Written by: Lauren NugentThere are many treatments that have been proven to be effective for anti-aging, but one of my favorite treatments is LED light therapy. I incorporate this into my daily skincare regimen and absolutely feel that it has made a difference. You may be wondering how light can possibly be an effective skincare treatment- as a natural skeptic myself, I wondered the same thing, but the science behind it is very real.
So, how does it work? Well, LEDs are light-emitting diodes. In LED skin therapy, these diodes are emitted at different wavelengths, depending on your skin concerns/needs. The two wavelengths most used are red light and blue light. As you may know, your skin is made up of layers. Red light penetrates the outermost layer- the epidermis- and the two layers beneath that- the dermis and the subcutaneous layer, sometimes called the hypodermis. It is mainly used to reduce inflammation and redness, but has also been proven to help with uneven texture, scarring, signs of UV sun damage, accelerating wound healing, and collagen production stimulation (among other things).
Then we have blue light therapy, which is excellent for treating acne. Most acne (hormonal acne excluded) is caused by a bacteria called Cutibacterium acnes. Blue light has been proven to kill bacteria, so what blue light therapy does is exactly that- it kills the acne-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin and in the epidermis, reaching ever-so-slightly into the dermis. Most light therapy treatments give you the option of using both the red and blue light, combining their benefits. This is what I’ve been doing to help combat our world’s latest skincare problem- “maskne.” Combined the red light works to reduce the inflammation of acne, while the blue light both treats the acne that is present and works to prevent more from forming.
At L Aesthetics and Longevity, we offer light therapy in our Hydrafacial treatment. This facial is an hydra-dermabrasion facial that cleanses, extracts, and hydrates; so this treatment is extremely beneficial to the skin by itself, but even more so combined with light therapy! If you would like to receive the benefits of LED therapy more often than your monthly facial, there are also many home devices that you can purchase to receive the benefits from the comfort of your couch, or even your bed! We also sell several products that, when combined with LED therapy, work double-time to address skincare concerns such as redness (our Even Tone Correcting Serum is AMAZING for this) and fine lines/wrinkles such as our TNS Advanced+ Serum and AlphaRet.