Needle-free infusion: electroporation and ultrasound

"Needle-free infusion" is a name for facial treatments that apply electrical pulses or ultrasound to the skin surface, usually with a topical product applied during the session. The skin surface is not broken and there is usually no recovery time. This page describes the devices generically.

The protocol is the treating professional's clinical decision.

What it is

Electroporation devices apply brief, controlled electrical pulses to the skin through an electrode that moves over the surface.

Ultrasound devices apply sound-wave energy at frequencies above human hearing through a handpiece, usually over a gel or solution. Some ultrasonic devices are used as spatulas for surface exfoliation instead.

Some handpieces combine both energies, or add light or cooling. Menu names vary, so ask which technology is in use.

Both techniques are studied in pharmaceutical research for their effects on how the skin barrier behaves. Those findings come from controlled laboratory and drug studies. How a particular cosmetic device performs with a particular product on the face is a question for that device's own data.

Practitioners offer these treatments within hydration-focused facials, for the look and feel of hydrated skin. Background on the ingredients that hold water at the surface: humectants. They differ from microneedling, which uses needles, and from radiofrequency, which heats tissue. This page is part of the professional treatments section.

Who performs it

A licensed skin professional performs it in a clinic, within the scope of practice set by each jurisdiction, and some devices are also sold for home use.

What the skin goes through

Because nothing breaks the surface, the skin goes through very little. Warmth, tingling, a mild prickling sensation and brief redness are commonly described during or after a session.

The main considerations are about the person. Electrical devices are not used on people with pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices without medical clearance, and metal implants, pregnancy and broken or reacting skin all change the plan.

Skin with a cold sore, a recent peel or a recent needling treatment in the area waits until the practitioner clears it. A device session adds handling and product contact to skin that is already recovering.

Recovery

Usually there is none to speak of. The practitioner describes what to expect, and that description is the reference.

The device is usually one step within a longer facial, so a reaction afterward may come from a product used in the session rather than from the device. Ask for the names of everything that was applied, and keep them. Redness that lasts beyond the day, stinging that increases or any broken area is a reason to call the practitioner.

Questions to ask your practitioner

• Is this device electroporation, ultrasound or something else, and what does it do on my skin?
• I have a pacemaker, an implant or another medical device. Is this safe for me?
• Which product will you apply during the session, and can I see its full ingredient list?
• What will I feel during the session, and what should make me ask you to stop?
• What does the device add compared with the same facial without it?
• Is there a home version of this device, and would you recommend it for me?
• When can I use my normal skincare again?

Caring for skin once it is intact

Vegalab NanoSerums are designed to work on their own. No device is required. We do not publish device protocols. How the encapsulation platform is built is explained on the technology page.

For the daily routine:

• Cleanse gently. Comfort Cleansing Milk.
• Hydrate. Hydrating NanoSerum as the daily serum.
• Moisturize. AquaCell Moisturizer.
• Protect. Daily broad-spectrum sun protection from any brand. Vegalab does not sell an SPF product.

Related professional protocols

• Dry-skin hydration: the model treatment-room hydration protocol.
• Dehydrated oily skin: for skin that shines and feels tight at the same time.
• Layering order and incompatibilities: what goes on in what order, and which steps belong in separate sessions.
• At-home maintenance after a professional treatment: the written week after the appointment.

For surface exfoliation devices, see microdermabrasion and hydradermabrasion.