Anne Curtis-Smith Does Not Do Injections. This Week, She Told Us What She Does Instead.
- Dr. Jan Dipasupil
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
There is a particular kind of Manila beauty conversation that has been ongoing, mostly in whispers, for the last decade. It is the conversation about the celebrity who appears on a magazine cover and looks twenty-eight when she is forty-two, and the polite agreement, in the absence of any honest disclosure, to attribute the result to good genes, good lighting, and good water.
On Tuesday, Anne Curtis-Smith did something unusual. She told us what she actually does.
At the BTL Medical Technologies launch event for EMFACE in the Philippines, the actress, host, and now newly named ambassador for the device, made a statement that was less a marketing line than a small cultural intervention. She does not do injections on her face. She has not been doing them. What she wants is a natural lift, a snatched look, glowing skin, and she wants all of it to look like her.
This is the moment EMFACE has been waiting for in this market.
What Anne Curtis-Smith said matters
The Filipina aesthetic conversation, like the Hong Kong one and the Singapore one before it, has been increasingly dominated for the last fifteen years by injectables. Botox at thirty. Filler at thirty-five. Lip flips and chin enhancement and the entire vocabulary of subtle augmentation. None of these are wrong. Many of them are beautiful when done by a careful physician.
But there has been a quiet counter-current. The women, often the ones we have not heard from publicly, who do not want injections on their faces. Who want their faces to age, but to age well. Who want a lift that does not change the architecture of their smile or the geometry of their resting expression. Who want, in Anne’s word, natural.
For a long time, the honest answer to these women was that the technology had not caught up to the request. Skin tightening devices firmed the surface. Lasers refined the texture. None of them addressed the deeper question, which is muscle.
EMFACE, launched in the Philippines on June 2, addresses muscle.
What EMFACE actually does
EMFACE is the first non-invasive device that combines two technologies simultaneously: HIFES, high-intensity facial electrical stimulation, which contracts the elevator muscles of the face thousands of times per session, and Synchronized RF, radiofrequency that heats the dermis to remodel collagen.
A face has two kinds of muscles. Depressors pull the face down: the frown muscles between the brows, the muscles that drag the corner of the mouth, the platysmal bands in the neck. Elevatorshold the face up: the frontalis that lifts the brow, the muscles around the eyes, the muscles in the cheek that support the midface, the muscles in the submentum that define the angle of the jaw.
Botox relaxes depressors. EMFACE strengthens elevators. They work on opposite muscle groups and they ask opposite questions.
This is why the device matters for the woman who has declined injections. She does not want her depressor muscles relaxed. She wants her elevator muscles to do the work they used to do at thirty.
A standard EMFACE protocol is twenty minutes per session, four sessions, five to ten days apart. No needles. No anaesthesia. No downtime. The applicator sits on the skin. The contractions are felt, not seen. The result builds over six to twelve weeks as the muscles strengthen and the collagen remodels.
The snatched look, decoded
The phrase Anne used — snatched — is the social media language for what aesthetic medicine calls midface elevation and jawline definition. The cheek apple sits higher. The angle of the jaw is more defined. The transition from face to neck is cleaner. The brow is fractionally lifted. The face, in photographs, reads as more taut and more awake without anything appearing different.
This is not a Botox result. Botox would relax muscles that may already be moving correctly. The snatched look is an architectural result, and it requires architectural intervention. EMFACE was, in many ways, engineered for exactly this aesthetic outcome.
The glow Anne described is the dermal consequence. The Synchronized RF component stimulates collagen and elastin and supports hyaluronic acid synthesis in the treated areas. Skin reads as more hydrated. Pores read as smaller. The face catches light differently. This is the same biological mechanism behind why a well-rested face reflects light better than a tired one, except delivered by a device.
Why this launch matters in Manila
EMFACE has been quietly available in Manila for over a year. Jan Medical Group has been prescribing it at the Bonifacio Global City flagship long before the public launch, as part of The Programme and as a standalone facial protocol for clients who want lift without injection. The device is not new to a small number of careful Manila clinics. It has been new to the public conversation.
The June 2 launch changes the public conversation. Anne Curtis-Smith, as ambassador, gives the device a cultural footprint it has not previously had in this country. More Filipinas will now know the option exists. More will ask for it by name. Some of them, for the first time, will have a credible alternative to the injection pathway they did not actually want.
“For years, the woman who declined Botox had limited honest options,” Dr. Jan says. “We could offer her skin tightening. We could offer her lasers. We could not offer her a muscle-based lift. EMFACE changed that conversation. Anne’s launch makes the option visible. Visibility is what most women have been waiting for.”
Who EMFACE is for
A particular client recognises herself in this article. She is in her late thirties or forties. Her brow has begun to descend. The angle of her jaw has softened. She does not look bad. She looks tired in photographs in a way she does not feel in person. She has been considering Botox for two years and has not booked it, because something about the idea of frozen forehead muscles has not sat right with her. She has been hearing about EMFACE in passing and has not known where to begin.
She begins with a consultation. The physician assesses her face, her muscle tone, her dermal quality, and her aesthetic goals. EMFACE Forehead for the brow. EMFACE Cheeks for the midface elevation. EMFACE Submentum for the jawline. EMFACE Eyes if the periorbital area needs work. Four sessions, twenty minutes each, spaced five to ten days apart. Result built progressively over the following two to three months.
She does not need to choose between EMFACE and Botox, in fact. The two devices can coexist beautifully for the client who wants both: depressor relaxation and elevator strengthening, working in opposite directions on the same face. But for the client who has decided, like Anne, that injections are not for her, EMFACE is now the answer that exists.
