LED light therapy (phototherapy / photobiomodulation) is used to treat a variety of aesthetic and health concerns, most commonly skin ageing, skin wounds/burning, diabetic wounds, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, acne, seasonal affective disorder, sports injuries and back pain, among others - and to enhance the effectiveness of other treatments, such as radiofrequency or ultrasound. Red and infrared light wavelengths are used for all the above concerns, except from blue wavelength, which is used for acne and psoriasis. LED devices come in the shape of masks, panels and dome/canopy style...
How often should I do LED on my face?
How often you can have LED treatment on your face - or any other body area - depends on the device’s light intensity. The higher the intensity the less often you should have treatment and vice versa. As with everything else in life a little more is good but a lot more is usually bad - and that applies to LED treatment too. LED treatment may be almost side-effect free but…
Why are good LED masks so expensive?
And this is a common question we hear: “Why good LED masks (and professional LED devices) so expensive?” Well the answer is: “they are not”. In the West we are addicted to cheap imported goods and so we believe everything should be dirt cheap. And indeed, many LED masks are dirt cheap but, as many people understand, they are of poor quality, while the higher quality devices are considered “expensive”. A good home-use LED mask (or even professional LED device for use at clinics) must use high quality LED bulbs that provide what it says on the tin: red or infrared light of a specific frequency and specific intensity, constantly throughout the treatment…
Facial redness: what is best, LED phototherapy or laser/IPL?
Superficial facial vascular lesions (facial redness, thread/spider veins) can be an aesthetic problem as well as a symptom of different skin diseases. Risk factors include Fitzpatrick skin types I, II and III, significant sun exposure, rosacea, alcohol consumption and smoking. Facial spider veins and related facial vascular lesions are treated with laser, IPL and LED phototherapy treatments. The first two (laser and IPL) are generally more effective but also can cause side effects, such pain, erythema/redness and less often oedema, blistering, hematoma, crusting, hyperpigmentation, scarring, keloid formation and infection…
Red light therapy vs infrared light therapy: what are the differences?
Red light therapy (wavelengths of 620 to 750 nm) and near infrared light therapy (wavelengths of 800 to 2,500 nm) has become very popular the last few years for both aesthetic (anti-ageing, acne, hyperpigmentation, skin rejuvenation etc) and wellness (pain relief, sports injuries, back pain, seasonal affective disorder, burns, wound healing etc) applications. Many people wonder what is the main difference between red light and near infrared (NIR) light therapy and the answer is quite simple, as we will see below...
Can I have infrared / red light therapy treatment with makeup on?
Red and infrared light therapy (phototherapy) is very popular as an anti-ageing facial treatment, as it is generally very safe and instantly effective. The general rule is that makeup must be removed before phototherapy treatment. This is because makeup quite often contains ingredients which aim to reflect light back from the face, in order to create an effect of “radiance” and light on the skin. However, if they have a treatment during lunchtime, many women find it a hassle to remove...
Low-level light therapy (phototherapy) works with light - never with heat
"Ah yes, LED light therapy, good reminder to use again my RF wand I have at home…" This is how some people react when they hear about red light therapy / photobiomodulation, erroneously believing that light therapy works by heating up the skin. However, this could not be further from the truth. Low level light therapy (LLLT), with either...
Light therapy vs cavitation / RF for cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Light therapy, also known as phototherapy and photobiomodulation, is a great aesthetic and wellness therapeutic modality, helping with anything from wound healing, to acne, to mood enhancement to skin anti-ageing. High-power light therapy can also help with cellulite and skin laxity prevention and perhaps a little bit with reduction, but its effect comes nowhere near to that of deep-acting, high-power cavitation and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound radiofrequency, the strongest SAFE...
How does infrared / red light therapy work?
Energy in every single cell of the human body is produced in specialised cell compartments called mitochondria. Mitochondria is where oxygen is utilised to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. If mitochondria malfunction then the whole cell malfunctions and underperforms. On the skin, this can lead to aesthetic problems (dull, irritated, inflamed or unhealthy skin). In other organs and tissues this can lead to a poorer state of health, lower energy levels, slower recovery from injuries etc…
Laser vs red light LED vs infrared light LED vs radiofrequency for skin tightening and cellulite
Which is better for body skin tightening and cellulite: laser or radio frequency? Absolutely NOT laser. Laser is way too superficial and also pointless for skin tightening or cellulite. There are two types of lasers: strong, ablative, lasers aim to burn the surface of the skin to stimulate new epidermal growth. Cellulite, however, is found at the deepest layer of the skin (hypodermis), not the most superficial (epidermis), so ablative lasers do not work for cellulite at all…