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Are red-light face masks worth the hype?
Used properly, the right ones can help combat the signs of ageing
Sep 26th 2025|3 min read
HOLED UP AT home when no one else is looking, people indulge in their covert, sometimes embarrassing, self-care routines. One of the newest involves donning a mask that would make the greatest movie villains envious. Strap it around the face, switch it on and ominous coloured light starts to emanate from the eye and mouth holes. All in the name of eternal youth and vitality.
Light-emitting diode (LED) face masks are all the rage. Depending on the colour you choose, manufacturers promise they will rid your face of acne, reverse skin discolouration and even fight off wrinkles. The most popular is the red-light mask, which uses red and near-infrared (NIR) light. These, designers claim, stimulate skin regeneration and reverse the signs of ageing.
Such claims are more than marketing hype. Red light has the longest wavelengths in the visible spectrum, and so can safely penetrate deeper into the skin than light with shorter wavelengths. The light then stimulates colour-sensitive molecules called chromophores in subsurface skin layers. These encourage the growth of cells called fibroblasts, which are among the first to respond to injuries or damage to the skin. They are responsible for the production of two skin proteins, collagen and elastin. High amounts of collagen are important for youthful-looking skin, boosting its elasticity and firmness.
Numerous experiments bear out the positive effects that red and NIR light can have on skin. A study published in 2007 in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology asked 76 people aged between 35 and 55 who showed visible signs of ageing to use red light on the right half of their faces, leaving the left as a control. Four weeks later, the authors concluded that the right sides of participants’ faces already looked younger. Biopsies taken from some confirmed the presence of increased collagen.
Shoshana Marmon, director of dermatological research at New York Medical College, notes that small studies have indeed shown benefits for acne, skin texture and wrinkles. But those benefits are modest. For best results, she recommends using red-light masks at least three times a week for 8-12 weeks, alongside moisturisers, a broad-spectrum sunscreen and a retinoid (a class of products derived from vitamin A). “You can add the light mask on top of those basics,” says Dr Marmon, “but it shouldn’t replace them.”
Anti-ageing is the tip of the iceberg. Tests conducted in the 1990s by researchers at NASA—first in plants, then on rats and human tissue—found that light from LEDs helped wounds heal faster (as cell growth is slowed in zero gravity, astronauts who were injured in space would have a harder time healing than they do on Earth). Light can also be harnessed to treat a variety of skin ailments from psoriasis and vitiligo, by way of acne scarring and rosacea, to cancer. New research has even demonstrated that light’s ability to heal subsurface tissue means it may be useful in treating traumatic brain injuries.
Not every face mask can deliver the full benefits of red-light therapy. Research shows the optimal treatment for minimising wrinkles and rejuvenating skin would use a combination of red light, with a wavelength of at least 633nm, and NIR light of at least 830nm. The built-in bulbs must also produce light of sufficient power density, ideally 10-50 milliwatts per square centimetre—a new definition, perhaps, of youthful glow.
《紅光面罩真的那麼神嗎？》
📅 2025年9月26日｜約3分鐘閱讀
你有沒有在家偷偷做過一些只有自己知道的「美容小儀式」？
像是敷面膜、貼痘痘貼、還是用那種會發光的奇怪機器？
最近，一種「紅光面罩」的美容產品超級紅。
戴上去整張臉都發亮，看起來就像電影反派登場一樣，
但大家說它能讓你變年輕、變緊緻——真的嗎？
這些所謂的「LED光療面罩」可不只一種顏色。
不同顏色的光據說有不同功效：
像是藍光可以對付痘痘，綠光能改善膚色不均，
而最受歡迎的，就是「紅光面罩」。
廠商宣稱紅光能刺激皮膚再生、減少皺紋，
還能讓肌膚更有彈性、更年輕。
聽起來是不是很夢幻？
但其實，這些說法並非全是噱頭。
紅光的波長比其他可見光長，
這代表它能「更深入」地穿透皮膚，
而不會造成傷害。
當紅光進入皮膚後，
會刺激到一種叫做「發色團」（chromophores）的分子，
它們能活化皮下的細胞，
特別是「纖維母細胞」（fibroblasts）。
這些細胞在皮膚受傷或老化時會率先行動，
負責製造膠原蛋白（collagen）和彈性蛋白（elastin）。
這兩者正是讓肌膚看起來緊緻、有彈性的關鍵。
那紅光真的有效嗎？
根據2007年一項發表在《光化學與光生物學期刊》的研究，
76位年齡介於35到55歲、有明顯老化跡象的受試者，
被要求只在臉的右半邊照紅光，
左半邊則作為對照組。
四週後，右邊的臉竟然看起來真的比較年輕！
而且皮膚切片也證實——膠原蛋白真的增加了。
美國紐約醫學院皮膚研究主任 Shoshana Marmon 醫師指出，
小規模的研究確實顯示紅光對於改善痘痘、膚質和皺紋有幫助，
但效果「有限」。
她建議想要看到明顯變化的人，
最好一週使用三次，連續八到十二週，
同時搭配保濕霜、防曬乳，還有A醇產品。
她說：「紅光面罩可以加在你的保養程序裡，
但不能取代它們。」
事實上，抗老只是光療應用的一小部分。
早在1990年代，美國NASA的研究人員
就在植物、老鼠和人體組織上做過實驗。
他們發現LED光可以加速傷口癒合。
這對太空人來說特別重要——
因為在太空失重環境下，細胞修復會變慢。
除此之外，光療還能用來治療多種皮膚問題，
像是牛皮癬、白斑、痘疤、酒糟性皮膚炎，甚至癌症。
最近的研究甚至發現，
紅光可能也能幫助治療創傷性腦損傷。
不過，可不是每一款紅光面罩都有效。
研究顯示，真正能減少皺紋、活化肌膚的關鍵在於：
紅光波長要至少 633奈米，
近紅外線（NIR）則要達到 830奈米。
燈的能量密度也要夠強——
理想值大約是 每平方公分10到50毫瓦。
只有符合這些條件，
你才可能真的「由內而外」發出青春的光芒。
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