Sensica Sensilift review

What is it?

This small, handheld device sends bipolar Radio Frequency current into your skin dermis layer. Resistance in your tissues to the RF current creates gentle heat. This heat first tightens your collagen fibres, and then stimulates fibroblast activity to gradually rebuild stronger collagen & elastin structures in your skin. The result is tighter skin and faded wrinkles, with firmer, plump, and bright skin too. Use it with Sensica or Currentbody.com glycerin-based prep gel. Learn more about Radio Frequency here.

The Sensilift combines RF current with an optional, simultaneous massaging action. Sensica says the massage action not only stimulates circulation, but means the RF waves travel deeper, and through multiple skin layers at the same time so heating more of your skin. The combined action safely heats your sub-dermal layers boosting collagen and elastin through all your skin levels.

First impressions

The Sensilift comes in a small, sturdy, and attractive white and bronze cardboard box. There’s a fair bit of plastic securing the contents in the box. Keep it all to safely store the device. It fits in a regular depth draw.

The Sensica Sensilift box contents:

• Sensilift device
• 60ml base prep gel
• Mains adaptor
• UK & EU plug
• Protective cotton bag
• Sensilift user manual
• Sensilift quick start guide
• Sensica warranty card

Quality & design

The Sensilift is a handy, mains-powered device with a very distinctive curvy profile. It’s styled in two-tone white on top and a subtly shimmery bronze under-belly. The small and light-weight device has quality materials and a solid, durable construction.

There’s a good quality, supple 180cm long power cable. My device comes with interchangeable UK and European plug adaptors. I find a mains extension cable comes in handy so I can get comfy on my bed during each session.

The treatment head on the Sensilift is unlike other at-home RF devices. It has two treatment fingers. Flexible grey silicone wraps around the bottom half of each finger, and the top half exposes the large, smooth, shiny chrome RF electrodes. On the tip and in the middle of each electrode is a small temperature sensor.

The treatment fingers also move side to side in a massaging action. Sensica call this combined massage and RF Dynamic RF (DRF^TM). The gentle kneading action manipulates the skin tissues so the RF current passes through more layers and reaches deeper down into the dermis. But the skin never overheats as the temperature sensors control the RF and turn it off when the skin surface reaches 40^oC.

And you must use the Sensica prep gel (or an RF gel alternative) with the Sensilift. This glycerin-based gel overcomes the electrical impedance of our outer skin layer (the stratum cornea) and passes the RF current down to the dermis layer. The Sensica gel is a 60ml tube with a handy roll-on applicator. It lasts ages and, compared to other brand consumables, it’s good value at £19.99 to £24.99 a tube.

Before you start

Before you start, read the user guide. It’s a quick and easy read with helpful diagrams. It explains how RF works, the treatment areas and schedule, what to expect and how to use it.

You’ll also find a list of warnings and reasons you may be unsuitable to use the Sensilift. Such contraindications are if you’re under 18 years old, pregnant, have diabetes, a pacemaker, metal implants (dental implants are ok), skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema, cold sores, take blood thinning medications, permanent fillers or if you’ve had Botox, laser resurfacing or a chemical peel within the last 3 months. There are more listed in the user guide, so please read it!

Learn more about RF contraindications here and check the Sensilift user guide here.

Do a skin sensitivity test too. Apply the gel to a small bit of your treatment area and treat it for 3 minutes on high RF (level 3). If it gets too hot or comfortable, drop down a level. Wait 48 hours and if you’ve no adverse reactions you can then do a full session at your most comfy RF level.

Sensilift routine

First, find a comfy spot. I like to get set-up on my bed where I can also watch TV during my session.

You can do it at any time of the day, but I prefer an evening wind down session. I use a small laptop tray, my CurrentBody illuminated mirror and an extension cable. For your first few sessions you’ll need the user guide and /or quick start guide handy too.

Wash and dry your face. Don’t apply any serums or moisturisers.

Next, apply the base gel. Gently squeeze the tube and glide the roller-balls along your skin. It applies just the right amount of gel to your skin. No brush required and no sticky hands. Love it. The gel doesn’t dry out so you can apply it to your whole face and neck in one go. Or apply it in sections as you prefer.

Then select your RF heat level and massage speed. Choose from 3 RF levels, and 2 massage speeds. The massage function is optional (but promises best results). Don’t forget to do your skin sensitivity test 48 hours before a full session.

Treat your face and neck in small sections, covering each in small, slow circular motions until it reaches the target temperature. Sensica detail five treatment areas. However, there are actually more because you have them on both sides of your face. Here are the full face and neck treatment areas (in my preferred treatment order).

