Julie B Campbell

LED Light Therapy for Rosacea – All the Products I’ve Tried So Far

Hi Rosy Friends! 🌸

Thank you to everyone who has requested this blog. I admit that I’ve been putting off doing a run-down of all the LED light therapy products I’ve tried on my rosacea-prone skin.  It’s not that I didn’t want to do it. It’s just that it’s quite a big undertaking!  I’ve tried a lot of products and, as you know if you watch my videos or have been reading my other blogs, I’m not naturally inclined toward brevity.

Still, I’m always up for a challenge.  Here’s my best effort at briefly talking about each LED light therapy product I’ve tried on my rosacea in a way I’m hoping will be useful to you.  I considered rating each product with stars, but there are too many factors to consider to do that, so I’m just going to talk about:

  • Price (at the time I write this),
  • International shipping/compatibility,
  • Satisfaction guarantee,
  • Recommended session length,
  • How long is the product expected to last,
  • Durability/portability,
  • What, if any, difference did it make for me after 3 months of use

Before I Get Started

Before I get to it, please remember that I am not a medical expert or a skin care expert. I’m a book author.  That doesn’t qualify me to make any diagnoses or recommendations. These reviews are based on my personal experience.  They’re an account of what has happened to me. I have no way of knowing if you’d have the same experience if you try any of them.

If you’re interested in trying any of these products, I recommend speaking to your health care provider about it, first.  Also, following any patch-testing directions are also helpful, particularly if your health care provider recommends it.

LED light therapy for rosacea and goggles | Rosy JulieBC

Run-Down of LED Light Therapy Products for Rosacea

Here’s what I have tried (and am trying) so far.

The Pure Red Light HP LED Powerhead* (SmarterLights)

  • LED Red light therapy for rosacea | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $259.00 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (powerhead), cord and socket, goggles, get started instructions.
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships worldwide. Free shipping in USA. 120V available for US and Canada. A 220V Pure Red* version is also available for the same price for pretty much the rest of the world.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 90 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).  Lifetime warranty.
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to 3 minutes (my ideal was 90 seconds per side of my face).
  • Expected product lifespan: 25+ years
  • Durability/portability: Lightweight and very durable. Easy to pack. I’ve packed it in a suitcase in the (small) box it came in.
  • Make a difference?: After about 8 weeks of use, friends and family were noticing a visible difference in the redness in my face. I could feel a difference after a few days (in the itching, stinging, burning).  After 3 months, the visible difference was easily visible in pictures, and I experienced fewer flare-ups.
  • Side effects: After a session, my face is slightly redder for about a half hour. It’s more pronounced during extreme weather (very cold/windy, very hot). Since I use light therapy before bed, the half hour of redness didn’t bother me.

The Pure Amber Light HP LED Powerhead* (SmarterLights)

  • LED Amber light therapy for rosacea | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $259.00 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (powerhead), cord and socket, goggles, get started instructions.
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships worldwide. Free shipping in USA. 120V available for US and Canada. A 220V Pure Amber* version is also available for the same price for pretty much the rest of the world.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 90 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).  Lifetime warranty.
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to 3 minutes (my ideal was 90 seconds per side of my face).
  • Expected product lifespan: 25+ years
  • Durability/portability: Lightweight and very durable. Easy to pack. I’ve packed it in a suitcase in the (small) box it came in.
  • Make a difference?: After 6 to 8 weeks of use, I found the light soothing. On its own, it didn’t do too much compared to the red light. That said, when I used it after the red light, I found that it minimized the redness I experienced following the red light.
  • Side effects: None that I could tell.

