Ever since I found out about this blue light therapy device which is sold as part of a 3-step acne skincare solution from Positively Clear (a branch of Tria Beauty), I became a little obsessed. I did some reasearch (okay, a lot) and what I found was promising, so I went ahead and ordered it. Here is my full, in-depth, review on this product after using it for 8 weeks consistently. If you have acne and you're desperate (like me) to get rid of it, read this review! It's quite long, so grab some popcorn (or just skip to the parts you're interested in)!
I have to start out this review by acknowledging/ranting about one very important thing. When I really want a product, I do as much research as I can about it and most of that research is composed of looking up and reading other people's review of the product. I realize that a product doesn't work for everyone so I don't take it too heart when I read reviews from people who disliked the product because it didn't work for them, I look at the overall picture. This picture gets severely skewed when nearly 100% of the product reviews you can find are sponsored (either because the person was sent the product free or paid to post a positive review). I'm NOT bashing sponsored posts AT ALL though. I realize that people blog for a living and that everyone could use some extra cash. I also realize that even though you can be sent a product for free, your opinions can still be truthful. However when every single product you talk about is sponsored and every product review for a specific product appears sponsored, I have trouble believing the reviews. That's why I think it's so important to have 100% honest, unbiased and in depth reviews.
Reviews & Research
I looked up review for this product on Google, YouTube and Instagram. I mostly found mentions of it on Instagram, and they were all sponsored (or appeared that way). I couldn't find many YouTube reviews about this specific product, but there were reviews on other blue light therapies for acne. There are also reviews up on the Positively Clear website, which are 99% positive and 1% neutral. I'm not sure how much I trust those reviews either to be honest, perhaps I'm just a suspicious person? As mentioned before, I also did research in dermatology journals and it does seem that blue light therapy is a validated and effective tool used for getting rid of acne. Overall, my research came to the conclusion that blue light therapy is an effective tool against acne and I couldn't wait to try it! I also found that the company has very quick customer service, when I had a question about the product, they emailed me back an answer on the same day.
Price & Shipping
I bought this system when it was 15% off and had free shipping. In total, it cost $177.45. I was advised it would take 48 hours to process my order and 3-13 days to get to me. I placed my order on January 5 2017, it shipped January 9 and I received my order on January 12. I actually didn't receive a confirmation email when I placed my order or when it was shipped, so I used the contact me form on the website and received a response the same day with an apology and my tracking information.
Claims
On the website it says:
How It Works
Blue light emits light at a wavelength of ~405-420 nm, and works by reducing or eliminating the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) which has been known for a long time as a factor related to the production of acne. The cause of acne is multifactorial, and working on the bacteria is one part of it. However the company claims the 3-step system addresses all 4 causes of acne.
Packaging & Ease of Use
I thought the packaging and design was very sleek and aesthetically pleasing. The blue light therapy is very easy to use. It comes with a instruction guide and it explains how to use it properly and all the precautions. To use it, you just press the power button until it makes a small beep, then you press it against your skin and it turns on. It will automatically time it for 5 minutes and then turn off. You can take the time to do your entire face, or a specific problem area. In the beginning I did 5 minutes each on a few problem areas, and then 5 minutes on the rest of my face. As my pimples cleared, I started to use the blue light for less time overall on my face. It does feel warm on my skin, and if left on any particular area it can start to feel hot so I would definitely recommend moving it around slowly.
The blue light device does need to be charged, the battery is shown on the display and blinking indicates the battery needs to be charged. When I use the blue light for 20 minutes a night, I find I need to charge it once every four days or four uses.
Did It Work?
Reviews & Research
I looked up review for this product on Google, YouTube and Instagram. I mostly found mentions of it on Instagram, and they were all sponsored (or appeared that way). I couldn't find many YouTube reviews about this specific product, but there were reviews on other blue light therapies for acne. There are also reviews up on the Positively Clear website, which are 99% positive and 1% neutral. I'm not sure how much I trust those reviews either to be honest, perhaps I'm just a suspicious person? As mentioned before, I also did research in dermatology journals and it does seem that blue light therapy is a validated and effective tool used for getting rid of acne. Overall, my research came to the conclusion that blue light therapy is an effective tool against acne and I couldn't wait to try it! I also found that the company has very quick customer service, when I had a question about the product, they emailed me back an answer on the same day.
