When it comes to Hollywood-loved skincare gadgets, few companies are making waves quite like Solawave.
The brand’s 4-in-1 Skincare Wand with Red Light Therapy ($119, originally $149) — which is 20% off with code L20, today only — has skyrocketed to fame in recent years, racking up famous fans ranging from Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman to Lil Nas X and Sydney Sweeney.
“I started using the Solawave Wand within the last few weeks, and I use it every single day,” the latter “Euphoria” star told Story and Rain in 2021, adding, “I went to the gym today and everyone was like, ‘Your skin. It’s glowing. What did you change?'”
The at-home tool — which the brand says is designed to “smooth fine lines,” “fade blemishes,” “boost skin’s glow” and more — has also become a red carpet staple of sorts.
Meghann Fahy used hers ahead of the 2023 SAG Awards, while Vanessa Hudgens and Pedro Pascal incorporated the device into their 2023 Oscars prep.
Solawave 4-in-1 Skincare Wand with Red Light Therapy ($80 to $119, originally $149)
As for why the wand’s been sweeping Hollywood? “While many celebrities can and do partake in office-based procedures, they also want a little ‘extra’ that they can do at home on a daily basis to help them look as good as they can,” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Karyn Grossman, who’s worked with stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, tells Page Six Style.
And while portable skincare devices aren’t necessarily new, products like the Solawave feature “a greater sense of elegance and aesthetic beauty, which make them social media-ready,” she adds.
To shed light on how the sleek red light therapy tool functions, keep reading for dermatologists’ top tips and insights.
How do red light therapy and microcurrent devices work?
Solawave is designed to fuse four technologies: Facial massage, therapeutic warmth, microcurrent therapy and red light therapy (aka “red light delivered by LED.”)
“LED light has been used in dermatology for decades,” says Dr. Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Entière Dermatology.
“Depending on what wavelengths are emitted from the LED, the clinical indications vary,” she adds of the technology as a whole. “LEDs are used to treat wound healing, reduce inflammation [and] improve sun-damaged skin by increasing the new collagen formation.”
Microcurrent therapy, meanwhile, can generally have two effects “depending on the device,” according to Grossman: “One is that it can cause muscle contraction, helping to tighten some of the facial muscles. And the second is that microcurrent can cause some increased penetration of products.”
How to use Solawave
The brand recommends using its devices after cleansing and before applying products like serums — a directive echoed by Levin and Grossman, who both stressed the importance of following any manufacturer instructions regarding when and how much to use red light therapy devices. (Grossman also recommends keeping them “away from retinoids” by using the wand in the morning and retinoids in the evening.)
“For the most part, these devices are safe when used as directed,” she says. “We don’t know if overuse of a device can turn off good pathways in the skin by overloading receptors, so I would always recommend staying within the device guidelines.”
Solawave also sells a hyaluronic acid-packed Renew Complex Activating Serum ($32) designed for use right before a wand session, which Grossman says can be beneficial “by itself” but may “be a better pair with a better, quicker plumping effect” when used in tandem with the tool.
Regardless of which device you choose, however, “if you are going to start adding at-home LED devices, make sure to discuss with your dermatologist to make sure you are picking the right device [and] that your skin can tolerate such devices,” says Levin.
The derm adds that microtherapy should be avoided for two weeks after “injectables such as filler and neuromodulators like Botox,” and eschewed entirely “if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a history of epilepsy, cancer, have a pacemaker, or any metal in your face.”
Does Solawave work?
At the end of the day, both dermatologists stress the difference between in-office treatments and at-home skincare routines.
“I think the most important concern that consumers should have is having realistic expectations,” Levin says of portable products. “At-home LED devices can be helpful but there is a big difference between at-home and in-office devices. Simply, the power!”
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The skin expert says that while she doesn’t typically recommend the treatments to patients herself, “if a patient is interested and committed, I think it is fine.”
Meanwhile, Grossman adds, “I remind patients that while these will not replace their more aggressive treatments, if it helps them to maintain their skin between treatments, that is important too.”