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The Epidermis is the thin outer protective layer, and consists of epithelial tissue in where rows of cells resemble bricks in a wall, with new cells produced at the base.
The Dermis is just beneath and contains connective tissue, small blood vessels, sweat and oil glands, nerves, and cells that produce collagen, called fibroblasts. Scientists formerly thought that fibroblasts were little more than scaffolding on which more important cells would climb. But University of Rochester Medical Center scientists have discovered that certain fibroblasts have highly specialized duties and play a major role in how scars form, fat accumulates, and harmful inflammation arises in humans. They also appear to be metabolically active. Two fibers, collagen and elastin, weave through the dermis, giving skin flexibility and firmness.
The Subcutaneous Layer is beneath the dermis and consists mainly of a type of connective tissue called adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is more commonly known as fat and it helps cushion the skin and provide protection from cold temperatures. With aging, all skin cells begin to produce excess amounts of free radicals–unstable oxygen molecules that, under ideal circumstances, are removed by naturally occurring antioxidants within the skin’s cells.
In aging skin cells, antioxidants are in short supply. The free radicals generated are left unchecked and cause damage to cell membranes, proteins, and DNA. These free radicals eventually break down collagen, and release chemicals that cause inflammation in the skin. It is a combination of these cellular and molecular events that leads to skin aging and the formation of wrinkles.
In simple terms, as we get older, two components of our skin–collagen and elastin-degenerate, setting the stage for the appearance of wrinkles, creases, folds, and furrows. The breakdown of these components, accelerated by such things as exposure to UV rays, gravity, pollution, smoking, lack of exercise, and/or a consistently poor diet, results in the more visible signs of old age on our skin.
Years of facial expressions trigger small temporary folds in the skin to form where our muscles move; with age, depleting levels of collagen and loosening elastin fibers develop a memory of each crease. The Epidermis also becomes thinner and the connective tissue weaker. Combined with the lack of tone in aging facial muscles, the Epidermis begins to sag and droop, while natural folds become unnaturally pronounced by fatty cheeks, neck, and chin. Reduction of blood circulation and restriction of blood vessels lead to a loss in youthful hue and manifests in a dull grayish color to the face.
Microcurrent is subsensory and should not be felt while it is being delivered, since there is barely enough current to stimulate the sensory receptors. Microcurrent modalities are different than TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), which uses a form of electrical current measured in Milliamperes commonly used as a therapy to block pain. Microcurrent is from 10-100 times less powerful than TENS, and should never cause muscle contraction or be uncomfortable during cosmetic applications.
Microcurrent is part of the TENS current range; however, Microcurrent provides accumulative healing affects, whereas TENS blocks pain but has virtually no healing effect. The Microcurrent modality used in medical healing is referred to as MENS, but its use for aesthetic treatment is termed Facial Sculpting or Facial Toning.
Microcurrent, because of its close proximity to our own body’s current, works on a more cellular level to aid in the healing process. It is upon this initial cellular healing platform that we began our research and development into the use of
Microcurrent for aesthetic regeneration.
Microcurrent emits subtle electrical frequencies that mimic the body’s own electrical signals, thereby increasing the amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the chemical fuel of human cells) by as much as 500%. Such increased levels of ATP speed cellular metabolism; the result is a detoxification that increases the rate of waste and impurity elimination. Protein synthesis and cellular membrane transport are also increased, as well as the reconstitution of collagen and elastin. The results of these processes can be seen in improved skin tone and coloration, the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, and the firming of sagging areas of the face and body.
Besides the increase in ATP, protein synthesis, and cellular membrane transport, clinical studies have consistently shown that Microcurrent causes the following:
All of these combinations are key factors in the effectiveness of Microcurrent Facial Sculpting. The body is literally being recharged back to its more youthful electrical state, as though a draining battery were plugged into a charger. With each treatment, ATP levels are stockpiled or stored, which is why Microcurrent Facial Treatment results are cumulative and become better as a series of treatments progresses. Beautiful Image Facial Sculpting will show good results with only one treatment; however such results may last only 48-72 hours in the initial treatment, then 3-4 days as you reach your 4 th or 5 th treatment. By the 6 th or 8 th treatment, muscle memory takes over and progress becomes more rapid and longer lasting, until only a booster treatment is needed every 4-6 weeks to maintain the results. This is called “muscle re-education.”