Price & Shipping
I bought this system when it was 15% off and had free shipping. In total, it cost $177.45. I was advised it would take 48 hours to process my order and 3-13 days to get to me. I placed my order on January 5 2017, it shipped January 9 and I received my order on January 12. I actually didn't receive a confirmation email when I placed my order or when it was shipped, so I used the contact me form on the website and received a response the same day with an apology and my tracking information.
Claims
On the website it says:
- It’s the one and only dermatologist recommended acne-blasting treatment that combines bacteria-fighting blue light therapy with potent skincare to treat more effectively than traditional treatments alone. This easy 3-step fix addresses all 4 causes of acne to reveal glowing, flawless-looking skin. Cleanse. Treat. Target. And say good-bye to acne.
- It takes just 5 minutes a day to use the device. For best results, stay consistent and don't skip on treatments
- You'll start to see results in as little as two weeks
- 100% of users reported fewer breakouts in just 8 weeks
How It Works
Blue light emits light at a wavelength of ~405-420 nm, and works by reducing or eliminating the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) which has been known for a long time as a factor related to the production of acne. The cause of acne is multifactorial, and working on the bacteria is one part of it. However the company claims the 3-step system addresses all 4 causes of acne.
Packaging & Ease of Use
I thought the packaging and design was very sleek and aesthetically pleasing. The blue light therapy is very easy to use. It comes with a instruction guide and it explains how to use it properly and all the precautions. To use it, you just press the power button until it makes a small beep, then you press it against your skin and it turns on. It will automatically time it for 5 minutes and then turn off. You can take the time to do your entire face, or a specific problem area. In the beginning I did 5 minutes each on a few problem areas, and then 5 minutes on the rest of my face. As my pimples cleared, I started to use the blue light for less time overall on my face. It does feel warm on my skin, and if left on any particular area it can start to feel hot so I would definitely recommend moving it around slowly.
The blue light device does need to be charged, the battery is shown on the display and blinking indicates the battery needs to be charged. When I use the blue light for 20 minutes a night, I find I need to charge it once every four days or four uses.
Did It Work?
In this section I'll have photos to document each week I used this system consistently. To be precise, I took 3 views of my face each week, and always on Sunday nights. So be prepared for some ugly license/passport "I wasn't allowed to smile" this-looks-like-a-mugshot photos! Bear with me...
In the photos above, taken on January 15, I had not used the product yet. I have quite a lot of acne scars/hyperpigmentation and a fair number of active pimples. As you can see, at Week 0, the active pimples were worse on one cheek than the other. I also had pimples on my forehead and my chin and lip area.
After 3 days of using it, I noticed that the active pimples I had on my face had reduced in size. I noticed some dryness on my upper lip (I don't usually get dry patches when I'm moisturizing properly). The dryness went away quickly with morning moisturizer. As the week went on I noticed that the pimples on my forehead got worse (a bit) and then got better. I also sprouted a few super tiny bumps/pimples on my chin and nose (very unusual). I wasn't even using the device on my nose, so I don't think it's from the blue light. They remained tiny though and did not get any bigger. I wore makeup twice this week.
Overall, I felt my face got a little worse and then slightly better in the first week of consistent use.
Overall, I felt my face got a little worse and then slightly better in the first week of consistent use.
During this week I wore makeup 2-3 times. I also used a few face masks at the end of the week that were new. One was a power peel by Ole Henriksen and the other was the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. On Sunday (when photo was taken) I noticed dryness around my mouth that was quite unusual for me. Overall I feel like the pimples I had on my left cheek, left temple and forehead had all reduced, but a few isolated pimples emerged in other parts of my face.
Overall, I felt there was a slight improvement in the second week. Did I see some results as the claim says? Some...not a lot.
Overall, I felt there was a slight improvement in the second week. Did I see some results as the claim says? Some...not a lot.
