Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Spot Treatment for Fast Acne Clearing

Key Takeaways

• Superb light therapy is not merely a beauty spot that rests on the skin; it focuses on the acne causing bacteria and inflammation.
• I found that there was less redness in the first few days, but it had to be used for a few weeks for it to improve.
• It’s best used in combination with other products – such as mild cleansers and moisturizers, and sun protection – rather than all by itself.
• I found that using it too much did not help me to get it done, rather, it was more about the patience to use it than how often.
• This isn’t a replacement for a dermatologist’s treatment, particularly for hormonal or cystic acne which fails to clear up by using over-the-counter products.

Intro

There were more spot treatments that I can count on my fingers and toes! The overnight-cleaning creams, gels that sucked all moisture out of my skin even though I already had an active pimple, and cleansers that did nothing more than dry my face and irritate my pimple. So I was initially skeptical about light therapy for acne; like the rest of the treatments I find it more of a gimmick than anything that would actually work.

I’d heard that dermatology offices offer blue and red light therapies for acne and that there was a lesser version of that in-home.I had heard that dermatology offices offers blue and red light treatments for acne, and there was a smaller version of that in-home called Neutrogena. I’ve decided to give it a shot myself, for the daily waiting to see if a spot will soothe and in part as a curiosity. This article is what I learned, what worked, what didn’t and what I would say to a friend before they do it themselves.

Why I Was Skeptical About Spot Treatments in General

I had normal skin type acne prior to the light therapy which did not respond to regular over the counter products. Everything I’ve done superficially dries out a pimple, or perhaps takes away the blood vessels, however not truly take care of the cause of the breakout. Eventually I found out that not all acne is created equal.

Some of this is low in quantity and is temporary, that is, it resolves on its own in 1-2 days. Other acne is characterized by being red, tender and will not go away despite any treatment. I fell into the latter category around my jawline and forehead and it wasn’t until much later that I really understood why.

Understanding What Makes Acne “Stubborn”

The most crucial element was hormonal changes for me. On other days of my cycle, I would see an increase in oil and then in 2 days, a new spot would break out in the same region. My skin flared up this time around due to stress, as I had been working a few really challenging months when my skin, despite my best efforts, had never been as red as it had been during this time.

It’s here that I began to pay more attention to what was really going on under the water. Topical creams and gels typically do not penetrate the skin and are only effective on surface level. When the bacteria and inflammation which causes the breakout reside deeper within the pore, a topical product may not be able to reach it. This is the area in which light therapy was going to help me fill the void.

What Neutrogena’s Light Therapy Device Actually Is

The one I used is a small handheld device which is the combination of blue and red LED light. According to my research, blue light should be used to combat bacteria that cause acne within blocked pores, and red light is to help reduce inflammation and redness.

It’s different from a cream which is just on the surface of the skin, but it’s a concept that light will penetrate to a slightly deeper level without needing to be absorbed as a topical product would. I’m not a dermatologist and I haven’t conducted any clinical tests on myself, I just tried it as directed and what it’s supposed to do.

How I Used It

My everyday workout consisted of fairly basic exercises. I washed my face first, as per the instructions it is best to clean and dry your skin, it can’t work its magic on makeup, dirt or excess oil on your skin leaving the pores clogged. I then held the device against the spot I wanted to treat and allowed it to run for about the few minutes recommended to treat.

I can’t say I didn’t think that more or longer sessions would speed things up sooner. Not for me, though — I let it on a bit longer the few times I was able to, and my skin was a little bit irritated afterwards, and not better. The suggested time and frequency (once or twice a day) proved more effective than attempted hasty time.

What I Actually Noticed, Week by Week

The first couple of days, the most apparent was the decrease in redness and swelling around the spots I was dealing with. The pimples didn’t go away right away, but they were not as angry and looked a bit calmer, which was a huge relief, during the first few days. After the first week I had less acne appearing on the areas that I had been treating regularly.

