REVIEW: TriPollar STOP for Face: Does it work like it claims?

Facing a BIG birthday I suddenly noticed my jowls starting to sag. GASP! While I've been pretty good at staving off most wrinkles and heavy-duty aging signs, I did not fixate on the jowl until this one fateful day.

What to do?

I made an appointment for the CoolTouch laser at my derm office. This was a delightful procedure compare to the horrid Thermage and similar HOT HOT HOT lasers to lift and firm. I would recommend it...but it's pricey, so I figured I needed to look at other options. (The CoolTouch requires a minimum of three treatments to get the full effect, they say.)

I started the inevitable internet search for something proven to work at home. I put several hours into it (admittedly time I should have spent doing something else, but I was dogged). I found the TriPollar STOP for the face and decided after hemming and hawing to get it (450+ on Amazon with several pretty good reviews).

It came from overseas (I want to say Denmark or somewhere like that). Shipping was pretty quick, considering. I ripped it open and used it the first day.

First, I'll say this machine was packaged nicely and seemed fairly well-designed and built. I would request the light a little easier to see (hard to see when it turns to the desired orange when you're doing under your chin or not in front of a mirror). But I digress...

Does it work?

I have been using it for about two months now and I will give it a cautionary thumbs up. Here's the thing: It's like any high-frequency or procedure. It takes time to see results. Unlike the microcurrent machines like NuFace or Facemaster, this heats the skin and underneath to essentially encourage the growth of new collagen. And as we all know by now, collagen is key.

It requires about a 20-30 treatment every few days at first; tapering off to a couple times a month later. I did this faithfully every 3-4 days, then every 10 days, now about every other week.

I do feel it's helped with some of the initial jowl sag and even helped  reduce puffiness in my cheeks that make the nasolabial lines more noticeable (but they haven't gone away). I doesn't hurt, but take care to be careful once the skin is heated (you'll see the green light turn to orange once this occurs). You can burn yourself in the more tender places on your face.

I keep it on High for the jowls, cheeks, jaw and then turn it down for the eyes and even upper lip area. The somewhat sticky/greasy gel they send to use with it was a turn off at first, but I realize that it really works well and doesn't dry up or disintegrate like Aloe Vera or the like. It's something I would consider ordering to use with this machine.

If you're finding yourself whining "But who has the time?" then this  or any home device likely isn't for you. It takes time and commitment. Like exercise, just do it. However, I do it while watching TV and the time seems to fly by (whether I'm doing a home treatment or not). It works for me.

If you have significant sagging, I doubt this will help. But, if you're noticing the first signs and are already pretty good at doing home care, this might be a good fit for you.

I'll keep you posted as time goes on. :)

UPDATE 2015:

I rarely use this device any longer. It just doesn't seem to do much. Maybe it does and I just don't have the patience to see it ??

However, for a more "happening" treatment, try the NuFace, the galvanic or the FaceMaster (with reservations).