If you’re looking for a Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro review, you’ve come to the right place. This intensive LED treatment has become one of my holy grail beauty products – and as a skincare minimalist, that's no mean feat.
The intensive mask is known to be one of the best red light therapy devices on the market, and I can wholeheartedly concur. It was a truly game-changing light therapy for acne treatment when I was struggling with my skin. The difference it made was noticeable after the first few uses, with friends and near-strangers replying to my (shameless) Instagram stories asking what my new skincare routine was.
Still, it's easy to take your favourites for granted. So I took a month-long break from using the mask before starting it up again to write this Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro review. Here's how I got on.
Our beauty editor's Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro review
First impressions of Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro
I've had this mask for around a year and because I'm clutter-averse, I've thrown away the box. However, when you receive your shiny new mask, it'll come in a square box with a charging cable, a cotton bag, and some instructions. The mask itself is quite chunky, but stylishly white and rose gold with a silicone strap (more on that later).
There’s no getting past this – you’re going to look creepy in this mask. The vibe is Friday the 13th serial killer. The hockey mask look is a hard one to pull off, and in all honesty, it's not one I'd ever wear in front of house guests (or have pictured on the internet for all to see). It was bad enough when my horrified brother spotted it in the corner of a Facetime call. Well, half horrified/half gleeful that he had another thing to rib me for.
How does the Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare perform?
The good news is that you only need to wear the mask for three minutes for a full treatment, and it automatically shuts off after that, which is handy. I use it in the mornings after cleansing, when I'm waiting for the kettle to boil, or picking my outfit for the day. Admittedly I always hope a passing neighbor doesn't see me, lest it terrifies the street.
When you switch the DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro on, it clicks onto the red light setting, you click it again to swap to blue light (which looks violet) then a third time to get to the final setting, which is a combination of both that glows a bright fuschia. It's pretty foolproof and easy to use.
As for the experience of wearing it, it feels fine and absolutely comfortable. Contrary to popular belief there's no heat emitted from LED light, so it just feels like being in front of a regular table lamp. The gripe that's often mentioned in some Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro reviews is the silicone strap, which can slip. This isn't ideal for such an expensive item, although the brand reasons that this makes it easy to adjust to fit every wearer comfortably. Strangely, it often causes frizzy hair to form at the back of my head, so I usually wear it with my hair in a bun.
How does it compare to other LED masks?
While there are many LED masks available (many of them at lower prices than Spectralite FaceWare Pro) There is no doubt that this LED mask has one of the best reputations on the market. Dr Dennis Gross is a trusted name in skincare, and, as a legendary dermatologist has created some of the beauty teams' Desert Island skincare products.
The option of three different treatment types using red and blue LED make this a more versatile mask than many, such as The Light Salon Boost Mask, which only offers one treatment as well as MZ Skin Lightmax Supercharged LED mask, which offers two, despite costing over £100 more than Dr Dennis Gross' option.
Another area in which the FaceWare Pro compares favourably is treatment time. Three minutes is comparably fast, with most LED masks ringing in at around 10 minutes - a considerably larger chunk of your morning routine. It is worth noting that FaceWare Pro is larger and more rigid than some masks on the market, for example, the Sensse Professional LED Face Mask, a budget-friendly option made of flexible silicone and mesh. This does make it less portable than others, albeit more sturdy and luxurious-feeling too.
Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro results
Dr. Gross told me that I should see a difference for acne after 3-5 treatments, and for signs of aging, usually between 3-4 weeks, which was pretty accurate. After a week my skin had almost totally cleared. As cliched as it sounds, I glanced in the mirror and had to double-take. My skin looked – no exaggeration – incredible. Clear, firm, and healthy. Colleagues and friends started remarking on my skin, asking what I’d changed. I did slightly cringe to admit it was a menacing-looking mask costing five times the price of my electricity bill.
After a couple of weeks, the results just kept improving and my skin had truly never looked better. Whenever I have to take a break while testing other things, I miss my mask, and when I take a long gap, I notice the difference in the quality of my skin. Blemishes start to creep back in and I look, let's say, about 10% worse on the whole.
I rotate between the red and blue light settings, sometimes opting for a combo of both to mix things up. When I have a breakout I stick to the blue setting until it clears, and use the red when my skin’s looking content. It's something that really works for me, and I now can't imagine my skincare routine for acne without it. Whenever anyone asks me how to get rid of acne, it's one of the first things I mention.
Should you buy Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro?
My vote would be yes. The results I've had from using it have far outweighed any other facial treatment I've had. If you don't have any really big skin concerns, I'd say you don't need this, so it wouldn't be worth it in that case, but to noticeably treat sagging skin, blemishes and wrinkles, this is absolutely worth the spend.
But, as with any long-term love, I have to be honest about the downsides. I’ve seen other, foldable LED masks that are more travel-friendly, which is a factor to consider. This is bulky, thick, and unlikely to fit into your hand luggage unless you’re an incredibly minimal packer (I am not).
The elephant in the room is also the price. It's not hugely accessible, but if you're looking for a serious change in your skin, whether that's treating wrinkles or acne, it's an investment that can make a huge difference. When you consider that most in-salon treatments cost upwards of £100, you'll balance out the cost of this in five uses - which is still only about 20 minutes' use, all in. You could wait out for a discount code, or split it with a friend to cut down the price - but I can imagine you'll end up wanting full custody.
The FaceWare Pro Technology, explained
I asked Dr. Gross, what is red light therapy, and how this mask harnesses that technology. "Red LED light calms inflammation and sends signals to the fibroblast to stimulate collagen production," he says. "Whereas Blue LED light connects to acne-causing bacteria, causing it to self-implode."
The DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro is fixed with 100 red lights, and 62 blue lights, and Dr. Gross says he did this so that the treatment was powerful and effective, but still safe to use at home. "An FDA-cleared LED device is safe to use at home and offers immediate and long-term benefits. The goal is to build collagen every day which is why you should incorporate it into your daily skincare regimen."
