LYMA laser starter kit review

What it fixes: firms & smooths skin texture, improves elasticity, plumps fine lines & wrinkles, strengthens muscle tone, fades sun-damage & thread veins, heals acne, scars & rosacea, smooths cellulite, lifts eye area

👍 Safe for all skin tones & types

✔ Face, neck, hands & body

Price range: 💰💰💰💰💰🤑

This at-home device combines cold laser and blue LEDs to gradually rejuvenate, calm, and heal your skin with daily use. The expensive LYMA skincare is optional, but could give you faster results.

Unlike other at-home rejuvenation lasers, the LYMA laser does not trigger a healing response by damaging your skin with heat. The laser energy is nonthermal or ‘cold’, and it stimulates your skin cells instead.

The photons from the 808nm near-infrared laser reach your deepest tissue layers and give your cells an energy boost with a process called photobiomodulation. This reduces inflammation, boosts blood flow, and energises all your cells, so they build better collagen and elastin. It calms, heals, refreshes, hydrates, brightens, and firms your skin.

Four 470nm blue LEDs treat your skin surface. The light energy triggers a photochemical reaction which controls sebum and kills acne and other bacteria, to give you clear skin.

In this LYMA laser starter kit review…

First impressions

The black, understated packaging is simple and refined, and it’s heavy too. It does a splendid job reminding me this is an expensive bit of kit. It’s beautiful 😍 and rather exciting to open.

The envelope opens out to reveal a beautiful A5 hardback matt-black user guide book, with fresh new paper smell. It’s beautiful and looks more like a fancy coffee table book than a user guide.

Remove the laser, serum and spray mist to reveal a small hole in the tray. Use this to lift out the whole cardboard tray.

It’s all made of recyclable cardboard packaging ♻ – Bravo, LYMA.

The LYMA laser kit contents:

• LYMA laser
• 30ml Active Mist
• 50ml Priming Serum
• Neoprene storage pouch
• Battery charger
• Charging USB cable
• User guide book
• Membership card
• Charger manual & warranty

LYMA laser quality & design

The LYMA laser device is a small but heavy cylindrical black wand. It feels expensive, made of superb quality, tactile materials with a neat and durable construction. I love the simple black styling with engraved ‘LYMA’ logo towards the business end. It looks rather like an expensive, powerful torch, and it’s pleasing to hold.

Slightly recessed into the top is a textured, soft silicone push button. It’s the only control, and it simultaneously operates the laser and blue light – simply on or off.

You also get a small charging cradle and USB charging cord. I like this isn’t too bulky and there’s no mains plug, so you can use your own USB charging port or plug. I also like you must remove the battery to charge it. That way you can store the expensive laser device safely whilst it charges, rather than leaving it out where it’s vulnerable to knocks and damage.

TIP: 🔋 Make sure the sliding clip in the charger has gripped the battery otherwise it can jump out!

A full battery charge takes up to 4 hours. All four blue lights stay lit once it’s fully charged. You get around 2 hours of use per charge. So, you’ll need a weekly charge if you use the laser 15 minutes daily. Therefore, you need more regular charges if you do longer sessions or multiple body areas.

The total Li-ion battery life is very good. You get at least 500 charging cycles, giving 10,000 hours of laser energy. LYMA say that’s enough for 10 years of use.

On the opposite end of the laser is the transparent plastic treatment lens. It’s smooth on the surface and really rather pretty, with rings and levels of teeny clear hexagons. They’re designed to refract the laser beam from the tiny pinprick laser aperture and diffuse it over a larger surface area. LYMA say it does this 25,000 times and so the energy delivered to our skin is 25,000 larger than traditional lasers (bu they don’t say how big the originating beam is). This “ultra-diffused” energy is safe on your skin (and around your eyes) and allows you to treat a larger surface area, spread throughout the treatment lens.

LYMA Active Mist & Priming Serum

The kit comes with the Active Mist spray (30ml) and a Priming Serum (50ml). Use these daily, am and pm, and before your laser session. They’re expensive – to buy more costs £99/$149 and lasts a month if using daily on your face and neck. However, these products aren’t necessary conductors as with microcurrent, Radio Frequency and ultrasound – the laser works fine on your skin without them.

But, according to LYMA, they’re important:

“…it is important to use the LYMA Active Mist and LYMA Priming Serum at the start of every morning and evening’s skincare regime. This will prime your skin with a high content of oxygen and beta glucans to stimulate optimal regeneration.”

Lyma.life

Hands up if you want to ‘stimulate optimal regeneration’! 🙋‍♀️🤣🤣

I did some more digging to understand if they’re worth investing in, (as well as lining the coffers at LYMA LIFE HQ).

