2 Best Acne Red Light Therapy Devices (and 1 to Avoid)
I continue to like the LightpathLED Blue Mini for acne, but when I found the Visum and Omnilux devices, I decided I had three favorites instead of just one.
(You can see the LightpathLED info I wrote here: You Can Drop 80% of Your Acne in 4 Weeks Using this Device)
The Visum is a very serious light. It’s professional, fast, and accurate. In a world full of red light therapy companies spouting silliness about their products, Visum is a 100% total relief.
I don’t mean to gush, but it’s a bad ass red light therapy device.
For all the times I’ve explained how to dose with red light therapy, the Visum is programmed to figure out your treatment time for you.
You need only understand that a small light dose is about 5 joules and a decent dose is about 60 joules. The device will do the rest, you just move it along the area, back and forth, for the treatment duration.
You don’t have to move other devices during treatment, so why does the Visum require this?
The Visum outputs light at the very top of the power range that works in red light therapy. You don’t want to overload the skin with light, so you swipe it back and forth to put a second or two in between deliveries.
And if you don’t know the joules of energy you need for your acne?
Use treatment #5.
It’s built right into the Vium so that absolutely no thinking is required.
Device
Device Type
Handheld
Wavelengths
Infrared, Red, Green, Blue
Features
- 7 programs plus freestyle
- 7 Nogier frequencies
- Target the joules you want, the device figures out the treatment time
- Do “Program 5” for acne relief
- Free advanced training course ($399 without the purchase of light)
- Free 30-minute Q&A
Power
Cordless rechargeable, portable
Benefits
- Reduce all forms of acne
- Reduce scar size and pigment intensity
- Reduce wrinkles, and rejuvenate skin tone
Session Time
30 seconds to 10 minutes (this is a powerful device) up to 7x a week, see dose chart here)
Returns
45-Day Money Back Guarantee
What I Like
Medical-grade, high-power therapy from an expert engineer. This device is built for therapy practice, but you can use it in your home. It takes only 30 seconds to get the minimum dose of 4 joules from the Visium, and 10 minutes to get a substantial 80 joules.
People often ask me about LEDs vs lasers: When the LED device has enough power, it’s better than a laser, and this is a great example of this. The laser light reflects off the skin because it’s delivered in columns; light from these LEDs suck right into the skin on their way to the mitochondria.
I love that it includes blue and green alongside red and infrared. Blue is excellent for killing P acnes and other acne-causing bacteria. Green is soothing, reduces inflammation, and there’s some evidence it helps skin tone.
The return policy is generous and allows you to test the device so there’s no risk.
Room for Improvement
I’m not going to bash the price on the Visium, because it’s a high-end LED therapy device. This is a case of actually getting what you pay for.
The treatment head is large for a handheld, but it’s still smaller than someone’s face. So for acne treatment, you need to treat one spot, then move to the next. If you did 2 minutes per spot, a treatment period will still be only about 12 minutes.
How to Buy
The CurrentBody mask is popular because it’s comfortable and it works. It has good red and infrared wavelengths, and while it does not have blue light, it does rejuvenate the skin, reduce inflammation, and it will reduce acne.
Device
Device Type
Mask; if you want the neck attachment, don’t buy it on the mask page, buy the Mask and Neck Bundle to save money: Bundle
Features
- Flexible, comfortable mask; optional neck kit
- Add Green Tea Serum for more anti-inflammatory, anti-acne therapy (“polyphenolic compounds present in green tea” are “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic in the skin.”)
Power
Cordless, chargeable, portable
Benefits
- Reduce all forms of acne
- Reduce scar size and pigment intensity
- Reduce wrinkles, and rejuvenate skin tone
Treatment Schedule
10 minutes, 5x/week
Returns
60-day Money Back Guarantee
What I Like
This was the original soft silicone therapy mask. Before CurrentBody, the masks were hard plastic. Some didn’t have holes for the eyes and nose. Real Darth Vader stuff. This mask has a nice feel, it’s enjoyable to wear.
There’s a far infrared heat option that warms the face, it’s just for comfort, like getting a warm washcloth in a nice spa.
The money-back guarantee is good for 60 days so you can really test this out without risk.
The price is reasonable given the high-end quality and celebrity endorsements. There are versions of this mask out there that are 5x more expensive.
Room for Improvement
The CurrentBody is reasonably powerful. It’s at the higher end of the power window, but it is not as powerful as the Visium. Does it matter? A ten-minute treatment is very reasonable, the short treatment time indicates the higher power level of this device.
The heat option can redden the skin. It’s only temporary but most people looking to treat acne want to tone down redness.
How to Buy
I love the Dermalux, but I do not like that it’s not returnable. This pad rivals Celluma for its hefty but soft, high-quality materials. It’s an excellent light, but people should have a chance to try red light therapy without fear of going all in on their first purchase.
Device
Device Type
Pad
Wavelengths
Infrared, Red, Blue
Features
- Includes canopy to create a dome out of the pad, holds it in place while you lie underneath the light
- 360 diodes flood you with healing light
- Compare to Celluma at salons and spas
- The largest high-quality pad I’ve found
Treatment Schedule
30 minutes, 3-7x/week
Returns
Does not have a money-back guarantee on the sales page, meaning it is subject to the “return unopened and unused” 30-day policy.
What I Like
I love the size and texture, as well as the stand that lets you make a dome of this pad.
Room for Improvement
I included this device because I had already done the research, so I might as well share it with my readers.
However, I don’t recommend the Dermalux Flex MD for several reasons.
The return policy is unworkable. There’s no money-back guarantee. You have to return it in the original box unopened to get a refund. So there’s no trial period.
The treatment time is 30 minutes. That means this device is pretty weak. If I’m going to recommend a device with a 30-minute treatment time, it’s going to cost about 1/10th of the Dermalux price.
How to Buy
