A new beauty column in The Sunday Times takes up a gadget many have bought and then quietly abandoned, the LED face mask, and asks an old question about modern vanity: whether a glowing device can do what patience, sunscreen and proven treatments have always done. The verdict is conditional, resting less on the light itself than on the expectations and habits of the person wearing it. Used as a modest companion for calming sensitivity and redness, and sustained for months rather than weeks, such masks may earn their place; asked to replace the established routines of skin care, they are likely
Do LED Masks Really Work? A Beauty Columnist Weighs In on Expectations, Patience and Pigmentation Risks
If you hope a mask will replace your retinoids, disappointment awaits
Mark
So does the columnist think LED masks work?
Mimi
Qualified yes. She sees them as an add-on for sensitivity, redness and aftercare following a strong treatment, not a replacement for retinoids, SPF or a facialist.
Mark
What's the part about Invisalign and serums?
Mimi
It's a habit test. If you forget your aligners or never open your supplements, a mask that needs daily use will probably end up the same way.
Luke
Worth noting that's her judgment, not a study. The piece cites no trial showing these masks reduce redness.
Mark
And the Zkin mask?
Mimi
She likes the silicone fit and the four wavelengths. It costs £500, and Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme designed it.
Luke
Which matters. The designer is also the source of the three-month timeline, and the column carries affiliate links. That doesn't make either claim wrong, but it's context.
Mark
Why three months?
Mimi
Ejikeme says some brands promise results in two weeks, but real change takes at least three months of daily use.
Mark
What about the melasma warning?
Mimi
Skip blue light if you're prone to it, since it can worsen pigmentation in some cases.
Luke
Note the hedge, 'in some cases'. The column doesn't say how common that is, and it gives no evidence for it.
Il Polso
- A growing crowd of buyers has tried LED masks, hoped for miracles, and set them aside in drawers and corners of the bathroom.
- The columnist draws a firm line: a mask cannot replace retinoids, sunscreen or a facialist, and anyone expecting that swap will feel let down.
- Quality is uneven, with some masks dismissed as novelty props, so readers are urged to check reviews and the people behind a product before spending.
- Dermatologist-minded expert Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme warns that brands promising results in two weeks are overselling, since real change takes at least three months of daily use.
- Those prone to melasma are cautioned to avoid blue light, which can aggravate pigmentation, while before-and-after photos are recommended to catch subtle progress that daily mirror checks miss.
A new beauty column in The Sunday Times takes up a gadget many have bought and then quietly abandoned, the LED face mask, and asks an old question about modern vanity: whether a glowing device can do what patience, sunscreen and proven treatments have always done. The verdict is conditional, resting less on the light itself than on the expectations and habits of the person wearing it. Used as a modest companion for calming sensitivity and redness, and sustained for months rather than weeks, such masks may earn their place; asked to replace the established routines of skin care, they are likely to disappoint.
The Sunday Times has launched a new beauty column, and its first subject is a gadget many people have bought and then abandoned: the LED face mask. The columnist's answer to whether it works is conditional. It depends on what you expect from it, and on what kind of person you are.
Her starting point is a limit. A mask will not take the place of retinoids, sunscreen or a facialist, and those who hope it will are headed for disappointment. Many readers, she notes, are instead using masks as a gentle add-on to calm sensitive skin, reduce redness, or support skin after a stronger treatment.
She then offers a personality test. If you have forgotten your aligners for years or own serums you can no longer identify, she suggests letting the mask go. If you keep to a routine and can manage your shopping without panic, you may well benefit. She also warns that quality varies widely, and recommends reading reviews and checking who designed the product.
Her example of a well-made device is the Zkin LED Facial Mask, priced at £500, created by Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme and praised for its close-fitting silicone and four wavelengths of light. Ejikeme stresses patience: real results take at least three months of daily use, not the two weeks some brands advertise.
The column closes with two practical points. Anyone prone to melasma should avoid blue light, which can worsen pigmentation. And readers should take before and after photos, since daily mirror checks make subtle progress nearly invisible.
The Sunday Times has launched a new beauty column, and its first subject is a gadget many people have bought and then abandoned: the LED face mask. The columnist's answer to whether it works is conditional. It depends on what you expect from it, and on what kind of person you are.
The starting point is a limit. If you hope a mask will take the place of your retinoids, your SPF or your facialist, the columnist says disappointment awaits. What she sees instead is a growing number of people using masks as an add-on. They reach for one to calm skin sensitivity, to reduce redness, or to give their skin some care after a high-strength treatment.
Then comes the personality test. The columnist asks whether you are in your fourth year of Invisalign because you keep forgetting to wear the aligners. She asks whether you own three serums and can't remember what any of them does, or whether a supplement is sitting unopened in your cutlery drawer. If so, her verdict is to let it go, with a pun on the LED. If you change your toothbrush head on schedule and can do a whole shop without a panicked midweek dash, there is hope, and you may well benefit from letting it glow.
She also warns that masks are not all alike. She is convinced that some are little more than glorified Halloween props, and she advises reading reviews and checking who is behind a product. You don't have to keep buying the latest version, she adds, but quality varies.
Her example of a well-made one is the Zkin LED Facial Mask, priced at £500 and sold at zkinhub.com. It was created by Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme. The columnist praises its malleable silicone, which hugs the skin, and notes that it emits light at four different wavelengths. She describes Ejikeme as known for zero fluff.
Ejikeme stresses patience. Some companies promise results within two weeks. She says a real difference shows only after a minimum of three months of daily use. That timeline is where the personality test matters, because daily use for three months is exactly the habit the forgetful buyer lacks.
The column ends with two practical points. First, a fact the columnist says many people don't know: anyone prone to melasma should skip the blue light, which can worsen pigmentation in some cases. Second, take before and after photos. Looking in the mirror every day is deceiving, she says, and subtle progress is hard to spot in real time.
The piece is an opinion column, and the article carries a note that it contains affiliate links that earn the paper revenue. The main practical takeaways are modest expectations, at least three months of consistent use, and caution about blue light for those with melasma.
Citazioni salienti
A real difference appears only after a minimum of three months of daily use, not the two weeks some companies promise.— Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, as paraphrased by The Sunday Times columnist
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