Customer Reviews

ANSR Beam and Charger, .5-Ounce Box

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Update:
After using this for several weeks I wanted to give the whole breakdown on the process. The first week I noticed blemishes on the skin surface were small, or went away as well as tiny bumps under the surface of the skin. Towards the second week, things were brought to the surface so while I saw more breakouts surface and began to wonder if this was supposed to be happening, they were kept small with using the Answr and could be covered by good foundation. By the end of that week I noticed my pores were smaller because they were obviously totally cleared of excess oils or bacteria. By the third week for the first time ever I was able to stop using foundation entirely with crystal smooth skin, small pores, a flawless complexion. That said, the instructions say it could be 4 weeks. I did notice that when I used the red light as well more, that I did indeed have cellular regeneration meaning that my skin began creating a fresh later and the top layer sloughed off. Like a dermabrasion. This also helps minimize fine lines. I took the time the first three weeks to use as directed...twice a day. It was time consuming but this amount of treatment was temporary. I didn't always use the red light for the full amount of time but I always used the blue light (for bacteria removal). Now I simply spot treat as needed taking far less time and then do my full face maybe just once or twice a week.

IT IS A MIRACLE WORKER!! I was using prescription Retin-A prior with little result. This is the ONLY thing that worked and quite frankly blew my mind...I've never had flawless perfect glowing skin before and at may age it's a bizarre thing to start now!

Now back to the original review: First, as someone who once worked in cosmetic sales (selling the ingredients to the cosmetic scientists at the large cosmetic companies) I learned a lot. People who say they've tried every acne product on the market really only tried 2 if they are over the counter. There are only 2. If you turn the box over on any product you will always see "Active Ingredient: 10% Benzoyl Peroxide" or "Active Ingredient: 2% Salicylic Acid" By law, thats the top amount you can put in them and those are the two acne treatments. Some of the most expensive and most highly advertised products actually contain LESS...like Proactive. They apparently spent the money on ads and had a LOWER percent of the active ingredient. While there may be some all natural over the counter items that vary, basically your entire aisle of acne treatments is made up of only 2 products....and lots of marketing dollars to make you think they are different.

For recent hormonal breakouts, neither of these worked for me. Tanning did and I don't want to tan. Then I began reading about the blue light therapy and wondered if this is why tanning worked because even if I just did it for a few minutes without drying my skin out, it worked. But it ages you horribly and I certainly don't need that and it's expensive long term in lots of ways including the time to tan, the monthly fee, driving there, potential skin cancer risks, and probably needing botox later because of it!. Dermatologists are now using 15 minutes of solid blue light therapy applied over a solid area It seems crazy, but this goes down deep into the skin to kill bacteria and also remove excess oil in the glands which is why this works differently than other acne products like those that put heat on a pimple. Those are all topical, while this kills pimples you can't even see yet by killing the bacteria and clogged pours below the skin surface.

In testing, the blue and red light combo worked better than simply blue light therapy. So even if you don't feel like you need the red light for cell turnover, remember those test results for acne.

Why do you need cell turnover? That is actually what keeps us young. The reason we age is that as we get older our body stops the cell turnover process that it had in our youth, always removing the top layer of skin and generating new layers. Cell turnover is what retin-a and dermaplaning does...manually turning over your dead skin and generating new. This may seem like it's drying out your skin, when it's actually getting rid of old skin on the surface via cell turnover. (not like Retin-a which actually causes peeling) My skin actually didn't look dry at all.

Okay so the directions...I couldn't figure out how this thing worked by reading reviews here, on the Costco site (it's cheaper on Amazon than at Costco incidentally), on the beauty sites etc prior to buying (I research loads before I buy any product over $100 which is why I learned about blue and red therapy when I was considering just buying the blue light.)

(Also, I liked that most of the reviews on Amazon had the verified purchase stamp at the top of the review...I knew they'd bought the product rather than it being given to them to review, or having a connection to the company. I know even if you don't have the stamp you could have just bought it elsewhere but this is something new and I wanted to see what people who bought it on Amazon found just to be sure and it showed great results. This is a weird product so I wanted to know real everyday person results. But people talked about how they used it differently so I read the book that came with it.)

There is a small booklet that came with it that doesn't give you much info. Trash it. Read the more detailed one. Only then do you get the full scoop. So here is what you do, according to the booklet in my hand:

Wash and dry your face prior. Use it on a clean face.
Choose a 4x4 area of your face and begin moving the blue light back and forth slowly over it. It will then pulse and turn to a red light. Continue moving it on the same area to complete the process on this section. Push the button again and move on to the next 4x4 area. You do NOT go over your whole face the first 5 min of blue light. You are to concentrate on back and forth over small areas. For me I often did a bit more than 4x4. I did my chin area first, my right cheek, left cheek, then my forehead. So I divided it into 4 areas except for the 2nd week when more breakouts surfaced that were formerly hidden below the surface at which time I broke it up into 6 areas. THIS WORKED!!

