LED home light therapy devices are becoming a popular home treatment for a variety of skin concerns, such as acne, melasma, rosacea, and wrinkles. Some also recommend light therapy as a general anti-aging treatment. But are the devices really effective? Are they safe? The answer is that home LED light devices appear to be quite safe and, at least for conditions such as acne, they are generally effective as well, although professional dermatological treatments likely offer the most benefits.

How LED Light Therapy Works

Light Therapy works by using LED light, which can penetrate the skin better than topical agents. LED light produces energy that acts to reduce inflammation and target bacteria. This happens when bacteria molecules react to the light by producing oxygen. The bacteria is then destroyed because it cannot survive in an oxygenated environment.  The color of light can have different effects.  For example, a red light will target inflammation, while a blue light targets acne causing bacteria.

Light Therapy Effectiveness

LED light treatment for skin conditions such as acne is generally FDA approved, with several home devices being FDA cleared. But measuring the overall effectiveness of home products can be difficult. As Dr. Glenn Kolansky, a Board Certified Dermatologist in New Jersey, explains:

“Many companies make claims  about the effectiveness of treatments, but true clinical based trials of the efficacy of home products are rarely performed. Certain wave lengths of light can penetrate tissue better than others *** LED light has been used to repair ‘recent injuries’ that need more energy. Light close to and near the infared range does have documented benefit for promoting wound healing *** Red LED light is non-invasive but can penetrate deeply into the skin tissue. It has shown some benefit to improving skin tone and texture, however the benefit may be difficult to quantify.”

Dr. Kolansky further notes:

“It is difficult to determine the effectiveness of home machines; pictures are not comparable due to the angle the picture is taken, and the amount of smiling can change things.  It is sometimes difficult to appreciate any difference, or the minimal difference, in before and after photos in regard to wrinkle improvement.”

Also of concern are devices that do not actually use LED light or that have less powerful, and hence, less effective lights. Dr. Neal Schultz, a Board Certified Dermatologist in New York, notes that “the power and the energy and the actual quality of the lights in the at-home devices just isn’t the same as it is in the professional devices.”  Describing the difference between professionally performed light therapy and at home devices, Schultz observed that, in a professional machine, there are approximately 800 LED lights and the treatment usually lasts for about 23 or 24 seconds. In comparison, home treatments normally have a small number of lights and a treatment time of 3-15 minutes. Thus, Schultz states:

“Clearly we’re talking about two very different worlds. If I give the at-home devices the benefit of the doubt and say, ‘Yes, they can possibly have some small level of efficacy,’ I’ll leave you with two thoughts. Number one, of course, buyer beware. And number two, you don’t always get what you pay for, but you can be sure of one thing, you never get more than you pay for.”

Others however, report quite a bit of success. For example, Kathleen Stegman, Founder of Midwest Medical Aesthetics, has used home LED devices in her spa and found them to be especially effective, noting that some of the benefits seen are a decrease in inflammation after spa procedures, decreases in pigmentation, lessening of wrinkles, and a decrease in inflammation in patients who get treatments for acne. Likewise, Debra Jaliman, a New York Board Certified Dermatologist and author of the upcoming book, Skin Rules: Trade Secrets From a Top New York Dermatologist, says that, while not as effective as professional machines, at home LED devices are effective for acne treatment and she would recommend them. However, Jaliman also noted that, for wrinkle treatment, the light in home devices does not penetrate deeply enough to treat visible lines, but they might be effective for prevention.

In general, home light therapy is most likely to be successful for inflammatory conditions such as acne or rosacea (see our previous discussion of the Light Stim Rosacea Light). But the lights might be best used solely as a preventative for wrinkle and anti-aging treatments.

Home Light Therapy Safety

Dermatologists generally report that using a home LED light device is safe. The eye area should be properly protected (most home devices include goggles for the user to wear), and the manufacturer’s instructions should be followed. The user should also purchase only devices that use LED lights. Non-LED devices can cause burns.

The Top At Home Light Therapy Devices

There are a number of LED devices on the market. The following are a few that are regarded as the best home light therapy devices for safety and effectiveness.

Tria Beauty Skin Perfecting Blue Light ($245): For Acne Treatment, a top recommendation is Tria Beauty’s Skin Perfecting Blue Light. Tria reports that their FDA-cleared device is considered one of the most advanced acne light treatments available, delivering the same strength of Blue Light used by dermatologists.

Baby Quasar ($349-$795): Baby Quasar offers some of the best respected home lights, with acne and anti-aging lights in the $349-$399 price range. For those with money to spare, the company also offers a professional strength anti-aging light for $795. Baby Quasar offers a 60-day money back guarantee.

LightStim ($299-$329): The LightStim Company offers lights for treatment of Rosacea, Acne, and Anti-Aging.