LYMA cosmeceutical ingredients

LYMA promote these as cosmeceutical products, and the ingredients sound impressive.

But what are cosmeceuticals?

Cosmeceutical products are available without prescription and contain active ingredients capable of triggering desirable cellular changes. The phrase was coined by the cosmetics industry They’re somewhere between ‘cosmetics’ and ‘pharmaceuticals’. But because they aren’t drugs, their claims aren’t subject to rigorous testing. Some ingredients show good clinical results. Whereas for others, there’s theoretical or preclinical support, but little robust clinical data.

This is a good background article on effective cosmeceuticals if you want to learn more.

And here’s the LYMA ingredient lists decoded on incidecoder.com:

• LYMA priming serum ingredients list
• LYMA Active mist ingredients list

The key active ingredients – as highlighted by LYMA – are Active Stabilised Oxygen (ASO), Wellmune® beta glucans and Orchistem™.

Beta glucans are a goodie in skincare proven to moisturise and repair, with mild protecting antioxidant properties, and they’re shown to reduce wrinkle depth too. Yay!

Orchistem™ is a stem cell extract from the Japanese Calanthe Discolor Orchid. It’s shown to increase the number and movement of fibroblasts in your dermis, and to stimulate activity of those fibroblast cells by increasing their antioxidant defences and boosting collagen and elastin production. All this heals and rejuvenates your skin.

So, these promising actives help to protect, repair, and rehydrate your epidermis and dermis skin layers 👌.

But the star ingredient in both products is Active Stabilised Oxygen (ASO).

LYMA say it’s ‘35% bioavailable’, which means enough of it gets into your skin and to the right places where it does its work. It then replenishes depleted Oxygen levels in aging skin. So, once the laser energises your cell mitochondria, there’s oodles of oxygen on hand during cellular respiration to create ATP. Your fibroblast cells then use this ATP energy to build their very finest collagen and elastin. And it boosts other cellular growth and repair work, just like in young skin.

Sounds good, right?

Hmm. A few problems here.

👉 First, there’s no evidence to show normal aging skin lacks Oxygen. We get plenty Oxygen from the air we breathe. And our blood delivers this Oxygen to our organs, tissues, and cells, along with other much needed nutrients.

👉 Second, even if an Oxygen boost were beneficial, there’s scant evidence that Oxygen applied to the skin, either during an Oxygen facial or in a potion or lotion, has any benefit at all for your skin (even if, as LYMA say, the molecule is in O₄ format).

👉 And lastly, I find the few scientific-sounding facts offered by LYMA about ASO a little bamboozling. There’s not much substance to it. And I can’t find an official INCI ingredient name, listing or data for ASO. So, who knows what it’s made up of? And LYMA don’t share test results of the LYMA laser used with versus without this wonder ingredient. So, it may or may not have the effect as billed.

It may be no better for your skin than your current skincare products.

Before you start

It’s very quick to get started because you don’t need to do a skin sensitivity test, and the instructions in the user guide are very easy to follow.

Skip passed all the sexy imagery and fancy-sounding marketing bumpf at the beginning to the instructional content about charging, how to use it, contraindications, and operational data on the last few pages (page 48 out of 58). It’s a quick and easy read with a web address to view the LYMA laser facial video demo. Check out the Laser FAQs also for further helpful information.

All the information in the user manual is available on the LYMA website.

Contraindications for the LYMA laser are:

DON’T use if:

• You have a medical condition which makes your skin sensitive to light, or if you’re taking any medications which make you sensitive to light.
• Don’t use over the breast area, tumours, over-active thyroid, fungal skin infections, implanted pacemaker, melanoma.
• If pregnant don’t use over the abdominal area

You CAN use the laser alongside RF, microcurrent and micro-needling, and it’s safe to use after sun exposure. You can also use it over fillers or other injectables, and if you’re using topical retinol too.

Next, how to use the LYMA laser…

LYMA laser facial routine

The face/neck routine is very easy. Watch the facial routine demo video before you start so you know what’s coming. You must pause/start it as you move from section to section because it’s not in real time, but it’s easy to remember after a few goes.

The laser isn’t too slippery so it’s safe to do the routine without a mirror. But if you’ll target frown lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, scars or spider veins, a small mirror is helpful to locate them and place the laser accurately.

You can do the routines at any time, and you can do different routines throughout the day to break them into manageable chunks.

For the 15-minute facial routine, divide your face in half and work in strips the width of the treatment head to cover all the areas of your neck and face. Move along and back a strip, repeat this for a total of five times per strip.

1. Start behind your ear and slowly glide down your neck to your collar bone and back up. Do this five times. Then move to the next spot along the top of your neck and repeat five times. Repeat this working along your neck to the centre.

