A few weeks ago, an aesthetician reached out to me on Instagram with an offer of a mini facial and LED facial at the gym I belong to. Of course, I said sign me up, but I also immediately Googled “what is an LED facial?”
What I learned is that an LED facial uses light therapy to fight acne, brighten and even your skin tone, and rebuild collagen for smoother, tighter skin. It doesn’t use UV rays at all – and in fact, it can help defend your skin from everyday damage from them.
The LED Facial Experience
My aesthetician, Nia (who also has a blog you definitely should check out), walked me through the spa and showed me the LED facial machine. It’s something one of their team members can program with a treatment customized to your skin needs. Then they get you all set up under it and set a timer so you’ll know when the treatment is over.
The red light that helps with anti-aging and color correcting is extremely bright, and even with black-out goggles is visible. Not painful, but bright. The blue light – which is all about reducing bacteria and breakouts – is also visible but not as much so. The infrared light – which targets to heal the deeper layers of your skin – isn’t something you can even tell is on. The machine rotates between the three based on your customization.
My treatment took 20 minutes and was actually pretty relaxing. I put headphones in and zoned out. When the timer went off, I moved the machine away from my face and just left the room. You can be fully dressed for the treatment, so there was no changing, or serums to put on at the end or anything like that.
LED Facial Before and After Photos
In one session, I saw a very noticeable difference in the brightness of my skin. The pictures below show immediately before the LED facial and immediately after. They’re taken in the same lighting and I’m not wearing makeup in either.
Even still, Nia told me that you’ll see more drastic results after 3-5 sessions. They recommend 36 hours between treatments, so I’ll likely go back on Wednesday for round 2.
LED Facial Pricing and At Home Options
I’m sure you’re wondering how much an LED facial costs right about now. My gym (which houses the spa Nia works at) charges $29 / session. They also offer unlimited membership options though – which is what I went with.
The gym has what they call a “Self Spa” that includes all the machines a team member doesn’t need to be present for. They have hydro massage tables, different pods for muscle recovery and detoxification, and even a private sauna where you can watch Netflix! The LED facial machine is also included in the Self Spa, and at only $49 / month, was a no brainer for me.
There’s also a hand-held version you can buy on Amazon for under $100 to give yourself treatments at home, but Nia warns it leaves a lot of room for human error and isn’t quite as powerful.
I can’t wait to share another update on this in a few weeks! Have you tried an LED facial before? If so, tell me if you liked it in the comments!
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