Considering how technologically savvy our society has become, it was only a matter of time before our skincare routines became more futuristic, too. Not only do the best red light therapy wands and LED masks look like Space Age devices, but they actually are, with clinically proven benefits: NASA scientists were the ones to discover the reparative properties of red light.
“Red light wands use very low levels of red light to help improve the appearance of your skin,” explains Howard Sobel, a clinical attending cosmetic dermatologic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He shares that red light therapy can address many of the most common skincare concerns by fading fine lines, age spots, stretch marks and wrinkles, as well as improving redness, wound healing, and acne.
According to Audrey Matney, medical aesthetician and founder of 123 Beauty Lab in New York City, red light works by penetrating deep into your dermis to activate your mitochondria (the powerhouses of your cells, as you may recall from Biology 101). “This gives them a serious productivity boost, helping them churn out more ATP, or cellular fuel,” she explains. With more fuel, your cells work harder and more efficiently, resulting in better, healthier skin.
There’s no shortage of these light-powered devices on the market, including LED wands, face masks and panels, but we’ve found that one of the most convenient ways to integrate this tech into our routines is through handheld tools. Portable and power-packed, red light therapy wands make it easy to target localised concerns, like glabellar lines (aka. forehead wrinkles), or a particularly stubborn blemish. Here, we share the best red light therapy wands to rejuvenate skin – plus expert insights on incorporating them into a daily routine.
Read on for ’s favourite red light therapy wands
- Why it’s -approved: A step up from red light in terms of the depth its beams penetrate, Lyma’s device combines low-level cold laser therapy with NIR to rejuvenate skin from the inside out. This handheld tool can treat fine lines everywhere on the face and body – from the crow’s feet to hands and lips – and offers impressive results for deep-set concerns like pigmentation and scarring. What’s more, it fits inside your handbag and is still effective when used over your SPF or make-up. Great for the jet setter who needs on-the-go treatments, it’s no wonder this device is beloved by the celebrity set.
- Device type: Handheld
- Best for: deep-down skin rejuvenation. Tightening lax skin, renewing dull skin and remodelling skin with scars. Several users praise the non-invasive device for its anti-inflammatory effects on conditions like psoriasis.
- Target area: Face, body, neck and hands
- : Three plus minutes daily
- Good to know: As well as whole face rejuvenation, try using it for five minutes on targeted areas like acne scarring and persistent sun spots.
- Ease to use
- Results in a short amount of time
- Covers a small surface area at a time
Jessica Diner testing the Lyma Laser
’s Kiana Murden testing the Medicube Age-R Booster Pro
- Why it’s -approved: The Age-R Booster Pro – the enhanced version of the Hailey Bieber favourite Age-R Booster H – from K-beauty brand Medicube is designed to help you achieve glass skin, with a of unique settings as well as an app that’s as smooth and reflective as a windowpane. In addition to microcurrent, electrical muscle stimulation, and a needleless take on microneedling, Age-R Booster Pro delivers five LED wavelengths to tackle a full spectrum of skin concerns, Matney assures. While red and blue light (and their combination, purple) are most well-known for their use in treating signs of ageing and blemishes, the Age-R Booster Pro also offers inflammation-reducing green light and radiance-boosting orange light. Use these light wavelengths with any of the other glow-boosting settings after your skincare routine for best results.
- “I’m convinced that the red light function on Medicube’s X2 Wand helps bring down angry, inflamed spots. Holding it over a particularly angry breakout feels almost like watching it deflate, and as someone who often experiences painful hormonal acne, it’s a very welcome addition to my routine. A dermatologist once explained to me that while blue light is often the go-to for targeting acne-causing bacteria, red light can help calm inflammation and support skin healing. I’m a skin picker, so this is helpful! There’s also emerging research into its effects on oil production, although evidence is less established. Either way, anything that helps reduce a furious hormonal breakout is worth its weight in gold.” –
- Best for: Uneven tone, enlarged pores, redness, laxity
- Five LED colours (red, blue, purple, green, orange), electroporation, microcurrent, EMS, electric needles
- Varies depending on setting; see user manual for best results
- Why it’s -approved: Solawave’s handy device is about the size of your standard toothbrush and far sleeker, making it easy to tuck into any cosmetics bag. It’s designed to be used after applying your favourite formulas; glide the wand over your skin, and the combination of built-in galvanic current and warmth will enhance absorption, while the facial massage and red LED lights will promote a smoother, more radiant complexion. Try it when you need to bliss out after work or to reawaken skin after a long flight.
