NEWA

Looking to improve the appearance of your skin? The NEWA Skin Care System might be the solution you’re seeking. This anti-aging skin treatment claims to represent an advanced technique for improving skin texture, reducing wrinkles, and repairing the elasticity and tightness of facial skin.

NEWA was created by EndyMed Medical and is powered by the company’s patented 3DEEP technology. Its goal is to stimulate collagen production in order to tighten and lift your facial skin, especially around your cheeks, jawline, and crow’s feet.

Considered safe for personal use, this technology relies on radio frequencies to create a pain-free, professional skincare treatment without a spa visit. According to the NEWA website, over 90 percent of users notice improvements to their wrinkles after just one month of use.

Will your skin improve if you commit to using NEWA? Are there other options you should consider instead? Learn from our analysis of this treatment, starting with this proprietary technology.

How Does NEWA’s 3DEEP Technology Work?

NEWA’s 3DEEP technology is powered by medical radio frequencies, although the manufacturer doesn’t specify exactly what these frequencies are.

For reference, EndyMed’s in-office Professional Model delivers a maximum power output of 65 watts and total radiofrequency energy of n/62mJ to U, along with a pulse duration of one to six seconds.

The device is designed specifically for women with light to medium-dark skin tones, and it works by producing gentle heat that you apply directly to the skin. This penetrates deep into the dermis layer where collagen—the skin’s main structural protein, which is responsible for providing firmness—is naturally produced.

In this way, the NEWA system and required activator gel work to heat your skin to the optimal temperature for collagen production. As collagen provides your skin with shape and elasticity, NEWA claims to improve the overall appearance and make you look younger.

To use, gently massage the NEWA device on a section of your face in small circular motions. For best results, NEWA recommends dividing your face into six sections, with each section getting treated for four minutes at a time.

The device's built-in timer automatically lets you know when it's time to add more activator gel and switch to another section. After a few weeks of practice, you should be able to do your NEWA treatments while in bed or watching TV.

You’ll first use the device five days per week during an initial four-week boosting phase. Afterward, NEWA recommends that you continue treatments twice per week, as your skin will continue to improve for the next six months.

You can continue your regular skincare routine on top of using the system.

The NEWA App

NEWA’s app doesn't add any functionality to their device. Still, it can help you "maximize your experience" by allowing you to track your treatment progress, create your treatment calendar, and add treatment reminders.

There, you’ll also be able to access instructions on how to use your device; tips, advice, FAQs, and videos, as well as NEWA’s online store for purchasing treatment gels and creams.

The app currently averages 2.3 stars on Google Play after 46 reviews. Many users had issues with the app freezing and deleting all their data.

NEWA’s app adds features like treatment tracking and reminders, as well as access to instructions and useful tips. Credit: Apple Corporation

The Clinical Science Behind NEWA

NEWA’s 3DEEP technology is FDA cleared for the non-invasive treatment of mild to moderate facial wrinkles and rhytides and has been validated by a handful of clinical studies from independent physicians.

We found five of these on the National Institutes of Health’s PubMed (none of which provided frequency, power output, or pulse details questioned above):

• A 12-week 2016 study consisting of 45 participants, which found that it caused statistically significant improvements “in the appearance of marionette lines, skin brightness, elasticity, firmness, lift (facial), lift (jawline), texture/smoothness, tone, and radiance/luminosity by expert visual assessment.”

• Another 2016 study that paired the 3DEEP technology with microneedling.

• A 2015 study looking at its ability to reduce cellulite and contour different parts of the body.

• A 2011 study gauging its ability to address lax skin, wrinkles, and acne scars.

• A 2010 study involving 23 participants, also looking at lax skin and wrinkles.

As a wellness company, EndyMed manufactures a whole line of in-office medical devices (including the Pro model mentioned earlier), and their patented 3DEEP Technology is used and recommended by thousands of dermatologists around the world, including Dr. Neil S. Sadick from the Department of Dermatology at Cornell University, who is quoted showing his support on the NEWA website.

Overall, these studies indicate that NEWA seems to work as described to boost collagen production in the skin for many of the people who used it.

Keep in mind that their sample sizes are small, which makes it unwise to extrapolate these results and assume the device will work the same way for you.

Potential Side Effects

The NEWA website emphasizes that the device is designed to be safe and effective for men and women alike, with one of the 2016 studies above reporting that “all subjects [found] the treatment to be painless with only mild erythema lasting up to 15 minutes post-treatment.”

These studies also note that your skin might feel hot during a NEWA treatment. If it begins to feel uncomfortable, the company recommends making bigger circles so that you don’t concentrate the heat in one spot. Plan on treating each section for a maximum of four minutes to avoid overtreatment.

Again, without knowing what frequencies NEWA operates on and how they compare to professional treatments, it’s hard to fully gauge what the safety precautions should be with this device.

Product Line and Pricing

The price for NEWA varies depending on what set you purchase. Here were the available options and pricing at publication.

The most significant difference between the NEWA+ and original NEWA is that the NEWA+ operates wirelessly for flexible treatment options, while the Original NEWA must be connected to its charger to work.

Shipping is free for every order, and all NEWA purchases qualify for a 30-day return policy if you aren’t happy with your results. You can contact customer service at support@mynewa.com to initiate this process.

Analysis of Customer Reviews

HighYa reviews have left six reviews of NEWA on the site, averaging 2.5 stars. There are an additional 55 reviews on Amazon, averaging 3.8 stars. Here’s what these shoppers are saying:

Common Compliments:

• Users noticed a difference after 3-4 weeks of use (most improvements were seen after 3-4 months)
• A cheaper option than professional treatments for similar results

Common Complaints:

• Some users never received their refund
• Too expensive for benefits (if any)
• Break down after a few weeks for some users
• Poor customer service experiences

Alternatives

Here’s how some of the most popular search engine results for at-home radiofrequency devices compared to NEWA at the time of our research:

How can you decide which of these options will best meet your needs?

Any time you’re focused on changing an underlying aspect of your skin, it’s important to start by having a discussion with a doctor about your concerns and goals. From there, they can recommend options that will deliver the most value for the money, based on your specific diagnosis.

It’s also important to point out that we encountered limited clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of at-home radiofrequency devices during our research, so your doctor can also help set realistic expectations regarding the results you might achieve.

It might be in your skin’s better interest to invest in a professional treatment, rather than an at-home service.

The Bottom Line

According to Jason Emer, MD, a Los Angeles-based dermatologic surgeon, when it comes to in-office treatments, “Not all RF devices are the same, and the results are technician dependent—that is most important.”

However, based on the general lack of conclusive clinical evidence we encountered that is specific to NEWA, it seems unclear if this is necessarily the case with lower-powered at-home versions.

Even so, customer reviews seem to show that many users are happy with the results they experienced when using this device. Some thought they were too subtle to justify the purchase price.

If you feel like rolling the dice on the device, you can take advantage of the company’s 30-day refund policy, which, if used daily as recommended, should be more than enough time to decide if it meets your expectations.

For those that are committed to reducing the appearance of fine lines on their face without seeking treatment from a dermatologist, the NEWA Skin Care System seems like it could be a viable home treatment option.