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Using light power to improve your complexion and skin health may seem like not much more than a science-fiction pipe dream. But that’s exactly what Well+Good producer and What the Wellness host Ella Dove sought to test in the most recent episode of the YouTube series with the Dr. Dennis Gross Spectralite FaceWare Pro ($435), a powerful dermatological device meant to use LED for the betterment of your skin. Sure, in doing so, she may have looked like a rose-gold Optimus Prime (which certainly feels science fiction in spirit), but did it work?
Experts in This Article
board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
board-certified dermatologist, a clinical instructor at NYU Langone, and the founder of Entière Dermatology
First things first, let’s get clear on the basics: LED light treatment itself is often offered in dermatologist offices as a skin rejuvenator that works in a very straightforward way. And even if you’ve been hearing more about the treatment as of late, know that it’s actually not new at all. “Basically we use these different light energies to treat different conditions, and it works by modulating or changing cellular activity,” says board-certified dermatologist Melissa Levin, MD. “So it might seem like a ‘trend’ because you’re seeing it more, but it’s actually a really old treatment that we know a lot about.”
But what does LED light treatment actually, well, do? To answer that question, Dove turned to Dennis Gross, MD, board-certified dermatologist, founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, and creator of the Dr. Dennis Gross Spectralite FaceWare Pro she is testing. He reiterates that the tech behind LED lighting isn’t exactly “new”…but it is out of this world, in a sense.
“It stimulates one’s own collagen, it works on reducing redness, it works on complexion concerns by killing the bacteria that causes acne.” —dermatologist Dennis Gross, MD
“It was actually first developed by the space program, by NASA, to improve wound healing in space, but then the world of dermatology found more uses for it,” says Dr. Gross. “It stimulates one’s own collagen, it works on reducing redness, it works on complexion concerns by killing the bacteria that causes acne. So it does many things both in terms of the anti-aging and the firming of the skin, redness, inflammation, and acne.”
So, according to the pros, it seems, LED therapy poses to improve myriad components of skin health. And with the Dr. Dennis Gross Spectralite FaceWare Pro, you can theoretically reap all those benefits from the comfort of your home. With the product, Dr. Gross says consistency is key, but duration can be brief, noting that his wife wears it for three minutes a day while making coffee. So Dove followed suit.
But does this device actually work? Watch the full video of Dove trying it here to find out for yourself.
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