If you’re into skincare, you’ve probably been advertised light therapy face masks.

These high-tech hockey masks promise to plump up or heal your skin through light – often red, but sometimes yellow, green, blue or even purple.

Norman and Tegan go through the rainbow to assess where there's evidence, and where there's not.

References:

• Sweaty sauna bathing for better health - What's That Rash?
• Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy: A Review of Recent Progress and Their Target Molecules for Cancer Therapy
• Effect of NASA Light-Emitting Diode Irradiation on Wound Healing
• Visible Red Light Emitting Diode Photobiomodulation for Skin Fibrosis: Key Molecular Pathways
• Utilization of light-emitting diodes for skin therapy: Systematic review and meta-analysis
• Photodynamic Therapy Using HMME for Port-Wine Stains: Clinical Effectiveness and Sonographic Appearance
• Effect of Blue Light on Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review
• The efficacy of violet light in the treatment of acne
• Featured review: What are the benefits and risks of light therapy for treating atopic eczema?
• Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder

This episode first aired on December 18, 2024.