The Dual Care HP LED Powerhead* (SmarterLights)

  • LED Red and Amber light therapy for rosacea | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $279.00 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (powerhead), cord and socket, goggles, get started instructions.
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships worldwide. Free shipping in USA. 120V available for US and Canada. A 220V Dual Care* version is also available for the same price for pretty much the rest of the world.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 90 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).  Lifetime warranty.
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to 3 minutes (my ideal is 2 minutes per side of my face).
  • Expected product lifespan: 25+ years
  • Durability/portability: Lightweight and very durable. Easy to pack. I’ve packed it in a suitcase in the (small) box it came in.
  • Make a difference?: I was included in the prototype testing of this product back when there were 2 versions. It is my favourite LED light therapy product for rosacea so far.  It combines the best of both worlds of red and amber light therapy, all in one product and at once, so I don’t have to use one bulb after the other.
  • Side effects: Sometimes, when the weather is bad or my skin is very reactive, I have slight, temporary redness after use. It’s very minor, is gone in a half hour and doesn’t bother me because I use the light right before bed.

The Pure Green Light HP LED Powerhead* (SmarterLights)

  • LED Green light therapy for rosacea | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $259.00 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (powerhead), cord and socket, goggles, get started instructions.
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships worldwide. Free shipping in USA. 120V available for US and Canada. A 220V Pure Green* version is also available for the same price for pretty much the rest of the world.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 90 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).  Lifetime warranty.
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to 3 minutes (my ideal is 3 minutes per side of my face).
  • Expected product lifespan: 25+ years
  • Durability/portability: Lightweight and very durable. Easy to pack. I’ve packed it in a suitcase in the (small) box it came in.
  • Make a difference?: For a while, it made a difference in easing the permanent redness on my face, but that seemed to stop after a while. It didn’t eliminate it completely.  It was also very soothing.  It cooled my face without causing redness.  That said, it didn’t produce the benefits from red, such as healing the pimple-like bumps or preventing future flare-ups. As a side note, I used this indirectly (shone it on the wall in a dark room) to ease anxiety.  It worked sometimes.
  • Side effects: None that I could detect.

RubyLux All Red LED Bulb (small – 2nd generation)

  • Red LED Light Therapy | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $34.99 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (goggles and lamp/socket set must be purchased separately).
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships 120V to Canada and USA.  A 220V All Red version is also available for the same price for Europe and Australia.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 60 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to several minutes (my ideal was 5 minutes per side of my face)
  • Expected product lifespan: Several years.
  • Durability/portability: Light but durable enough that I feel confident bringing it in a suitcase in its original (tiny) box.  It fits in my makeup bag. I use this as my travel light.
  • Make a difference?: With regular use, this helped to minimize the frequency and intensity of my flare-ups. I was already using light therapy before testing this product.  This light helped to maintain the benefits I was already receiving.
  • Side effects: After a session, my face is slightly redder for about a half hour. It’s more pronounced during extreme weather (very cold/windy, very hot). Since I use light therapy before bed, the half hour of redness didn’t bother me.

RubyLux Amber Yellow LED Bulb (small – 2nd generation)

  • Yellow Amber LED Light Therapy | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $29.99 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (goggles and lamp/socket set must be purchased separately).
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships 120V to Canada and USA.  A 220V Amber Yellow version is also available for the same price for Europe and Australia.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 60 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to several minutes (my ideal was 5 minutes per side of my face)
  • Expected product lifespan: Several years.
  • Durability/portability: Light but durable enough that I feel confident bringing it in a suitcase in its original (tiny) box.  It fits in my makeup bag. I use this as my travel light.
  • Make a difference?: This light was very soothing to my skin and helped me to keep the redness from using the red light to a minimum.
  • Side effects: None that I could detect.

RubyLux All Blue LED Bulb (small – 1st generation)

  • LED Blue light therapy for rosacea | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $21.99 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Bulb (optional goggles, shields and lamp/socket set must be purchased separately).
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships 120V to Canada and USA only, as far as I can tell.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 60 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).
  • Recommended session length: 5 to 15 minutes per area the size of the bulb face, a 1.5 inch diameter (I tested it for 5 minutes per area)
  • Expected product lifespan: About 2 years.
  • Durability/portability: Light was very light and inexpensive enough that it’s not a big risk to bring during travel.
  • Make a difference?: This light made no difference that I could detect aside from possibly helping to heal a (non-rosacea) pimple I had on my face at the time. I stopped using this product after the trial.
  • Side effects: None that I could detect at 5 minutes of use.

