LED light therapy, or light-emitting diode therapy, is a skin rejuvenation treatment that exposes skin to different wavelengths of visible light to address a variety of skin conditions and boost overall radiance.
The nonthermal, low-level light penetrates skin without creating any trauma—unlike laser resurfacing, which relies on controlled microdamage to rejuvenate the skin.
The technology was first developed by NASA to grow plants in space, before the agency turned it on astronauts and found LED light therapy also promoted human tissue growth and wound-healing activity.
LED light treatments most commonly harness red light (often paired with invisible near-infrared light) or blue light, though you may encounter yellow light or green light therapy as well. Each wavelength penetrates skin at a different depth, and treatments can use more than one color.
While the treatment can be performed on its own, it’s more frequently used in conjunction with other treatments or as one component of a facial.
“LED treatments are an effective complement to laser treatments, chemical exfoliations, and microneedling,” says Dr. Frank Fechner, a facial plastic surgeon in Worcester, Massachusetts. “They help aid the recovery process by killing bacteria, reducing inflammation, and promoting the healing process.”
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Find a Doctor Near YouPros
- LED light therapy is a very gentle treatment that doesn’t involve damaging the skin in any way—a unique quality among skin rejuvenation treatments that usually rely on controlled micro injuries.
- It’s pain-free and has absolutely no downtime.
- The treatment is suitable for all skin types and tones.
- You can acquire your own LED light therapy device, for convenient home use.Â
Cons
- The gentle treatment is no match for serious skin laxity. You’ll want a more powerful treatment (or plastic surgery) to tighten up loose, sagging skin.
- It’s also not the best choice for resurfacing skin, because it doesn’t exfoliate away outer layers or significantly encourage cell turnover. Vancouver, British Columbia, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Buonassisi recommends stronger treatments (such as microneedling, laser resurfacing, or chemical peels) to dramatically improve uneven skin tone or bumpy texture.
- Even pricey home devices may not be powerful enough to yield noticeable results.
How much you pay will depend on your provider’s experience, their location, and how many treatments you have.
Keep in mind that a series of treatment sessions is needed in order to see noticeable effects.
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Find a Doctor Near YouBecause it can address so many skin conditions without creating damage, the treatment can benefit a wide variety of people. It’s also suitable for all skin tones and skin types, with little risk of adverse effects.
Each different wavelength of light benefits the skin in its own way.
- Red light’s collagen-building effects make it useful in anti-aging treatments. It can help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while mildly tightening skin. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, it’s also suitable for soothing the irritation of rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema.
- Blue light is a proven-effective acne treatment that reduces breakout-causing bacteria and soothes inflammation.Â
- Yellow light has more shallow penetration, so it’s useful for surface skin concerns, like sun damage, redness, and visible blood vessels.Â
- Green light, while less studied and less commonly encountered, may accelerate wound-healing activity.
A treatment session usually lasts 30 minutes. Your provider can expose your skin to the LED light via a freestanding lamp, full-face mask, or handheld lamp. The diodes may pulse or flash, but you won’t feel pain during the procedure. “In fact, the treatment feels pleasant and relaxing,” says Dr. Fechner.Â
You won’t need downtime, but your skin may look a little flushed for several hours after your treatment.
Your skin may look more luminous immediately after treatment, but you’ll need more than one treatment to see optimal results.Â
“LED treatments are most beneficial when conducted in a series. Typically, six to eight treatments are recommended, done one to two times a week,” says Dr. Fechner. “Cumulative results can lead to a very meaningful improvement.”Â
Once you’ve completed a series, your results can last for six months to a year—at which point you’ll need to repeat the process in order to maintain them. Stay out of the sun as much as possible and wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 when you’re outdoors, to prolong the benefits.
