The TheraFace Pro Is the Only Skin-care Tool I Actually Use

Although I am a beauty writer, I perform skin care somewhat grudgingly, hurrying through the bare minimum to keep my skin healthy and hydrated. So it’s no surprise that I’ve struggled to successfully incorporate any sort of skin-care device. I’m certainly not immune to the seductive benefits of red light and microcurrents, but I’ve never managed to stick with anything long enough to see results. The Solawave was cute but so teensy that it didn’t feel especially effective; the CurrentBody mask was too large and bulky for me to comfortably putter around while wearing it. Each lasted a month before ending up in a storage bin under my bed.

But then I encountered the TheraFace Pro, which piqued my interest after Sydney Sweeney named it as one of the items she can’t live without. It’s a handheld device like the Solawave (an LED therapy wand) or the NuFace (a microcurrent device), but its versatility was a huge draw; it comes with a slew of attachments and offers both of those functions, plus a few more. There’s a microcurrent ring, three differently shaped percussive attachments for facial massage, and options for red, blue, or infrared LED light, plus a cleansing brush. (There are a couple additional attachments sold separately for hot and cold therapy.) Since my apartment is already brimming with beauty gadgets and their accompanying charging cords, the prospect of streamlining was immensely attractive. I called in a sample to test, with high hopes that it could finally be the one.

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Yes

I’ve had my TheraFace for about seven months now, and I’m proud to report that in that time, I’ve fully — and consistently — integrated it into my life. In the morning, I put on conductive gel and use the microcurrent function before I wash my face, gliding it in an upward motion over my jawline and cheekbones with one hand while scrolling with the other. There are three settings, and while I recommend easing in with the lowest one if you’re new to microcurrenting, by this point, I start straight off with level three. The device helpfully beeps after the recommended eight minutes of treatment time, and I move on with my day. (Pro tip: After I ran out of the gel that came with the TheraFace, I switched to AquaSonic’s much cheaper ultrasound gel — which I learned about from fellow Strategist writer Erin Schwartz, who uses it with their NuFace.)

Then at night, I’ll use the LED and massage settings when I’m relaxing on the couch watching TV. The standard LED routine cycles through three minutes of red light (which helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines), three minutes of combined red and infrared light (which adds therapeutic warming), and three minutes of blue light (which helps reduce acne). I usually run all three, but you can also opt to just use one individual light. I hold it about half an inch away from my face and continuously run it all over — it beeps every 15 seconds to let you know that you should move to a new spot. Admittedly, it requires a little more work than sitting passively with a mask. But for me, it turns out that wearing a glowing shroud over my face is too distracting and stimulating, and I like being able to control a handheld device.

The TheraFace and all its attachments.
Photo: Kitty Guo

After my light therapy is finished, I’ll usually switch to the massage function. The three massage attachments include a flat head for general percussion and tension relief, a cone-shaped head to precisely target certain areas like the nasolabial folds, and a pointy head to improve circulation for larger areas like the cheeks. As with the microcurrent attachment, there are three intensity settings; if you’ve ever used TheraBody’s massage guns, it’s a similar percussive motion with short, rapid strikes that ease knots and loosen up the underlying tissue. (The only attachment I don’t use daily is the cleansing brush, though I do work that in about once a week to give myself a deeper, more intense cleanse and dislodge any gunk built up in my pores.)

Seven months of daily diligence have paid off: My cheekbones and jawline appear sharper and more sculpted than before. I also do a lot of teeth clenching, forehead scrunching, and eye squinting throughout the day, and the percussive massage has helped immensely to relieve any resulting tension — I can feel the muscles in my face palpably relax when I go at them with the TheraFace.

Some might say that an all-in-one device like the TheraFace is a jack of all trades, master of none. It’s definitely not as powerful as the specialized devices that concentrate on one thing — though I couldn’t find specific microamp numbers in the product specs, anecdotally, reviewers say that the NuFace feels more intense than the TheraFace, and the LED ring obviously contains fewer diodes than a full-blown mask. But it’s good enough for me, someone who trends impatient when it comes to skin care. It cleared up some space on my overly cluttered vanity, and it doesn’t add much time to my usual routine, which means that I’m actually inclined to consistently pick it up. The best skin-care device, after all, is one you’ll actually use.

And even though, at $420, the TheraFace is unquestionably pricey, it feels like a deal for “starter pack” capabilities. The NuFace Trinity is $395 and only has microcurrent. The CurrentBody mask is $470 and only has LED light therapy. The TheraFace has both of those functions for anyone looking to get started with either, plus massage and deep cleansing, for a comparable price. Considering I use it up to twice a day every day, I’m hurtling toward a cost per use in the cents.

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