How to Use a Red Light Mask: Steps, Timing and Aftercare
How to use a red light mask comes down to a short routine: cleanse and dry your face, strap the mask on over bare skin, choose a mode, brightness and timer, keep your eyes closed until it switches off, then apply your skincare. Skin trials mostly ran sessions of 12 to 25 minutes about twice a week for 4 to 15 weeks, so a steady schedule matters more than long sessions. Below: the steps, how long and how often, eyes, red or blue mode, warmth, who should check first, results, and care of the mask.
Key takeaways
- In a 2007 sham-controlled split-face trial of 76 people, light twice a week for four weeks reduced wrinkles by up to 36% from baseline. Lee, 2007
- In a 2014 controlled trial with 30 sessions of light twice a week, blinded raters scored wrinkles as better in 69% and 75% of the two light groups, against 4% of controls. Wunsch, 2014
- In a 2022 trial of 95 women, a 660 nm LED mask used two or three times a week for four weeks raised satisfaction with facial appearance more than sham in both groups. Bragato, 2022
- Light has a biphasic dose response, so a longer or more frequent session is not automatically a better one. Huang, 2009
- The American Academy of Dermatology advises: "Always use the device as described." AAD, 2024
How to use a red light mask: what are the steps?
Put the mask on clean, dry, bare skin, choose the red or blue mode, set the brightness and timer (we suggest 50% and 10 minutes to start), and keep your eyes closed until it switches off. Serum, moisturiser and sunscreen go on afterwards.
- Charge first: the mask is cordless and cannot be used while it is charging.
- Cleanse and pat dry: take off make-up and sunscreen. In the morning, a splash of water is enough on skin you cleansed the night before.
- Fit the strap: place the shell over your face with your eyes at the eye opening, then adjust the strap for a comfortable fit.
- Choose the mode by colour: the red mode for lines and texture, or the blue mode for breakouts, by voice or with the handheld controller.
- Set the brightness: 50%, 70% or 90%. We suggest staying at 50% for the first week, and longer if your skin reacts easily.
- Set the timer: 5, 10 or 15 minutes. The mask switches itself off when the time is up.
- Close your eyes: keep them closed for the whole session and do not lift the mask to check that it is on.
- Finish your skincare: serum, moisturiser, then sunscreen in the morning. Retinol and acids also go on after, never under the mask.
- Wipe it down: a few seconds with a damp microfibre cloth inside the shell.
Raise the brightness only when the pink flush after a session fades within the hour.
Should you wash your face before using a red light mask?
Yes, the light should reach clean, dry, bare skin, so make-up and sunscreen come off first. Cleveland Clinic describes the starting point as "a clean, makeup-free face" Cleveland Clinic, 2021.
In a home mask study, each volunteer cleansed with water and patted the face dry with a towel before every session. Lee, 2025
Make-up pigments absorb visible light, and mineral sunscreen filters reflect it, so both sit between the light and your skin. Any product left on the face also ends up inside the mask. In the evening, cleanse properly, twice if you wore a lot of make-up.
Red light gives no protection from UV, so sunscreen goes back on after a morning session. Our guide to using a red light mask with make-up or sunscreen covers the details.
Do serums, retinol and acids go on before or after the mask?
After. Bare skin goes under the light, then serum, moisturiser and, in the morning, sunscreen.
Vitamin C, retinol, prescription retinoids, AHAs, BHAs and face oils all go on once the session is over. Retinoids belong at night.
| Time | Order |
|---|---|
| Morning | Rinse or cleanse, pat dry, mask session, serum, moisturiser, SPF 30 or higher, make-up |
| Evening | Cleanse, pat dry, mask session, retinoid on the nights you use it, moisturiser |
If your skin starts to sting or turn red, stop the actives first, then look at brightness and session length. Our guide to red light therapy before or after skincare goes through each ingredient.
How long should you use a red light mask each session?
How long to use a red light mask depends on the device: on the Kivorla mask, a session is 10 or 15 minutes, and never more than 20 minutes in a day. Skin trials ran sessions of 12 to 25 minutes, with lamps and masks of different strengths.
