Review: Therabody TheraFace Pro

The TheraFace Pro intimidated me. Made by Therabody—the company behind the popular Theragun devices—the TheraFace Pro is the It Girl beauty tool of the moment, on par with the coveted Dyson Airwrap in both price and prestige. This $399 tool offers a variety of skin-care treatments, from microcurrent and LED light to percussive facial massages. You can also buy extra heads for heating and cooling treatments.

But do you need all this if you’re not, say, cast in Top Gun 2? The answer is, maybe. Skin is the first defense against outside bacteria, so most people could probably stand to take better care of it. It’s hard to know exactly how well the TheraFace Pro works (if at all), but I really enjoyed my time with it. Despite my initial concerns about the contactless thermometer-esque device, it did make high-end skin care feel accessible and easy.

Photograph: Therabody

The TheraFace Pro comes with six detachable magnetic heads for four different types of skin-care treatments—facial cleansing, microcurrent, LED light, and percussive massage. These heads are controlled by two buttons, the percussion button and the ring button, each with three settings that equate to low, medium, and high. Except during cleansing, it beeps every 15 seconds to let you know how long you’ve spent on each treatment.

Therabody is known for its percussive treatments, and facial massage can improve blood circulation and trigger lymphatic drainage. There are three percussive attachments that come with the Pro that can be used solo or in tandem with the red-light treatments. The bristled facial cleansing head also pairs with the percussive button to exfoliate and massage at the same time.

To use the microcurrent, you apply the TheraOne conductive gel on your face to lubricate the area and create a barrier between your skin and the electric current. Then you touch the two metal knobs to your face, glide them over your skin, and control the current with the ring button. Theoretically, the electricity stimulates your facial muscles to strengthen them and increase collagen production, a natural protein your body makes to maintain elasticity in the skin (among many other functions).

The LED light treatment head has three different settings controlled by the ring button: red light, blue light, and red with infrared light. Red light and red-plus-infrared increases collagen and elastin production by energizing cells microscopically, and blue light kills acne-causing bacteria by activating the body’s immune system. 

You want to avoid actual skin contact to avoid potentially spreading acne-causing bacteria over your face, so the light treatments only initiate when they're half an inch from your skin. You'll know it's working because the light will intensify. While you can pair percussive treatment with the red light settings, you don’t want to pair a percussive session with a blue-light session, because the percussion will negate the blue light's bacteria-killing effects.

If you also purchase the additional temperature-controlled heads, you'll get two extra treatments—heating and cooling. With those heads, the Pro can apply heat to encourage collagen production, or cooling to reduce inflammation and puffiness (both with the same high, medium, and low settings).

The TheraFace Pro has been cleared for use by the US Food and Drug Administration, meaning that the FDA tested the LED-light and microcurrent treatments and ensured that the device was safe to sell. Therabody’s clinical trial states that the device showed efficacy and satisfaction of 80 percent or higher in multiple skin-care categories. That said, the trial was on a very small sample (35 people), and it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before you start electrocuting your skin, even with the tiniest of currents. 

I spoke to dermatologist Jeffrey Hsu to ask if these treatments actually work. For the most part, they do, but he had some warnings. For starters, percussion therapy can remove dead skin, but it’s easy to overuse, and people with thin or sensitive skin might develop irritation. That’s why Therabody does not recommend pairing an exfoliating cleanser with the cleansing head.

Microcurrent is the flashiest treatment, but it’s also the most controversial, as there aren’t any scientific studies to prove its efficacy on human skin. Hsu notes that if it is used, it should be on the lower half of the face rather than the top, in order to avoid horizontal wrinkles, elevens, and crow's-feet. Hsu also recommends talking to your doctor about microcurrent specifically, as applying electricity to your face could be more dangerous for some people than others.

Hsu confirmed that the LED wavelengths are in line with treatments that are effective over time, and heat treatments can also encourage collagen production. However, you want to be cautious to avoid burns. He said that targeted, informed, and steady use of each treatment could show positive results over time, but that it requires patience.

I set out to use the TheraFace Pro every day for a month, thinking that if I commit to this routine I would glow like the Glossier girl of my dreams. I struggled to adjust my routine at first. I always wash my face in the shower, but the Pro isn’t waterproof. Eventually, I started cleansing beforehand and rinsing the remaining soap off in the shower. This saved my floor from a lot of accidentally spilled sink water. The medium speed exfoliated blackheads and massaged my sinuses. For a gal with allergies, it’s relieved a lot of facial pressure and made my nose much less bumpy at the same time.

Photograph: Haley Sprankle

Photograph: Haley Sprankle

During my microcurrent and LED treatments, it wasn’t clear that anything was actually happening. But after using the blue-light treatment more, my small breakouts have definitely reduced—much better than any spot treatment I’ve tried (including ye old toothpaste trick). I also think my skin looks fuller and has more color after using both red-light treatments. But who’s to say whether the microcurrent actually defined my cheekbones, or if it was the fact that I finally got back on my Peloton?

The percussive treatments are a fan favorite in my house—the more pollen there is, the more often I find my husband massaging his face with the micro-point head. Couples who relieve sinus pressure together, stay together right? I loved working out the fine lines on my forehead with the heating head—it almost felt like I was melting them away. The cooling treatment helped depuff the skin around my eyes in the morning. Plus, TheraBody regulates the temperatures, so I wasn’t worried about damaging myself.

Photograph: Therabody

For the most part, I found it very easy to use. The stand is small and fits on my countertop. Switching the heads is simple, and while the battery lasts for two hours, it shuts itself off at 10 minutes. (You don’t really want to pound your sinuses for much longer than that, anyway.) All buttons have embossed symbols, so even those with impaired vision can feel the difference between them. Unfortunately it’s only water-resistant, not waterproof, so to clean it you wipe down the machine and its heads with a damp cloth.

Results may vary, of course, and I'm eager to see how my skin fares over a longer period of time. But for now, I'm really happy with how it's all turned out. My skin feels softer, looks smoother, and has a lot more color. I even noticed a reduction in my forehead wrinkles, including that pesky line between my eyebrows. If you get regular facials or do multiple in-home treatments, the TheraFace Pro is definitely worth the dough. At the very least, it can help extend the time between your regular appointments.