Blue and red light for mild to moderate acne
A trial comparing light with white light and a cream. Blue plus red light reduced inflamed spots in this trial. The schedule and acne types limit how widely the result applies.
The main finding. Blue plus red light reduced inflamed spots in this trial. The schedule and acne types limit how widely the result applies.
How the study worked
The 107 participants were assigned to 415 nm blue light, 415/660 nm blue and red light, white light, or 5% benzoyl peroxide cream. Light sessions lasted 15 minutes daily for 12 weeks.
Assessors did not know which light participants used. They could not be blinded in the same way for the cream group.
The results
Inflamed spots fell by an average of 76% in the blue-plus-red group. It did better than white light at each check and better than the cream at weeks 8 and 12. It beat blue alone at weeks 4 and 8, but not week 12.
Blackheads and whiteheads fell by 58%. The difference from the other treatments was not statistically clear. No significant short-term side effects were reported.
What is still unclear
The trial studied mild to moderate acne. Its daily routine differs from some mask instructions.
What to take from this
Blue plus red light reduced inflamed spots in this trial. The schedule and acne types limit how widely the result applies.
Devices that list similar light
Three of the 5 masks in the comparison list a wavelength in every band used here (blue near 415 nm and red, 620–670 nm). They are examples, listed alphabetically, each with our specification page and the manufacturer’s own product page. Related devices are examples, not evidence that a study tested that retail model.
- CurrentBody Skin LED Face Mask Series 3415 · 532 · 590 · 633 · 830 · 1072 nm · CurrentBody product page
- Dr. Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro415 · 630; page also lists 605 · 880 (unresolved) nm · Dr. Dennis Gross product page
- Shark CryoGlow FW312415 · 630 · 830 nm · Shark product page
These masks list one of the bands, but not all:
- Dr. Renú SpectraLift Advanced465 · 530 · 630–660 · 850 nm · Dr. Renú product page
- Omnilux Contour Face633 · 830 nm · Omnilux product page
Matching a wavelength is not the same as matching the study. Dose, irradiance, session length and schedule also differ, and a mask’s reported output is not independently measured. See how dose works and home vs clinic doses.
We rewrote the source edition’s abstract summary in simpler language. It is not medical advice, and it does not mean any mask reproduces this study’s results. Read the original record on PubMed, and talk to a qualified clinician about your skin.