The dramatic increase of ATP levels allows muscles to stay in the re-educated positions for longer periods of time. The other attributing factor is an increase in blood circulation. Blood circulation has everything to do with the function, condition, color, and overall health of the skin, as well as underlying tissue.
Compare that to any “skin resurfacing” procedure which only stimulates collagen by wounding the dermis. Microcurrent does not rely upon wounding, nor does it require a healing process to show results.
The long answer (including clinical studies and technical details): Beautiful Image Facial Sculpting emits Microcurrent which passes through special wands to manipulate 32 of the 53 muscles of the face by isolating traditional acupuncture points. The direct effect of this is called “muscle re-education.”
Muscle re-education can be accomplished to a limited degree without electrical current, such as in massage therapy; however when done using Microcurrent the results are extraordinary. In technical terms, facial muscles become increasingly contracted over years of facial expression and gravity. Microcurrent recharges those muscles into a shorter state. This widely-accepted concept was coined as the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO) by George J. Goodheart Jr., DC, in the late 60’s and is still accepted today.
In 1982, a landmark study performed by Ngok Cheng (now referred to as the Cheng study) found that a delivery of 50 to 500 microamperes of Microcurrent caused an increase in mitochondria, protein synthesis and that the Aminoisobutyric Acid uptake increased dramatically which led to a 30-40% increase in protein synthesis and Gluconeogenesis (biosynthesis of new glucose). The study also found a 300-500% increase in ATP levels (Adenosine triphosphate). ATP molecules, known as the “energy of life”, are the storage and distribution vehicles for energy in the body and drive a number of biological processes such as photosynthesis, muscle contraction, protein synthesis, and membrane transport. ATP increase has been an attributing factor in the use of Microcurrent to speed the healing of wounds and injuries for over 60 years.
The idea that ATP can be stockpiled or stored is the reason why Microcurrent treatment results are cumulative and become better as a series of treatments progresses. The dramatic increase of ATP levels allows muscles to stay in the re-educated positions for longer periods of time. The other attributing factor is an increase in blood circulation. Blood circulation has everything to do with the function, condition, color, and overall health of the skin, as well as underlying tissue.
Emil Y. Chi, PhD, director of the University of Washington ‘s Department of Pathology, performed clinical studies using Microcurrent equipment. He notes, “The fact that this technology works in harmony with the body is evident. Examination of skin tissue treated with Microcurrent showed a 45% increase in the number of elastin fibers in the dermis, and the length of the fibers on average doubled. The collagen thickness in connective tissue increased 10%, and the number of blood vessels increased by 35%. The application of Microcurrent to skin and tissue produced a firmer and tighter feeling on the skin surface.”
Chi’s study further notes a 35% increase in blood circulation in tissue treated with Microcurrent, as well as remarkable Iontophoresis (delivering medication or cosmetic product with electrical current) that allows superior penetration of products into the skin. Other notable results concluded from the study were that redness, irritation and inflammation of surgically traumatized tissue could be decreased significantly, and the build up of hardened collagen that makes up scar tissue was noted to be three to five times less in tissue treated without Microcurrent.
Lymphatic drainage, an often over-looked treatment in aesthetics, has been gaining momentum in recent years. Clinical studies performed using Microcurrent at Hong Kong ‘s Tuen Muen Hospital in 1988 indicated that lymphatic drainage was increased by 28% on post-cancer patients suffering from lymphodema.
Microcurrent is subsensory and should not be felt while it is being delivered, since there is barely enough current to stimulate the sensory receptors. Microcurrent modalities are different than TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), which uses a form of electrical current measured in Milliamperes commonly used as a therapy to block pain. Microcurrent is from 10-100 times less powerful than TENS, and should never cause muscle contraction or be uncomfortable during cosmetic applications.
Microcurrent is part of the TENS current range; however, Microcurrent provides accumulative healing affects, whereas TENS blocks pain but has virtually no healing effect. The Microcurrent modality used in medical healing is referred to as MENS, but its use for aesthetic treatment is termed Facial Sculpting or Facial Toning.
Microcurrent, because of its close proximity to our own body’s current, works on a more cellular level to aid in the healing process. It is upon this initial cellular healing platform that we began our research and development into the use of
Microcurrent for aesthetic regeneration.