It was not a dramatic change, it is not a quick fix, it is not something that some marketing would tell you would take place over night — but it was a gradual improvement that was noticeable. Now by week three or four, my whole skin texture was better and the places that flare up often, were not flaring up as much like they did in months.

I should note that individual results may vary depending on skin type, the severity of the acne and consistency of its use; I don’t know what you may see if you use the device.

Habits That Made a Real Difference Alongside the Device

I soon discovered that using this device on its own wasn’t as effective as using it as part of my skin care regimen.

Gentle cleansing mattered more than I expected. I would grab the stronger foaming cleansers when I had a breakout and thought it would “dry it out.In the past, when I had breakouts I would use stronger, foamy cleansers as they would “dry out” the breakout.In reality, the only thing that happened was that my skin remained even more irritated and didn’t heal any quicker. The use of a non-stripping detergent instead of a harsh one seemed to make a difference in the rate of resolution of the redness.

Moisturizer wasn’t optional. When I had an active acne breakout I used to not put on moisturizer because I thought it would make it oilier. This seems to have gone wrong — my skin produced even more oil, which not only did not help but was actually worse. Moisturizer made its permanent appearance and being light and non comedogenic was ideal for me.

Sunscreen protected my progress. This was something I never thought would be on my list of habits to break. The red and dark marks were more noticeable on the healing skin when exposed to the sun. After beginning to use sunscreen each day, my blemishes cleared up quicker than they did before.

Clean pillowcases and phone screens helped more than I expected. This might seem trivial, but I noticed that I didn’t get as many breakouts in the same places on my face when I changed my pillow case more often and cleaned the screen of my phone each day; it was probably because I was not bringing so many bacteria to my face all day.

What I Changed About My Diet and Sleep

I noted this in my own skin, but I have to be careful here, as everyone’s triggers are different and what affected me, may not affect someone else in the same way. I felt like there was a correlation when the flare ups were days that I had more sugar and much more processed food.

My skin appeared to heal a little quicker during those times and as time went on, I started to make an adjustment toward eating more veggies, whole grains, zinc and even the foods with omega-3s. I also did notice that I was more hydrated, day to day, in my skin, which isn’t to say I had fewer breakouts, but that it looked better overall. I do not think that either of these changes was the replacement for the light therapy device, rather, it was an addition that seemed to complement rather than replace the device. The other item I had not paid any mind to before was sleep.

One period when my sleep was not above 6 hours per night was when my skin started to take longer to bounce back from breakouts. After I switched back to 7-8 hours of prioritizing, healing quickened up again. I can’t say that this was a coincidence, but it was pretty consistent to the point that I now consider my sleep regimen as a part of my skincare routine rather than a standalone one.

How This Compares to Other Spot Treatments I’ve Tried

The benzoyl peroxide spot gel was usually used as my go to before this device. To a certain extent it did work, but it did cause my skin to be dry and flaky around the area I had treated and I occasionally would get a slight burn like mark if I used too much. Salicylic acid treatments were less aggressive but less effective – effective for smaller, surface treatments, but not much effective when it came to anything more inflamed.

What really impressed me about light therapy is it didn’t dry out my skin like the topical actives did. No special need to go to the other extreme and follow up immediately with more moisturizer to combat the treatment. However, it wasn’t quick and easy either: Sometimes a whitehead could visibly shrink overnight with the benzoyl peroxide spot gel, and sometimes the light therapy device helped reduce redness and inflammation but didn’t seem to shrink the spots in one sitting.

I do not believe that there is one “better” approach, for me they brought different things. For the last few years, however, I’ve had a spot gel that I use when I get a single whitehead, but when I get the more inflamed, stubborn spots that used to last a week or more, the light therapy device has been my first choice.

Mistakes I Made Early On (So You Don’t Have To)

If I had to do it over again there are a couple of things I would do differently.

