EMS Face – Facial Muscle Toning With Electrical Stimulation

EMS (electrical muscle stimulation) sends low-intensity, controlled electrical pulses through the skin to stimulate the motor nerves, so the muscle contracts and then relaxes according to a set programme. The same principle has long been used in physiotherapy and rehabilitation under the name neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). EMS Face applies it to the muscle groups of the face.

Unlike heat-based technologies such as RF or HIFU, EMS does not heat the skin or the tissue beneath it. Its main effect is on the muscle layer: instead of you performing the movements, the device produces repeated contractions throughout the session. That is why many people call EMS Face a "face gym".

Each pulse stimulates a motor nerve and the muscle fibres contract; when the pulse stops, the muscle relaxes. Repeated throughout a session, this is a controlled form of exercise that the cheek and jaw muscles rarely get in everyday life. Intensity, rhythm and treatment areas are adjusted for each person.

Direct evidence is still limited. A 2012 randomised controlled trial in 108 healthy women aged 32 to 58 had the treatment group use a facial muscle stimulation device at home for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. Ultrasound performed by assessors who did not know the group allocation showed the zygomaticus major muscle thickened by an average of 18.6% from baseline, while the no-treatment group did not change; device users also rated their faces as firmer.

A separate study published in JAMA Dermatology in 2018 used no device: women aged 40 to 65 practised facial exercises for 20 weeks, and independent raters scored the upper and lower cheeks as fuller. This supports the idea that working the muscles can affect facial contours, although the sample was small.

Both studies were small, ran for weeks at a near-daily frequency, and measured muscle thickness or participants' own impressions more than a visible "lift". Results from devices that combine high-intensity stimulation with RF heat do not apply to EMS alone. Eternal therefore treats EMS Face as a way to care for and maintain firmness, not as a lifting treatment that replaces more intensive procedures.

EMS creates a sensation of muscle stimulation, but not the pain many people expect. During the session you may feel mild tingling or prickling, your facial muscles contracting and relaxing with each pulse, and some areas more strongly than others. How it feels depends on the person, the area and the pulse intensity.

With EMS, stronger is not better. The goal is a controlled contraction, not something you have to endure, so the intensity is always adjusted to your feedback, especially in the first session. Afterwards, some people notice brief redness where the device touched the skin.

Right after the first session, many people feel their face is "tighter" and neater; this is mostly an immediate sensation after the muscles have just worked. Longer-lasting change comes from consistency, as with any training: the muscles need repeated stimulation over many sessions, and if you stop completely, firmness can gradually return to where it was.

Eternal offers packages of 3 sessions to get started, 5 sessions to improve and 8 sessions to maintain. There is no commitment: you can try one session, feel how your muscles respond, and then decide. The before-and-after photos show one client after their first session; results vary between individuals and are not a guarantee.

The standard price is 799,000 VND per session. Eternal currently offers a promotional trial price for the first session and the packages. This pricing is offered only once and places are limited.