At the beginning of this week I used coconut oil twice to wash off my makeup, I'm not sure it agreed with my skin. At the end of the week, I exfoliated (for the first time in a few weeks, I forgot my exfoliator in a different city), and used two different masks. The first was the Aztec Indian Healing Clay mask (peep my review HERE), and the second was a tea tree oil mask from the body shop. During the week, I was not happy with my skin. Some of my pimples were quite big, and others just weren't going away. By the end of the week (particularly on Sunday when the photo was taken) I was feeling relatively good about my skin.
Overall, my face got worse and then better so I didn't really see improvement in the third week.
Other notes: I began cleaning the blue light with a cloth and alcohol to sanitize it every night vs every week as I was doing before. The light device also began making a loud whirring noise at the beginning of the session which then quieted down, this is new.
Overall, my face got worse and then better so I didn't really see improvement in the third week.
Other notes: I began cleaning the blue light with a cloth and alcohol to sanitize it every night vs every week as I was doing before. The light device also began making a loud whirring noise at the beginning of the session which then quieted down, this is new.
This week, I did NOT feel good about my skin. My pimples were worse, they were bigger. I think this is the worst my skin has looked in 4 weeks. I had family members commenting on my breakouts as well. I wore makeup 4-5 times this week on account of that. On a positive note, I do think my forehead pimples are slowly subsiding. On Saturday I also used the Aztec Indian Healing Clay mask and the Tea Tree Mask from the Body Shop (see week 3 notes). I did find myself eating more sugary foods towards the end of the week which may have made my acne worse, but at the beginning it didn't look good either.
Overall, my face definitely got worse in the fourth week.
Overall, my face definitely got worse in the fourth week.
This week, I also didn't feel good about my skin. It started to get better from Week 4 and then at the end of the week I got new and large pimples (this could be due to hormones, or sugary food or a mixture). I wore makeup probably 5 days this week and used no face masks. My face honestly just looks like a huge mess at this point because with my pimples comes a lot of redness and then I'm also dealing with acne scars/hyperpigmentation from old acne (GRR).
This week, I started using the spot treatment gel at night AND in the morning (so now twice a day, like the package states). I also noticed that the strange whirring noise the machine was making (starting Week 3) has gone away.
Overall, my face didn't really improve in the fifth week.
This week, I started using the spot treatment gel at night AND in the morning (so now twice a day, like the package states). I also noticed that the strange whirring noise the machine was making (starting Week 3) has gone away.
Overall, my face didn't really improve in the fifth week.
I was experiencing a hormonal breakout at the beginning of this week/end of last week and as you can see from my face, it's clearly still there. I now have a line of pimples on my right cheek that almost mimic my laugh line only it starts higher up. I still have pimples on both cheeks and very small ones on my forehead (I never had a huge problem with forehead pimples before, but for the past few weeks I have a multitude of small ones that aren't going away). I have pimples that are going away by my mouth and chin. The only place I don't have pimples (and I don't normally get pimples) is my nose. The last safe haven. Still dealing with redness and acne scars. This week I used the Muddy Body Detox face mask twice. It is highly hyped up on Instagram so I purchased it and reviewed it myself HERE.
Overall, due to my hormonal breakout (which the blue light clearly didn't prevent for me) my face did not improve in the sixth week and probably got slightly worse.
Overall, due to my hormonal breakout (which the blue light clearly didn't prevent for me) my face did not improve in the sixth week and probably got slightly worse.
This week I was trying to get my breakout under control and by the end of the week I think the pimples have decreased in size, but there is redness and marks everywhere (so what else is new?). I started wondering what else may be causing my acne that is new, and decided therefore not to clean the blue light with alcohol every night before I use it. I'm afraid the leftover alcohol on my skin might be irritating my skin. This week I wore makeup about three times and I used the Muddy Body Detox face mask twice. I've been feeling pretty hopeless about my skin to be honest, at this point in the treatment I was hoping to see much better results. I keep feeling like I'm doing something wrong so I keep doing things to make sure they aren't causing my acne (e.g. cleaning my entire bedding + blankets weekly).
This week, the whirring noise coming from the blue light after it's turned on is back.
In addition, the face cleanser ran out this week. I don't think it was helping my skin, it made it feel extra dry and may have been causing dry patches on my face.
Overall, my face got slightly better from last week (though it's hard to see) in the seventh week of using this system.
This week, the whirring noise coming from the blue light after it's turned on is back.
