Is it safe? Eyes, skin types and who should skip it

The short version

Used as directed, LED masks made for home are considered safe in the short term. Dermatologists describe the usual side effects as mild: some people get brief redness or irritated skin.¹ What nobody knows yet is the long-term picture, because the studies so far are short.¹² A few people should check with a doctor before they start, and everyone should look after their eyes.

Your eyes

Of the colours in an LED mask, blue is the one eye doctors watch most closely. In 2020 eye doctors in Korea reported a woman whose retina was damaged after a month of blue light sessions with her eyes open, and they advised keeping the eyes covered during blue light use.⁴ In 2019 Neutrogena recalled its acne light mask as a precaution, saying the risk applied to a small group of people with certain eye conditions or taking medicines that make the eyes sensitive to light.⁵

• Close your eyes for every session, whatever the colour. The Sorisse Mask has one wide opening across both eyes, so the lights sit around them rather than over them.
• Take extra care with blue. Keep your eyes shut and never look straight into the lights.
• Stop if anything feels wrong. Blurry vision, eye pain or irritation are reasons to stop and see an eye doctor.³

Every skin tone

LED masks give off visible and near-infrared light, not UV. Dermatologists add one caution: darker skin can be more sensitive to visible light, and dark spots it causes can last longer.¹³ If that is you, start with shorter sessions and watch how your skin responds. Research in darker skin is still thin.³

Who should check first

Talk to your doctor or dermatologist before you start if any of these is you:

• You take a medicine that makes your skin or eyes sensitive to light. Your pharmacist can tell you if yours does.¹⁵
• You have a condition that light can make worse, such as lupus.¹
• You have an eye condition, especially one that affects the retina.³⁵
• You are pregnant.
• You have a skin condition, or a spot or mark you have not had checked. A dermatologist can make sure it is what you think it is.²

How to use it well

1. Start with clean, dry skin.
2. Begin with 5 or 10 minutes and build up from there.
3. Follow the user manual. Using it longer or more often than it says is not better.²
4. Wipe the inside with a soft damp cloth after each use and let it dry.

Sorisse makes cosmetic devices, not treatments for any medical condition. This page is general information, not medical advice.