Veronica Martin caught up with Dr Suha Kersh at 23MD clinic to talk about EMFACE, its benefits, the treatment process and how it is different from other facial muscle improvement methods.
Dr. Suha Kersh, a highly esteemed cosmetic physician, embodies a holistic perspective on health and beauty, delving beyond surface-level considerations. Her primary goal is to achieve a natural and rejuvenated look for her patients, and to this end, she employs a distinctive 4-D approach, earning her widespread recognition as a leading specialist in the realm of aesthetics. Together with her husband and business partner, Dr. Martin Galy, a renowned Body Identical Hormone Physician, Dr. Suha Kersh co-founded 23MD London in 2015. Their joint venture stands as a testament to their commitment to providing comprehensive and advanced care in the field of cosmetic medicine.
How does the EMFACE technology differentiate itself from other facial muscle improvement methods and what are its benefits in terms of toning muscles?
EMFACE is a combination of electromagnetic therapy and frequency, so it combines muscle tightening along with skin tightening. EMFACE utilises HIFES (High-Intensity Focused Electric Stimulation) combined with synchronised RF (Radiofrequency) technologies to tone muscle by up to 30-35%. As we age, our muscle contraction ability decreases, it doesn’t contract as much, we lose volume, and we don’t make as much collagen as we used to. We start to get a little bit of a lax skin and our muscles are not contracting as much as they used to to give us the lift that we need for our muscular structures.
EMFACE contracts the muscles and makes them stronger. It’s like a workout for the cheek and forehead muscles. At the same time, we are adding radio frequency, that is regenerative and also the skin timing treatment, so we are combining two technologies in one. EMFACE can both improve the condition of facial muscles and increase resting muscle tone in the face by providing supra maximal contractions.
Could you explain the treatment process for EMFACE, including the number of sessions and the timeline for optimal results?
The EMFACE device works completely non-invasively and painlessly. A practitioner will adhere the device’s three electrodes onto strategic points of your face to target the muscles that are responsible for lifting your brows and cheeks — so, one on the forehead, and one on each cheek. Each treatment lasts roughly 20 to 30 minutes and is painless; you will feel a warming sensation as the radiofrequency is emitted, and the involuntary scrunching of your face as the HIFES energy contracts your muscles. There is no downtime or discomfort following the treatment.
I like to combine EMFACE with more skin regenerative treatments. I like to hydrate the skin and get the skin nutrition while doing the face because then you are working on the muscle, on the tightening, but also giving the skin nutrition. I tend to prescribe my patients prophilo or any skin booster, and, to make it time efficient, I tend to do it straight after EMFACE. What we’re looking for at the end is a glowing face, tighter skin and less lax over time.
The duration of treatments depends on age. Usually for women in their 30s/40s four treatments done within six months provide great results. After that, we do one or two maintenance treatments, depending on what you need. For somebody like me, who I am over 55 years old, I’m losing more collagen than I should, so it may take me about six sessions to actually achieve a longer-term result. When I use the treatment on my face straight away, there is a big difference. My cheeks, jawline and corners of my mouth lift. Your muscles, when they contract, they pull your lip and jawline up, so your eyebrows open up and the skin is feeling tighter for an older age group. For a younger age group EMFACE is great because we are not ready to inject or get invasive with them yet. They’re healthy, but they might be complaining of a bit of heaviness, and they just want a little lift.
What are some notable results or success stories that have been achieved with the combination of EMFACE and BTL’s EXILIS treatment?
We’ve had really good feedback on it with patients, especially the ones who are not ready for fillers or any other invasive procedures and want a natural lift, and also patients who have had fillers and Botox, but still need the extra lift. Patients get an instant lift after the treatment and if you do it once a week for four weeks, you’ll see even bigger results over time.
How does the combination of EMFACE and EXILIS contribute to enhancing a patient’s overall appearance and skin tone?
You don’t combine them in the same session just to give an extra boost of timing because you can’t get too much energy to the face. You have to respect the biology of the face. If somebody has acne scarring, uneven skin or the skin is rough and not healthy, we need to smooth it out and bring out a glow. We could use a treatment plan over a period of three to four months, maybe even six months, where will we use EMFACE along with fractionated frequency and a skin booster to give that extra tightness and even tone.