In addition, the face cleanser ran out this week. I don't think it was helping my skin, it made it feel extra dry and may have been causing dry patches on my face.
Overall, my face got slightly better from last week (though it's hard to see) in the seventh week of using this system.
This was definitely a better week for me, my breakout was continuing to heal and get better so many of the bumps on my face were going down (although all the marks left on my face is a whole different ball game). This is the best I've felt about my skin in a month. Despite the fact that I've had people close to my family comment on the marks on my face this weekend, I still think my skin is looking better relatively compared to the last few weeks. It's not back to what it was in the Week 0 pictures, but that will take time.
I'm glad I'm not using the Tria cleanser anymore, I'm fairly sure it was causing dryness and flakes around my mouth which have now gone away. As for the Tria spot treatment, I've been using it for 8 weeks now and I'm not in love with it. I am not really sure it does all that much to be honest for my skin. Therefore when Tria charged my credit card for an automatic renewal of the cleanser and spot treatment for another 60 days worth of product, I emailed customer service to cancel that order and not to charge my card in the future for that. They responded very quickly and professionally and cancelled the order.
Overall, in the eighth and final week of using the system consistently, my skin looks better (compared to last week).
I'm glad I'm not using the Tria cleanser anymore, I'm fairly sure it was causing dryness and flakes around my mouth which have now gone away. As for the Tria spot treatment, I've been using it for 8 weeks now and I'm not in love with it. I am not really sure it does all that much to be honest for my skin. Therefore when Tria charged my credit card for an automatic renewal of the cleanser and spot treatment for another 60 days worth of product, I emailed customer service to cancel that order and not to charge my card in the future for that. They responded very quickly and professionally and cancelled the order.
Overall, in the eighth and final week of using the system consistently, my skin looks better (compared to last week).
Overall Impressions
If you made it this far in the post (and read the whole thing or most of it), thank you! To summarize my experience using the Tria 3-step acne care solution, it did not live up to the claim that in 8 weeks I'd have fewer breakouts (and thus clearer skin). The road to clear skin is still a difficult path for me. Personally, I didn't love the cleanser or the spot treatment in the system, and will not be repurchasing it. I'm not even sure I'll continue to use the spot treatment until it runs out.
However, I do like the blue light treatment. It feels like I'm at a spa, or a dermatologists office every night when I use it before I sleep. I also love that it doesn't need replaceable cartridges, it just needs to be charged every few nights. Therefore, it's a one time investment. I think that with consistent use of the blue light, you will see a difference on your skin. I plan to switch up some of my skin care products (e.g. switch out the spot treatment for benzoyl peroxide) and continue to use the blue light for a few weeks and see what happens. The only downside is that the website does not seem to sell the blue light on its own.
TLDR; I would recommend the blue light therapy (if you can afford it) if you suffer from acne and are looking for something else in your arsenal in the noble and valiant fight to clear skin.
I hope you enjoyed this in depth review, and if you also suffer from acne, let me know what else I should be trying out and reviewing!
Until next time beauties,
XOXO
If you made it this far in the post (and read the whole thing or most of it), thank you! To summarize my experience using the Tria 3-step acne care solution, it did not live up to the claim that in 8 weeks I'd have fewer breakouts (and thus clearer skin). The road to clear skin is still a difficult path for me. Personally, I didn't love the cleanser or the spot treatment in the system, and will not be repurchasing it. I'm not even sure I'll continue to use the spot treatment until it runs out.
However, I do like the blue light treatment. It feels like I'm at a spa, or a dermatologists office every night when I use it before I sleep. I also love that it doesn't need replaceable cartridges, it just needs to be charged every few nights. Therefore, it's a one time investment. I think that with consistent use of the blue light, you will see a difference on your skin. I plan to switch up some of my skin care products (e.g. switch out the spot treatment for benzoyl peroxide) and continue to use the blue light for a few weeks and see what happens. The only downside is that the website does not seem to sell the blue light on its own.
TLDR; I would recommend the blue light therapy (if you can afford it) if you suffer from acne and are looking for something else in your arsenal in the noble and valiant fight to clear skin.
I hope you enjoyed this in depth review, and if you also suffer from acne, let me know what else I should be trying out and reviewing!
Until next time beauties,
XOXO