illuMask Review

illuMask is a new anti-aging product that lets you access the power of LED light therapy from the comfort of your home.

Here’s our illuMask review.

What is illuMask?

illuMask is an at-home LED light therapy mask. You place the mask over your face and the mask delivers red and infrared light onto your skin to make it firmer, smoother, and more elastic.

The core illuMask product is the anti-aging mask. However, the company also sells an anti-acne mask that relies on the same technology.

Both masks are priced at $29.95 for 30 treatments. You have to throw the mask away after 30 treatments and order a new one. You can buy illuMask one at a time or order it through a subscription model to save money (the subscription drops the price to around $20 per month).

How Does illuMask Work?

Using illuMask is pretty straightforward. You don’t have to be a professional dermatologist to use this product. First, you cleanse your face with your normal cleanser. Then, you put on the mask and press the button on the controller. The mask will launch a 15 minute light therapy program. The treatment is totally silent – it just shines LED lights on your face.

The LED lights are specially chosen to be safe to use around your eyes. However, the mask features sunglass-like eye covers to avoid having annoying lights shining into your eyes with every therapy.

The mask also provides full-face coverage, extending from your forehead down to your jaw. Lights are timed automatically, so once the 15 minute session is over, the lights will turn off and you can remove the mask.

Obviously, the lights are the key feature with illuMask. The anti-aging mask uses LED lights to create red and infrared light. If you’re concerned about UV radiation, then you can relax because there is no UV light.

Here’s what the official illuMask website has to say about how the anti-aging lights work:

“Scientific studies have shown that the red and infrared wavelengths used in our Anti-Aging Mask can help increase cell turnover and repair and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin.”

Some of the advertised benefits of the illuMask anti-aging mask include:

— Boost Skin Cells
— Smooth Wrinkles
— Even Skin Tone

illuMask Anti-Acne Mask

The anti-acne mask uses the same basic principles behind the anti-aging illuMask. You place a mask over your face. That mask displays light, and you clear up your skin.

The main difference between the two masks is that the anti-acne mask uses red and blue light instead of red and infrared light. These lights are thought to provide the following benefits:

— Clear Your Acne
— Reduce Redness
— Prevent Breakouts

Just like with the anti-aging mask, you apply the mask for 15 minutes per day and run through a program. You’ll get “guaranteed results” in 4 weeks.

Scientific Evidence for illuMask

illuMask has a whole page of their website devoted to the science of light therapy and the scientific theory behind their products.

Here are some of the important things to know about light therapy from that page:

— According to the manufacturer of illuMask, LED light therapy can “help repair skin damage from UV rays, eliminate acne-causing bacteria, and is even gentle enough to be used on newborn babies in the hospital to treat jaundice”

— LED lights can be finely tuned to adjust the wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the deeper the penetration into the skin.

— “The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found that light therapy treatments can increase cellular growth by up to 200%”

— The acne mask uses red and blue light instead of the red and infrared lights used by the anti-aging mask. The red and blue light purportedly “work together to kill P. acnes bacteria and to heal inflammation from existing breakouts.” The red light energy penetrates more deeply into the skin to increase circulation and stimulate healing while the blue light energy reduces acne lesions on the surface of your skin.

Unfortunately, this is all the scientific evidence you get for illuMask. The product has never been subject to clinical studies or been published in a peer-reviewed journal. As one doctor said during an interview about illuMask, “I have concerns and doubts”.

How to Buy illuMask

You can buy illuMask from: shop.illumask.com

illuMask doesn’t work like a conventional beauty product: it’s based on a subscription program. You need to refill your controller every month (i.e. buy a brand new mask) in order for illuMask to work. The first mask provides 30 daily treatments, which is enough to last you for a month.

The first 30 treatments cost $29.95 and you get a free travel case with that. If you choose to sign up for the monthly refill program, then you’ll pay $19.95 per month for the rest of your subscription.

All illuMask purchases come with a 30 day “no risk trial”. That trial involves trying illuMask for 30 days and then deciding whether or not you want to keep it. If you don’t like the results and want to return it, then you can return the mask and controller within 45 days of purchase for a full refund minus the costs of shipping and handling.

Why Do You Need to Purchase a New Mask Every Month?

illuMask has faced some criticism for the fact that you need to throw it out and buy a new mask every month. One author interviewed on RealSelf.com had the following to say:

“Whether you agree this technology works or doesn’t is worth a discussion, but the notion that you have to throw the device away after a period of time is built-in obsolescence for no reason other than to force a repurchase. They found a way to spin the need to replace it after 30 treatments by making it cheap enough for everyone to buy the first time around. However, this would add up to costing as much as the more expensive machines if you kept rebuying it.”

Is illuMask Dangerous?

illuMask is facing controversy for its throwaway model. However, there’s no evidence that illuMask is dangerous. The mask is equipped with eye-protecting shades to ensure your eyes are never exposed to direct LED lights. That means you shouldn’t experience seizures or migraines after using the device.

In fact, the lights within illuMask are relatively weak (what did you expect from a $30 treatment program?). As one review says:

“The relatively low-risk profile of this device, as compared to in-office light treatments, reflects its inherently lower level of energy, which makes it unlikely to produce a significant result.”

In other words, the main risk of illuMask is that you’re going to lose some space in your beauty cabinet with a device that doesn’t seem to work.

Conclusion: Who Should Use illuMask?

LED light therapy procedures are popular treatments offered at dermatology clinics around the world. These clinics use professionally-trained staff and expensive equipment to deliver light through your skin. A typical procedure costs $400 to $800.

illuMask is trying to capture a market that likes the idea of light therapy, but doesn’t want to spend that much money. The mask costs just $30 and delivers a low-powered dose of LED lights over your skin. It’s probably not powerful enough to fight back against acne or aging. Since there are no clinical trials or peer-reviewed studies, there’s no evidence that illuMask actually works.