Skin therapy since 2012
Laura Gallagher
Lead Aesthetician- BTEC National Diploma
Our lead aesthetician, qualified in beauty therapy science in 2012 and working in aesthetics ever since, drawn to the natural results a doctor led clinic can reach.
faceStim Birmingham
There is a moment most people know from the bathroom mirror. The face still looks like you. But the cheeks sit lower than they used to, and the jawline has gone soft. So a good night’s sleep no longer smooths it out.
faceStim muscle lift
Radiofrequency and muscle stimulation that lifts and firms the face with no needles, performed by MediZen's skin specialists.
- Best results 6 treatments
- Results last Long-term
- Back to work Same day
- Anaesthetic None
- Recovery Immediate
- From £250
Price from
From £250
per treatment
Who is faceStim for?
Most people who book faceStim have a date circled on the calendar or a photograph that stopped them. A wedding six weeks out. A run of pictures where the lower face looked heavier than it feels. A slow softening around the mouth and jaw that make-up cannot lift. You may want a firmer, more defined face without surgery or a syringe. Perhaps you would rather look like a well-rested version of yourself than a different person. If so, this is the treatment written for you.
Across our Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield clinics, clients come to faceStim to:
- Add volume back to flattened cheeks.
- Lift and firm along the jawline and reduce the look of jowls.
- Soften nasolabial lines and improve tear troughs.
- Create a subtle brow lift and ease crow’s feet.
- Even out facial asymmetry, such as an uneven smile or one brow sitting lower than the other.
- Firm lax skin on the neck.
- Look event-ready fast, with a lift that shows the same day.
Where faceStim stops
It is only fair to say where faceStim stops. It will not do the work of a facelift. So if your concern is heavy, structural sagging, your practitioner may point you toward a surgical opinion instead. A single session gives a lift that lasts around five days. As a result, one visit makes a lovely pre-event boost rather than a lasting change. The durable results come from a course. And we do not treat during pregnancy or breastfeeding. What faceStim does beautifully is put back the tone that fades as collagen and muscle strength decline with age. The British Association of Dermatologists ties this change to the natural slowing of collagen production from our mid-twenties on. It uses the same muscle-stimulation principle our skin specialists apply to the body with truFlex. Here it is focused on the small, precise muscles of the face.
What is faceStim?
faceStim is a non-surgical, non-injectable facial treatment that combines two technologies in one handpiece: bipolar radiofrequency and muscle stimulation. The radiofrequency warms the deeper layers of the skin. This prompts the fibroblasts, the cells that build structure, to lay down fresh collagen and remodel loose tissue. At the same time, the device contracts the facial muscles directly. It works them the way exercise works any other muscle, so they sit firmer and higher. The technique behind it, Diatermocontraction, has been used in medicine for years to build and rehabilitate muscle. Here it is refined for the face.
What sets faceStim apart from a broad facial device is precision. The handpiece lets your MediZen skin specialist isolate one muscle group at a time. So a session can lift a single flattened cheek, raise a lower-sitting brow or bring symmetry to an uneven smile. It does this rather than treating the whole face with one setting. Our experienced therapists and skin specialists carry out faceStim, inside a clinic that is medically led throughout. So the thinking behind your treatment is clinical, even though no needle is involved.
Why muscle tone matters
A good part of what the face loses with age is muscle tone rather than volume. That is why chasing the change with product alone can only take you so far. In turn, faceStim is delivered under the clinical direction of Dr David Eccleston. He is a member of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine. It lifts the face using its own architecture first. So the result reads as you on a good day rather than as work.
Because faceStim asks nothing of your diary, it sits comfortably alongside the treatments that improve the skin itself. Many clients run a course beside a skin-quality treatment such as Profhilo. So the muscle lifts while the surface gains its own hydration and glow. Your practitioner will map the combination that suits your face at your consultation.
Before and After
Lip asymmetry & tear troughs
Patient goal: Improve asymmetry of the lips and tear troughs, and lift and tighten the skin overall.
Treatment: 1 faceStim.
Result: Immediate
Before and After
Jowls & lower-face lift
Patient goal: Improve nasolabial lines, reduce the appearance of jowls and lift the lower half of the face.
