I Wore the $599 TheraFace Mask for 3 Months, but It Didn't Change My Life
This was the TheraFace Mask: an FDA-cleared LED therapy device from Therabody, the wellness brand best known for its percussive massage guns. Now, it's coming for our faces. Of course it is. LED masks are the new face of Silicon Valley's obsession with biohacking; once a splurge at the dermatologist or med spa, now gamified for skin-care girlies and longevity bros alike. You don't even need to leave your couch. Just plug in, strap up, and level up your epidermis.
The TheraFace Mask promises to smooth fine lines, brighten skin dullness, and reduce the appearance of acne with a preprogrammed nine-minute daily treatment. So I tested it: 9 minutes, five days a week, for three months straight. It didn't transform my skin, but it did feel oddly soothing in a way my usual self-care didn't. Strap In
Photograph: Dermstore
First: It's comfortable enough. The TheraFace Mask is cordless and rechargeable, with adjustable straps and removable eye shields. It's marketed as 'one size fits most,' but if you have a large head, it may feel snug. Inside the mask's hard, white shell are 648 medical-grade LEDs, triple what Therabody says you'll find in the leading competitor.
It's powered by internal lithium-ion batteries and charged via USB-C or USB-A. It holds enough power for eight to 10 full sessions, but you'll have to guess when it's low, because there's no battery indicator, for reasons I cannot comprehend at this price. Therabody also built in 17 micro QX-Motors that vibrate against pressure points on your face and scalp during treatments to up the wellness factor. The vibrations aren't strong enough to qualify as a massage—it's more of a gentle buzzing, slightly noisy but oddly soothing when you're lying down.
There's also no app. Therabody usually loves Bluetooth pairing, but in this case, you control everything with two buttons on either side of the mask, toggling through light settings and three vibration modes: Continuous, Breathing, and Wave. Thanks to the auto-cycle that runs through red, near-infrared, and blue light without needing to touch a button, the TheraFace Mask makes it easy to stick with the habit.
LED light therapy is backed by science, but with a couple of asterisks. Red light has been shown to stimulate collagen production and improve elasticity over time. Blue light is effective against acne-causing bacteria. Near-infrared light penetrates deeper, targeting inflammation and pigmentation. These results are cumulative, subtle, and definitely not instant. The Long Game
Therabody conducted a 12-week clinical study with 31 participants aged 39 to 64 with a variety of skin tones. After following a regimen similar to mine, 93 percent reported fewer fine lines, 86 percent noted better tone, and 77 percent saw improvement in age spots. That's promising but not definitive. Thirty-one people is a small sample size, and the study doesn't break down how different skin tones or ages responded.
Still, the TheraFace mask is powerful. It boasts some of the highest irradiance levels (fancy words for how much light your skin absorbs) we've tested in consumer devices. Three minutes of red light treatment with the TheraFace matches the output of other popular devices' longer sessions. The light also spills onto the neck; it's nowhere near as effective as a décolletage mask but still a nice bonus.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Controversial FDA official Dr. Vinay Prasad departs agency
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the controversial critic of the US Food and Drug Administration who took a top role at the regulatory agency in May, has resigned less than three months into the job. 'Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,' a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services told CNN on Tuesday. Prasad, a hematologist oncologist, was named head of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in early May, giving him purview over vaccines and biologic medicines. He was subsequently also given the role of FDA chief medical and scientific officer. Like a number of Trump administration health appointees, Prasad had been a harsh critic of the government's response and vaccine policies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prasad's departure came amid fresh pressure from the White House for him to resign, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to describe the internal dynamics, and followed days of criticism from Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist with extraordinary access to President Donald Trump. Loomer had taken shots at him on her website and on social media, attacking him publicly for days as a 'progressive leftist saboteur' who was 'undermining President Trump's FDA.' Loomer focused on Prasad's previous social media posts and podcast episodes, where she said he aligned himself politically with liberal politicians and expressed 'disdain' for Trump. Her posts were followed by others from figures including former US Sen. Rick Santorum, who called Prasad 'the man destroying @POTUS legacy for helping patients,' and a Wall Street Journal opinion piece headlined, 'Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag.' Prasad didn't respond to requests for comment. A White House spokesperson referred a request for comment to HHS. Prasad had been defended by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary just days ago; in an interview with Politico, Makary said Prasad is an 'impeccable scientist … one of the greatest scientific minds of our generation.' 