All of these trials put light on the skin from outside the body. Their devices differed, so the minutes show the pattern rather than a target for your mask.
| Study | Light | Minutes | Sessions a week | Weeks | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wunsch, 2014 | 611 to 650 nm red, or 570 to 850 nm broadband | 12 to 25 | 2 | About 15 (30 sessions) | Lamp units, mostly full body |
| Lee, 2007 | 633 nm, 830 nm, or both | Not in the abstract | 2 | 4, follow-up to 3 months | LED, half the face |
| Bragato, 2022 | 660 nm | 21 | 2 or 3 | 4 | LED mask |
| Mota, 2023 | 660 nm red or 590 nm amber | Not in the abstract | About 2 to 3 (10 sessions) | 4 | LED, half the face each |
| Baez, 2007 | 633 nm + 830 nm | 20 | About 2 (9 sessions) | 5, assessed to 12 | Clinic LED panel |
| Papageorgiou, 2000 (acne) | 415 nm blue + 660 nm red | 15 | 7 | 12 | Lamps 25 cm from the skin |
In the 2023 trial of 137 women, 10 sessions over four weeks reduced wrinkle volume around the eyes by 31.6% on the red side. Mota, 2023
Output differs between devices, which is why the AAD says "use the device as described". On the Kivorla mask, we suggest a 10-minute timer at 50% brightness as a gentle start. Move to 15 minutes only after a week of three 10-minute sessions, as the manual sets out.
How many times a week should you use a red light mask, and can you use it every day?
Two to four sessions a week is the range to aim for: the main skin trials ran twice a week, and the Kivorla manual allows up to four 10-minute sessions or three 15-minute sessions. Daily use is not part of the plan for this mask.
- Shorter sessions: 10 minutes, up to 4 times a week, at high brightness.
- Longer sessions: 15 minutes, up to 3 times a week, after a week of three 10-minute sessions.
- Daily ceiling: never more than 20 minutes in a day.
In the 2007 split-face trial, eight sessions over four weeks raised skin elasticity by up to 19%. Lee, 2007
The 2022 mask trial compared two and three sessions a week. Satisfaction with facial appearance reached 79.6% with three a week and 73.4% with two, both above sham. Bragato, 2022
A review of light dose found that low doses often work better than high ones, and very high doses can cancel the benefit. Huang, 2009 That is one reason to keep to the weekly cap. Some other home devices are designed for daily use, so follow the directions for your own device. Our guide on how often to use red light therapy covers other goals.
Should your eyes be open or closed under a red light mask, and can you wear glasses or contact lenses?
Closed, for the whole session: the mask has an eye opening with no diodes over the eyes, and the light should never be looked into. Glasses come off, because a full-face shell does not sit over them.
Near-infrared light is invisible, so the mask can be working even where you see little glow. Do not lift it mid-session to check, and do not look into it from the outside while it runs.
- Afterimage: a brief afterimage for a minute or two after you take the mask off is normal.
- Contact lenses: keep your eyes closed, and ask your optician if you are unsure whether to take them out.
- Stop: eye pain, watering or any change in vision is a reason to stop and get advice.
Should you use the red mode or the blue mode, and at what time of day?
Use the red mode (665 nm red with 850 and 1064 nm near-infrared) for lines and texture, and the blue mode (460 nm blue with 850 nm near-infrared) for breakouts. The red mode suits any time of day, while blue sessions belong in the morning or afternoon.
For red and near-infrared light, pick the slot you will keep; after a shower is close to ideal because your skin is already clean. See red light therapy in the morning or at night.
- Blue mode: tinted products fully removed, and retinoids only afterwards.
- Both colours: alternate the red mode and the blue mode on different days, and count both together against the weekly limits.
In a 2000 acne trial, daily blue and red light for 12 weeks reduced inflamed spots by 76%, using fluorescent lamps rather than a mask. Papageorgiou, 2000 With the blue mode, stay within the manual's weekly limits and allow the full twelve weeks.
Is it normal for a red light mask to feel warm, and when should you stop?
