GALVANIC CURRENT

A Galvanic device is used to prepare skin for extractions and enhance product penetration.

The Galvanic device emits a direct current that produces a chemical change in skin. (A direct current is different from an alternating current, which is used in electrical outlets.)

How Does Galvanic Work?

So how does a Galvanic device work? I will describe it briefly to keep it simple and not too technical.

1. An acidic or alkaline solution is applied to skin. It depends on what the galvanic device will be used for.

2. Then a metal probe connected by a wire to the galvanic machine is placed on skin. Another wire is attached to your skin (on your wrist or arm). That second wire creates a closed loop of current so that current flows throughout your body in one direction.

3. The device is turned on, and the current starts flowing. The esthetician moves the probe around your face for a few minutes. Probes come in different shapes. The roller is a very common one.

A word of reassurance – this is a very low-level current. It does not hurt! So don’t imagine yourself being electrocuted 🙂 The amount of current is just enough to get the molecules in your skin moving.

What the current does is introduce water-soluble ingredients into skin. Chemical changes occur when the current is passed through the skin’s tissues and fluids.

When Is Galvanic Used?

Before Extractions

Galvanic is used with an acidic solution to open (dilate) pores, increase circulation in the area, and soften tissues. This makes it easier to remove an impaction (the plug inside a pore, i.e. a blackhead).

It is especially useful when the blackheads are very hard and resistant to being squeezed out.

In esthetics, this process is called desincrustation.

After Extractions

Galvanic is used with an alkaline solution to close pores, reduce circulation, soothe the nerves, and firm tissues.

This is done right after extractions, before the next part of a facial.

During Mask Application

Galvanic is also used to pass active ingredients deeper into skin. So while you have a mask on, the current increases the penetration of the mask’s ingredients into your skin.

For those of you who like to know technical terms, this process is called iontophoresis.

HIGH FREQUENCY CURRENT

High frequency is a type of current that is used on acneic skin to speed the healing of active breakouts and on very oily skin to dry out the skin.

It has a germicidal and healing effect on skin.

Unlike galvanic, high frequency uses a different type of current – an alternating current (also called Tesla pulse current).

How Does High Frequency Work?

The high frequency machine connects to a glass probe (by a wire).

That glass probe is filled with a gas, such as argon or neon. The gas makes the probe glow a certain color when it’s turned on (e.g. violet, orange, red).

Probes come in different shapes to accommodate different areas of the face. The most common one is called the mushroom probe.

An esthetician places gauze over skin and then runs the probe over the gauze for a few minutes. There may be a little sparking.

The probe produces ozone gas that kills bacteria inside a pimple. The bacteria that causes acne (P. acnes) cannot survive in the presence of oxygen. So ozone (which is a form of oxygen, denoted as O3) kills the bacteria.

The heat emitted from the probe also has a healing and drying effect.

When Is High Frequency Used?

High frequency is typically used after extractions. But it can be used at other times, such as after exfoliation or a mask.

Not All Facials Include An Electrical Treatment

Electrical facial treatments are useful during a facial. But not all facials include them. It depends on the facility and esthetician’s training.

Smaller spas or solo estheticians may not have the equipment. Also, as you might imagine, the use of electrical treatments requires training and makes a facial more complicated.

Alternatively, a spa may charge more for a galvanic facial or the use of high frequency.

So if electrical facial treatments interest you, check with the spa or esthetician before you book your facial.

Related Article: Microcurrent