For those looking for bargains, there are a few more affordable choices. While budget friendly, these devices do not claim to provide the same strength of light that is used by dermatologists.

The Verilux Clear Wave ($99-$145): The Clear Wave Blue Light is FDA cleared and sold through Brookstone. Consumer reviews of a previous panel version of the clear wave lights have been fairly good.

The Sirius Aurora ($149): The Sirius Aurora offers multiple treatment colors in one device, along with a 60-day money back guarantee.

Tanda Zap ($49): For Acne Spot Treatment, Tanda, which also offers standard blue and red lights, has a cute little item called the Tanda Zap. Meant for use on single blemishes, it offers a rather affordable way to utilize light in acne treatment. Cosumer reviews of the Tanda Zap have been rather favorable.

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Home microdermabrasion can be a rather effective treatment for a variety of skin problems. Microdermabrasion can address melasma (a personal concern of mine), acne, acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, and it is good for overall soft skin and brightening. Aside from exfoliating well, dermabrasion removes the dead skin cells through suction, which allows other treatment products to absorb better. I purchased a home microdermabrasion system, the Personal Microderm which I have used a couple of times now. So far, I think it is a keeper and plan to test it more, so watch for a follow up review in a few months. The device costs $179, which is considerably cheaper than having professional treatments done (those often run over $100 per treatment). The device is also now covered and is our top recommendation in our complete home microdermabrasion buyer’s guide. You can view that and learn about a number of additional devices here:  Home Microdermabrasion Reviews.

Using the Home Microdermabrasion System: The Personal Microderm is incredibly easy to use. Simply plug it in and choose from two types of disks – The blue moderate disk for sensitive skin, or the green coarse disk for tougher skin. These disks also come in two sizes – small for facial areas, and large for body areas. Hold the skin tight and move the device in vertical or horizontal lines across the face without lingering in any one area. The device exfoliates the skin, while creating a suction, so it very much feels like you are vacuuming your face. The treatment can be made gentle by using a blue disk with light pressure, or more aggressive by using a green disk with heavier pressure. Home microdermabrasion treatments initially should be done once each week.

I started with the small blue disk and quickly moved up to the green. I have pretty tough skin and did not feel like I got a good treatment until I moved to the green. Sensitive types will want to stick with the blue though. The small disk works well for much of the face, but I moved to the large disk for my main cheek areas and forehead. I had a bit of difficulty with either size keeping suction on my forehead area, but I eventually got it, and I had no problems anywhere else. It doesn’t take long to treat the entire face—maybe 10 minutes tops.

Effectiveness of the Personal Microderm: In terms of results, I noticed softer skin immediately. For achieving nice soft skin, this is the best home exfoliation that you can get in my opinion. The device is effective at removing dead skin cells, and the suction removes them from your face. In regard to melasma, I did not notice any improvement on my main areas, but I also have only done three treatments. As much as anyone with melasma would like a quick cure, there isn’t really anything that can be done at home that will get rid of melasma or serious hyperpigmentation in that short of a times.  I would not expect to see anything noticeable before eight treatments or more. What I did notice in three weeks was a little bit of lightening (we are talking rather tiny here, don’t get overly excited)  in a new area of pigmentation (those typically lighten easier) and some general improvement in my acne. Although next week I will be posting about how other products have pretty much cured my acne anyway. But the overall skin smoothing and such was pretty impressive even upon the first treatment. I’ll post an update a few months from now on how it works on tougher areas of melasma. I had some success a few years ago with professional microdermabrasion, but it wasn’t overwhelming and I wasn’t consistent in getting treatment, so I am curious about how the home system will work on that. Regardless I find it a worthwhile investment in terms of general skin care.

After Effects or Side Effects of Home Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion can be a bit deceptive in that it feels gentler than it really is, especially with the home microderm device, so start gentle and move up to more aggressive over time.  After a treatment, it is normal for your skin to be a bit pink. Because of that, be careful with applying treatment serums immediately after a microdermabrasion treatment. Instead, apply a soothing moisturizer and be sure to wear sunscreen. You should be wearing sunscreen all the time anyway, but Microdermabrasion makes the skin more sensitive to sun, making this even more important, especially if you want to have any hope at treating dark spots, such as melasma.

Recommended Adjunct Products: For those battling melasma, I recommend trying PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel (Hydroquinone version) PCA Skin (pHaze 13) Pigment Gel HQ Free (Hydroquinone free version) as a serum, along with your favorite gentle moisturizer in order to maximize the effect of the microdermabrasion. I personally use DHC White Sunscreen for my oily skin to get moisture, sunscreen and lightening all in one.  Anyone fighting wrinkles who like retinoids may like Derma Doctor Poetry in Lotion, although I also recommend caution using a retinol product too close to any given microderm treatment since retinol can also irritate the skin—be especially careful with that if you have sensitive skin.  Those with acne might want to try Arcona products. I’ll be raving about those next week!

