Dermalux LED Face Mask, Flex MD or a course in clinic: what differs
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Written by Dr Shahe Boghossian, Medical Consultant, GMC 5204600. Last updated 27th August 2026.
The Dermalux LED Face Mask and the Dermalux systems used in clinics are different devices built for different jobs. The mask carries no blue light, so it is made for skin quality, firmness and redness rather than for active breakouts. The professional systems, including the Tri-Wave we treat with at The London Road Clinic in Newark, do carry blue light, run at higher power, and are set by a practitioner. This article sets out what each one does, and which is worth your money.
Is the Dermalux mask the same as the LED you have in clinic?
No.
The Dermalux LED Face Mask runs three wavelengths, 633nm red, 830nm near-infrared and 1072nm deep near-infrared. It does not carry the blue 415nm wavelength that the professional Dermalux systems used in clinic do, which is why it is a maintenance device for skin quality, firmness and redness rather than a treatment for active breakouts.
It helps to know what Dermalux's business is. The company sells LED phototherapy systems to clinics, the Compact Lite, the Flex MD and the Tri-Wave MD, alongside the home mask. Dermalux's own wording is that the mask "is designed to the same high engineering and safety standards that define our professional LED Phototherapy devices". That is a statement about how it was built rather than a classification it carries. It is not a professional system and Dermalux does not claim it is.
What the clinic system does that the mask does not
We treat with a Dermalux Tri-Wave, a floor-standing unit whose multi-panel head wraps around the face without touching the skin. It runs 415nm blue, 633nm red and 830nm near-infrared. You may also see the Dermalux Flex MD mentioned. That is a different professional device, a portable flexible panel, listed at the same three wavelengths with a treatment time adjustable between 1 and 30 minutes.
Two things follow.
Blue light, and what it is for. The 415nm wavelength is absorbed by porphyrins produced by Cutibacterium acnes, the bacteria associated with inflammatory acne. The absorbed energy generates singlet oxygen, which kills bacteria at the surface. This is why a course in clinic is an option for mild to moderate inflammatory acne and the mask is not. The mask has no mechanism for it.
A practitioner sets the protocol. The Tri-Wave has an adjustable dose and treatment time. Someone takes a history, looks at your skin, decides which wavelengths to sequence and at what dose, and changes the plan as the skin responds. The mask has one programme. That is sensible for a device used unsupervised at home, and it is also a real limitation.
What the mask does that a course in clinic does not
How often you can use it.
A course at the clinic is typically six to eight sessions, one or two a week, at 20 to 30 minutes each. It has a beginning and an end. The mask is one ten minute treatment daily, for as long as you keep using it. Across twelve weeks those are very different exposures to light.
LED phototherapy is cumulative. A single session does not change the skin's structure the way an ablative treatment does. It works by repetition, and a device sitting on your bathroom shelf is easier to pick up than a device you have to drive to.
What the mask cannot match is power. Dermalux states the mask at 36 mW/cm² at 10mm, delivering 21.6 J/cm² in a ten minute treatment. The Tri-Wave we treat with runs at an estimated 50 to 150 mW/cm², which puts it between 39% and 317% more powerful than the face mask, depending upon the treatment. That figure is an estimate across the Tri-Wave's range rather than a published specification, and the two devices are not measured under identical conditions, so read it as the size of the gap rather than a precise ratio.
So the clinic system is the stronger machine on every count. It carries a wavelength the mask does not, it puts out more energy, and a practitioner sets it. The mask's advantages are not machine specifications at all. It is with you every day, and once bought it costs nothing further.
The three wavelengths, and what each one is for
633nm, red. The primary wavelength for photobiomodulation. Red light is absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, which raises cellular energy production and stimulates fibroblast activity. It is the working wavelength for collagen and elastin synthesis, for reducing redness, and for supporting repair after treatment.
830nm, near-infrared. Reaches further into the tissue than red. It carries the strongest anti-inflammatory evidence of the three, reduces swelling and supports healing at depth. In clinic this is the wavelength we lean on after microneedling and peels.
1072nm, deep near-infrared. The longest of the three, and the one the professional systems do not carry. Dermalux includes it in the mask to reach the areas where the visible signs of ageing are more pronounced.
Which one should you choose?
| If this is you | Choose | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Active acne | Clinic | The mask has no blue wavelength and no mechanism against C. acnes. Six sessions at £175, with someone who can tell you whether LED is the right tool at all, beats £399 on a device not built for the problem |
| Recovering from Fractora, microneedling or a medium-depth peel | Clinic | LED supports the skin through the inflammatory phase and can shorten visible recovery. Timing depends on what was done, so it belongs with the practitioner who did it |
| Maintaining: fine lines, firmness, tone, texture, dullness | Mask | A course of six ends. Daily use does not. Ten minutes a day between appointments is what the mask is for |
| You can do both | Both | They do different jobs. The course treats with blue light under supervision. The mask turns up every day |
On the acne line the cheaper option is the correct one, and we will say so rather than sell you the mask. Book a course of LED at the clinic.
Buy the Dermalux LED Face Mask Two year warranty. Prices include VAT. We stock it because it is made by the company whose LED phototherapy we have used on patients in Nottinghamshire since 2023.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Dermalux LED Face Mask have blue light? No. It runs 633nm red, 830nm near-infrared and 1072nm deep near-infrared. The blue 415nm wavelength is carried by the professional Dermalux systems used in clinics, not by the mask.
Is the Dermalux LED Face Mask the same as the LED system you use at the clinic? No. We treat with a Dermalux Tri-Wave, a floor-standing multi-panel system running 415nm blue, 633nm red and 830nm near-infrared, at higher power, with the dose and treatment time set by a practitioner. The mask is a home device with one ten minute programme running 633, 830 and 1072nm.
Is the Dermalux LED Face Mask the same as the Dermalux Flex MD? No, and the Flex MD is not the device we use either. It is a portable professional panel Dermalux sells to clinics, listed at 415, 633 and 830nm with an adjustable treatment time.
Can I use the Dermalux LED Face Mask for acne? It is not an acne device. Without the 415nm blue wavelength it has no mechanism against the bacteria associated with inflammatory acne. If acne is your concern, book a consultation rather than buying the mask.
How long before I see anything? Most people notice their skin looking brighter within the first few weeks. Changes in tone and texture build gradually across the first two to three months. Results vary from person to person, and none of this replaces a clinical assessment.
Should I stop my clinic LED course if I buy the mask? No, and tell your practitioner you have one. Knowing you are treating daily at home changes how we plan what happens in the room.
Can I use it after a treatment in clinic? Ask us first, and ask before you buy if this is your main reason for wanting one. Timing after injectables, microneedling or a peel depends on what was done and when.
Who should not use it? Anyone taking photosensitising medication, anyone with a photosensitive condition, anyone with light-sensitive epilepsy, and anyone currently taking isotretinoin should speak to their prescriber or to us before starting. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask us first.
How much is a course of LED at The London Road Clinic? LED phototherapy at the clinic in Newark is from £35 a session, or £175 for a course of six, both including VAT. A session takes 30 minutes and there is no downtime.
*Written by Dr Shahe Boghossian, Medical Consultant, GMC 5204600, The London Road Clinic, Newark, Nottinghamshire. Specifications for the Dermalux LED Face Mask and the Flex MD were read from Dermalux's own product and professional device pages on 27th August 2026. The wavelengths of the Tri-Wave system we treat with are as set out in our own clinical guide to Dermalux LED therapy, reviewed by our Clinic Director and published on 22nd May
- Clinic pricing and course structure are as published on londonroadclinic.com on 27th
August 2026.*