Did not allow the skin to dry completely before using. In the first couple of uses I would use it immediately after washing my face so that my skin was still wet. It wasn’t harmful but I don’t think it was as effective as it was supposed to be – the directions were about clean and dry skin for a reason and once I began waiting a couple extra minutes, I felt like the sessions would be more effective.

I thought it’s more advantageous to use it daily all over. I applied it to several spots every day the first week, thinking more the more the better. Well my skin wasn’t thrilled about it — I do have a few spots that just became a bit more irritated. I used to treat the entire face preventatively; with the focus of treatment on active, inflamed spots, my skin reacted better.

I felt it was too soon to be making a judgement. At the end of 2 days I virtually despaired that it was not doing anything more than reducing the redness. I would have missed the more significant improvement which manifested itself in the next 2 or 3 weeks.

Setting Expectations That Are Actually Realistic

Honestly, the initial couple of days made me think that this was going to be a temporary solution. It isn’t. While the redness and swelling subsided rapidly, it was a few days, and then weeks, of regular use before the skin became clear.Although the redness and swelling calmed down quickly, it took a while of consistent use before the skin was clear.

The key thing that kept me going was to take a picture every week, in the same lighting conditions. Every day it was difficult to see if things were getting better or worse, but a comparison of week one vs week four was always easy to see, whereas looking in the mirror every morning was not.

I also found that taking days or not being on a regular basis with the device made it seem to take longer to catch up. When I was busy and didn’t use it daily my skin went back to the beginning. It was more about consistency than intensity and even more sessions per day never seemed to do any good — it only did more harm.

A Few Things I’d Tell a Friend Before They Try It

• Never use it as an all-in-one solution for your whole skin care program — that’s what worked best for me — use it in conjunction with your other skin care program, but don’t supplant that.
• Follow the guidelines of session time and frequency. I tried longer sessions and more frequent but I didn’t get my results any quicker, just more irritated skin!
• Wait until it has been put to the test in real time to determine if it works — a few days is not sufficient to decide.
• Listen to yourself. I was red or warm immediately following use and that was OK, but if it was more uncomfortable or it didn’t get better, it was a red flag that I was doing too much or I should see a dermatologist.
• When using prescription acne treatment, specifically those that make you more sensitive to the sun, it is best to consult with a dermatologist before using a light-based device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is this safe for sensitive skin?

In my experience, yes, but I’d still recommend a patch test first if you have particularly reactive or sensitive skin. Start with a shorter session or less frequent use and see how your skin responds before committing to daily use.

Q2: How fast will I see results?

For me, reduced redness and swelling showed up within the first few days. Clearer skin overall took a few weeks of consistent use — I’d be cautious of anything promising results faster than that.

Q3: Can it be used alongside other acne treatments?

I didn’t combine it with prescription topicals, but if you’re using something like a retinoid, benzoyl peroxide, or an oral medication, it’s worth checking with a dermatologist first, especially since some acne medications increase skin sensitivity to light.

Q4: How often should I use it?

I used mine once or twice a day on active spots, following the recommended session length. More frequent or longer use didn’t speed up my results and led to some mild irritation instead.

My Honest Takeaway

I entered with a suspicious eye and essentially, I came out with a guarded one — with caveats. This product didn’t completely clear away my acne in one night and it didn’t take the place of my other skin care products. It did make redness and swelling disappear more quickly than the creams and gels I had used earlier; but when combined with clean and kind skin care, good moisturizing, and regular sun care it was a definite help.

For occasional acne breakouts with a red or inflamed complexion, and who have struggled with slow-acting spot treatments, this may be a consideration as a part of an overall treatment strategy. If your acne is severe, cystic or has not improved with acne treatments you have used, however, don’t wait and watch alone — a dermatologist can help you find options that a spot-treatment device cannot.

The battle against acne for me was never quick and easy. It was consistent and somewhat frustrating at times, but in the end, it was worth the wait.