Can red and near-infrared light reduce wrinkles?
A trial with a pretend treatment for comparison. The trial supports further research on clinic red and near-infrared light. It does not show what a home mask will do.
The main finding. The trial supports further research on clinic red and near-infrared light. It does not show what a home mask will do.
How the study worked
The trial involved 76 adults. One side of each person’s face received 633 nm red light, 830 nm near-infrared light, both, or a pretend treatment called a sham.
Treatment was given twice weekly for four weeks. Follow-up lasted three months. Participants and assessors did not know which treatment was used. Researchers checked wrinkles, elasticity and skin samples.
The results
The real-light groups had fewer wrinkles than at the start, with reductions of up to 36%. Elasticity rose by up to 19%. Samples showed more collagen and elastic fibres, along with more active collagen-making cells.
The abstract reports no side effects. Its authors described red and near-infrared light as effective for skin rejuvenation.
What is still unclear
Those headline improvements compare people with their own starting point. The abstract does not clearly give the difference from the sham group.
The treatment used clinic panels. A home mask may deliver a different amount of light.
What to take from this
The trial supports further research on clinic red and near-infrared light. It does not show what a home mask will do.
Devices that list similar light
Four of the 5 masks in the comparison list a wavelength in every band used here (red near 633 nm and near-infrared near 830 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. Renú SpectraLift Advanced465 · 530 · 630–660 · 850 nm · Dr. Renú product page
- Omnilux Contour Face633 · 830 nm · Omnilux product page
- Shark CryoGlow FW312415 · 630 · 830 nm · Shark product page
These masks list one of the bands, but not all:
- Dr. Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro415 · 630; page also lists 605 · 880 (unresolved) nm · Dr. Dennis Gross 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.