Treatment: 1 faceStim.
Result: Immediate
Before and After
Cheeks & nasolabial lines
Patient goal: Improve nasolabial lines and tear troughs, and add volume to the cheeks.
Treatment: Course of faceStim.
Result: 6 weeks
Before and After
Lines, wrinkles & crow's feet
Patient goal: Improve lines and wrinkles, crow’s feet and nasolabial lines
Treatment: Course of faceStim
Result: 6 weeks
Before and After
Nasolabial lines & tear troughs
Patient goal: Improve nasolabial lines and tear troughs
Treatment: Course of faceStim
Result: 6 weeks
Before and After
Cheek volume & contour
Patient goal: Improve nasolabial lines and add volume to the cheeks
Treatment: Course of faceStim
Result: 6 weeks
HydraStim: faceStim and HydraFacial in one visit
Our most-loved way to have faceStim is HydraStim, and MediZen is the only clinic in the UK to offer it. It pairs a faceStim muscle lift with a HydraFacial in the same appointment. So the face is lifted and firmed while the skin is deep-cleansed, exfoliated and flooded with serums. You leave with the contour of the lift and the immediate glow of a freshly resurfaced complexion. That is why it has become the go-to before weddings, parties and big occasions.
The two treatments work on different layers, and that is what makes the pairing so effective. Specifically, faceStim reaches down to the muscle and the deeper skin where collagen is built. Meanwhile, the HydraFacial works at the surface, clearing congestion and delivering hydration. Run monthly, HydraStim keeps both the shape and the shine of the face on an even keel.
You can book faceStim on its own, as a course of six, or as HydraStim. Either way, your practitioner builds the schedule around your skin and your calendar at the Birmingham clinic. For a first visit, most people start with a single session to feel the lift for themselves. Then they commit to a course once they have seen what one treatment can do.
Comparison
faceStim vs EMFACE: which facial muscle treatment?
People researching a facial muscle lift in Birmingham often come across EMFACE. It is a fair thing to weigh up. After all, both treatments firm the face using radiofrequency and muscle stimulation rather than needles. At MediZen we use faceStim. Here is an honest side by side so you can choose with your eyes open.
faceStim
EMFACE
Technology
Bipolar radiofrequency plus muscle contraction (Diatermocontraction)
Synchronised radiofrequency plus HIFES muscle stimulation
Muscle targeting
Handpiece isolates individual muscle groups
Fixed applicators treat broad zones
Asymmetry correction
Yes, muscle by muscle
Limited
Immediate pre-event result
Visible the same day
Builds over the course
Typical course
6 sessions, one a week
4 sessions over about a month
Comfort
Warm, like a hot stone massage
Tingling contractions
Downtime
None
None
At MediZen Birmingham
Yes
We offer faceStim
From
£250
n/a
Your journey
What to expect at your appointment
faceStim
Who will treat you
Our team is extensively trained in every treatment they perform. These are the practitioners who carry out faceStim at MediZen.
Skincare led approach
Laura Valenzano
Senior Aesthetician - BA Hons Aesthetic Practitioner Degree
Our senior aesthetician and a degree qualified aesthetic practitioner, combining medical grade skincare with bespoke in clinic treatments to reach your skin goals.
Every skin type and tone
Jemimah Dela Tetteh
Aesthetician - BA Hons Aesthetic Practitioner Degree
An honours degree aesthetic practitioner with years of experience in Birmingham clinics, treating every skin type, tone and concern with a calm, thorough approach.
Skin analysis and regimes
Annabelle Rowlands
Aesthetician - BTEC National Diploma, GNVQ
Our HydraFacial specialist, trained in skin nutrition, anatomy and skin health, who analyses your skin closely and builds a tailored regime around it.
As featured in
Pricing
faceStim prices
Every faceStim plan starts with a consultation, so the schedule and the price fit your face rather than a template. A single 30-minute session suits a one-off, pre-event lift. A course of six, one a week, is what delivers the lasting result our clients come back for. In addition, faceStim is included on our MedPremium skin membership, which spreads the cost across the year.