'We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA,' the spokesperson for HHS said. Prasad assumed his role at the FDA after years of being a vocal critic of some of the agency's drug approvals. In particular, he had railed against a decision to approve Sarepta's drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Elevidys, arguing that there was little evidence it helped stall or reverse symptoms of the rare, fatal genetic disorder. This month, the FDA requested that Sarepta halt shipments of the drug after a reported death in a young patient in Brazil. Just one day before Prasad's departure, the agency made a surprising reversal and allowed Sarepta to resume shipments for certain patients. Prasad also drew criticism from former officials and vaccine experts after internal memos from May revealed that he overrode FDA scientists on recommendations for two new versions of Covid-19 vaccines. The then-CDER director rebuked recommendations for broad use of the shots; the FDA eventually approved the vaccines for use in older and immunocompromised people but did not advise them for younger Americans who don't have underlying conditions.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Controversial FDA official Dr. Vinay Prasad departs agency
Dr. Vinay Prasad, the controversial critic of the US Food and Drug Administration who took a top role at the regulatory agency in May, has resigned less than three months into the job. 'Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,' a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services told CNN on Tuesday. Prasad, a hematologist oncologist, was named head of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in early May, giving him purview over vaccines and biologic medicines. He was subsequently also given the role of FDA chief medical and scientific officer. Like a number of Trump administration health appointees, Prasad had been a harsh critic of the government's response and vaccine policies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prasad's departure came amid fresh pressure from the White House for him to resign, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to describe the internal dynamics, and followed days of criticism from Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist with extraordinary access to President Donald Trump. Loomer had taken shots at him on her website and on social media, attacking him publicly for days as a 'progressive leftist saboteur' who was 'undermining President Trump's FDA.' Loomer focused on Prasad's previous social media posts and podcast episodes, where she said he aligned himself politically with liberal politicians and expressed 'disdain' for Trump. Her posts were followed by others from figures including former US Sen. Rick Santorum, who called Prasad 'the man destroying @POTUS legacy for helping patients,' and a Wall Street Journal opinion piece headlined, 'Vinay Prasad Is a Bernie Sanders Acolyte in MAHA Drag.' Prasad didn't respond to requests for comment. A White House spokesperson referred a request for comment to HHS. Prasad had been defended by FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary just days ago; in an interview with Politico, Makary said Prasad is an 'impeccable scientist … one of the greatest scientific minds of our generation.' 'We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA,' the spokesperson for HHS said. Prasad assumed his role at the FDA after years of being a vocal critic of some of the agency's drug approvals. In particular, he had railed against a decision to approve Sarepta's drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Elevidys, arguing that there was little evidence it helped stall or reverse symptoms of the rare, fatal genetic disorder. This month, the FDA requested that Sarepta halt shipments of the drug after a reported death in a young patient in Brazil. Just one day before Prasad's departure, the agency made a surprising reversal and allowed Sarepta to resume shipments for certain patients. Prasad also drew criticism from former officials and vaccine experts after internal memos from May revealed that he overrode FDA scientists on recommendations for two new versions of Covid-19 vaccines. The then-CDER director rebuked recommendations for broad use of the shots; the FDA eventually approved the vaccines for use in older and immunocompromised people but did not advise them for younger Americans who don't have underlying conditions.
CNBC
2 hours ago
- CNBC
U.S. FDA's chief medical and science officer Prasad departs agency
Vinay Prasad, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's chief medical and science officer, has left the health regulator, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, said on Tuesday, confirming an earlier news report. "Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family," an HHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters. "We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA." STAT News first reported about Prasad's departure, saying it came after a number of controversial decisions by the FDA regarding a gene therapy drug for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy manufactured by Sarepta Therapeutics. The agency first halted shipments of the drug, called Elevidys, after the deaths of some recipients but rescinded the suspension on Monday. In June, STAT News reported that Prasad was named as the health regulator's chief medical and science officer, citing an internal memo. In May, the FDA named Prasad, an oncologist who previously criticized FDA leadership and COVID-19 mandates, as the director of its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
