An on-the-go lightsaber to zap zits? We put an affordable at-home LED acne light treatment to the test…
If you’re an avid reader you may remember my stint as a rave welder last year testing out the Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask . Fresh for 2018, the full-face lightshow has been remodelled to target single spots, with a fusion of red and blue antibacterial LED light available in a pen-like device, meaning you don’t need to cart around the entire Daft Punk helmet and can attack particularly pesky lesions directly and in a shorter amount of time. It’s also relatively cheap (£29.99) which is rather refreshing in the distinctly spendy sector of beauty tools and tech. Pen at the ready.
What does it do?
It quite literally puts spots in a spotlight, but with the aim of shrinking them. Apply the pen directly to a spot for two minutes and the energy generated from red and blue LED light is intended to nix the acne causing bacteria P.acnes and associated inflammation. Said light also helps to reduce sebum production, ideally preventing oil and bacteria from having another party in your spot and causing zits to blow up. The pen is chemical and UV free and can be used everyday or whenever an angry mound makes itself known.
Who is it for?
If you suffer from the odd explosive breakout, the pen is very useful for calming isolated spots instantly- I found that it brought down swelling and helped me to swerve the usual cycle and duration of zit aggression. It won’t make spots disappear, but it should effectively firefight without causing matters to get worse, and the fact that there are no potentially irritating ingredients involved in treatment was peace of mind for my poor, poor skin barrier- an acne outbreak combined with seasonal dryness has without doubt left mine compromised, and tempting as it is to whack on all of the potent spot elixirs out there, I know that I need to tread gently to avoid scarring and generally turning my complexion into a battlefield. As such, the fact that this can be used as often as needed, and to impressive effect, is a huge win.
While the pen is speedy and easy to use, I’d opt for the full-face mask option if you are suffering from acne rather than sporadic spots. My skin has recently gone haywire (see above), and addressing each spot alone would prove to be a case of playing dot to dot at two minute intervals- not so handy. In this case I picked my battles (no actual spot picking may I add).
The verdict
It’s not a magic wand, but it comes fairly close where putting pimples in their place goes, and I’d happily invest again once the battery runs out for another tool in my spot-fighting arsenal. It doesn’t address the root cause of breakouts and acne, and while it’s not as powerful as in-clinic light treatments (try The Light Salon ExpressLED for a tailored light facial to suit your skin), it does help to clear things up regardless, and the fact that it’s such a gentle yet mighty route is a big plus when skin is sensitized and reactive. If you’ve tried everything, or are looking for a maintenance step to keep up the good work between professional antibacterial light treatments, it’s got legs.
Launching soon- keep your eyes peeled on Neutrogena.co.uk