Explore how combining blue and red light therapy offers both therapeutic and aesthetic benefits, from acne treatment to improved skin healing and tone.
Acne vulgaris remains one of the most common dermatologic disorders. Clinicians continue to look for new therapies to add to their therapeutic armamentarium. Many medical options already exist and often control the disease process, yet some patients seek additional or alternative treatments. Laser and light therapies for acne have therefore gained popularity in recent years.
Regarding LED light therapy for the skin, “There is science to support it,” says Angela Lamb, director of the Westside Mount Sinai Dermatology Practice,
“but it’s important to know its limitations.”
Exposing the skin to low-level LED light can provide antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits, so these devices are commonly used to address redness or acne. Blue light of the correct wavelength may be FDA-cleared.
Light Therapy with Aduro Mask
Additional blue-light trials have reported favorable results. Papageorgiou compared a mixed blue–red system (415 and 660 nm) with blue light alone and with white light. The combination reduced inflammatory lesions by 76 %, blue light alone by 58 %, and white light by 25 %. Meffert used a high-energy, broad-spectrum source (410–420 nm, blue plus UVA) and observed marked improvement in pustular acne after ten sessions.
Several at-home devices are available. The Aduro mask, for example, offers multiple wavelengths—red, orange, purple, infrared, cyan, blue, green, and yellow—though retail models usually supply only blue or red light. Blue light targets surface bacteria, whereas red light penetrates deeper to calm inflammation. Hooman Khorasani, chief of Dermatologic and Cosmetic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, notes that both blue and red light may shrink sebaceous glands and reduce oil production.
Blue & Red Light Therapy
Experts consider light therapy relatively safe, with minimal side effects. Khorasani emphasizes that LED devices are not a substitute for proven acne agents such as retinoids; instead, they should complement a broader regimen and are not recommended for severe acne. When combining LEDs with retinoids, Lamb advises alternating days to limit photosensitivity.
Using both blue and red light together—such as with the Aduro mask—produces a pink-purple glow that may reduce C. acnes, calm the skin, and accelerate healing by promoting cell regeneration.
FDA device information Mayo Clinic acne overview PubMed LED therapy studies
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