You do not hold this above your skin, you touch your skin with the element as though you are shaving back and forth.

Although it says it can take several weeks to clear out all acne at the first use, I woke up the next morning with totally different skin after ONE use. I had just started breakouts in a few areas and, whereas they typically get worse the next day, these all had come to the surface or had gone away completely. By the end of the FIRST week I had totally clear skin which I typically don't have because I also workout heavily and the sweat winds up clogging my pores fairly often as well.

This was a miracle worker for me!

One tube of retin-A costs more than this for me and that takes about a month to complete cell turnover and it just never cleared things up for me. I actually felt a funny faint tingling under my skin after the first use of this...it felt like I had just tanned my face which is, I'm sure, just the bacteria dying and the cell regeneration perhaps as well.

I use it in the evening while I watch TV and in the morning while I drink my coffee. Nothing else works for me, truly, so I'd rather wake up 15 min earlier or drink my coffee more slowly then to go without doing this. There is always a cost to beauty and this is actually the cheapest dermatology appointment and treatment I've ever found...it does take time though.

You could use it without the red light and just do the blue light, as that has been shown to cure about 80% of acne but everything I read said the blue/red combo works better in studies. If I am rushed I do the blue then just a little red but not all of it.

Negatives: I didn't read this in the instructions but some reading I did on the results of blue light therapy said you should wear tanning goggles when using it because blue light is not good for the retinas and this will prevent any issues. I close my eyes whenever I use it around the eye area (otherwise it's on your skin and you see no light, unlike most blue light therapy) but I am going to buy some tanning goggles as I genetically may have retina issues and I already have had corneal issues due to bad lasik. So it doesn't hurt to be safe. I expect because this is not held away from the face, it doesn't have this warning but people might use it around the eye area so for that it almost seems like it should come with the tanning goggles just to be safe. Also I think the small instruction booklet should be more clear on how to use it because just reading the reviews on various sites I could tell some aren't doing it the way it works best so of course there is varied results. And it says nothing about the blue and red light combo working best on acne, just the benefit of the red light for reducing fine lines etc (due to the cell turnover) so I would be willing to bet some concentrating on acne don't realize the benefit of both together for ACNE as well. Better product info to prevent user error would seem beneficial to me.

Conclusion: Clear out the medicine cabinet. This is amazing for me.

2nd update: I have found that combining this with 40% glycolic acid peel sold on Amazon has amazing results. I don't use it as a peel, I just dab it on to empty out all bacteria instantly from any blemish or any part of my skin that has blemishes. It just takes a minute. Then you neutralize the skin per sinstructions with baking soda and water which stops the acid from working. The acid goes DEEP into your pores to empty out any contents instantly and kill all bacteria. you'll see it happen. Then this kills any further bacteria and stops the future blemishes.
With these two tools you should never have anything but perfect skin again.

I've had globular cystic acne since 1975. Tried every prescription and over the counter product, and still was trapped with cysts that had to be injected each month to resolve them...and THIS WORKS!!! I've got a box full of medications I no longer need...just this amazing little light machine.

Don't waste any more time...the ANSR is an incredible product and does exactly what it claims. I have polycystic ovaries which cause horrible hormonal cystic acne on my chin and I also get regular non-cystic acne everywhere else on my face. The ANSR has gotten rid of all of it. I still use prescription topicals, but even with every prescription available, my skin use to be horrible, with multiple cysts that would last for weeks or months, even after being injected. I started to see results within 2 days and after two weeks my skin was 100% clear. I have not had a single cyst for 3 months and only a couple of very minor whiteheads. ANSR is the best thing I have ever tried, and believe me, I have tried everything and have spared no expense in my quest for clear skin. Just use the ANSR as directed both morning and night (My routine is to wash skin, ANSR for 10 minutes - 5 blue and 5 red, moisturize, apply topicals, apply a thin layer of benzoil peroxide on known problem areas) and your skin will be clear!

*One thing to note...please be advised that ANSR claims to warranty their products only if ordered directly from them. I found this out when I contacted their customer service with a question. Luckily mine has not had any issues, but if I would have known about the warranty issue, I would have purchased from ANSR's website rather than from Amazon.

UPDATE 10/2011
My ANSR is still going strong! I use it 2x every day and my skin is still clear! In the last year, I think I have had one cystic type pimple start deep within my chin. I quickly got out the ANSR and zapped it with the blue then applied Clearasil, and the cyst went away without surfacing! I love my ANSR, and if it ever dies, I will be right back on Amazon to purchase another one.
Hope this helps! Happy ANSRing!