RubyLux LED Light Therapy Mask

  • LED light therapy Mask for rosacea | Rosy JulieBCPrice: $99.99 (USD)
  • Included with purchase: Mask with adjustable strap, controller, USB connector, power cord (power cord adapter included in versions sold outside EU).
  • International shipping/compatibility: Ships 110V to Canada and USA.  A 220V and 240V LED Light Therapy Mask version is also available for the same price for the Europe, UK and Australia, respectively.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: 60 day risk-free satisfaction guarantee (very good about returns).
  • Recommended session length: 30 seconds to several minutes (my ideal was 5 minutes)
  • Expected product lifespan: Several years.
  • Durability/portability: It’s not heavy or big, but I would be nervous traveling with this mask unless I could pad it well and could protect it myself (I wouldn’t put it in checked luggage).
  • Make a difference?: With regular use of the red light and then the red and yellow/amber light, this helped to maintain results I was experiencing from a light therapy product I was already using before testing this product.  At the time I’m writing this review, I’m not done testing this product and can’t say for certain if it is as effective as other light therapy products I’ve tried. I’ll write an update as soon as I’ve come to any conclusions.
  • Side effects: After a session, my face is noticeably redder for about a half hour. It feels slightly warmer, too.  This effect fades away quickly and is not too uncomfortable. Since I use light therapy before bed, the half hour of redness didn’t bother me.

PHEW!  I hope this helps, Rosy Friends!

6 comments

    • Oh dear! No, I didn’t have that problem at all. I use the light immediately before applying my nighttime moisturizers, so perhaps that’s why I was able to sidestep that issue. It dried your skin after just one use? I didn’t even know that was possible. I hope you’ve found something that works better for you.

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  2. I use RejuvaliteMD device de Trophy Skin that has four types of lights (yellow, amber, red et infrared lights). I put the device on my bedside table and I can use it lying in my bed while relaxing for 5 minutes (it has a timer). I can see that it calms my redness. I like it because it is so easy to use.

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  3. Hi. I have been doing the RubyLux LED Mask for a year. It took trial and error, but it’s good now. Like Julie I had to learn how to wear the strap on top of my head instead of down the back and low. At first, I would be red and dried out with red marks on my nose. After 3 to 4 months this went away. I wash with Olivella face wash before using my mask. After using my mask here is what I do; I recommend using Humphreys witch hazel. After that dries I pply Aloe Life aloe Vera. After that dries I use Aloe Life Lotion. My face gets red when I clean house, but it goes away quickly by the next day not the usual 4 to 5 days. Best of all the broken capillaries are almost completely gone. My pores have shrunk. My acne scars are flat and smooth, barely noticeable. I use my LED Beauty Mask 2 to 3 times a week now. I will use the red light on level 2 for 10 minutes. The next time I will do level 3 for 5 minutes. It has been the best experience using this mask. I saw changes after the first use. After 3 months more improvement. 6 months on it has been great. I would like to recommend Olivella face wash. Vitacost has excellrnt prices on these products and they are affordable.

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    • Hi Sheila,
      Thanks for the great update about what you’re up to.
      I think you may be using a different mask from the RubyLux LED Mask as this one first became available for pre-order in October 2018. It first started shipping in November 2018, so unless you had an advance version of the product, it hasn’t been out long enough for you to use it for a year.
      It’s possible you’re using something quite similar. There are several masks now available on the market.
      I’m surprised that you’re using witch hazel successfully. That causes instant flare-ups for me and I’ve been warned not to use it. Even Rosacea.org (The National Rosacea Society) says it’s often a trigger. It’s amazing how every one of us has our own unique options that work. It really is a matter of trial and error, as you said. If something works perfectly for me, it might not work for a single other rosacea sufferer out there, and yet there are other things that work – or don’t work – for many of us.
      I’m glad you seem to have found what works for you. Thanks again for sharing!

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