I Tried A LED Light Therapy Mask To See If It Actually Did Anything To My Skin

As the skincare industry continues to modernise, more and more tools initially only used by dermatologists are now available to buy and use at home.

One of the latest beauty trends that every second influencer seems to be flogging right now is light therapy masks. Light therapy technology has been used by dermatologists for over a decade, and works by LED lights gently penetrating the skin using varying wavelengths of light.

I decided to try out one of these light therapy masks that you can use at home to see if it actually did anything to change the condition of my skin.

This is the LED therapy mask I trialled:

• Peppy Co, Led Light Therapy Mask, $179

The website’s description of the mask’s benefits reads:

“Designed to offer an easy and safe solution for perfect facial skin – that will actually work and won’t break the bank! This medical grade LED Mask harnesses a full spectrum of therapeutic blue, red and yellow lights that zaps acne-causing bacteria, detoxifies skin, and prevents wrinkles. Finally you can experience pro-level dermatologist LED light treatment from the comfort of your own home. This mask is the safest, most comfortable and most effective way to get perfect, glowing skin.”

Here’s what my experience was like using a LED light therapy mask:

The mask comes in a cute little silk bag, with a USB charging port.

The mask itself is very sleek to touch and lighter to hold than I expected. Tbh, the mask looks like something usually worn by Daft Punk. Was I about to get lucky?

The mask emanates different coloured lights, with each hue addressing a specific skin concern. Blue helps treat and eliminate acne; red offers anti-aging benefits by promoting elastin and collagen fibres; and yellow dilutes pigment by improving circulation.

The product guide says that the mask should be used at least three times a week but the brand also encouraged going through all three colour cycles EVERY DAY. Each cycle takes 10 minutes, so this means I’d have to sit in a mask for 30 minutes a day. That’s a lot!

My main issue is with pigmentation, as I have mild rosacea on my cheeks, so I decided to just use the yellow therapy on my face — which I used for 10 minutes every day.

The treatment is pretty chill. There’s sunglasses to protect your eyes, so I’d just lie-down, close my eyes, chuck a podcast on, and after 10 minutes the lights automatically turn off.

Verdict?

First of all, don’t expect the results to come quickly. I used the mask every day for about three weeks and while I’d say there was a slight reduction in red pigmentation, it was far from dramatic.

Overall, I didn’t notice much of a difference but I also don’t have any major skin issues. It might be more effective with people with more visible skin concerns, like helping with acne or minimalising acne scars.

It’s definitely the kind of mask that should be used as an ongoing beauty maintenance tool rather than a quick fix. I’ll keep using it as a way to reduce skin ageing because it’s definitely cheaper than paying for costly LED therapy treatments in a clinic.

It’s a worthy investment and might save you spending years paying for a whole variety of beauty treatments because we can all agree that keeping your skin looking good is a full time job in itself.