LED Face Masks: What the Evidence Shows

BEAUTY · GLOBAL

LED Face Masks: What the Evidence Shows

How light therapy works, what red and blue do, eye safety and realistic expectations

LED masks are one of the few at-home devices with a plausible mechanism behind them, and the gap between clinical devices and consumer ones is where expectations go wrong.

How it is supposed to work

Specific wavelengths are absorbed by cells and are proposed to affect mitochondrial activity. Red and near-infrared light have been studied for collagen and inflammation; blue light for the bacteria involved in acne.

This is photobiomodulation rather than heat or ablation, which is why sessions are painless.

What the evidence supports

There is reasonable research for red light and fine lines and for blue light in mild to moderate acne, mostly from clinical devices at higher irradiance than home masks deliver.

Effects are modest and cumulative, requiring several sessions a week for months. A device stops working the moment you stop using it.

Irradiance and wavelength

Look for the stated wavelengths in nanometres and the irradiance in milliwatts per square centimetre. A mask that states neither cannot be compared with any study.

Cheap masks frequently deliver far less light than the research used.

Eye safety

Use the eye protection supplied and do not stare into the LEDs. Anyone with an eye condition, or taking photosensitising medication, should speak to a doctor first.

Epilepsy triggered by flashing light, lupus and porphyria are all reasons to seek medical advice before use.

Who should avoid one

Anyone pregnant should check with a clinician, and anyone on isotretinoin or other photosensitising treatment should not use one without advice.

Using one properly

Clean dry skin with no products on, since anything on the surface absorbs or reflects the light. Follow the stated session length and frequency rather than assuming more is better.

Photograph your skin monthly in the same light, since gradual change is invisible day to day.

Cost

Work out the price against several sessions with a dermatologist or a course of a prescription treatment, which may do more for the same money.

Other at-home devices

Microcurrent and radiofrequency devices have less evidence than LED at home, and microneedling rollers sold for home use risk scarring and infection if used incorrectly.

Anything that breaks the skin belongs with a qualified practitioner.

The basics

Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, a retinoid, not smoking and sleep outperform every device available at home, and cost considerably less.

Buying one

Check the warranty, whether replacement parts are available, and what happens if the device needs an app that stops being supported. These are expensive items to have fail quietly.

Try to find independent measurements of the irradiance rather than the manufacturer's own figure.

What outperforms it

Daily sunscreen, retinoids and, for acne, proper treatment from a doctor. A mask is an addition rather than a foundation.

WHERE TO BUY

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