Yes, gentle warmth and a pink flush that fades within the hour are normal. Stinging, burning, a rash or redness that lasts for hours are signs to stop and step back.
The trials reported few side effects: the 2007 trial called the light "well tolerated" by all, and nobody left the 2014 trial because of side effects.
- Normal: warmth during and shortly after, a pink flush, skin slightly dry or tight that evening.
- Not normal: redness hours later, a rash, stinging or burning, headache, dizziness or nausea, skin more irritated week on week.
- Usual causes: sessions too long, brightness raised too soon, an active left on under the mask, or use on broken or sunburnt skin.
If something feels wrong, pause until your skin settles, then restart at 50% brightness with the 10-minute timer and no actives that day. The AAD says the treatment appears safe in the short term, and long-term effects are not yet known. See our guide to red light therapy mask side effects.
Who should check with a doctor, pharmacist or dermatologist first?
Anyone taking a medicine that makes skin sensitive to light, or with a light-sensitive condition, darker skin or melasma, should ask first. Our precautions also rule the mask out during pregnancy, with epilepsy, with a thyroid condition or thyroid medication, and over broken skin or an open wound.
Our precautions rule out use with photosensitising medication, so anyone taking a medicine should check with their pharmacist or doctor before using the device. Examples:
- Isotretinoin: named by Cleveland Clinic, and the NHS says "do not use sunbeds or sunlamps" while taking it. NHS, 2026
- Lithium: also named by Cleveland Clinic as a reason to avoid LED light therapy. Cleveland Clinic, 2021
- Doxycycline: the NHS lists skin more sensitive to the sun as a serious side effect. NHS, 2025
The AAD suggests seeing a dermatologist first with a light-sensitive condition such as lupus, or with darker skin, which may be more sensitive to visible light. With melasma or skin that darkens easily, see a dermatologist before you start, especially before the blue mode, and stay at 50% brightness for longer. Skip sessions on sunburnt, irritated or broken skin.
How long until you see results, and what if you miss a session?
Expect weeks, not days, and judge your routine at 8 to 12 weeks. If you miss a session or a week, carry on at your usual pace without doubling up.
France's public health information service says effects appear after "several weeks to several months" (translated). Santé.fr, 2024
In a small study, nine 20-minute sessions over five weeks were followed by assessments to week 12, when 91% reported better skin tone. Baez, 2007
- Texture: often the first change, around weeks 3 to 4.
- Fine lines: around weeks 6 to 8, with the biggest change by month 3.
- Breakouts: about twelve weeks.
- Photos: one at week 0 and one at week 8, in the same light.
Cleveland Clinic notes that home devices are less powerful than clinic ones, so results are likely to be subtle. Once you are happy at 8 to 12 weeks, drop to two or three sessions a week and keep going. See how long red light therapy takes to work.
How do you charge, clean and store the Kivorla mask?
Charge it with the supplied USB Type-C cable for about 3.5 hours, which gives around 40 minutes of use, and wipe the inside with a damp microfibre cloth after each session. Keep it in its storage bag between sessions.
The 4-Wavelength Red Light Therapy Mask is a cordless, food-grade silicone shell with one eye opening. It weighs 408 g including the handheld controller.
- In the box: mask, handheld controller, USB Type-C cable, storage bag and user manual.
- Controls: voice, or the handheld controller with its colour screen.
- Settings: brightness at 50%, 70% or 90%, and a timer of 5, 10 or 15 minutes, after which the mask switches itself off.
- Cleaning: no abrasive or strong cleaning agents. If product got inside, clean it before the next session.
The mask covers the face. For the jawline, under the chin or the neck, the 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel reaches those areas.
Standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free. Read the precautions before ordering. Under our return and refund policy, returns are accepted within 30 days: an unopened device with its seals intact is refunded less a 10% restocking fee, and an opened device that is undamaged and complete is refunded less 20%.
Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices, and are not intended to treat any skin condition. If you take a medicine that affects light sensitivity, have melasma or a light-sensitive condition, or notice eye symptoms, speak to your pharmacist, doctor or dermatologist first.