SEEING RED

Red-light therapy products are everywhere, but do they work for skin? The experts clear things up.

- HANNAH JEON

Of all the buzzy treatments stalking you via ads on your social media or promoted on Instagram, red-light therapy (RLT) may be the buzziest. Celebrities and influencers post photos of themselves wearing glowing, eerie-looking masks or waving red wands over their faces as they tout the treatment's anti-aging benefits. But what exactly is it? And, more important, is it actually effective at improving such skin concerns as acne and signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles?

How RLT works

RLT uses low levels of red light to promote benefits to skin. It's incorporated in light-emitting diode (LED) devices that produce varying wavelengths of light to target a variety of skin health issues, says Jodi LoGerfo, D.N.P., a dermatology-certified family nurse practitioner with the Orentreich Medical Group in New York City. It's usually delivered via a face mask, a light panel, or a wand equipped with LED lights that is placed near your skin to let your cells “absorb” the light. RLT can be done at a doctor’s office or with a less powerful at-home device (see info at right) that produces milder results.