Therabody’s Neck & Chest LED: A Light Therapy Device Designed to Improve Skin Texture and Tone
Published:
Expert contributors: Tim Roberts, MSc; Julia Weaver, Beauty Product Developer
You've built a consistent skincare routine for your face. Cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and a daily LED mask. Now, you’re noticing that your neck and chest are showing signs of aging.
There's a reason for that. The skin on your neck and chest is thinner than the skin on your face and has less collagen and elasticity to keep it smooth and firm. It likely gets exposed to the sun without sunscreen. [1, 2]
Most at-home LED devices are designed for the face, and many neck devices use flexible silicone that sits directly on the skin. Therabody's® Neck & Chest LED device sits at the optimal distance from your skin to deliver clinically proven red and infrared light therapy to the neck and chest in a hands-free, nine-minute treatment. It’s also paired with VibraWave™ Technology heated vibration massage on the back of the neck.
Here's the science behind the device and how to know if it's right for you.
Why do the neck and chest show signs of aging first?
Photoaging describes the visible changes in skin from sun exposure and natural aging. The neck and chest are especially vulnerable to it, for several reasons: [1, 2]
- Thinner skin: The skin on the neck has less dermal structure than the skin on the face, so it has less built-in protection against wear over time. [1]
- Lower collagen density: Collagen gives skin structural support. Less collagen means fine lines and wrinkles can form earlier. [1, 2]
- Less elasticity: Lower elasticity contributes to loose skin and a crepey texture. [1]
- Cumulative sun exposure: The neck and chest aren’t always covered by clothing or protected by sunscreen, and UV exposure accumulates.
- Skipped skincare: Sunscreen and skincare treatments often stop at the jawline, leaving the neck and chest less protected than the face.
How does the Neck & Chest LED device work?
The Neck & Chest LED device uses LED light therapy, a non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to target skin concerns. Originally reserved for dermatology offices, LED light therapy is now used in at-home devices. [3, 4]
Different wavelengths of light reach different depths in the skin. Red light reaches underneath the skin, and infrared light, which is invisible to the eye, reaches even deeper into soft tissue. [3, 4]
Each hands-free, cordless treatment lasts nine minutes: 4.5 minutes of red light, then 4.5 minutes of red and infrared light together, with a heated vibration massage on the back of the neck.
- Red light (630 nm): Red light acts on the mitochondria to increase cellular energy, fuel cellular repairs and collagen production, improve blood flow, and reduce inflammation. [3, 4]
- Infrared light (830 nm): Infrared light creates a gentle warming sensation that increases blood flow. Paired with red light, it can improve skin tone, support collagen production, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. [5, 6]
- Heat: Two heating units warm the back of the neck to increase circulation and help you relax. [7, 8]
- Vibration: VibraWave Technology uses four micro-motors along the back of the neck to help relieve tension and improve blood flow. [9, 10, 11]
The results of light therapy depend on delivering the right dose, which is determined by power density (how intense the light is) and fluence (the total light energy delivered to the skin). [12, 13]
“Real results in light therapy are a product of consistent, accurate dosing over time — not a single session, but the accumulation of correctly dosed treatments, session after session, week after week. That's what separates a device that actually works from one that simply lights up,” says Tim Roberts, MSc, Therabody's Chief Science Officer.
What is the Neck & Chest LED device clinically proven to do?
In a 12-week clinical study, 66 women aged 32–65, spanning all Fitzpatrick skin types, used the Neck & Chest LED device once a day for its preset nine-minute treatment. Results were measured at six and 12 weeks using expert grading, cutometer measurements, and participant questionnaires.
After 12 weeks of daily use, all nine expert-graded measures on the neck significantly improved:
- Contour: 10.2% improvement
- Texture: 16.5% improvement
- Brightness: 13.7% improvement
- Firmness: 10.4% improvement
- Elasticity: 13.5% improvement
- Skin tone evenness: 6.8% improvement
- Fine lines and wrinkles: 8.4% improvement
- Overall skin health: 12.7% improvement
- Redness: 51% improvement
On the chest, seven of 10 expert-graded measures significantly improved:
- Brightness: 13.3% improvement
- Texture: 11.1% improvement
- Fine lines and wrinkles: 7.9% improvement
- Hyperpigmentation: 6.3% improvement
- Skin tone evenness: 8.7% improvement
- Overall skin health: 12.7% improvement
- Redness: 46.5% improvement
Results began as early as six weeks. By 12 weeks, 83% of participants agreed their neck looked healthier overall.
Read the full clinical study here.
*12-week clinical study with 66 subjects and 1x/day use of pre-programmed nine-minute treatment. Individual results may vary.
Who should use the Neck & Chest LED device?
LED mask users who want results below the jawline
Who it's for: People who already use an LED face mask and want to extend their results to the neck and chest.
When to use: At the same time as TheraFace® Mask, morning or night on clean, dry skin.
How it works: Red and infrared LED light targets the neck and chest and improves signs of aging. [6]
Those concerned about visible neck aging
Who it's for: Those who notice fine lines or less definition along the neck, jawline, and chest.
