Does LED treatment contain UV light?

“TL;DR: With red or infrared light LED therapy you have nothing to worry about regarding UV exposure.

With blue light therapy, however, you must choose the equipment careful to make sure it stays blue and does not veer to UV territory.”

Red, infrared and blue LED light therapy and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure

• Red and infrared light falls at the opposite side of the spectrum in relation to UV light

• Blue light is very close to the UV light range, so choose your LED device extremely carefully

• Green, turquoise, yellow, orange and violet LED light and UV radiation

• Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

• The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Red and infrared light falls at the opposite side of the spectrum in relation to UV light

Most LED treatments are in the red (~620-750nm) and near infrared (~750-1400nm) wavelengths, i.e. the exact opposite side of the spectrum from UV wavelengths (for example UVA is at ~315-400nm and UVB is even lower at ~280-315nm).

So there is not a danger of your LED treatment giving off UV radiation.

Red and near infrared light are widely researched for their anti-ageing, healing, anti-inflammatory and overall anti-ageing benefits.

Blue light is very close to the UV light range, so choose your LED device extremely carefully

However, blue light LED treatment (used mainly for acne and psoriasis) is at about 415nm, i.e. very close to the ultraviolet spectrum. If your LED device is made by a reputable manufacturer with tight wavelength accuracy, then using a 415nm blue LED device also would not emit any UV light.

However, cheaper LED devices can drift wildly off the stated wavelength and can easily reach below the 400nm and into the UV spectrum, which is unsafe.

At our clinic we use a device that is ±2nm within the stated 415nm wavelength and thereby always keeping treatment securely within the blue spectrum and never within the UV light range.

Green, turquoise, yellow, orange and violet LED light and UV radiation

Yellow, green, orange and turquoise wavelengths are also quite far from the UV wavelength range and should not be a problem in that respect.

The only problem with these wavelengths is that they don’t work. There is only a handful of research papers for yellow, orange and green light therapy, as opposed to literally tens of thousands of papers published for red and infrared light therapy. Turquoise is a gimmick with no published research for it at the time of writing this article.

Furthermore, all these wavelengths do not penetrate nearly enough as red and especially infrared light does. And on the other hand, they do not have the anti-acne and anti-psoriasis potential of blue light.

In regard to violet light, it falls somewhere between blue and UV (380-450nm) and I would NEVER use that wavelength on my skin. All violet LED light devices sold to consumers are low-end, which means that their light output could contain a large amount of UV light, which is unsafe. Leave the UV light for doctors to use responsibly on specific applications with proper equipment.

Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 240mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.

On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening?

Attend a half-day, 1-day or 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.

Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.

Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)