Dermatologists and plastic surgeons use ultrasound all the time. A well-placed ultrasound device can, for example, help tighten skin to reduce the appearance of lines, wrinkles and loose skin. The machines are big, powerful—and expensive.
But now less expensive and less powerful ones are available to use at home, for a few hundred dollars or even less. The claim is that home ultrasound machines make regular skin-care products more effective. But do they? Are they safe?
We took a close look at the website claims of one of the most popular products—the JeNu Ultrasonic Infuser System. It’s a cordless rechargeable device about the size and shape of an electric razor. The instructions are simple—apply your regular skin-care product as you do normally, then put a small amount of conducting gel (a 60-day supply comes with the machine) on the head of the ultrasound wand and gently massage the area with the wand for a minute. The device is marketed as a cosmetic device, with no claims to cure or treat any skin condition.
To learn more, we spoke with Jennifer Peterson, MD, a dermatologist who is also board-certified in dermatologic cosmetic surgery. Dr. Peterson uses a commercial-grade ultrasound device in her office to provide cosmetic treatments for her patients, but she’s also very familiar with JeNu, as many of her patients use it.
The outer layers of your skin act as a barrier against the outside world, protecting the more delicate layers and everything else underneath. The top layer of skin is mostly dead skin cells…called keratinocytes…waiting to be shed. Living, healthy keratinocytes, which regenerate skin, sit a few layers lower, so skin-care products you put on your skin don’t always penetrate well and reach them.
Ultrasound opens the way for better absorption. That conducting gel you apply to the wand, Dr. Peterson explains, has tiny “microspheres” that bounce around in response to the ultrasound energy. “The spheres are like tiny hammers that gently open up spaces between the cells and push the skin-care product inside, thus allowing the skin-care product to reach the healthy keratinocytes below.”
Now let’s take a look at JeNu’s website statement—JeNu triples the absorption of skin-care products, based on an “independent lab test.” Here’s the real story: The research wasn’t published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, so it did not have to meet the most rigorous standards. It was done at an independent lab, however, using objective and validated measurement techniques. Result: While JeNu may have tripled absorption in certain parts of the test, the average increase was a more modest 45%, according to the lab report.
So this home ultrasound machine does improve absorption of products you put on your skin. But is that a good thing?
For the most part, Dr. Peterson thinks that at-home ultrasound devices are perfectly fine and can be a great help, especially for hydrating dry skin. When used as instructed on healthy, intact skin, they won’t irritate or burn your skin. (If you have a skin rash or other condition, on the other hand, ultrasound could be irritating.) And those “little hammers” are so tiny that you won’t feel them.
Now for the big “but.” Not all skin-care products are meant to be absorbed at higher than the normal rate. For example, Dr. Peterson said, skin-care products containing salicylic acid, glycolic acid or lactic acid, which chemically exfoliate the skin, or retinols, which increase skin-cell turnover and slow the breakdown of collagen, can cause skin irritation when the “dose” your skin gets is higher than what the manufacturer intended. You don’t need to avoid these products when using ultrasound, but be very cautious at first. Use every other day for a week, suggests Dr. Peterson. If there’s no irritation, try increasing to daily use.
For regular over-the-counter moisturizers and other products without potentially irritating ingredients, it’s fine to try them with ultrasound once a day and see how your skin reacts to the increased absorption. If you’re OK after a few days, you can go up to twice a day. (If your products contain sunscreen, that’s fine and unlikely to be irritating—but you won’t get additional benefit, since sunscreen is supposed to be on top of your skin—it’s a barrier.)
JeNu’s website has similar precautions, including not using it if you have a skin condition or open sores and starting with just one minute per area each day to see how you react at first. Don’t overdo it, says Dr. Peterson: “Most antiaging and antiacne skin-care products aren’t meant to be applied three or more times a day.”
Prescription skin-care products, on the other hand, are another thing entirely. You definitely don’t want to be absorbing more of these until you find out from a health professional whether that’s actually a good idea. Says Dr. Peterson, “Always check with your doctor before using JeNu, or any other ultrasound device, with any prescription medication.”
