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AD info | The LED mask was sent to me by the brand in exchange for a review, the hydrogel masks were gifted with no obligation to post. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
If you’ve watched the latest season of Emily in Paris, you may have seen a certain beauty tool pop up in the opening scene. If you’re curious about what it is, what it does and if it really works, you’ve come to the right place!
CurrentBody very kindly sent me their LED Light Therapy Mask to try out and I’ve been putting it to the test over the past 7 weeks. I’m pretty sceptical when it comes to beauty tools, especially ones that have been adapted for home use. But I’d heard lots of people talk about the benefits of light therapy and I really wanted to give it a go myself.
In the (not so distant) past, LED light therapy was something that could only be performed by clinicians, but now there are plenty of devices, like the CurrentBody mask, that allow you to access this treatment at home. I was really curious to see if the results of this at-home mask would be just as good as those which you’d get from a dermatologist. Here are my thoughts…
What is it?
The CurrentBody LED Light Therapy Mask is an anti-ageing gadget which emits two different wavelengths of light: Red (633nm) and Near-Infrared (830nm). These wavelengths have been clinically proven to stimulate collagen, reduce inflammation and tackle fine lines / wrinkles. Because red LED light increases blood flow, CurrentBody also says that their Light Therapy Mask calms redness and lessens the appearance of surface scarring.
How often can the CurrentBody LED Mask be used?
For best results, CurrentBody recommends using this mask three to five times a week – any more than that and your skin can start to dry out. The treatment itself lasts 10 minutes, but don’t worry about setting a timer as the device automatically turns off after the 10 minutes are up.
How to use the CurrentBody LED Mask
Using the mask can seem a bit fiddly at first, but after a couple of treatments you’ll soon get to grips with it!
- Make sure the controller is charged.
- Cleanse your face and leave to dry. You can add a gentle serum or a hydrogel mask at this stage (both of which you can buy from CurrentBody). The key thing is that these products do not contain SPF as this can lessen the efficacy of the device.
- Attach the black strap, place the mask on your face and adjust so that the mask is as close to the skin as possible. You can also put on the blackout goggles at this point.
- Turn on the device and wait for 10 minutes.
- Take off the mask and clean with an alcohol wipe or damp cloth. Rubbing alcohol on a lint-free wipe also works!
- Store in the protective bag that’s provided.
Downtime & contraindications
The best thing about LED masks is that there is no downtime! You shouldn’t feel any pain from using the mask, nor should you see any redness. CurrentBody advises that you do a light sensitivity test before you use the mask on your face. This will let you know if your skin is suited to using the device. If you experience long-lasting redness from this sensitivity test, you can return the mask to CurrentBody within 14 days for a full refund.
If you’re taking any medication that causes photosensitivity, you should speak to your doctor before using this device. When it comes to retinoids, CurrentBody recommends waiting at least five days (after your last application) before you start using this LED mask.
Expectations
Since I’m in my twenties, signs of ageing aren’t showing too much at the moment. I have some fine lines around my eyes (retinol doesn’t seem to have helped improve them) and I’ve noticed my skin is more dull than it was in my teens. Aside from this, I also have some red marks from past breakouts and I occasionally experience some redness from current breakouts. Having really pale skin, this redness is often difficult to conceal so I was hopeful that this device would help in some way! In summary, I guess what I was hoping for this mask to do was boost my skin’s radiance, reduce some of those fine lines and even out my complexion.
Comfort
When I lifted the LED mask from the box, I thought it was going to be pretty weighty. But it’s actually fairly light and, once you’ve added the strap and adjusted it to fit snugly on your head, this doesn’t feel that heavy on at all. Unlike some other LED masks, you’re not going to have to spend 10 minutes lying down to stop it falling off your face (though you can totally still do this if you want!). You can easily slip the controller into your pocket and wander round the house – it definitely doesn’t inhibit you from getting on with your day.
On the whole, I find the mask quite comfortable to wear. The fact that it’s flexible and made of silicone (as opposed to being the plastic type) means that it bends to fit the shape of your face, although the chin section never really lies flat against the skin. I get most of my hormonal breakouts around my jaw, so it would be great if it did!
When it comes to light intensity, it can take a couple of seconds for your eyes to adjust, but after that you can watch TV or read a book as you normally would. I generally like to use the blackout goggles provided in the kit, though CurrentBody states that the LED mask is safe to use without them. This isn’t quite as comfortable as using the mask by itself but it’s nice to give my eyes a break and, since the treatment is only 10 minutes long, it’s not that inconvenient! If you pop your earphones in and listen to a podcast, those 10 minutes fly by!
Final thoughts
I’ve been using the CurrentBody LED mask for just over a month and I haven’t really seen a massive difference in my fine lines. However, it’s still really early days and I appreciate that this is a device that requires continuous use over a much longer period of time, so I wasn’t expecting to see obvious results straight away.
My skin, in general though, looks much healthier and feels much firmer since I’ve started using it. I know this is primarily an anti-ageing device, but for me the most significant changes have been to do with reducing redness and treating breakouts. I’ve noticed that my skin has stayed clearer for longer and overall my skin tone looks more even. On top of this, it seems that the red marks I usually get after a breakout have faded much quicker than they normally do. While I can’t attribute this to the mask completely, this has been the case since I began the treatments so I definitely think there’s a connection!
I was also sent a few of CurrentBody’s Skin Hydrogel Face Masks to use with the LED mask, and I really love these! I’m a big fan of hydrogel masks anyway so I had a feeling I would – I highly recommend them if you still haven’t tried them yet! Using the LED mask and the hydrogel mask together leaves my skin feeling (and looking) so healthy and hydrated. The only issue is the hydrogel mask makes it incredibly difficult to keep the LED mask on your face. Unlike skin, the hydrogel mask has absolutely no grip, so both masks end up sliding off (unless you’re lying down). Because of this, I prefer using the hydrogel face mask just after the LED treatment – it works equally well this way.
Where can I buy the CurrentBody LED Mask?
You can buy this directly from the CurrentBody website. It’s £279 for the LED mask alone – using my discount code ELLENCB will get you 15% off your order. If you’re interested in buying the hydrogel face masks too, check out these five or ten mask bundles 🙂
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