Related Reviews:

PCA Skin Care Melasma Treatment

DHC White Sunscreen

Derma Doctor Poetry in Lotion

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As far as I am concerned, this is the must buy product of the summer: Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear!  I absolutely love these two items, and I am so happy that I bought them on a whim for review while out running errands!

OK, so you know how important sunscreen is, and if you are like me and have oily skin with melasma or hyperpigmentation, getting oil free high SPF products that can also provide some coverage is all the more important. Perhaps you also want some light moisture or sheer powder foundation coverage (that is bismuth free to boot)? Well, of all the various tinted moisturizers and mineral makeup items out there, Physicians Formula Healthy Wear™ SPF 50 Tinted Moisturizer and Physicians Formula Healthy Wear™ SPF 50 Powder Foundation, are the best I have found for nice coverage with high sun protection. The products go to SPF 50 .

Aside from running up to SPF 50,  Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear also is oil free, safe for acne prone skin, and the pressed powder does not contain irritating bismuth. On top of it the packaging is really cute! The tinted moisturizer swatch below is the shade fair to light.

A few more details on each:

Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer: Considering that it is SPF 50 and is  also sweat resistant, this tinted moisturizer feels pretty light and absorbed better than I expected. Usually such things feel heavy. Also a pleasant surprise was that I actually got decent coverage from it. Often with tinted moisturizers I feel like any real coverage is non-existent. But Healthy Wear did give a nice sheer cover. Then, in areas where I have melasma, I got additional coverage by applying the pressed powder over it. The moisturizer wears well and does indeed seem to be sweat resistant. It isn’t totally sweat or waterproof, but it won’t wear off instantly either. Frankly, it is the best tinted moisturizer I have used to date. Physician’s Formula has a winner with this one!

Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation: I love pressed powder foundations. They are great for oily skin, and often provide good sun protection. I also like to use them over liquid makeup to cover pigmented areas a bit better. Healthy Wear is sheer in coverage, but has enough tint to be used alone.  It is soft and light, 50 SPF, and bismuth free.  Forget expensive mineral makeup packed with bismuth and lower SPF when you can just get this stuff! Although,  to be fair, there are some good bismuth free mineral makeup choices out there.  Anyway, I imagine I will be using Healthy Wear all summer as a sunscreen touch up, since applying new powder won’t ruin an existing makeup look.

I bought both of these items at my local CVS store, and you should be able to find them at any drugstore or big box retailer. I also provided a couple of Amazon.com affiliate links if you want to buy online.

Or, you can use Bizrate to:

Comparison Shop For Physician’s Formula Cosmetics

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Vichy has a great, and rather unique, Vitamin C Serum:  Vichy Aqualia antiox Vitamin C Fresh Serum 10%.  This serum contains Pure Citrus Polyphenol™ in the serum and Pure Vitamin C at 10% in a powder sachet that is mixed with the serum before the first use. Vitamin C breaks down easily, so by packaging the powder separately, the product is assured to be fresh and at full potency. The product also contains no parabens. Because of that, it must be refrigerated after mixing.

I am a long time fan of Vitamin C serums, but I often wondered if they were already low on potency by the time that I got them and I would often seek out powder forms that I could mix before use (e.g. Philosophy has a powder form and I have also bought Vitamin C powder from Skin Actives). As a result, I was quite pleased to see that Vichy packaged the vitamin C powder separately. 10% is a decent enough dose as well.

Because I agreed to review the product rather quickly after receiving it, I did not get a chance to try it for a full month as I normally would do before writing a review. However, within a few uses, I could tell I was happy with it. The serum absorbs very quickly and feels quite light.  Mostly I love knowing that it really is fresh!  I’ll try to report back with more after a month of use. At $45, the price isn’t bad either, considering that a number of brands charge quite a bit more for a good concentration Vitamin C serum.

Note: This review was based on a product given to me by a representative of the company. For more, please see my disclosure page.

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I tend to like Exuviance products, and I certainly like the latest item that they sent to me. Exuviance Sheer Refining Fluid SPF 15. Sheer Refining Fluid is a light daily moisturizer that is perfect for people with oily skin and hyperpigmentation.  That would be me!

The lotion is thin and absorbs quickly , making it perfect for a bit of moisture without feeling oily. It also contains oil reducing agents. Then, for those with pigment issues or melasma, it contains NeoGlucosamine. Glucosamine has been one of the popular ingredients of late for treating pigmentation, so I am happy to see it included.  Finally, it includes SPF 15 from a variety of chemical sunscreens.

The fluid can be worn under Exuviance Matte Perfection, which is a nice oil control primer that I have been using quite regularly (read previous review)

Exuviance is sold at various online sources and beauty specialty stores. The Sheer Refining Fluid runs around $32.

