Something everyone should know about NuFace / microcurrent devices (side effects and results)

Prefacing by saying this is not medical advice as I'm not a doctor and that everyone's face, medical history, and desired results out of microcurrent devices vary so take what I say with a grain of salt (as you should with any internet stranger lol).

Ok, so I recently bought the NuFace mini for facial toning (primarily for jowls) and discovered something that NuFace and a LOT of people online don't know about or don't explicitly make clear. To get to the point: besides areas that are unsafe for everyone to use the NuFace on (around the eyes, thyroid, etc.), where the NuFace should be used on the face generally differs from person to person.

There are two reasons for this, a) to avoid negative/dangerous side effects and b) get the best results from microcurrent.

What I learned about side effects: When I first used my NuFace, I got a tension headache and a noticeable tightness in my jaw as if it wanted to lock in place. I went to do some more research and watched a nauseating amount of videos by doctors/dermatologists/aestheticians. Some were better than others but I found a few gems that talked about the anatomy of facial muscles in relation to microcurrent devices and it has been really enlightening. Since microcurrent devices stimulate muscles, muscles that are already tight or overused should be avoided. For me personally, I found out that I should not be using the NuFace on the part of my jaw closest to my ear (the masseter muscle) because I grind my teeth at night. I can still reap the benefits of microcurrent as long as I leave that small area out of it. It seems pretty self explanatory but I can't tell you how many threads and comments I've seen from people complaining about tension and pain from NuFace and how they had to discontinue use all together. If you use the NuFace or are thinking about it, I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with diagrams of facial and neck musculature. This can help you figure out if any specific muscles are already tight on you, why, and how it affects you before you stimulate them any further. From there it's pretty easy to just leave those areas out of the routine that is suggested by NuFace, which is otherwise a good guideline. I'd also recommend leaving out areas that are not explicitly mentioned in the guideline for not only safety reasons but for the best results as well. Which brings me to...

What I learned about aging and getting the best results out of microcurrent: Getting the best results from 'anti-aging' skincare is highly dependent on what muscles you tone, and which ones you loosen up. I've seen so many videos of people using the NuFace ALL OVER their faces thinking that toning everything will give them with the best result. The problem with that is that regularly stimulating certain muscles to the extent that microcurrent does can actually age you faster. For example, there are muscles around the forehead and eye area that cause wrinkles with prolonged use. This is why people get Botox which paralyzes those muscles, the literal opposite of toning them (lol). As for jowls, prolonged use/tightening of the muscles immediately around the mouth/below the nasolabial folds is something that contributes to jowls in the first place. Lifting of the lower face can be achieved by not toning, but loosening the muscles around the mouth while toning the muscles on the outer jaw and cheeks. A good rule of thumb for jowls is to use the NuFace only on the *outside* of the line the nasolabial fold and jowls make (so nothing around the mouth, chin area). There might be some muscles that you personally don't want to tone depending on your face shape and if you want to visually volumize, narrow, or widen certain areas as well.

Anyway I'm so lost in the research sauce rn my eyes are crossing lmao but I had to write all of this down. Some of it might have been obvious to a lot of you but it's all things I wish I would have known as a microcurrent beginner. Going forward, I'm pairing my NuFace routine with facial massage of muscles I want to relax and Frownies on my forehead at night (I'm scared of Botox lol). If there's anything I missed or am wrong about please let me know!

Edit: typos

Edit #2: I keep seeing comments asking where to use the NuFace vs not. I linked a video that I found helpful in the comments but I'll put it here for easy access. She does a really good job at explaining where to go for best results and goes over places that you personally might want to avoid and why. u/Known-Web8456 posted a comment linking great diagram of what muscles are overworked/cause aging vs which ones should be toned which is super helpful to see as well. I also want to reiterate: you can leave out whatever areas work for you, but please do NOT go anywhere that NuFace doesn't explicitly recommend. I've seen a couple comments about using it on the scalp. I honestly have no idea if that's safe. Electricity is no joke, it drives our nervous system. Please don't risk it!

Edit #3: Here's the safety warnings that don't come with the physical manual for some stupid reason