Thursday’s Power Tool: Sound waves
Have you heard? Iron your face once a day for 10-20 minutes and your wrinkles will disappear?
Well, maybe not exactly. Don’t go pulling out the Black-and-Decker and set it to silk (or cotton if you’re really saggin’). We’re talking about home facial massagers, like those used in spas, which say they’ll channel ultrasound waves into your skin, firming, toning and allowing better absorption of those anti-wrinkle products.
We’ve mentioned ultrasound before — when it was approved as an alternative to brow lift surgery. The principal is similar, but at a lower voltage, or wattage, or pulsage or soundage … whatever. You get the picture – the home devices don’t deliver the same intensity as those handled by trained professionals.
However, these power tools, such as the Fyola Facial Massager and the Ultrasonic Face and Body Slimming Massager, say they penetrate several layers of skin with sound waves as you move the device in a circular motion over your face like a magician waving a magic wand over a top hat. This, they claim, breaks up water and nutrient particles into to smaller, more easily absorbed pieces, and stimulates the circulation of blood and the lymphatic system. Abracadabra, smooth skin! The tricky thing about ultrasound however, is you really don’t feel anything. There’s no vibration, no heat. It’s tempting to tap it a couple of times and ask, “Hey, is this thing on?”
Also keep in mind that you may get firmer skin, but don’t expect results that will rival an actual facelift, regardless of what the websites say. And don’t expect it to happen at the speed of sound, either. The directions for both facial massagers call for using the device 10-20 minutes a minimum of five times a week for a month or more before you see lasting results. Sadly, the way we iron, the same is true of our pants.