Comparison shop for Exuviance skin care products

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I am in love with this mattifier!  Exuviance Matte Perfection is a light, oil-free gel primer.  Aside from acting as a mattifier, it also contains  Mandelic Acid, a naturally occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) found in almonds, and Gluconolactone to improve uneven pigmentation and roughness.  Mandelic Acid can also help a bit with acne.

The primer feels like most silicone primers and absorbs quickly. It can be worn alone as a mattifier and treatment product, but it also provides a nice base for makeup by filling in fine lines and smoothing the skin. When I use it I find that I tend to stay shine free for most of the day with it.

Exuviance has a real winner with this one!

Comparison shop for Exuviance skin care products

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Bliss Peeling Groovy Facial Serum is a basic light AHA serum that is perfect for easy and effective light exfoliation. I gave it a try over a period of a month and found that I got effective exfoliation with no irritation. I also found that it prevented blackheads for me quite nicely.

This one is a bit on the light side though. I did see a nice increase in general brightness of my skin, but it really had no effect at all on my areas of melasma or other discoloration. So those with more serious skin issues will likely want a stronger product or will want to add an additional item, such as a more powerful lightener or wrinkle treatment, to the mix.

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I am a pretty big fan of retinol. It is one of the few active ingredients that I have found that actually shows visible results on fine lines. It also brightens a bit, which I like since I have areas of melasma. Unfortunately though, it can also be irritating, especially in prescription strength.  DermaDoctor Poetry in Lotion is a great middle ground for me. It has the highest concentration allowed for over the counter (1%), and it is formulated to have less irritation.

I have been using it for a month now with good success. It is pricey, but I like it better than any other over the counter retinol cream that I have used so far, although I also really like Remergent (read previous review). The lotion is on the thicker side and is quite moisturizing, which off-sets any dryness from the retinol. I had no issues with irritation and, although the lotion seemed a bit thick, it did not break me out.

If you are looking for a full strength retinol lotion over the counter, this is a good one to try! customers at DermaDoctor also rave about this one. You can read those reviews through the link above. I will also be giving away a full size bottle of Poetry in Lotion beginning Tuesday of next week. So check back to enter the drawing!

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The Starlite in-home laser skin care device is an at home light treatment product used for anti-aging and acne treatment. Known as a “soft laser,” it works by using the power of a specific wavelength of light to heal. According to the product’s website, that wavelength tends to be effective for superficial skin use without penetrating to deeper tissue and has been shown to be best for wound healing and skin conditions.   The company lists the following as conditions that the starlite laser can treat:

•Wrinkles and Fine Lines

•Age Spots

•Blemishes

•Scars

•Stretch Marks

•Collagen Stimulation

•Cuts and Bruises

•Chapped Skin

•Sun Damaged Skin

I gave the Starlite a try for a period of 4-6 weeks. The “laser” is hand held and easy to use. Simply turn it on and massage it over your skin. If it is taken away fro the skin, the light automatically goes off to avoid accidentally shining it in the eyes.  Treatment times vary from six minutes to upwards of fifteen, with multiple session per day recommended.

After a couple of weeks, I saw some effect on my adult acne and perhaps a tiny bit on some of my areas of minor hyperpigmentation when I used the Starlite with two 15 minute daily treatments. I was particularly happy with how it worked for acne, because the  results were certainly noticeable after 4 weeks of regular use. I also detected some overall skin brightening. But I did not see any effect on the areas of dark melasma. I think that to have success there, the device would need to be used more than twice daily and for a longer period of time.

If you have the patience to use the Starlite enough to see results, it is a fairly decent product– it really does require regular and lengthy use.  At a retail price of around $160, it is certainly cheaper than full blown pulsed light or laser treatments.

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DDF always tends toward impressive skin care products, including melasma treatments and sunscreen. I particularly love  DDF Protect and Correct UV Moisturizing sunscreen aimed at treating and preventing hyperpigmentation and melasma.  I have always been a fan of double duty skin care products, so this one goes high on my recommended item list.

DDF Hyperpigmentation Protect And Correct UV Moisturizer SPF 15 is a light moisturizer with four chemical sunscreens for SPF 15 coverage. It also contains various extracts, including licorice root extract, to help treat pigmentation. So, the sunscreen prevents melasma discoloration, while the extracts treat it.

The lotion has a decent feel to it, absorbs fairly quickly, and I had no issues with acne with it. I do wish it had a higher SPF though. I really prefer to use SPF 30 and above for melasma treatment and prevention. A physical sunblock in it instead of all chemical ones would be nice too. Regardless, it still is a quality product.

Protect and Correct retails at around $58 and can be found at various online sources.

Buy DDF Protect and Correct UV Moisturizer SPF 15 at Spa Look

Comparison Shop for DDF Skin Care Products

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