Do those viral facial sculpting tools actually do anything?

If you're someone who's guilty of dropping a very silly amount on random beauty tools you see on the internet, welcome friend. You're in a safe place.

Because when social media is absolutely bursting with jazzy-looking beauty tools that look very high-tech and impressive and like the next best thing, it's almost impossible not to get sucked into the marketing hype. We feel you!

One tool that's been doing the rounds on social media? This very specific facial sculpting tool we guarantee you've seen everywhere:

Does it look familiar? Course it does!

There are a few different variations on the market, but they mostly claim to do the same thing: contour and sculpt your face, clear acne and provide long-lasting results when it comes to fine lines and wrinkles.

A tall order. So, do they actually work? Can these devices actually clear acne as well as build collagen and elastin?

Well, we recently came across a post from everyone's favourite dermal clinician Jayde Taylor (also known as @drivenbybeauty — if you don't follow her on Instagram or TikTok already, you simply must) where she broke down everything you need to know before dropping a whole heap of cash on these kinds of tools. Because if there's one thing Jayde is awful good at, it's exposing all the BS marketing tactics she sees in the skincare industry.

And these days, it's a pretty hefty job.

Watch: Speaking of skincare, here's Amanda Ramsay on skincare over 50. Post continues below.

Putting the product to the test on Instagram, she applied a serum beforehand as per the instructions — reaching for the COSRX Snail Mucin. "What does this claim to do? To lift, tighten and help with wrinkles — if you want to help with wrinkles, you need to promote collagen and elastin. We need to help fill those deficits," she shared.So, is it going to do anything for your lines long-term? Does it help fill those deficits?"Babe, no," she said. And OH. "We need to target the dermis." What it is doing, she shared, is giving you a vibration on your zygomatic bone (your cheekbone) … and not a lot else.

Cool cool cool.

"This will temporarily move and lift fluid," she said. "And it's going to elevate lines. When we temporarily move and lift fluid, it's the same as if you were doing this on someone with lymphoedema and MLD. It comes back."

"It does not get to 43 degrees, which is the temperature needed to create neocollagenesis or new collagen. The effects of this are temporary."

So then why are so many people getting such good results from these little devices at home? Why do the before and after pictures look so damn good?!

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Well, according to Jayde, there's a certain age group that is purchasing this — the target market, she said, is middle-aged women."

Because who doesn't want a nice lifting and tightening?! What happens is, you're told to use this with an oil or a serum and when you apply this to the skin with a bit of heat, and a bit of vibration, it infuses the oil or the serum into the skin, and it makes dehydrated or dry skin look more plumper and juicier and luminous and vibrant."Read: It enhances your skincare benefits and makes your skin look better than it did before."These are the results you're seeing in the before and afters online," said Jayde. "There's no harm in doing this, but just be sure you're able to look at those before and after and see through them."The second market they're targeting with this device, said Jayde, is those with acne.

However, "the blue light is not large enough to actually oxidise the acne-causing bacteria like a true blue LED light."What people are doing, she said, is "putting on a nice hydrating serum or an oil — yes, I would not recommend oil for acne — and they might be using this every night or every morning and night, and they're finally hydrating that barrier that they've over-stripped. And it's putting some warmth in the skin — but I don't think it's enough warmth to actually do anything to that acne-causing bacteria."

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As long as you're hydrating your barrier after stripping it, it's going to do wonder for your acne lesions. To do this, you just need a mist, a hyaluronic acid and a good moisturiser, said Jayde. Not a fancy and expensive face tool.

Showing her results post-treatment, she said: "I guarantee that it will go back to normal tomorrow. Our lymphatics come back, and this LED strip is literally doing nothing."

"This would be nice pre-event, but I guarantee by the end of the event, particularly if you've had a few drinks, the fluid is going to be back and your face is going to be back down. For 15 minutes a day, I would rather just get a treatment — because that's going to have longer-lasting effects. "

Plus, if this was the answer to all of your ageing concerns — everyone would be using it, right?

As Jayde said in her Instagram video, "If we're not using it in the medical and aesthetics industry, then why are you?"

"There's NO harm in this little device. Just understand the marketing claims and know your time is precious."

Hear, hear.

Have you tried this device before? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: TikTok/@iuminiqueglow/@natikarolaa/@miabrzy.