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Convincing consumers to use a LED device should be simple, given how straightforward it is in theory. In practice, education is a slow and challenging process. \u201cIt looks too good to be true,\u201d says Lotti Tyson, the brand director at D\u00e9esse Pro, which sells a $1,900 mask created in collaboration with aesthetician Shani Darden. \u201cYou’re like, \u2018well, hang on, this thing has very few contraindications, it doesn’t cause any sensitivity.\u2019 That does<\/em> sound too good to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n While red light is still, in comparison with other wavelengths, the most researched for its effects on skin, others\u2014like near-infrared at approximately 800 nanometers, or yellow light near 590\u2014have been incorporated into new masks and do have some official, if scarce, literature to back them up. (A new LED mask by the brand Sunlighten also incorporates green light to serve as a \u201cfull-face wrinkle treatment and mood booster,\u201d according to an email sent to editors. None of the dermatologists we spoke to for this story have seen clinical evidence of green light being effective for mood-boosting or wrinkle-treating, but early studies show it can help reduce headaches.) A few independent studies have shown that near-infrared light\u2014as opposed to far-infared light, which can be used in medical settings to treat inflammatory and cardiovascular conditions\u2014penetrates the skin more deeply than other wavelengths to help with wound healing. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, L\u2019Or\u00e9al Paris announced that it will launch a mask that incorporates both near-infrared and red light sometime in 2027. Yellow light, like red, has shown some promise in small studies for treating redness and rosacea, as well as soothing inflammation following in-office treatments like lasers.<\/p>\n D\u00e9esse says that when they looked into incorporating blue light into their devices, their own research found that it killed acne-causing bacteria at around 415 nanometers, but at 420 it killed skin cells instead. \u201cAt 420, you may cause hyperpigmentation in certain skin types, but you’re certainly not killing any bacteria,\u201d Tyson says, adding that \u201cthe crappy [masks] on TikTok\u201d can clock in at around 450-plus nanometers. Systematic studies of blue light show that bacteria is killed between 405 and 420 nanometers; while a 2021 study out of the University of Lodz observed hyperpigmentation in skin with blue light between 423 and 450 nanometers, though much of it wasn\u2019t permanent, researchers said. If you actually want to verify an LED device\u2019s wavelength claims you would have to purchase a spectroradiometer, which could run you upwards of $2,200 if it covers a wide enough wavelength to be effective (and would be an impressive level of consumer due diligence).<\/p>\n As the FDA is unlikely to create specific guidelines around LED devices any time soon, the burden falls on companies themselves to prove their worth. Some will rely on expensive clinical trials, while others will invest in equally expensive PR campaigns, leaving us\u2014as always!\u2014to figure out the truth for ourselves. \u201cI\u2019ve reached out to several different companies asking them if they’re interested in doing any clinical trials or research,\u201d says Jared Jagdeo, MD, associate professor of dermatology and director of the Center for Photomedicine at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. \u201cAnd because of the ease of selling these devices without the need for clinical trials, [companies] oftentimes forgo investing in that and focus their energies on marketing [instead].\u201d That said, the most valuable things to look for are, in order of importance: Third-party clinical trials of that exact device involving at least five subjects (though the more the better, says Dr. Jagdeo) that are published on a brand\u2019s website (and ideally in a peer-reviewed journal); independent academic research on the specific wavelength employed in the device (which should be clearly listed in the product description); and firsthand reviews from people you know in real life (online customer reviews are, unfortunately, not always to be trusted). Omnilux, which has a scientific advisory board that includes Dr. Jagdeo, has been publishing its LED research in peer-reviewed journals since the company\u2019s inception. Some brands, like D\u00e9esse, share before-and-after imagery of people who\u2019ve used their devices consistently over weeks or months. Always look for consistent lighting and positioning in these transformation photos, because the wow factor can be misleading.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s review: red light, yellow light, green light, blue light, LED, nanometers, near-infrared, far-infrared, 510 (k). You\u2019ve got all that? Neither do we. It seems there is no clear-cut victor in the Red Light Wars. (Kind of like Star Wars<\/em> in the early aughts: mired in confusion and plot chaos.). Do they work? Maaaaybe. (Just don\u2019t slack off.) Are they safe? Probably, but depends. Are they worth the money? See questions one and two. We\u2019ve tried our best to shine a light on the category. With all things in the beauty galaxy, there\u2019s always a new hope, but of course a phantom menace lurks around every corner.<\/p>\n Source Images: Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Convincing consumers to use a LED device should be simple, given how straightforward it is in theory. In practice, education is a slow and challenging process. \u201cIt looks too good to be true,\u201d says Lotti Tyson, the brand director at D\u00e9esse Pro, which sells a $1,900 mask created in collaboration with aesthetician Shani Darden. \u201cYou’re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beauty"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Red_Light_Therapy_Lede_Allure_2026.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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