The consultation
EMFACE at Jan Medical Group is prescribed and assessed by Dr. Jan or one of the physicians of Jan Medical Group, after a clinical consultation that establishes candidacy and protocol design. The device is then administered by the trained aesthetic team under medical supervision. This is the physician-led model the clinic has built across its full menu, and it is the model that produces the results Anne described.
The natural lift. The snatched look. The glow. Naturally.
This is the device behind the language.
EMFACE is available at Jan Medical Group, Park Triangle Mall, Bonifacio Global City. Consultations with Jan Paolo P. Dipasupil, MD, and the physicians of Jan Medical Group are by appointment. Enquiries: clinic@janmedicalgroup.ph.
Quick Reference
EMFACE, briefly
EMFACE is a non-invasive facial treatment by BTL Aesthetics that combines HIFES (High-Intensity Facial Electrical Stimulation) with Synchronized RF (radiofrequency). HIFES strengthens elevator muscles of the face. Synchronized RF stimulates dermal collagen and elastin. It is the first device of its kind to combine muscle stimulation with simultaneous skin remodelling on the face.
Launched in the Philippines on June 2, 2026 by BTL Medical Technologies with Anne Curtis-Smith as brand ambassador. EMFACE has been available at select clinics, including Jan Medical Group’s Bonifacio Global City flagship, prior to the public launch.
Applicators are available for the Forehead, Eyes, Cheeks, and Submentum (chin and jawline). Standard protocol is four 20-minute sessions, spaced 5–10 days apart, with results building over 6–12 weeks. No needles, no anaesthesia, no downtime.
Frequently asked questions
What is EMFACE? EMFACE is a non-invasive facial treatment from BTL Aesthetics that combines two simultaneous technologies: HIFES (High-Intensity Facial Electrical Stimulation) for muscle strengthening and Synchronized RF (radiofrequency) for dermal collagen remodelling. It is the first device designed to strengthen the elevator muscles of the face that hold the face up against gravity, while simultaneously improving skin quality.
Is EMFACE an alternative to Botox? For many clients, yes. EMFACE and Botox work on opposite muscle groups: Botox relaxes depressor muscles (which create lines and pull the face down), and EMFACE strengthens elevator muscles (which hold the face up). For a client who prefers not to have injections, EMFACE offers a credible alternative for lifting and toning the face without affecting the muscles that create facial expression. For a client who wants both line softening and structural lift, the two treatments are often combined.
Why did Anne Curtis-Smith choose EMFACE? At the BTL Medical Technologies Philippine launch on June 2, 2026, Anne Curtis-Smith was announced as the brand ambassador for EMFACE. She revealed that she does not do injections on her face, and that she prefers a natural lift, a snatched look, and natural glow. EMFACE was designed to deliver exactly this kind of result — muscle-based architectural lift with simultaneous dermal improvement — without injections, anaesthesia, or downtime.
What does EMFACE treat? EMFACE has four dedicated applicators that treat four distinct areas of the face. The forehead applicator strengthens the frontalis muscle to lift the brow. The eye applicator tones the lower periorbital muscle and addresses dermal quality for crepe, fine lines, and eye bags. The cheek applicator strengthens the midface elevator muscles for cheek lift and softening of the nasolabial fold. The submentum applicator tones the jawline and addresses the double chin and neck.
Is EMFACE safe? Are there side effects? EMFACE is FDA cleared and non-invasive. There are no needles, no anaesthesia required, and no downtime. Most clients experience a mild warming sensation during treatment. Brief redness or warmth after treatment typically resolves within a few hours. Clients return to work and social activities the same day.
How many EMFACE sessions are needed? A standard protocol is four sessions of 20 minutes each, spaced 5–10 days apart. Results build progressively over the following 6–12 weeks as the elevator muscles strengthen and the dermal collagen remodels. Maintenance is typically recommended every six months.
Can EMFACE be combined with Botox? Yes, and many clients combine the two. EMFACE strengthens elevator muscles. Botox relaxes depressor muscles. The two treatments address opposite muscle groups and can be sequenced within the same week. The most common protocol at Jan Medical Group combines EMFACE on the forehead, cheeks, and submentum with Botox on the glabellar lines and lateral crow’s feet.
Who is EMFACE for? EMFACE is most appropriate for clients in their thirties through sixties who want non-invasive facial lift and dermal improvement, particularly those who prefer to avoid injections. It is especially suited to clients with early to moderate signs of facial descent (jawline softening, brow descent, midface volume loss), and to clients seeking the so-called natural, snatched, or glowing aesthetic that does not alter facial expression.
Who should not have EMFACE? EMFACE is not recommended for clients with active facial implants, pacemakers, defibrillators, or other electronic medical devices, or for clients with metal implants in the treatment area. Pregnancy is a contraindication. A clinical consultation determines candidacy on a case-by-case basis.
Where can I get EMFACE in the Philippines? EMFACE is available at Jan Medical Group, Park Triangle Mall, Bonifacio Global City. The treatment is prescribed and assessed by a physician and administered by the trained aesthetic team under medical supervision. Jan Medical Group has been offering EMFACE prior to the June 2, 2026 public launch by BTL Medical Technologies.
How is EMFACE different from radiofrequency-only or microneedling devices?Radiofrequency-only devices and microneedling devices work on the skin (dermis and surface). EMFACE works on both the skin and the muscle simultaneously. The muscle component (HIFES) is what distinguishes EMFACE from every other non-invasive facial device on the market — it is the only device that strengthens the elevator muscles of the face directly.
About the author
Jan Paolo P. Dipasupil, MD is the medical director of Jan Medical Group, a physician-led medical aesthetics and wellness clinic with flagships in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig and Quezon City. He is Vice President at the Philippine Digital Medicine Society (PDMS). His clinical practice integrates obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine, with a particular focus on the post-weight-loss client on GLP-1 therapy.
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