Treatment
Price
faceStim, single 30-minute treatment
From £250
Course of 6 (one a week for six weeks)
Priced at consultation
HydraStim (faceStim plus HydraFacial)
Priced at consultation
MedPremium skin membership (faceStim included)
£180 / month
Good to know
faceStim FAQs
Still weighing up faceStim in Birmingham? These are the questions our clients ask most about the treatment itself. They cover comfort and safety through to sessions, downtime and how it compares to a syringe. For questions about a specific concern or what it costs, see the section just below.
faceStim is a low-risk, non-invasive treatment with no needles and no anaesthetic. It is carried out by MediZen’s trained skin specialists inside a medically led clinic. It suits almost everyone. The main exceptions are pregnancy and breastfeeding, when we ask you to wait. They also include anyone with certain electrical implants, which we check at your consultation. That is exactly why every plan starts with a full medical history.
No. The session opens with radiofrequency that gently warms the muscles, which most people compare to a relaxing hot stone massage. The muscle stimulation that follows is not painful. It is a pulling, contracting sensation you have probably not felt before. Almost everyone settles into it within the first few minutes.
It works on two levels at once. Radiofrequency heats the deeper skin so it produces new collagen and firms over the following weeks. Meanwhile the device contracts the facial muscles directly to lift and tone them, the way exercise tones any muscle. The result is a face that sits firmer and higher, built from your own tissue rather than filled with product.
The science is the same, radiofrequency plus muscle stimulation, and the two treatments aim at the same result. The practical difference is precision. faceStim uses a handpiece that lets your practitioner target one facial muscle at a time. That is what allows us to correct asymmetry and tailor the lift to your face. It does this rather than treating everything with one broad applicator. If a clinic has recommended EMFACE, book a consultation and we will talk you honestly through both.
You will see a lift after your very first session, and that result holds for around five days. That is why so many people book a single treatment before a wedding or a party. For a lasting change we recommend a course of six, one a week for six weeks. After a full course the result tends to last in the region of eight months. A maintenance session every three to four months keeps it there.
None. faceStim is a genuine lunch-hour treatment. There is no redness to hide and nothing to recover from. So you can put your make-up back on and return to work or normal activities the moment you leave.
Not entirely, but it changes the maths. faceStim lifts using your own muscle and collagen. So many clients find they need noticeably less dermal filler to look refreshed. Some prefer it as a needle-free alternative altogether. Your practitioner will give you an honest view of what faceStim can do on its own. They will also show where a little filler might still help.
A single faceStim treatment takes about 30 minutes, including the time to settle you and take your before photographs. Even a full course asks very little of your week. That is part of why our Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield clients keep it up.
It is one of the best pre-event treatments we offer. A single session lifts and firms the face the same day. That result sits at its best for around five days. So timing it two or three days before the occasion is ideal. If you have longer to prepare, a short course before the date gives an even stronger, longer-held result.
The results are long-lasting rather than permanent, because the face keeps ageing after your course ends. A full course of six holds for around eight months. Most people keep that firmness with a top-up session every three to four months. Think of it the way you would a fitness routine. The muscle stays toned for as long as you keep it worked.
There is very little to report, which is part of the appeal. You may notice mild warmth or a little pinkness in the treated area for an hour or so. That settles on its own. Because nothing pierces the skin, there is no bruising and no swelling. You also avoid the marks that can follow a needle.
Almost none. You can wear make-up and carry on with your day the moment you leave. We do suggest drinking plenty of water and protecting the skin with a daily SPF. Good hydration and sun care help the collagen work show at its best. Your full aftercare notes arrive in your confirmation email.
The two sit at opposite ends of the scale. A surgical facelift repositions tissue under anaesthetic with weeks of recovery. faceStim lifts by toning muscle and building collagen with no downtime at all. It will not match surgery for heavy, structural sagging. If that is your concern, a skin-tightening option such as Secret PRO or a surgical opinion may suit you better. For firming and softening without going under the knife, faceStim is a gentle, gradual alternative.
