Does adding red light to blue help acne at home? A 2026 trial
Short answer
Twenty-three people with mild to moderate inflammatory acne used either a combined 660 nm red and 415 nm blue LED device or a blue-only device at home, daily for eight weeks. Both reduced inflammatory spots. Only red-blue reduced total spots significantly, but the two did not differ significantly on lesion counts.
- Study
- Friedmann DP, Verma KK, Gidwani KA, et al. Dermatol Surg. 2026;52(7):687-691.
- Design
- Open-label randomised controlled trial
- People
- 23 completed
- Topic
- Acne
Why it matters
It is a recent at-home trial that tests whether red light adds anything to blue for acne.
What they did
- Randomised people to a red-blue device or a commercial 415 nm blue device.
- Treated once daily at home for eight weeks.
- Counted lesions and rated acne severity at 4 and 8 weeks.
What they found
- Both devices significantly reduced inflammatory lesions.
- Only red-blue significantly reduced total lesions.
- No significant between-group difference in lesion counts; global severity score was lower with red-blue at 8 weeks.
What it cannot tell you
- Open-label, so participants knew their treatment.
- Small: 23 completers.
- Non-inflammatory lesions did not improve in either group.
Takeaway
At home, red-blue and blue-only light both helped inflammatory acne. Red light’s added value was modest.
Matching devices
Devices whose published technology and wavelengths match this study (415 nm blue + red): CurrentBody Series 3, Dr. Dennis Gross FaceWare Pro and Shark CryoGlow. Partly matching: Dr. Renú SpectraLift and Omnilux Contour. None of them was the device tested unless the study names it.
Not medical advice. Summary based on the published abstract; read the full paper for detail.