Handheld LED machines—scaled- down versions of the ones in dermatologists’ offices and spas—promise to stimulate collagen, improve skin texture and tone, and smooth tine lines when their red infrared tight is directed at your face. True? The Good Housekeeping Research Institute put five recently introduced devices and their anti-aging claims to the test. Volunteers followed each manufacturer’s protocol, using the handheld gizmos daily to once a week for four to six weeks. But with very few exceptions, testers’ fine lines and wrinkles were unchanged after the prescribed periods.
The bright spots: Evis M.D. Platinum Red LED Rejuvenating Facial Light ($295, department stores) and Tãnda Regenerate Anti-Aging Starter Kit ($275, Sephora) improved sunspots , pores, and skin texture in lab evaluations. The bottom line: Though you may get some skin benefits from at-home LED devices, these costly, time-consuming treatments appear no more effective than a good face cream at turning back the clock.