The technology has been popular in Europe for several years but is only recently gaining popularity in America, particularly in Hollywood, where most cosmetic trends originate. For two years in a row, celebrity insiders have reported this as one of the hottest cosmetic procedures among celebrities in the weeks before the Academy Awards. Now, more celebrities are publicly confessing to being regular clients of this exploding technology, including Goldie Hawn, Jamie-Lee Curtis, Mel Gibson, Liv Tyler, Meryl Streep, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bullock, Susan Sarandon, Rene Zellweger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jane Fonda, Kate Winslett, and many more.
Although Beautiful Image has spent 30 years in the cosmetic industry, we didn’t invent Microcurrent Cosmetic Technology, we only perfected it. Employing a team of physicians, scientists and a NASA engineer, we spent 10 years developing the FSM waveforms that are used in our machine and is in fact, the secret to our unique results. Introduced almost 4 years ago, our innovation was the first and still the only Microcurrent cosmetic procedure to consistently get noticeable age-defying results beginning with the first 1-hour session.
Hollywood celebrities that are currently known to be fans Goldie Hawn, Jamie-Lee Curtis, Mel Gibson, Liv Tyler, Meryl Streep, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bullock, Susan Sarandon, Rene Zellweger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jane Fonda, and Cliff Richard.
Industry experts and media moguls are predicting this treatment to be as popular as Botox and Microdermabrasion by 2008. Many Cosmetology schools are already training their students on the technology in preparation for these predicted industry demands. Annette Hanson, president of Atelier Esthetique Institute of Esthetics in New York , has dedicated nearly one full week for a 14-hour certification course in this technology for all advanced students qualifying for ITEC certification.
Nearly 100 years later, the Japanese would rely upon this discovery to use Microcurrent on the its soldiers during WWII, as Japanese physicians found that small electrical currents promoted the mending of non-healing bone fractures, reducing the time it took to heal. The first commercial device outputting microcurrent stimulation was the Dermatron, developed in the 1960’s by Dr. Reinhold Voll of Germany . Mainstream use would eventually find the technology treating a variety of nonunion fractures and bone implants as an accepted procedure among orthopedic surgeons. The technology further progressed to treating pain in burn patients and sports injuries.
Medical doctors, physical therapists, acupuncture physicians, and chiropractors have since relied upon Microcurrent for decades, but its use in cosmetic treatment is fairly recent, born out of one physician successfully treating Bell’s palsy patients for paralysis, noticing that the facial lines were much softer, the face more lifted, and the eyes less droopy. It is used in the treatment of Bell’s palsy patients to this day.
Other successful uses of Microcurrent in the medical community have achieved results include: Tempero-mandibular joint Dysfunction, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Macular Degeneration, Scoliosis, Tinnitus, Tic Doloreaux, and even clinical depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
Beautiful Image Facial Sculpting does not rely upon a thermal energy source like a laser; therefore there is no inflammation or redness, no need to heal before seeing results, and absolutely no downtime. Just reapply makeup and go on with your day.
Many procedures using lasers advertise themselves as “lunchtime facelifts” requiring no downtime, but who wants to resume their day with a red swollen face? Microcurrent facial treatments are by far the safest and most effective nonsurgical treatment available today.
After more than a decade of research and development utilizing a NASA engineer and several physicians and technologists from the aesthetic industry, we began test-marketing our achievement. The claims were met with skepticism but we soon developed a reputation of getting twice the results in half the time compared to any other Microcurrent Facial Treatment available anywhere in the world.
What makes us the preferred choice of thousands is our ability to accomplish noticeable results on anyone after only their first session. We were the first and are still the only manufacturer bold enough to guarantee such results on anyone, or we will refund 100% of the equipment investment to our aesthetic professional for as long as they are performing our treatment.
Better yet, we have recently fine-tuned our body sculpting to such success that we can now guarantee the same level of results on the buttocks, stomach, arms, legs, and back. That is yet another guarantee no one else in the world dares to make. Everyone makes claims and shows before/after photos, but we’re the only ones who back them up with bold guarantees.
Put our Microcurrent Facial Treatment beside any other in the world and you will see twice the results in half the time in a side-by-side comparison. Others require 20 treatments at two per week to get similar results as ours, often turning their current strength up to uncomfortable levels, and even then they cannot get noticeable results in one treatment each time, much less in 2-3.
Our secret is our series of eight wave forms specifically tuned to pulse in a calculated series. It took us ten years of clinical research to tweak this pattern to best affect dynamic results to achieve quick and lasting aesthetic change to the face and body. With Beautiful Image Facial Sculpting, you can get that complete makeover in a short period of time right before that special event.