- Best for: Uneven texture and fine lines, puffiness, dull skin
- Seven red LEDs, galvanic current, facial massage, therapeutic warmth
- Three minutes per facial area on damp skin daily
’s Kiana Murden testing the Solawave Skincare Wand
Video courtesy of Sam Ravin.
- Why it’s -approved: While the team were already fans of the Therabody TheraFace PRO, the brand has redesigned its skin tool with three configurations as part of its newly unveiled SkinSpa System. The SkinSpa Pro includes an LED atachment as well as cold and microcurrent therapy attachment which provides a lifting effect. But if there is just one technology that you are interested in, you can purchase either the CryoCurrent or the ThermLED alone, which cuts the price significantly.
- When it comes to the LEDs, there are four wavelengths that you can cycle between. Alongside the more commonly used red and red + infrared for fine lines and dark spots respectively, there is also yellow light to soothe redness and blue light to bust blemishes. The heat function too is not just warming and soothing but encourages better absorptions of skincare that follows.
- Best for: The addition of lifting and contouring microcurrent
- Red, infrared, blue and yellow LEDs, cyro and heat and massage attachment
- Why it’s -approved: If you’re one of the countless beauty tool aficionados who swear by the NuFace Trinity, you should absolutely treat yourself to this attachment. “It’s FDA-cleared, fast, effective, and perfect for when you want glowing skin and don’t have time to come and see me for a facial,” teases Matney. Simply use the attachment with its red, amber, and infrared lights for three minutes on each area of your face (such as your forehead, nasolabial folds, and so on) to help smooth and firm, then swap it out for the microcurrent head and slick on some conductive gel to start tightening and toning.
- Best for: Fine lines, wrinkles
- 36 LEDs in three colours (red, amber, and infrared)
- Five days a week for up to 21 minutes, three minutes per facial area
- Visible improvement in fine lines
- Second best to clinic treatments
- Must use consistently
3-Minute Pimple Spot Treatment
- Why it’s -approved: Audrey Matney, medical aesthetician and founder of 123 Beauty Lab in New York City, cites this as the best option for blemish-prone skin thanks to its mix of blue and red LEDs. The former helps destroy acne-causing bacteria and reduce sebum production, while the latter rejuvenates and soothes, creating a comprehensive three-minute treatment that calms and clarifies skin. In most cases, this petite gadget can clear up a pimple in three days.
- Best for: Blemishes
- Combination of red and blue LEDs
- Once daily for three minutes until the blemish improves
- Great for hormonal breakouts
- Long-lasting battery life
- Ideal for travel
- Small, so very targeted treatment
- Why it’s -approved: While we’re big fans of Therabody’s LED face mask, this is the device we reach for when we need more targeted, bespoke treatment. “This FDA-approved device helps with skin toning using microcurrent and a tension-reducing, circulation-boosting facial massage,” says Matney. It also has three LED attachment options to treat fine lines, breakouts, and dark spots, plus a cleansing ring attachment that you can pair with your favourite face wash for a deep clean. There are also hot and cold attachments sold separately to help boost collagen and quell puffiness, making the TheraFace Pro an eight-in-one device.
- Best for: Fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes, discolouration, enlarged pores, facial tension
- Features three LED colours (red, blue, infrared), microcurrent, massage, cleansing
- LED can be used daily for up to eight minutes, moving to a new area of the face every 15 seconds
- Easy to use
- Sculpting effect