This microcurrent facial-toning device claims to sculpt and lift your face — after a month, I noticed a difference

• Curious if the hype around NuFace was worth it, I tried it and saw results after one month.
• I noticed my face looked more lifted and less bloated and red.

After years of seeing Instagram posts and magazine articles heralding this device as "worth it" — about the highest compliment a skincare product can get — I finally tried the NuFace. The name itself is ambitious. Sure, many of us have wanted a completely new look from time to time — we bring in photos of other people to hair salons and engage in fantasies that we'll come out looking like Dakota Johnson or Greta Lee. But aside from the most drastic measures, most beauty treatments can't provide these kinds of results.

The NuFace is a microcurrent facial-toning device, and if you're confused by those words, you're not alone. The brand claims that the microcurrents will sculpt and lift your face while also reducing wrinkles.

It's recommended by beauty experts and aestheticians

Rachel Lee Lozina is a New York state-licensed esthetician, laser technician, and oncology esthetician, and the Founder of Blue Water Spa in Oyster Bay, New York. "It's like Pilates for your facial muscles," she said of the device. "It tones, lifts, and sculpts the muscles supporting the face." She also said it "helps with product penetration and contours the face for a youthful appearance. It also enhances ATP" — adenosine triphosphate — "that acts like fuel for your cells."

Lozina said she uses NuFace herself and on her clients. "It's a quick treatment that's easy to use," she said.

I'm usually skeptical when it comes to beauty claims. That said, I also want to be wrong!

The model I used, NuFace Trinity+, is a chargeable vibrating gadget about the size of a deck of cards with two little metal spheres at the end. After charging the device, you apply an activating gel and then run the spheres slowly along your face and neck. The company claims most customers will see results after using it for five minutes a day over at least a 60-day period — and you have to keep using the device after that for results to last.

It also comes with two attachments. One is for red-light therapy, which has been shown to reduce lines and wrinkles and may help with acne and redness, and the other is a smaller head made for the areas around your mouth and eyes. I was doubtful the device would give me the bouncy, glowy skin I long for, and while I could handle the time commitment, I hesitated at the $395 price tag.

Charlotte Palermino, a skincare influencer who reviews beauty products, said her face looked more "lifted" after using it.

Palermino made it clear that it takes time to achieve results and they aren't necessarily drastic enough to account for the cost if money is tight for you.

Despite my skepticism, I was willing to give it a try

Recently, my skin had been dry and red and feeling tight and bloated. I had changed my skincare routine but wasn't getting much sleep. I was working seven days a week and beyond stressed out, and my body was worse for wear. The idea that something could erase my skin problems and only take five minutes a day was very tempting.

You can get a refurbished NuFace Trinity model for less than a new one — I saw one at Nordstrom Rack for $160. Full disclosure, after reaching out to NuFace, the company sent me one to try, and after a month of use — half the time it's supposed to take to see results — my takeaway is that it does make a difference.

I noticed my skin was less red, maybe because I was using the red-light attachment more than the regular device. My skin looked more lifted and my face less bloated. While it hasn't erased the fine lines on my forehead, they do seem to have faded slightly.

Like all skincare, you have to be consistent, which is a bummer, but I've been pleasantly surprised so far that the product does what it promises.

Pain and the high cost can be a deterrent

The NuFace Trinity does have downsides. While it's generally safe to use, the website does note that "the NuFACE Trinity Facial Trainer, NuFACE Mini and NuFACE Classic are contraindicated against and should not be used if you have an electronic implanted device such as a defibrillator, neurostimulator, pacemaker, or ECG Monitor. If you use a body-worn medical device, such as an insulin pump, consult your doctor prior to use."

The instructions say that if you feel pain while using the NuFace, you should use more applicator gel or turn down the current (it has three levels). I was frankly shocked that there was any risk of the device causing pain. When I saw it being used on Instagram, it looked more like someone rubbing an ice cube around their face than it did a laser treatment.

Unfortunately, the warning was valid. Maybe because my skin was so dry that it soaked up the applicator gel like a paper towel, but I found that I needed a lot of gel and that I could only use it on the first level without feeling tiny zaps on my skin. I also experienced a metallic feeling in my teeth. While using the red-light attachment — which doesn't require any gel — there's no discomfort or pain. I also found myself going through the gel very quickly, but people with oily or combination skin might have a different experience.

Finally, there's the $395 price tag. Even though five minutes a day isn't hard to keep up with, I do wonder if I'll be able to make it a habit.

In the meantime, even if the effects are only visible to me, I'm enjoying the results.