What are we LED to believe about Light Therapy?
In the last few years dermatologists and aestheticians across the globe have been using LED light therapy as a part of their advanced skincare treatments. At Carbon Blush, it is a popular addition to facials, skin peels and clinical treatments, but what’s all the fuss about?
LED stands for light emitting diode and was originally used as a treatment by NASA for plant growth experiments on shuttle missions, where they later found that it had wound healing capabilities for the skin. In this way, many physiotherapists and doctors used this treatment to boost lymphatic drainage and blood flow to facilitate a faster healing process on targeted areas of the body. Scientists found that as well as the wound healing properties, LED lights had a multitude of benefits to the skin.
Having been around for about 40 years now, there is mounting evidence for its benefits. Unlike other types of light therapy, LEDs do not contain ultraviolet rays. In this way, they’re safe for regular use, as the LEDs don’t cause burns compared to other anti-aging treatments such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and laser therapy. It is typically safe for all skin colours and types, making it a great addition to the end of any treatment.
Before use the skin is cleansed and primed. Using serums like our Mystic Rose Facial Oil or other antioxidant, Vitamin C based products, alongside LED Light Therapy helps products to penetrate the skin more deeply into the dermis and epidermis. In contrast to this, any products on the skin containing SPF will limit the penetration of the LED lights. Equally, overuse of LED Light Therapy may increase photosensitivity.
There are many different coloured LED lights with different wavelengths. Here we will focus on the three that we feel are the most beneficial:
Blue LED Light
- May help kill precancerous cells
- Improves the appearances of acne, especially cystic acne by reducing over production of sebum and reducing acne breakouts
- Reduces inflammation
- Targets deep sebaceous glands beneath the hair follicles where oil is produced, which may be overactive leading to oily skin and acne
Red LED Light
- Red light provides the deepest penetration
- Promotes healing of the skin
- Collagen and elastin boosting properties by sending energy into the dermis where these are produced
- Used for anti-ageing and skin firming purposes
- Targets and promotes plumping of resting wrinkle lines
Green LED Light
- Reduces appearance of pigmentation
- Dark skin spots become less prominent
- Has a sterilising function that increases cell growth for wound repair
- May have a reducing effect on spider veins and rosacea
At Carbon Blush we typically recommend using a combination of blue and red light regularly alongside facials and skin peels to promote skin regeneration. It is a non-invasive procedure with absolutely no recovery time and an easy addition to any treatment! This treatment used to be exclusive to the top clinics in the likes of LA and Harley Street London but now it is much more readily available. LED Light Therapy is also now used on many more body parts than simply the face and we recommend it for parts of the body with scarring or damage (e.g. post-natal scarring and wounds)
It is easy to be lured into the purchase of high street LED masks but we advise that you double check with your therapist before purchasing as many contain few LED lights or do not provide significant enough penetration in order to have any effect on your skin.