There is no set age. Clients in their thirties often use it to stay ahead of the first softening around the jaw and cheeks. Those in their fifties and sixties come to firm skin and muscle that has lost tone over time. What matters is your skin and your goals. Your practitioner assesses these at your consultation rather than your date of birth.
Yes, and a growing number of our Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield clients do. faceStim firms the jawline and lifts the cheeks without altering the character of the face. That suits men who want to look less tired and more defined rather than obviously treated. The plan is built around the areas you want to work on.
Come with clean skin and no make-up so we can treat the face directly. Pause active skincare such as retinols and acids for three to five days beforehand. Leave at least two weeks after any injectable treatment such as anti-wrinkle injections or dermal filler. Skip alcohol for the 24 hours before. That is all it takes to get the cleanest result.
It is. faceStim uses radiofrequency and muscle stimulation rather than light or laser energy. So it carries none of the pigment-related risk that some light-based treatments can pose for richer skin tones. It is safe across all skin types, which we confirm along with your medical history at your consultation.
By concern
faceStim for your concern and costs
Wondering whether faceStim is right for your particular concern, or what it costs? These are the questions we hear most about treating individual issues. They cover jowls, nasolabial lines, tear troughs, facial asymmetry and the neck, along with pricing and combining treatments.
Yes. Lifting the lower face is one of the things faceStim does best. By contracting and toning the muscles that support the jawline and cheeks, it firms the area. It softens the look of jowls and brings back a cleaner, more defined jaw. That shows most clearly across a course of six.
It can soften both. Lifting and volumising the cheek takes some of the weight off the nasolabial folds. Toning the muscles around the eyes helps the tear-trough area look less hollow. If the under-eye is your main concern, we may also talk to you about a regenerative option such as polynucleotides. Your practitioner will recommend the right route at your consultation.
This is where the handpiece earns its keep. Because we can target one muscle at a time, faceStim is well suited to gently evening out asymmetry. That might be an uneven smile or a lip that sits lower on one side. It can also mean one brow lower than the other. It is a subtle correction that builds over a course rather than an overnight change.
Yes. Toning the muscles across the upper face creates a subtle brow lift. It also helps ease the fine lines at the corners of the eyes. Some clients pair it with anti-wrinkle injections for the deeper expression lines. Your practitioner will explain how the two work together if that suits you.
It does. The same radiofrequency and muscle stimulation firm the skin and underlying muscle on the neck. This eases the crepey, lax look that tends to arrive there first. We often treat the neck alongside the face so the two areas lift in step.
Yes, and it is our signature combination. HydraStim brings faceStim and a HydraFacial together in one appointment. So you get the lift of one and the deep-cleansed glow of the other. MediZen is the only clinic in the UK to offer it, and it is a favourite before big occasions.
faceStim starts from £250 for a single 30-minute treatment, with a course of six recommended for lasting results. It is also included on our MedPremium skin membership at £180 a month, which spreads the cost through the year. You can see the full price table above, or ask about memberships and packages at your consultation.
Yes, and it is a pairing we suggest often. faceStim lifts and firms the muscle while a skin-quality treatment such as Profhilo hydrates and improves the surface. So the contour and the glow come on together. Your practitioner will space the two so each has room to do its job.
It can help. The same radiofrequency and muscle stimulation firm the soft tissue beneath the chin and along the upper neck. This eases the look of a heavy or crepey under-chin. We usually treat it alongside the jawline so the whole lower face lifts in step. The effect strengthens across a course of six.
Why MediZen
As one of the UK’s leading medical aesthetic clinical trial and training centres, and one of only a handful of cosmetic clinics registered with the Government’s Care Quality Commission, you can be confident that our focus is your needs and that quality, training, safety and pain management are paramount in everything that we offer.
We have been using injectables here at MediZen for over 20 years. MediZen’s clinical director, Dr David Eccleston, was one of the first doctors in the UK to offer injectables and is therefore extremely experienced in the use of all injectable treatments, leading to him being named by Tatler as the ‘Man in the Midlands for Injectables’.
All of our injectors have been trained personally by Dr Eccleston, so no matter who you see, you can rest assured they have the skills and knowledge required to give you subtle, natural-looking results in the safest of environments.
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