Should you invest in an LED face mask?

The latest wave of LED face masks might look more like something you’d pick up at a Star Trek convention than at Space NK, but with skincare professionals hailing their power to revolutionise your routine, it’s worth taking a look behind the mask.

LED therapy dates back to 1903, when a Danish physician received a Nobel Prize for discovering that exposure to concentrated red light accelerated the healing of sores. A century later, Nasa found that the technology could stimulate human skin cells to boost wound healing and collagen production. (Fun fact: wound healing is slow in the absence of gravity in space). 

Fast forward to today and LED face masks have become a powerful force in skincare. Celebrities including Lily Collins and Chrissy Teigen swear by their glow-giving powers. So how do they work? The wavelengths emitted by the LED are absorbed by a key enzyme in cellular metabolism, which triggers a cascade of effects within the cells—including a natural healing response. And with a growing body of research exploring the different wavelengths—which produce a range of colours—we’re learning about the skincare benefits.

Red light can increase natural levels of hydration, while reducing redness and inflammation; blue light has powerful antibacterial properties, and there’s now evidence to suggest it can kill the bacteria responsible for spots, while also reducing oil production in the sebaceous glands; near infrared light is the most deeply absorbed wavelength and has been shown to accelerate wound healing, including cystic acne, alongside smoothing lines and wrinkles; yellow light can also encourage healing after treatments such as microneedling, skin peels, or microdermabrasion; while green light works to reduce dark circles, broken capillaries, sunspots, and pigmentation, and can help to calm irritated skin. 

As for the results, that will depend on your goals, as well as how frequently you use an LED device. As a general rule, you can expect to use a mask three times a week for six to eight weeks before seeing any improvements to acne or fine lines. Of course, the LED therapy treatments you can get in a clinical setting will always yield faster results; the machines are invariably better. But at-home devices can still be a worthwhile investment.

This piece originally appeared in the October 2023 print edition of Women's Health, United Kingdom