On the face of it, ‘wellness tech’ company Lyma sounds like the kind of brand sharply angled towards those with a predisposition for cult membership. It’s wildly expensive, shrouded in mystique, and trades in big, transcendent promises (tagline: 'The power to change your life starts now').
If the name sounds familiar, it’s likely because you’ve heard the buzz about the brand’s signature supplement: literally named The Supplement, these golden-hued capsules arrive in their own hammered-copped casket, and promise to transform every aspect of your physical and mental wellbeing. The claims here are admittedly hefty, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find the brand is as far as possible from whatever that old schoolmate of yours keeps trying to flog on Facebook: here, there is serious, specialised science underpinning every ingredient, and the results – both scientific and anecdotal – are glowing.
Right now, it’s the brand’s other innovation that’s sparking conversations amongst the most skincare-obsessed circles. The Lyma Laser is the world’s first and only laser device designed for home use: the only way you can perform a laser-based facial outside of a clinic setting. Celebrity facialists rave about it. The A-list post shiny, non-sponsored selfies spotlit by the laser's beam of red light. Time Magazine crowned it one of the best inventions of 2023.
But what exactly is a laser treatment, and what can it do for the skin? The Lyma Laser works by using cold, near-infrared, low-level laser technology to penetrate to the deepest layers of the skin, prompting the cells' repair response. As co-founder Lucy Goff explains, “this, in layman’s terms, means it can completely remodel and rebuild the skin without causing any damage to a single cell in the process.”
So, while many in-clinic laser protocols involve sharp heat and intensive recovery processes, the Lyma works differently, and without downtime.
“Traditional laser devices work through the stress/damage response, inflicting injury to the skin in order to stimulate collagen,” explains Goff. “The Lyma Laser’s near-infrared laser beam is a coherent light but is dispersed so many times (25,000 times to be exact), all heat is removed making it completely cold. We’re not relying on the laser’s heat to damage skin, but on the near-infrared cold technology to regenerate and renew.” This makes the Laser ideal for the risk-averse, and also for those with melanin-rich skin, (for whom other laser treatments would not be suitable)
The first thing you’ll notice is that, unlike most other facial devices on the market, the Lyma Laser really stands up to its premium positioning. The packaging is substantial and considered, the charging cable slicker than anything Apple could offer, and the laser itself weighty but streamlined.
After a few weeks of loyal use (this is not one for the commitment-phobic: sessions last 15 minutes, and must be performed consistently each day in order to reap the rewards) a host of aesthetic benefits can be expected. By switching aged cells back into regeneration mode, the Laser (which is 100 times more powerful than those Lecter-style LED masks you’ve seen everywhere) has been proven to tackle skin elasticity, loss of collagen, uneven skin tone and, yes, those forehead wrinkles you keep prodding at in the bathroom mirror. Perhaps most impressive is its ability to refine skin texture, including decades-old pitted acne scars, which no topical treatment will touch (no matter what the bottle promises).
Of course, there’s a multitude of scientific skin-tech tools on the market today, and Lyma isn’t the only one hitting the four-figures mark. But where many devices fall at the first hurdle when it comes to actually delivering results (no, you can’t drink enough hydrolyzed collagen to reverse the hands of time, no matter what anyone says) Lyma actually surpasses expectations. In short, this wildly priced, seriously culty product works.
In a world where you can buy a device to brighten, tighten and mildly electrocute every inch of your face in search of aesthetic elevation, this may well be the only one really worth investing in.