LED light therapy is very safe for skin—it works without breaking the skin or transmitting enough heat to cause burns, avoiding any physical damage. It’s also free of UV radiation, so there’s no risk of tanning, sunburn, or skin cancer. Rare side effects include rashes, hives, and swelling.Â
Your doctor or aesthetician should provide safety goggles for you to wear during your in-office treatment though. “It’s important to protect your eyes when having LED light therapy. You likely won’t have any immediate vision problems if you skip the safety goggles, but you might increase your risk of developing cataracts,” says San Francisco dermatologic surgeon Dr. William Ting. “I advise wearing appropriate goggles, specific to the wavelength of LED therapy emitted, at all times during LED therapy.”
In 2019, the popular Neutrogena home-use face mask was recalled, due to concerns over eye safety—particularly, in the delivery of blue LED light. “Blue light is the highest energy portion of visible light and is not filtered out by the clear front of the eye [cornea], so these rays can reach the sensitive back portion of the eye [retina],” Dr. David Samimi, a Los Angeles–based ophthalmologist and oculofacial plastic surgeon, told RealSelf News. “For people susceptible to retinal problems—those with genetic predisposition for conditions such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa—there is a theoretical risk for retinal damage and potential loss of vision from this concentrated blue-light exposure.” Though the Neutrogena mask is likely safe for the vast majority of the people when used as directed, the company took it off the market because of these potential safety concerns.
The flashing diodes of LED light therapy could also potentially trigger migraines or seizures, so it’s wise to avoid the treatment if you experience either of those conditions.
Related: What You Need to Know About LED Safety in the Wake of the Neutrogena Light Therapy Mask Recall
A home device can bring the benefits of LED light therapy to your regular skin-care routine, though results will be more subtle.
Home options range widely in price. The popular Dr. Dennis Gross SpectraLite FaceWare Pro face mask ($435) has both red and blue LED lights on a three-minute timer, for daily treatments. The brand Lightstim sells separate handheld devices for wrinkle reduction ($249) and acne treatment ($169).
You may want to consult with your dermatologist or aesthetician before embarking on home treatment, to determine the best device and treatment plan for your concerns.
Related: The Best At-Home Skin Devices Doctors Recommend Using After an In-Office Treatment
There are two other main types of light therapy used on the skin: laser resurfacing and IPL (intense pulsed light). Lasers and IPL damage layers of skin, which triggers a repair process.Â
LED is much gentler, emitting wavelengths of light energy that target skin cells without causing damage. Generally speaking, laser treatments and IPL are stronger, more expensive, and far more effective than LED light therapy, but they also come with more potential risks and side effects.
- Laser resurfacing: Lasers use a concentrated beam of light to treat a variety of skin issues. Some remove hair, some treat redness, and others are used for skin resurfacing—to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots, and scars; erase tattoos; and tighten lax skin. The resurfacing lasers fall into two camps: non-ablative and ablative. Non-ablative lasers pass through the top layers of skin to target deeper tissue and have minimal downtime. Deeper, ablative lasers remove top layers of skin and usually require local anesthesia or sedation—and downtime is significant.Â
- IPL: IPL is used to treat sun damage, brown spots, birthmarks, broken blood vessels, rosacea, and varicose veins. (It’s also sometimes used for hair removal.) It’s similar to laser treatments, but IPL has many wavelengths of light, transmitted in pulses—unlike lasers, which use a concentrated beam.
Interested in LED light therapy?
Find a Doctor Near YouWhelan HT;Smits RL;Buchman EV;Whelan NT;Turner SG;Margolis DA;Cevenini V;Stinson H;Ignatius R;Martin T;Cwiklinski J;Philippi AF;Graf WR;Hodgson B;Gould L;Kane M;Chen G;Caviness J; “Effect of NASA Light-Emitting Diode Irradiation on Wound Healing.” Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine & Surgery, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2001.
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MEDICALLY REVIEWED BY
Thomas Buonassisi, MD
Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
WRITTEN BY
Kali Swenson
Updated on February 20, 2024