2. When you reach the centre of your neck, cover the same area again but in side swipes, five reps per section. Start with slow back-and-forth glides along the bottom of your neck from the centre to the side. Work up your neck in slow side to side gliding strips.

TIP: Unlike with rival devices, there’s no need to avoid the centre line of your neck.

3. Next, work along your jawbone from your chin to your earlobe and back. Do five reps.

4. Then do a half circle from your centre chin around your mouth to the centre of your upper lip, for five reps.

5. Then, slowly swipe from the centre of your top lip along your cheek to the middle of your ear and back. Do five reps.

6. Slowly swipe from the side of your nose along your cheek bone to the upper ear. Do five reps.

7. Place the laser between your eyes and slowly draw a circle around your eye, go above the brow, under your eye and back. Repeat 5 times.

8. Then, do slow arching swipes along your forehead from your temple to between your eyes and back. Repeat in arching strips, five reps per strip, up your forehead.

9. To finish this side of the face, place the laser at the top middle of the forehead and slowly glide down, adown the bridge to the tip of the nose and back again.

Then repeat on the other side of your face.

TIP: You can also spend a little longer on problem areas such as lip and frown lines, or crow’s feet. Simply hold the laser still against the skin for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

When you’re done, turn off the laser, give the end a wipe and store it safely. Or charge it if it needs more juice ready for your next session.

Hands, scars, pigmentation, spider veins, bruises & other body areas

For other body areas such as hands, décolletage and knees, treat the area in strips for a minimum of 15 minutes. Cover all the skin in adjacent slow-gliding strips and repeat until the time is up.

For bruises, hold the laser on each section for 5 minutes.

👉 TIP: For both face and body areas: If you can fit it in, do two sessions or treat for 30 minutes total. This gives faster results on aging skin that needs extra TLC.

What does it feel like?

First, the cosmeceuticals are pleasant. The Active Mist is refreshing, the Priming Serum has good slip and two pumps goes a long way. Both feel good, but for me they’re nothing extraordinary. My skin feels hydrated and smooth, but no more than with my regular serum.

I like there’s no cord to get in the way and the laser is super simple to use on hands, decolletage and easy-to reach areas of my legs.

I rather enjoy the facial routine. There are no messy gels to apply, and the smooth laser lens slides easily around my facial contours. It’s quick to master the best grips for different facial areas. I also like applying a bit of pressure with the laser wand – more than in the facial demo video – and this makes for a stimulating massage sensation around my face (with added face squishing 🥴).

However, compared to rival handheld devices the laser is heavy and a tad chunky. This makes it a little awkward to reach under your chin and jaw, and tiring if used for more than 15 minutes on your face or decolletage.

To combat this, you can alternate your grips to lessen the strain. I also sit on my bed and support my arm by resting my elbow on my bent knee. This helps take the weight and lessen any strain. You can also move your head/face as well as your hand. However, it’s perfectly comfy for treating hands and legs. That’s because the weight of the device rests down on the treatment area.

The laser routines require very little concentration and it’s easy to remember the facial routine after a few goes. And it doesn’t matter if you lose count on your glides. Just start again from 1. You can’t overdo it.

Treatment schedule, effort & results

Use the LYMA laser daily for at least 3 months.

You need at least 15 minutes for the facial routine, areas of rosacea, spider veins, and for treating other body areas such as hands, decolletage and knees. For scars, pigmentation, and more wrinkled bits, you need 3 minutes per section. And 5 minutes for bruises.

If you have the time, LYMA suggest doubling-up your daily sessions to 30 minutes per area. They say this gives even faster, corrective anti-aging results. You’ll still see results with 15 minutes a day if that’s all you can fit in. But stick with your daily sessions for a few months longer and you’ll likely see further improvement.

It’s a commitment, but easy once embedded in your routine. Plus, it’s good to dedicate a little self-care time each day, I find the facial glides especially centring, soothing and calming.

TIP: LYMA say treating longer than one hour’s daily use per treatment area won’t give you any additional skin benefits.

I have multiple areas I fancy treating, but it’s too time consuming to treat them all in one day. So, I’ll start with the most important. That’s the annoying thread vein on my right cheek and my crinkled old-lady hands! I allow one hour for these combined sessions, which is manageable most days.

So, it could be rather time consuming for you depending which areas you’ll treat. But I love that it takes very little concentration. You can watch TV or listen to music or a podcast at the same time. I even read my Kindle whilst treating my thread vein and hands. So, it’s easier than other rival devices to combine into downtime activities.