1. Right crow’s feet
2. Left crow’s feet
3. Right cheek, upper lip & nasolabial fold
4. Left cheek, upper lip & nasolabial fold
5. Chin & jawline (across both sides)
6. Right side of neck
7. Left side of neck
8. Forehead

You can also treat the backs of your hands and your chest/décolletage. Sensica say to treat in 4cm² patches of skin for 5 minutes each. Then move to the next patch and repeat until you’ve warmed all the skin. 4cm² seems rather small to me, so I do a slightly bigger area. It takes me 10 mins to treat one hand, and 20 mins to treat my decolletage.

Place the electrodes on your skin and draw a continuous series of small, slow circles next to each other. The aim is to keep the status indicator light green. This means the RF current is flowing. If the green light goes off, this shows your skin has reached the target temperature of 40⁰C. So, move to the next bit of adjacent and cooler skin. Repeat the small circles in the treatment area until 5 minutes is up, or 10 minutes for the whole forehead.

Draw circles side-to-side across your cheeks and crow’s feet, up-and-down to cover your neck, nasolabial folds and forehead, and slowly swipe from one side of your jaw to the other.

Do slow, small circles across or up & down your skin, and slow swipes all along your jawline

What does it feel like?

First, the base gel is the best RF gel I’ve tested. There’s nothing different or special about the ingredients or formulation – it’s just a glycerin-based gel – but I love it’s so easy to apply. And that’s because the roll-on balls give the perfect, precise, finger-free application. Plus, you only need a thin layer of the gel and that’s exactly what the applicator gives. And it doesn’t dry out either.

To avoid skin reactions or breakouts, wash off the gel with cool water once you’re finished.

The long curvy handle on the device fits snug in your hand and the ergonomic shape means you can keep your arm at a natural angle close to your body so it’s not awkward or tiring to maneouvre the device around your face. You can also clearly see where you’re positioning the treatment fingers. It’s the most comfy and precise home RF device I’ve tested.

The warm RF and gentle massage feels very pleasant and soothing. I particularly like it around my cheeks, mouth and jawline. The electrodes are large and smooth, so they glide around your contours as they massage and don’t dig into my deeper forehead grooves! The size and angle of the massaging fingers also fits perfectly around cheekbones and the jaw bone.

You feel the warmth of the RF come and go as your skin reaches temperature. It never feels too hot, just pleasantly warm. The green “RF = on” status indicator doesn’t always match the heat sensation, but it’s helpful to remind you to keep moving the electrodes all around the treatment area.

And I’m surprised by how much I like the massage action. It’s gentle not intense, because the electrodes have good slip over your skin. I don’t find it ticklish as such, but it certainly puts a smile on my face! However, the massage motor makes a rhythmic mechanical hum-noise as it goes so it’s certainly not a silent, stealth beauty device.

I set a timer on my phone for each section. And I find it quick to get all my skin up to temperature so I can cover the treatment area several times during 5 minutes. It’s easy and intuitive, and doesn’t demand too much concentration. So, you can relax and watch TV at the same time, if you like.

I like how my skin feels too. The heat makes it a little pinky-red during and after a session. But this fades quickly within an hour. It also leaves my skin feeling fresh and slightly plumped. And the next day it feels noticeably smoother and firm too.

Schedule, effort & results

The Sensilift start-up schedule is the lowest effort at home RF device. Use it once a week for 8 weeks. Pick a time you can commit to weekly and won’t forget. Such as a pampering Saturday morning or a quiet weekday evening.  

You’ll need an unrushed 45 minutes for full face and neck. It’s quite time intensive, but it’s rather relaxing and easy and some pampering time I really look forward to. Set aside a quiet hour and you can catch up on a few TV episodes whilst you do it.

After 8 weekly sessions you can switch to less regular maintenance sessions. Sensica suggest them once every 4 to 8 weeks. This is by far the lowest effort at-home RF maintenance schedule. So, it’s perfect if you’re busy and short on time. But don’t forget to schedule in your sessions! Write or save them in your calendar so you’re less likely to forget and lose track.

Advertised results

What it fixes: tightens & lifts sagging skin, smooths, refines texture & large pores, plumps & firms, fades fine lines & wrinkles, gives a radiant glow.

You may feel changes in your skin after just your first or second session. Typically, this means smoother, firmer, and plumper skin, especially the day after a session. But you must allow the full 8 weekly sessions to see noticeable results. It’s during this time your collagen and elastin gradually refreshes and strengthens for tighter and brighter skin.

