Dermatologists use blue lights to treat acne in their office. Can you really get the same results at home? Read on to see what blue light treatment can do for your skin, who it is made for and if it's best for the type and amount of acne that you have.
Tria Beauty: Clarifying Blue Light
What's Included and How Much Does it Cost?
Tria Beauty's Be Clear Clarifying System includes:
- Clarifying Foam Cleanser (3.4 oz)
- Rebuilding Complex Serum (1 oz)
- Clarifying Blue Light (with 300 minutes of treatment)
The price of the kit is $295 at the time of this review. (compare prices)
Replacement cartridges cost $40 for another 300 minutes. (compare prices)You can also purchase a refill kit which includes a cleanser, serum and 300 minute light cartridge for $80. (compare prices)
What is a Blue Light and How Does it Work?
Blue light treatment isn't a new way to treat acne, but it's a relatively new way to treat acne at home. Once only available at an Doctor's office, a person has several options of at-home blue lights to choose from. Tria's Blue Light is professional strength and has been cleared by the FDA to treat acne.
It works by killing the bacteria that causes acne, long before it hits the surface of your skin. According to Tria, with continued use, you'll notice far less acne in a very quick time period. (Results possible in 7 days!)
How Do You Use It?
The kit comes with a cleanser, serum and blue light. Morning and night, use the cleanser, and the blue light for 2 1/2 minutes each time. The serum is only for night time use, to be put on right after you use the blue light.
The blue light is activated by touch. Once completely charged, simply touch it to your skin and rotate around your face for 2 1/2 minutes. (There is a timer that counts up.) When you stop touching your skin, it automatically turns off. It will get warm, and will thus warm up your skin.
What Did Our Reviewer Think of Tria Beauty's Blue Light?
What Did our Reviewers Think? Our reviewer, Kristen, admittedly didn't use the Tria as religiously as she could have. She started strong, and then, when results weren't going as desired, didn't have the drive to keep going. That said, she has some good advice.
- I definitely liked using the Tria. The cleanser always made my skin feel fresh and clean. The blue light was an interesting experience; it was simple to use. I felt safe using it (especially after reading the directions). It was warm on my skin, but did not feel anything close to burning. I made sure to move it constantly, so that it was never too hot or dangerous for my skin.
- I think there might be a benefit to clarifying more the significance of reading through the instructions. I'm someone who likes to just figure things out for myself. The product seemed easy enough to use, that I used it for about a week (after reading through the simple small handbook), before reading through the actual, thorough instructions. The instructions definitely made a difference in my knowledge of the product - why I was using it and how I should use it in order get the most possible benefits from it.
- After a couple weeks of using it standing up in front of my bathroom mirror, I realized I could get away with walking around while using it. (I didn't have to stand and look at myself in the mirror!)
- I liked using it each day. I felt clean after doing it. In the morning: felt clean and fresh to start off the day, and at night-time: felt clean and fresh after a long day. So it was a good way to start the day, and good way to end each day.
Does It Really Work? And Tips from Reviewers
Does it Work? Along with Kristen, I talked with a few other Tria users. Here are their thoughts.
- Kristen:I don't think I had less acne while using the Tria, but it did seem to slow down new growth of acne. I tried the Tria on my shoulders, but didn't see any improvement. The skin on my face was more dry and therefore (I think) I had less acne growing. However, it seemed like I had acne that would just linger - specifically, on my cheeks/jaw line and upper neck. In these areas, I didn't see any improvement.
- Sunday: I saw results, or changes pretty much the next day. Usually within 3 days, what could have been something really ugly is gone completely.
- Tracey: I noticed an immediate result on new breakouts, they were already almost gone 24 hours after using the Tria. After about 2 weeks of using it I believe I am getting fewer breakouts now.
Tips from Reviewers
- Make sure you make it a commitment. Keep a journal of some sort, or something to help you record the process to know if it's working for you. You want to be able to look back and point out the changes.
- The directions that come in the box are a little confusing, and contradict each other. There is a set of 'guide squares' that come in the box with directions to place one over a trouble spot and treat it for 5 minutes - WRONG! The correct way to use it is all over your face, evenly, for 2.5 minutes twice a day.
- It's pretty easy to use, my best tip is just let it do it's work, don't try to force results by adding other treatments and such. It really isn't needed.
Would Our Reviewers Recommend Tria's Blue Light to You? + Conflicting Results?
- From Tracey: I would definitely recommend spending $300 to anyone who already spends a lot of money on acne products, or anyone with severe acne they haven't been able to clear up using other products.
- From Sunday: I would totally recommend it. Even if you don't have bad acne or you get it during certain times of the month.
- From Kristen: If I bought this product, I would be very disappointed, unless there was a money-back guarantee - simply because it did not work for my skin. I understand everyone's skin is different, and that this product works great for many people. In that case, I would say sure; it's a great product. However, it did not work for me so I don't know that I would be able to convince many people to try it.
Why Such Conflicting Reviews?
Because everyone's acne situation is different. Kristen has severe acne that has trouble responding to acne treatment, Sunday and Tracey, not so much. Tria Beauty recommends the Blue Light for those with mild to moderate acne.
Should You Try It?
Tria has a 30-day money back guarantee - not enough time to give it the full 8 weeks that they recommend, but at least long enough to see if it is giving you any results.
Blue light treatment is known for treating acne, and if you are OK with the fact that you'll need to spend another $40 for each 300 minutes, then I'd say give it a try!
Because it is relatively new to the market, online reviews are slim. If you purchase and use the Tria Blue Light, come back and leave an in depth review for those debating the price.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our
Ethics Policy.
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