LYMA suggest you can use the laser any time during the day, for example at your desk, at the kitchen table or watching TV. This makes it easier to fit in several treatment areas. And because it’s portable and you don’t need any conductivity gels, it’s certainly straightforward and no-faff. However, this doesn’t work for me. That’s because I only remember to use it whilst in bed watching TV or reading. Plus, I’m scared of dropping and breaking this expensive laser! Therefore, I’m happier with it tucked away in my bedside drawer where it’s safe from knocks and curious hands.

You can keep going with the daily sessions if you want to see further improvement. Or drop down to 2 or 3 per week to maintain your results.

Advertised results

The LYMA laser needs consistent daily use. During a session your skin may flush pinky-red because it increases your blood flow. But there’s no pain, skin irritation, or other side effects.

It typically takes 4+ weeks of use to see changes, with significant improvements in your target area after 3 months of use. So, changes are slow and subtle as each daily session energises your skin cells, in turn strengthening, rebuilding and replenishing your collagen and elastin to heal and rejuvenate your skin.

TIP: 📷 Take before and after photos so you can see your progress! Changes are difficult to spot if you scrutinize your skin every day!

Here’s what to expect for your different targeted treatments:

• See changes in acne and rosacea from 1+ months of daily use, with significant improvement after 3+ months.
• See noticeable fading of scars at around 2 months of daily use, but keep going for significant changes after 3 to 6 months.
• For firmer, brighter healthier skin, with softened wrinkles and more elasticity, most see improvements at 1+ month using the laser 30-minutes daily. Keep going for 3+ months for your best rejuvenating results.

N.B., how long it takes to see your desired results depends on your skin condition and age. So, you may need a little longer to see your very best results. Be prepared to keep going with the double daily sessions for up to around 6 months of use.

Negatives

There are a few negatives to consider with the LYMA laser kit.

First up, as mentioned earlier, the start-up stage demands time and daily commitment. 15 to 30 minutes for the facial routine is ok, but you’ll need even more time if you’ll treat multiple body areas. So, total it all up and commit to a manageable amount so you can stick at it. It’s more manageable during maintenance with 15-minutes per area a few times per week.

TIP: If you have several areas to treat, focus on the most important areas until you can start mainatenance sessions. Then, move onto a new area and repeat.

Second, again covered earlier, the wand shape is a tad chunky and sometimes awkward around your face because it doesn’t have an angled treatment head. It’s also rather heavy because of the rechargeable battery inside. So, in all it’s a little less comfy and ergonomic than other handheld devices. Particularly if treating your face for longer than 15 minutes. However, it takes just a few sessions to find your best technique and grips, and it’s easy and very pleasant once you know how.

Next, whilst it’s easy to reach most areas on the front of your body, it’s not so for the back. Therefore, you may need a helpful assistant for hard-to-reach areas such as cellulite on the backs of legs or acne on your back.

And, as discussed earlier, the LYMA Active Mist and Priming Serum are nice enough but very expensive. You get a month supply in the kit. If you like them as a replacement to your regular skincare and you can afford it, you can subscribe!

But if you like your current skincare or can’t afford the monthly cost, don’t sweat it. The rather special sounding ingredients are not powerful drugs to transform your skin. It won’t suffocate from lack of O₂, and you’ll get equally ‘optimised’ results from the laser without them. 

WOWSER 🤑

And finally, the LYMA laser is very expensive indeed, at £1,999 😵. And there’s no money back guarantee either. Boo.

Now LYMA can justify this price because it’s the only at-home rejuvenation cold laser you can buy. And this at-home tech is expensive to develop and build. It certainly feels a top-quality bit of kit. Also, the unique laser action and protocol mean it’s an impressive multi-tasker which fixes more than just wrinkles. It treats an array of concerns other individual devices can’t, including acne, scars, cellulite and spider veins 🥳.

But the real justification for this hefty price tag must be in the results.

The laser is approximately 7x more expensive than the CurrentBody Skin LED masks.  I loved my healthy and bright skin results from those. But, because LYMA take extra care to explain how cold laser tech is different and superior to these, well I hope to see some rather splendiferous results when l finish my trial.

Watch this space.

Should I buy the LYMA laser?

This is a top-notch, powerful device promising super results, significantly better than rival LED masks and handheld devices. I love that it can treat signs of aging, acne, cellulite, scars and especially my spider veins. I’ve not found a device to fix these until now.

Although you can use it almost anywhere on your body, each 15-to-30-minute session is best suited to smaller targeted areas such as face, chest, hands, knees, scars etc. You can treat multiple areas, but ensure you have plenty spare time to commit to the daily start-up schedule.

Here’s a quick summary of how I score the LYMA laser, and the pros and cons:

LYMA laser starter kit deals