Serums, Sunscreen and Red Light Therapy: What Goes Before and After Celluma?

For Celluma, start treatment with clean, bare, dry skin and apply suitable skincare afterwards. This follows the manufacturer’s preparation guidance and keeps the routine straightforward. You do not need to calculate how much a serum blocks light or rush to apply products within a special post-session absorption window.

The simplest order: cleanse, treat, then skincare

Remove makeup, sunscreen and skincare from the treatment area, pat dry and position the device as directed. After the programme, return to the products that suit your skin. This sequence is set out in Celluma’s official treatment guidance.

This preparation advice belongs to the Celluma routine. Products differ in how they interact with light, and some other systems have their own product instructions. For Celluma, clean, bare, dry skin gives you a simple, consistent starting point.

How to cleanse without making skin sore

Use a gentle cleanser that removes what is on your skin. If you wear resistant sunscreen or makeup, a first removal step followed by a cleanser can be helpful. If a single wash leaves your skin clean and comfortable, a mandatory double cleanse adds no useful certainty.

Avoid aggressive rubbing, scrubbing or repeated washing immediately before treatment. You do not need to remove every trace of normal skin oil throughout the day. Choose a practical point in your routine when you can cleanse and proceed with the session.

What about hyaluronic acid, oils and sunscreen?

Apply hyaluronic acid, moisturiser and facial oils after your Celluma session, following their own directions. Do not make an exception simply because a product looks transparent or feels lightweight. “Bare skin” is an easier and more reliable instruction than a list of guesses about optical properties.

Sunscreen should also be removed before the session and reapplied when needed afterwards. SPF is a measure of UV protection; it does not tell you a product’s transmission at every red or near-infrared wavelength. Different sunscreen formulations transmit light differently, so SPF alone cannot tell you how much they would change an LED exposure.

Where retinoids and acne medicines fit

Keep prescribed treatments on the schedule agreed with your clinician. If a medicine carries a light-sensitivity warning, ask your clinician or pharmacist whether it affects your planned LED treatment.

Retinoids can be useful for acne or fine lines, but they may irritate some skin. The AAD’s retinoid guide explains how choice and tolerance matter. Use Celluma on bare skin and ask about timing if your prescription, sensitivity or other treatment makes the plan unclear. There is no universal rule requiring exactly 30 minutes between a retinoid and LED.

After treatment: comfortable skin, without a product race

Apply a suitable moisturiser and any established products in the normal order for your routine. There is no need to use a different active every session. Introducing several new ingredients at once makes it harder to know what helped or caused irritation.

A special 20–60-minute window for dramatically deeper serum absorption has not been established. Apply skincare afterwards to keep the treatment surface clear and make your routine easy to follow.

For a morning session, finish with the sun protection appropriate to your day. For an evening session, use the routine your skin already tolerates. See our Wrinkles routine or Acne routine for a goal-specific guide. The Celluma team can help you understand your model’s preparation instructions. If you are choosing a device, explore the Celluma range by treatment goal.