What the Hell is a Depuffing Wand and Do I Really Need One?

I might be both the best and worst person to write about the TheraFace Depuffing Wand. I'd be the best, because I've got genetic dark circles that typically come with a bit of puffiness, especially if I lose sleep or don't drink enough water to keep pace with the alcohol. But I'm the worst candidate, because frankly, it's a lost cause. My dead, dark-circled eyes have been this way all my life, my fiancée likes them, and at this point the questions I get—Are you high? Drunk? Tired?—flow over me like the water I ought to be drinking right now.

But the TheraFace Depuffing Wand is new, talked about, and it was good enough for me to give it an Esquire Gadget Award, so I figured it was time to give it a proper standalone review. If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's my summary: It does what it's supposed to, and it does it very well, so long as you make it a part of your regular routine.

It Works Like a Charm

The Depuffing Wand has one main goal, and it's in the name. You want it to reduce inflammation and tighten the skin in your problem areas. It's a modern, more targeted, alternative to those eye masks you put in the freezer. (Remember the one Patrick Bateman wears in American Psycho?) That said, it offers two treatments: one hot, one cold.

Cold is meant to actually reduce inflammation. This is science we've known about for a long time. It works, simple as. I found myself using it at night before bed, and I'd get the dual benefit of fighting that morning puffiness and lulling myself to sleep. I'd also whack it across my face after a flight, night out, or in the morning if I looked like I needed it. It always worked, making my eyes look as alive as they could. But to be honest, I could do this by grabbing an ice cube out of the fridge. The heat setting is where the Depuffing Wand makes its case.

The heat setting is the all-around skincare aid. First off, it opens up the pores to let any serums or creams you have work on a deeper level. It brightens dull skin, so I'd hit it before heading out for the day. It also just works wonders as a facial massage device. This year, I've been more sick and allergy-ridden than any other I can remember. Just this weekend I had a weird allergy thing (maybe a light sinus-infection) and was using the Depuffing Wand to drain my sinuses every couple of hours. I'd use it like a Gua Sha stone on my neck to hit my lymph nodes and get my immune system going. (Or whatever a lymphatic drain does, I don't actually know.) At the end of the day, it just felt good. I'd do it at work, do it while watching TV, do it while falling asleep. It became a relaxation tool as much as anything else.

But You Have to Be Consistent to Justify Buying It

This is a safe space. Be honest with me and yourself: Are you a guy that's going to stick to a serious skincare routine?

Personally, I'm not. My stupid simple face routine is as follows: cleanser, moisturizer, Lanolips lanolin balm for my lips or winter-time chapped skin. I added the Depuffing Wand for a few months in the name of testing, but come spring time, I tapered off. I only dug it out last weekend because I desperately needed to drain my sinuses. The Wand had been dead and needed a 15 minute charge.

Could I live without it? Yes. Were my under-eye bags, dark circles, and laugh lines less visible when I used it? Also yes. I'm just not desperate to fight them at this point, and I don't care enough to be proactive. Once I go back to my parents' place, I'm going to give it to my mom, who will be more religious about using it. Ultimately that's what you ought to be to spend $170 on a skincare tool. If you doubt you'll use it enough to warrant the price, start with a cheap roller you keep in the freezer. If you like that enough, then you graduate to a TheraFace Depuffing Wand. And once you spend that $170, there's no more upgrades to make.