'I Never Got Compliments On My Skin Till I Started Using This Amazon Red Light'
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Like every other human being on this planet, I have pores—yup, even those influencers you follow who seem to have glasslike, porcelain, airbrushed skin have them. And, also like most other people, I've been told by every aesthetician and dermatologist I've spoken to that I'd never be able to shrink my pore size. Even then, as the true skincare junkie I am, I refused to give up on trying anything and everything possible that promised the possibility of brighter, more plump skin. My latest venture: LED light therapy.
People seem to swear by both in-spa and at-home LED light treatments for brightening skin, reducing acne, and even shrinking pores. As someone with dark spots, acne scars, and large pores, I couldn't wait to try the treatment out. I was a bit hesitant about the safety of using an at-home light, but my dermatologist recommended I try Trophy Skin's LED Red Light Therapy Treatment, which you can literally get on Amazon.
I talked to dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara, MD, about the results I experienced after two months of using the at-home red light. Here's what she and I had to say:
It actually shrunk my pores in two months.
"LED Red Light Therapy works by increasing our skin's cell growth and encouraging its repair cycles," says dermatologist Dr. Mona Gohara, MD. For that reason, red light treatments can have a lot of benefits, from scar lightening to collagen production. I used this two to three nights before my nighttime skincare routine, and started seeing plumping benefits after week two. After the second month is when the results became significant enough that my friends and family were complimenting me on the major difference they had seen in my skin.
I couldn't believe that after years of being told it wasn't possible that I had fully debunked the myth that you can't shrink your pores. According to Gohara, the red light stimulates collagen production—that's what plumped my skin, making the pores on my cheeks smaller. To be clear, I do still have noticeable pores on my skin like all of us do—they're just a lot smaller. Not only do I appreciate the appearance more, I also like that my skincare and makeup products go on way more smoothly.
It nearly erased my acne scars and dark spots.
I had severe, cystic hormonal acne all over my face, but mostly on my jawline, for over a decade in my teens and early twenties. While I've mostly been able to reduce the acne scars and dark spots with a blend of retinol and vitamin C-rich serums, I had a few seriously stubborn spots that had been living rent-free on my face for years. After two months of regular use, they're almost completely gone or at least significantly lighter.
Being Indian and having darker skin, Gohara says I'm genetically prone to dark brown acne scars—so, if you're in the same boat, don't worry! They're super normal and common, but she recommends Trophy Skin's red light therapy treatment to her patients who have dark spots. "A red light can even out the skin tone because it increases skin cell turnover," she says. Translation? It gets rid of the darker skin cells and replaces them with fresh, new, and brighter ones.
It's easy to use.
If all of us had all the time in the world, we'd spend every day drinking green juice, journaling, doing cardio classes, meditating, going to yoga, and doing a 10-step skincare routine twice a day—all while working a full-time job and maintaining a social life. But, let's get real. That's just not realistic. For me, the best new habits are the ones that can easily be incorporated in to my routine, which is why I love this LED red light treatment. Sure, you could get a stronger light at your dermatologist or aesthetician's office, but nothing beats the ease of doing it right from home—and, in my case, straight from my bed.
It sits right on my nightstand and has a bendy arm, so I put on the eye-protecting goggles they come with, get in to bed, and point it down on to my freshly-cleansed skin. It automatically turns off after five minutes, so you're not at risk of overdoing it. That's why Gohara recommends this to her patients, too. "It's very easy to use, and it's way more accessible to be able to use it more regularly when you can do it on your own," she says.
It's more affordable than most LED red light treatments.
There are a lot of LED light treatments out there right now, ranging from some that are just $50 to others that cost upwards of $2,000. Not all are created equal, so my personal recommendation is to ask your dermatologist before hitting "add to cart", but this one is specifically recommended by Gohara. At $200, it's one of the more affordable options out there. Of course, that's by no means cheap, but it's way more affordable than most in-office treatments or the other lights that are out there on the market, especially considering how effective this one is.
The only caveat is that Gohara tells her patients with inflamed skin to steer clear of LED light treatments, so she wouldn't recommend it to anyone with acne, psoriasis, rosacea, or a history of skin cancer.
All in all, I can honestly say I've spent way more than $200 on beauty products in my life (or, honestly, even just in the past two years). In just two months, I achieved greater results with this than I ever have with any skincare product I used or facial I've received.
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