at three months. The sessions page covers the timeline and maintenance.
Who it is for
EMface suits a face with mild to moderate laxity (loose skin), usually from the late thirties to the sixties. The full EMface guide sets out who it suits and the complete list of what rules it out, and the clinician checks each one at your free consultation.
See it for yourself
Book a free consultation at EMface Clinic on 0207 043 8102 or through the form below. The clinician shows you the device, explains what it will do for your face, and gives you the course price in writing, with 0% finance over the course.
