At-Home LED Therapy Effective Against Acne

LED light therapy is touted by social media influencers as a trendy way to treat acne.

And it actually appears to work, a new evidence review suggests.

Both red and blue LED light therapy are safe and effective in clearing up mild to moderate acne, researchers reported in JAMA Dermatology.

“We found individuals who use red and/or blue LED devices experienced a significant reduction in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesions compared to the control groups,” senior researcher Dr. John Barbieri, director of the Advanced Acne Therapeutics Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a news release.

LED light therapy is thought to work by targeting the bacteria that causes acne and reducing skin inflammation, researchers said in background notes.

Blue LED light therapy also might reduce activity in the sebaceous glands of hair follicles, causing them to produce less pore-clogging oil, Harvard Medical School says. It affects the uppermost layer of skin.

On the other hand, red light is believed to act on skin cells that play a role in producing collagen, a protein that helps skin recover when damaged, Harvard says. Red light penetrates deeper into skin.

For their review, researchers pooled data from six studies of LED therapy for acne involving 216 participants.

The LED devices resulted in about a 45% improvement in acne lesions and symptoms compared to control conditions that included exposure to white light, no light or a sham light, researchers report.

Two of the six studies found that LED therapy worked even better than benzoyl peroxide, the active ingredient in over-the-counter and prescription acne creams, researchers added.

Improvement typically was noted after one to three months.

Side effects from the devices were minimal, with mild dryness and skin irritation occasionally reported.

“These devices may serve as a complementary or alternative tool for individuals who experience side effects or insufficient improvement from traditional acne medications,” Barbieri said.

The therapies work best when used together, researchers noted.

One study included in the analysis found that “the combination of red and blue light resulted in greater improvement in lesions and acne clearance.”

However, researchers noted that larger clinical trials are needed to determine the best light wavelengths and treatment duration for combatting acne.

These studies also should explore the long-term outcomes of skin exposure to LED light.

More information

Cleveland Clinic has more on LED light therapy.

SOURCES: Mass General Brigham, news release, March 5, 2025; JAMA Dermatology, March 5, 2025