When to use: Morning or night before applying skincare.
How it works: Red and infrared light support collagen production in the thinner skin of the neck. [1] In the clinical study, neck contour, firmness, and fine lines and wrinkles significantly improved after 12 weeks of daily use.
Those with sun-exposed chest skin
Who it's for: People with uneven skin tone and texture on the chest.
When to use: Morning or night on clean, dry skin.
How it works: Light therapy reaches the full chest, an area that gets daily sun exposure but less skincare attention than the face. In the clinical study, chest brightness, skin tone evenness, and texture significantly improved after 12 weeks.
Those who want skincare to feel like self-care
Who it's for: People who are looking for a relaxing treatment.
When to use: As part of an evening wind-down routine.
How it works: VibraWave Technology delivers heated vibration massage to the back of the neck, helping to relieve tension while your LED light treatment runs. [11]
Neck & Chest LED device: Questions and answers
What makes the Neck & Chest LED different from other devices?
Many at-home neck devices use flexible silicone that sits directly against the skin. The Neck & Chest LED device’s hard-shell design keeps the LEDs at a set distance, so light spreads evenly across the treatment area.
“Every LED has an aperture spread, meaning it needs adequate distance from the skin to project light across the entire treatment area with full light coverage. Masks that sit flush against the skin create uneven, dot-like light coverage rather than the full, uniform illumination over the skin required for effective treatment,” explains Julia Weaver, Beauty Product Developer at Therabody.
The device is built on the dosing approach behind Therabody's LED face masks. “We source components with very tight tolerances to ensure consistency from component to component and ultimately unit to unit,” says Roberts. “Then, we move to clinical validation — putting the device through controlled, IRB-approved studies to confirm that the dose we've engineered actually translates to real outcomes on real skin.”
Does red light therapy work on neck and chest wrinkles?
Yes. Red and infrared light support collagen production, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. [5, 6] In the 12-week clinical study, daily use of the Neck & Chest LED device significantly reduced fine lines and wrinkles by 8.4% on the neck and 7.9% on the chest.
What's the difference between red and infrared light therapy?
Red light is visible and reaches into the dermis, where it supports collagen production and cellular repair. Infrared light has a longer, invisible wavelength that penetrates deeper into soft tissue and creates a gentle warming sensation that increases blood flow. Using red and infrared LED light together allows for complementary benefits. [3, 4, 6]
How long does it take to see results from LED light therapy on the neck?
In the clinical study, most neck outcomes, including texture, firmness, brightness, and contour, significantly improved after six weeks of daily use. Other outcomes like fine lines and wrinkles significantly improved after 12 weeks. Use consistently for best results.
How often should I use the Neck & Chest LED device?
Use the Neck & Chest LED device once a day for the preset nine-minute treatment. It cycles through 4.5 minutes each of red and red + infrared LED light therapy.
Can I use Neck & Chest LED with TheraFace Mask?
Yes. The Neck & Chest LED device is designed to be worn at the same time as TheraFace Mask. They each have a preset nine-minute treatment that allows you to get full coverage without adding more time to your routine.
Key takeaways:
- The neck and chest often show signs of aging first, because the skin is thinner and has less collagen and elasticity.
- Red and infrared LED light therapy supports collagen production and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, with results that depend on a precise, consistent, therapeutic dose of light.
- In a 12-week clinical study of 66 women, daily use of the Neck & Chest LED device significantly improved all nine neck measures, including texture (16.5%) and fine lines and wrinkles (8.4%), and seven of 10 chest measures, including brightness (13.3%).
- The device’s hard-shell, curved design keeps LEDs at the right distance from the skin for even coverage from the underside of the neck to the chest.
- The nine-minute, hands-free treatment pairs with VibraWave Technology heated massage and can be worn at the same time as TheraFace Mask.
References:
- Age-related changes in skin bio-mechanical properties: the neck skin compared with the cheek and forearm skin in Korean females
- Efficacy and Tolerability of a Novel Topical Treatment for Neck: A Randomized, Double-blind, Regimen-Controlled Study
- Light-emitting diodes in dermatology: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
- Phototherapy with Light Emitting Diodes: Treating a Broad Range of Medical and Aesthetic Conditions in Dermatology
- A study to determine the efficacy of combination LED light therapy (633 nm and 830 nm) in facial skin rejuvenation
- A controlled trial to determine the efficacy of red and near-infrared light treatment in patient satisfaction, reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, skin roughness, and intradermal collagen density increase
- Heat effects on drug delivery across human skin
- Efficacy of thermal stimulation on wrinkle removal via the enhancement of collagen synthesis
- How does vibration reduce pain?
- Effects of local vibration with different intermittent durations on skin blood flow responses in diabetic people
- Controlled mechanical vibration impacts skin biology
- Intricacies of dose in laser phototherapy for tissue repair and pain relief
- Review of light parameters and photobiomodulation efficacy: dive into complexity
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