There is a place on Earth where colors disappear one after another. It doesn’t happen at dusk or when we close our eyes, but under water. You just have to dive in to see that red is one of the first to disappear. As we descend, other colors suffer a similar fate, while blue manages to advance much further. The ocean works as a gigantic light filter: absorbs and disperses different wavelengths unevenly and transforms the landscape as depth increases.
Our skin does something similar, although for different reasons. When light hits it, some of it is reflected, some is scattered, and some is absorbed by the molecules and structures of the tissue. Light does not pass through the skin as if it were transparent glass: its intensity decreases progressively and this path depends, among other factors, on its wavelength. What our eyes interpret as different colors are different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. And that difference is not just visual. Photons of different wavelengths interact differently with matter.
On the skin, melanin and hemoglobin are some of the main responsible for light absorptionwhile structures such as collagen and other tissue components contribute to dispersing it. Generally speaking, short wavelengths spread out more and red and near-infrared wavelengths can reach greater depths.
But it is worth making a clarification here: light does not stop suddenly at a certain depth. Its intensity decreases progressively and the effective depth depends on the wavelength, skin type, body area and the model used to calculate it. It is precisely in that physical property where it finds its foundation. Dreame Chronaa phototherapy mask that uses five wavelengths: 465 nanometer blue, 530 nm green, 590 nm yellow, 630 nm red, and 850 nm near infrared.
A review published in Biomedical Optics points out that most studies agree that red light penetrates more than blue and near infrared can reach greater depths. The difference is important because it avoids turning the skin into a kind of graduated ruler of colors. There is no universal depth for each color. What exists is a complex interaction between light and tissue.
And that’s where Chrona comes in. Its Rejuvenation mode combines 630 nm red light with 850 nm near infrared light. Dreame poses this combination to act on deeper layers and promote processes related to collagen and elastin. Both regions of the spectrum are also among those studied in photobiomodulation, a discipline that investigates how certain doses of light can produce biological responses in tissues.
Blue tells a different story. Chrona uses 465 nm in its Calm mode, intended by Dreame for skin with imperfections. Blue light has been especially studied in relation to acne because certain molecules produced by Cutibacterium acnes They can act as photosensitizers. Between the two extremes are green at 530 nm and yellow at 590 nm. Dreame uses them in its Balance and Luminosity modes, aimed by the company at sensitive skin, redness and pigmentation alterations.
Here it is especially important to separate physics from advertising. We know that different wavelengths interact differently with the skin. But that It does not automatically mean that each color produces a specific clinical effect in all people. The available evidence varies by application and depends, among other factors, on dose and irradiance. The fundamental idea of phototherapy, therefore, is not simply to put a color on the skin. It consists of choosing a wavelength and administering a certain amount of energy to cause an interaction with the tissue.
Chrona, made of liquid silicone, incorporates 70 LED beads with Quad-Chip technology, equivalent, according to Dreame, to 280 LED chipsand offers an irradiation density of between 35 and 45 mW/cm². The LEDs are spaced about a centimeter from the face using a three-dimensional structure the company calls a 3D light chamber, designed to distribute lighting evenly.
Each session lasts 10 minutes and the device, weighing about 338 grams, works wirelessly (a good choice that avoids being “anchored” to a site) using a controller with 2,000 mAh battery (there are two batteries included, each lasting 60 minutes). The mask is made of soft liquid silicone and weighs 338 grams, while the independent controller weighs 72 grams.
The science behind this mask is a bit reminiscent of a dialogue from Jurassic Park: God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man, man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs. Only in this case it would be God creates the rainbow, the human being discovers the rainbow, creates it and, finally, tries to use it to interact with his body.
Thus, when Chrona illuminates the face with red, yellow, green, blue or infrared, it is not simply changing color. It is changing the properties of the light that hits the tissue and, with them, the way in which that light can be absorbed and dispersed. A way to understand that the rainbow, in other words, also has depth. Of course, although this device is designed and science confirms certain beneficial effects of some wavelengths on the skin, not all skin is the same and if you have any questions, it is advisable to go to an expert.