Here at T&C, we pride ourselves on our discerning eye for quality. With Tried & True, our editors will give you an inside look at the pieces they simply cannot live without.
If I had to rank makeup and skincare, it would be skincare first then makeup, in terms of my day to day. The reason of course, is that I am obsessed with my skin. I would rather work very hard on a skincare routine to make my skin look the best it possibly could, than do a full beat. That being said, I am pretty averse to the idea of invasive procedures. (Who knows if that will change.) But for now, I want to work as hard as I can to help my skin age well, with high tech products and tools. And trust me when I say, I’ve tried a lot.
Which is why when I say the LYMA at-home cold laser device is not just legit, it’s best in class, I really mean it. Something that persistently bothers me about my skin is that, as someone with rosacea, when experiencing inflammation it can very easily take on the same flush as a … gin-soaked lush? It drives me crazy. I can treat pustules and texture with topicals and prescriptions, but the redness is tough to beat. So I was curious when I first started with LYMA if it would make any notable difference on my cheeks and around my nose, but also on my forehead—all areas that have a tendency to be red and splotchy. Fixing that was my main goal.
Now, the LYMA is a pain-free at-home laser (the most powerful around) that can gently and safely treat the skin (and all skintones) with no downtime. Developed to treat and heal damaged tissues, the 500mW power at the 808nm wavelength laser penetrates to the deepest layers of the skin, not just healing damaged tissue, but also transforming the skin. All it really takes is dedication to using the device for up to 6 minutes on each treatment area every single day for 12 weeks. If you can do that, it works over time to recharge, regenerate, and repair cells, fighting free radicals and boosting collagen and elastin, as well as, in turn, working to fade fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin texture, calm redness, and even fade scars.
Early in my journey I connected with Lucy Goff, founder of LYMA, who advised me that when treating my rosacea and redness, it would be best to hold the laser still from place to place, as opposed to use it in a sweeping motion. Also, Goff advised me that you get increased benefits at up to 6 minutes for each treatment area, so I aimed to hold the laser on each spot of my face for around 6 minutes (if I could) each night. Another pro-tip: charging the battery every few days or so, even if it isn’t technically out of juice, so that the laser can be powered to full effect.
All in all, over 12 weeks, I found my skin redness to be drastically improved, as was my texture. I’ve also noticed that the fine lines on my forehead didn’t really come back after my Daxxify wore off, which was a hugely unexpected benefit.
Something I’ve found this tool hugely useful for is fading hyperpigmentation. As someone who is actively fighting the habit of picking at my skin, I have found that post-spot pigmentation is a problem. Now that I have the LYMA, I have found that I have far less pigmentation than I did before.
I love the device so much that I started subscribing to the LYMA Oxygen Glide as a way to boost my treatment. As a matter of personal preference, I like to do my LYMA treatments with a clean face, but before I do the rest of my skincare routine, and I have found that not only do these two products make it easy to move the laser around on my face (I use it stationary around my cheeks and nose, but have taken to sweeping under my jaw.) Pro-tip: do the treatments while you’re watching TV. It’s meditative and if you’re fidgety like I am, it’s a great way to put your hands to good use. These days, I’m using the LYMA around three days a week to maintain my results, but fully plan to continue using for as long as the device works (10-year warranty!) It’s that major.
TLDR: It’s worth it. Especially when I consider all of the in-office treatments I won’t need because of it.