My son came home from college with the worst case of acne we had ever seen him with. We insisted that he use this while at home. Within three weeks his faced cleared up dramatically. By the time he left he was almost completely cleared up. The only thing he used for treatment was this beam. He was so impressed he took it back to school and his face has remained clear.

I had suddenly developed rosacea and after trying Metrogel and making a far out appointment to see a dermatologist I read about this device and decided to try it. I had up to this point had to wear makeup to try and conceal the worst of the rosacea. In a matter of just over a week the combination of using this and Eucerin Redness Relief face wash has made the condition clear up - totally. I think I probably had a mild form but it was very noticeable, sore and embarrasing. I would recommend it.

So it now a couple of weeks later and I have used this little machine religiously and the results are terrific. My rosacea has disappeared - pimples arent appearing and its starting to make an impact on lines on my face. I will update this review in a couple of months perhaps.

I've been using this item for almost a month now.
I do have to say that you can see results, although not instant.
You really have to stick to twice a day everyday.
I started seeing results after about 10 days to 2 weeks.
I think it's a great gadget. Definately worth the money since it had a blue and red light.
I say stick to it and it will do it's job.

I am in my early 40s, have very sensitive skin, and have had very stubborn adult acne for well over a decade. I ordered this nifty little gadget after seeing a segment about the effectiveness of blue and red light therapy on the Dr. Oz show. It sounded a bit far fetched and gimmicky to me, but I did some research, saw that there is actual science behind it, and figured I've spent a whole lot more on products like Proactive (that did NOT work for my acne but dried my face out like a raisin), a dermatologist, and various prescription products (which didn't work for me either), and that I could always return the item if it didn't work.

I started noticing small changes (like less redness, slightly smaller nose pores) after about a week. My acne did not disappear overnight, but I have been using this thing for close to two months now, and the only time my skin has been as clear as it is now was when I was on strong make-you-sick-to-your-stomach antibiotics. Some dark spots that were the result of old pimples and which have been there for years are gone, and some little skin-colored bumps that I thought were scars have shrunk and/or disappeared as well. I am impressed. Also, this has not dried out my skin like many of the acne medications I've tried.

My husband thought this little device was ridiculous the first time he saw me use it (I kinda felt that way too), but this evening he made the comment that "that thing actually works."

i use it twice a day for a month now, 5 min blue light and 10 min red light. i put blue light on acne spots for 1 min and it worked just fine. acnes significantly heal faster than before. but i do not see much improvement on the fine lines and wrinkles on my forehead, under eye, and sides of my mouth. so i would recommend to people who wanted to use it for acne treatment as its cheaper than other products.

i also bought DPL, having been using it for only a week. i think it works so much better with visible improvement on the skin tone and fine lines. it s a lot more expensive tho. but it has far more light bulbs. i am looking forward to see more improvement as i use it longer.

I ordered the ANSR after looking at reviews for effectiveness and reliability of the units. This unit had high ratings for both as well as a cost much less than other products out there. I decided to try light therapy after suffering for over a year with hormonal related acne after ceasing to take the birth control pill. I tried Clarasonic with expensive acne cleanser/treatment regimes (my insurance won't cover retin A which has worked for me in the past), essential oils, supplements/herbs, and progesterone creams, all with some improvement, but still no full control over cycle related outbreaks mostly to my neck/chin/lower cheek areas. After just over 2 weeks of using mainly just the blue 5 minute treatment only once a day, I saw great improvements. I am sure if I could use it twice a day as recommended, it would be even better. This is the first thing I have tried in the last year that has shown significant reduction over my monthly cycle, so I am happy and optimistic the results will sustain. I continue to use this in conjunction with my Clarasonic and sulfur based acne spot treatment, skinceuticals LHA regime, and essential oils (tea tree/lavendar/oregano) to keep my acne at bay and to maintain my healthy skin. I am 44 and am told I look 30 and I plan to keep it that way. The price of this product is a fraction of salon/dermatologist treatments and it can be used in your own home. It is definitely worth a try for those of you suffering from any type of acne.

I have had acne for over 20 years, after using many different products with no success. This little device has changed my life. I was using it everyday, when I first got it. Now I am down to 2-3 x week, and I do not have any new cystic pimples. I used to get those big pus filled pimples that were 2-3 pimples combined. I have not had any of those in 6 months, since using the ansr. I love it. I would tell anyone who has acne this item is well worth the price, when you consider how much we spend on the soaps, trips to the dermatologist, you will come out cheaper buying this product.