What is LED Light Therapy
Light emitting diode (LED) light therapy has, in a short space of time, grown in popularity both in the offices of aestheticians and at homes. LED light therapy makes use of a variety of LED wavelengths, this type of therapy model has been known to help with the following issues: it treats acne, it reduces inflammation, it is responsible for promoting anti-aging effects as well. You could potentially be the perfect person for whom light therapy would be applicable if you happen to be experiencing these skin conditions and over the counter skin care products have not been able to help much. This type of therapy, the LED light therapy, is suitable for all types of skin and it is important to note that it does not cause any burning.
There are however some drawbacks to this type of therapy model. Here are just a few of them:
- It can be expensive
- The results are not 100% guaranteed
- Not suitable if the patient is already under certain medication or if they have an active skin disorder
It would be very wise if you asked your dermatologist if light therapy is right for you and your skincare concerns.
Cost
Know that insurance does not generally cover the cost of a light therapy session. This is why you need to ask about the total costs up front so that you can make a responsible fiscal decision.
According to a lot of self-reported costs on some websites, the cost of one session of light therapy can range from anywhere between $25 to $85. It also depends on the location of the country that you are in and also whether you are combining light therapy with another form of treatment.
Know that many professional aestheticians recommend at least 10 sessions, so it would be prudent to factor that total cost into your budget before you make a decision on choosing a particular practitioner.
Also, light therapy can be done at home. The devices for doing light therapy at home cost anywhere from between $25 to $250 or more. This could very well be the cheaper alternative as you get to keep the device after use and you can potentially use it further down the line at another time for future treatments but just know that the results are not as dramatic as it would be with a professional aesthetician.
In both cases, this type of LED light therapy is completely non-invasive and you also have the benefit of not having to lose any money because of taking time off work. You can also shop for LED light therapy tools online as well.
How it Works
This type of LED light therapy is a known and well established therapy model for many skin issues, in fact it has an established history of dealing with these issues. It was originally brought into use by the U.S Navy SEALs in the 1990s where the purpose was to help heal wounds quickly and also to help in the process of regenerating damaged tissues of the muscles.
That was a long time ago, and the treatment method has been in research since then for a number of different conditions and situations in aesthetics. The main thing that this type of therapy is known for is increasing collagen and tissues. All of these things have the very real potential to help smooth out your skin and it can also lessen the appearance of damage from:
- Age Spots
- Acnes
- Wrinkles
It should also be mentioned that there are different frequencies, or wavelengths, that is used with this type of LED light treatment. There are red and blue light frequencies and it is also vital to note that they do not have any UV rays in them and are of such kind that they are very readily absorbed by the skin.
Red Light Therapy
This type of light therapy is used in the treatment of the epidermis, which happens to be the outer layer of the skin. When the light is exposed to skin, the epidermis is responsible for absorbing the light which then in turn stimulates the production of collagen proteins.
In theory, at least, when there is more collagen, it means that the skin of the patient will look noticeably smoother and fuller as well. This has the very real potential to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Red LED light therapy also is thought of as being able to reduce inflammation while also improving circulation. This has the potential to give the patient’s skin a much healthier glow.
Blue Light Therapy
This type of light therapy, on the other hand, the blue LED light therapy, targets the oil glands which are also known by the name of sebaceous glands. These glands are located beneath the follicles of the hair.
These glands do a very particular job and that is that they are responsible for lubricating the skin and also the hair so that it does not dry out. The thing to note is that these glands can very easily become overactive and this can lead to oily skin and can cause acne.
The thing about blue led light therapy is that this type of light can target those oil glands and make them much less active. This has the potential to significantly reduce the appearance of acne. This type of light also has the potential to kill bacteria that cause acne beneath the skin, this can help treat acne pimples that are much severe in nature and it also includes cysts and nodules.
Overall, light therapy has a number of benefits. Both kinds of light therapy do. In general, it is non-invasive but it is also somewhat expensive. There are almost no negative side effects of this type of therapy as well.