Based on user feedback, some see noticeable changes between 4 and 6 sessions. Their skin feels softer, firm and bouncy, with refined pores, smoothed texture and softer lines, a clarified, even complexion and a radiant glow. And these results become even more noticeable in the following weeks too.

Results are subtle for some, whereas others see a more dramatic lifting of sagging skin and plumping of nasolabial lines and wrinkles. So, bear in mind results vary in significance and by individual too. Continued use gives best results and your skin may continue to improve passed the 8 weekly start-up sessions.

The negatives

There’s a lot to love about the Sensilift kit and only a few small niggles to be aware of.

First, you can’t use it directly under your eyes. This is a bummer because it’s a key area of concern for many. I did try it there and won’t again. I found my under-eye skin drier and thinner the next day so my fine lines and wrinkles were more obvious. It returned to normal after a few days of TLC with serums and creams, but it’s not something I want to repeat!

Second, as mentioned earlier, the motor powering the massage fingers is a little noisy. It’s a rhythmic mechanical hum which is faster and more earnest on level two. This may be the kind of thing to annoy you (or other people nearby) so it’s worth noting. I simply turn-up the TV volume a notch or two and jobs a good’un.

Next, although Sensica say the combined massage and RF is clinically proven, there’s no available data comparing results to RF on its own. So, there’s no way to know how much the massaging action improves your results. The theory makes sense, but a little supporting data would be more reassuring. Regardless, it does feel rather good.

You may also find the Sensilift device doesn’t work so well with a basic extension cable. I found an FAQ on sensica.com advising the device can stop working if you use such an extension cable. So, this means you must sit very close to an outlet because the mains cord is only 180cm long. I did experience this myself with a cheaper indoor mains extension cable. However, after trying my more robust outdoor extension reel, it worked fine.

Also, depending on the angle of my mirror I sometimes can’t see the status indicator light on the curved top of the device. So, I don’t know if it’s green or not. However, this isn’t such a big deal if you keep the electrodes slowly moving over the entirety of each small treatment area. My skin gets to temperature quickly so this method maintains it for each 5-minute section.

And finally, as mentioned before, a full face and neck session is rather time consuming at 45 minutes. It takes me an additional 40 minutes to do hands and decolletage too (I prefer to do these areas on a different day). So, you must set aside an hour to complete a session. However, during start-up, you only need one session per week. That’s versus 2 or 3 sessions per week with rival at home RF brands. And maintenance is easy too, with a session every 4 to 8 weeks, versus one every week or fortnight. It’s by far the least effort.

Sensica Sensilift Review Summary

There’s a lot to like about the Sensica Sensilift.

I love the easy roll-on gel and the device design is easy and feels very pleasant indeed. So, you’ll look forward to your weekly pampering session. I find my skin doesn’t feel as hot during sessions as with rival devices, but the results are still good. Plus, you get a 60-day money-back guarantee so you can try it, and return it if it’s not for you.

Here’s a summary of my test scores, and pros and cons for the Sensica Sensilift to help you decide:

Ease of use

👍👍👍👍

Simple & comfy with a very pleasant warm, massaging sensation. Use with the Sensica gel – ❤️ the clever mess-free roll-on applicator. Choose from x3 RF heat levels, and x2 massage speeds. The temperature sensors prevent your skin from overheating. Use morning or night,  very easy routines mean you can also watch TV. No pain or irritation. Leaves skin pink, plump & refreshed.

Effort

💧💧

The lowest effort home RF device with 1 session per week for 8 weeks. Each full face and neck session takes 45 minutes. More if you add in hands & decolletage, but you can spread sessions over alternate days. Super-low maintenance sessions recommended every 4 to 8 weeks, but you may benefit from them more regularly.

Results

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Immediate smooth skin. Boosts cell turnover, collagen & elastin build gradually, refreshing and brightening. Healthier skin, faded wrinkles & pigmentation over a month or so.



Pros

• Comfy & intuitive to use
• Very pleasant warm, massaging sensation
• Use on your decolletage too!
• Easy, no-mess good value base gel
  Very easy routines so you can do as you watch TV
• Easy to fit in weekly start-up sessions
• Low effort maintenance sessions
• A more affordable at-home RF option
• Clinically proven, CE certified & FDA-cleared
• 60-day money back guarantee

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Cons

• Massaging action is a little noisy
• Rather time consuming full face & neck sessions
• Not suitable for the under-eye area
• No available clinical data on Dynamic RFTM (RF & massaging action)
• You may benefit from more frequent maintenance sessions than suggested

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