What is LED light therapy?
Rejuvenate your skin and make yourself look beautiful using an innovative new technology. LED light therapy is a painless, non-invasive skin treatment procedure that successfully prevents and treats acne, wrinkles and lines, scarring, redness, inflammation, and other skin irregularities – soothing your skin and leaving it looking tight, firm and radiant as the sky. Many Skin Therapists now offer it as part of their professional facial programs; numerous well-known models have been known to undergo this treatment before taking to the Red Carpet as well – which is as good a recommendation for it as any! Read on as we explore all the ins and outs of this remarkable, new skin treatment option.
What is LED light therapy?
Not to be confused with laser therapy, LED light therapy makes use of LED – or light emitting diode – lighting technology to promote the production of collagen, and speed up the process of skin cell restoration. A semiconductor material has an electric current passed through it, and in the process emits therapeutic frequencies of light. Originally used to expedite the healing of wounds and scars resulting from surgery – in the course of these uses, it was found that LED light therapy also had anti-aging properties and could promote healthier, more youthful looking skin.
How does it work? Well, the specific type of light energy emitted by the LED devices, stimulates the cells in your skin to produce collagen – one of the main constituents of skin tissue, and whose presence makes your skin appear fuller and tighter – as well as elastin – which, as the name implies, gives your skin its elasticity. The greater the content of collagen in your skin, the ‘fuller’ it will be, reducing the size of your pores, forcing out any lines, folds, and wrinkles it exhibits and overall making your skin appear more youthful. The greater the amount of elastin, the tighter and more elastic the skin.
The reason why your skin becomes lined and saggy as you age is that the body becomes less proficient in producing these vital building blocks – LED light therapy is like giving your body’s cells a boost in energy that enables them to generate collagen and elastin as if you were 20 years old again.
What exactly does this LED light therapy involve for the person undergoing it? It’s actually a very simple and pain-free process. You will be asked to lie down and relax in a treatment area where you are surrounded by LED light panels. Protective glasses will be placed over your eyes, and the lights will be turned on and set to work doing their restorative work.
LEDs are now found in many lighting applications, domestic and commercial alike; this is just another of the unique and innovative uses to which this form of lighting technology is being put.
Who should consider LED light therapy?
LED light therapy is the perfect treatment for those of you who suffer from regular breakouts of acne, or who have experienced redness and scarring in the wake of inflammation resulting from illness. More generally, if you have started to notice more fine wrinkles and lines on your facial features, irregularities in skin tone, and an overall reduction in the smoothness and elasticity of your skin, the LED light therapy is suitable for you. LED light therapy can be used with good effect on persons of any age, and all skin colors, types, and conditions. There are no contra-indications of any sort, and the light is not harmful to the eyes either.
Results of LED light therapy
LED light therapy will stimulate the generation of more elastin and collagen, both of which will leave your facial features looking firmer, tighter, and with fewer lines, blemishes or irregularities. Any breakouts of acne, scarring and swelling will be healed almost entirely. In the end, your skin will look younger, brighter and more radiant.
Generally speaking, you should undergo two or three LED light therapy sessions a week for a period of between four and six weeks – though, for best results, you should try and develop an individual treatment plan in collaboration with the therapist managing your therapy.
Each session only takes around half an hour; the effects of LED light therapy will also be immediate and can be expected to endure a very long time. No pain will be suffered either during or after the process; while you are undergoing the treatment, your skin will get very slightly warm, as if you had been sitting out in the sun – you may even fall asleep.
Bear in mind though, that as with any form of skin treatment, LED light therapy cannot hold back the forward march of father time forever, all it can do is delay the skin aging process as much as possible. You can do this by booking extra maintenance sessions once your initial treatment plan has run its course.
Things to consider pre-treatment
First off, you will have to find a reputable Skin Therapist within your area who offers this radical new form of treatment. Make inquiries and book a consultation to determine your options, and whether and what sort of LED light therapy is suitable for you, given your skin type and the conditions (eg acne) you are suffering from. In collaboration with your therapist, you will develop an individual treatment plan. Costs will naturally vary from therapist to therapist – and depending on whether you choose LED light therapy as a stand-alone treatment or part of an overall facial program – so don’t be afraid to shop around.
Once you have decided upon a provider of LED light therapy and worked out a treatment plan, including the costs of therapy, it is time to get ready for your first session. Prepare your skin in advance by using professional skin-care treatments and products like moisturizers, facial exfoliates, face masks and serums, etc. This will enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Also, avoid any exposure to sun both before and immediately after your treatment.
Note that you can come into LED light therapy sessions wearing makeup, or you can go without.
Things to consider post-treatment
Your therapist will advise you exactly what you should do between sessions and after your course of treatment, but again – for best results, keep your skin in good condition by using products that keep it properly hydrated, and removing dead skin matter using an exfoliate. Avoid too much sun exposure, and try also to keep yourself from touching your skin in the aftermath of your treatment.
