The Best Red Light Therapy Devices for Clearer, Smoother Skin | 2024 Picks

Many brands would have you believe that you can strap a glowing, Michael Myers–esque mask onto your face, relax under the covers for 10 minutes (or less!), and rejoice as your fine lines and wrinkles become as distant a memory as your childhood Tamagotchi. Once only available in dermatologist offices and med spas, red and LED light therapy devices have become increasingly accessible for the average skin care enthusiast over the past few years, thanks to at-home devices like masks and portable wands.

But do these gadgets really work as well as clinical treatments? Here’s the lowdown, straight from board-certified dermatologists.

What is LED light therapy?

First, a quick science lesson: LED (light-emitting diode) light therapy uses different wavelengths of visible light—each of which shows up as a different color—to treat various skin conditions.

Red light therapy is typically used to reduce common signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles, Helyn Alvarez, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas, tells SELF. According to Dr. Alvarez, when red light is absorbed by the skin cells it can also help reduce inflammation, lighten age spots, and stimulate collagen and elastin production; this not only can make the skin look firmer and plumper, but can help with wound and scar healing too.

There’s research to support these benefits: A small group of white women noticed less signs of aging over the course of a few months after using a red light mask for 12 minutes, twice a week.

Blue light, meanwhile, which doesn’t penetrate the skin as deeply as red light, can be used to fight breakouts. “Bacteria that causes acne sits on the epidermis—[or outer layer]—of the skin,” says Dr. Alvarez. Again, research seems to back her up: A 2021 systematic review in the journal Sensors noted improvements in some kinds of acne blemishes, but more controlled, randomized studies are needed to say for sure if blue light can help clear your skin.

Do at-home red light therapy devices work?

Dr. Alvarez says that you can indeed get results from an at-home light therapy mask or wand, these tools just won’t be as potent as the bigger, more expensive LED devices at a dermatologist’s office. And, you need to choose a device with a proven track record.

What should you look for while shopping for a red light skin care device?

There are a ton of red light devices on the market right now—with some as cheap as $25 on Amazon—but they’re not all created equal. The most important spec to keep in mind when comparing models is whether it’s been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Regine Mathieu, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist at Behr Laser and Skin Care Center in Fresno, California, tells SELF. “This is vital to verify that safety measures have been taken to ensure that these devices are not causing any harm to users,” she says. (That said, pregnant or breastfeeding folks are typically advised against using red light therapy. You should also steer clear if you have a photo-sensitive autoimmune disorder like lupus, have a thyroid disease, or have active skin cancer, according to Dr. Alvarez. Ask your doctor before using.)

While FDA sign-off ensures a device’s safety, it doesn’t necessarily mean the product does everything it claims to. To know if a device is effective, Dr. Alvarez says to check if its manufacturer has done any peer-reviewed clinical studies or trials: “Can they back up that it actually does what it says it does?” It’s one thing for a brand to say a device helps reduce wrinkles—it’s another thing if they have the data to prove it.