Yes, that is me in there. Two things came to my mind before I tried on the Skinvel LED Mask ($199). The first was Silence of the Lambs. The second was a letter asking if there was a cordless version of the Ultra Renew from a woman whose job involves “driving at night” – she’s been borrowing a friend’s LED device. I sincerely hope she isn’t using the recommended goggles whilst at the wheel. Anyway, this battery-operated LED mask could be just the thing for her.

I’ve been testing Skinvel in the safer confines of my bedroom (perhaps I should say relatively safer). As you can see from my picture, the effect to a casual observer could be rather alarming and I do not recommend trying this at home if you are going to run into small and impressionable children or an older person with a dickey heart.

Although the instructions and the mask itself, which is in two layers with straps and a battery pack, look a little daunting, it’s rather quick and easy to put together. The inner layer, the “soft mask,” is made from silicone and is more comfortable against the skin than plastic. The mask is very flexible and bends over the face – however, although it fits snugly over the forehead and cheek bones, my chin and jaws were “floating.”

There is enough reflective light for me to surmise that the lower part of my face is, nonetheless, being treated. We are talking red light by the way, at about 630nm or so. After removing the mask, which can be worn for sessions of either 10 or 15 minutes, my skin typically has short-lived red patches on the forehead and cheekbones. Nevertheless, I do think that the light reaches my entire face fairly evenly. Overall, the Skinvel seems to be effective and safe.

Although hands free is an advantage (particularly – ahem – for drivers), I found myself missing having something to do. Moving a wand (as one does with Baby Quasar or Ultra Renew) is something I find therapeutic. Perhaps, I just like feeling in control. And it doesn’t seem right to prepare supper or do the ironing whilst wearing the mask. So in the end, I used the time to put my head back and catch 40 winks.