Facial Electrical Muscle Stimulation for Soft-tissue Lifting and Symmetry Enhancement.

BACKGROUND

Facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been used to support facial muscle recruitment in functional settings; however, evidence for aesthetic applications remains limited. This exploratory case series descriptively documents soft-tissue appearance changes and treatment tolerance following a standardized anatomical treatment approach with individualized stimulation settings targeting the lip elevator complex and orbicularis oculi.

METHODS

Seven adults (5 women, 2 men; age range 24-39 y) underwent 10 NMES sessions at 1-2 week intervals using a commercially available device (EVE Titan). Bilateral periocular and perioral stimulation was delivered for approximately 20 minutes per side. Standardized frontal and oblique photographs were obtained before treatment and approximately 1 month after the final session using the Janus Pro imaging system.

RESULTS

All participants completed the treatment series without interruption and reported no adverse events. Across the 6 participants seeking tone/symmetry enhancement, posttreatment photographs demonstrated subtle qualitative trends, including commissural elevation and improved perioral/periocular tone under standardized imaging. In the participant with functional smile asymmetry, posttreatment photographs suggested improved commissural alignment during smiling.

CONCLUSIONS

In this small, descriptive case series, targeted facial NMES was feasible and well tolerated, with qualitatively observable photographic changes in soft-tissue appearance and symmetry.