What Is LED Treatment?

First Off, What Exactly Is LED? 

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. The benefits are all a result of the light, which emits therapeutic wavelengths of light energy to energise the cell, stimulating the production of everything from elastin to collagen. It’s not just for your face either. If you have acne on your chest or back, or if you want to do away with sun damage or crepiness, you can have sessions to target those larger areas. There’s no prep required. You don’t need to do anything special pre or post LED light therapy. This makes slotting into your day easy as can be – it doesn’t matter what condition your skin is in, or what you’re doing directly after your treatment. Also, your skin won’t be more sensitised to the sun as it can be after some facials, so you need to be worried about going on holiday after treatment. Equally, you can combine with ALL other aesthetic skincare modalities, to enhance and prolong the results, including skincare products. 

How Does It Work To Treat The Skin?

It’s used to ‘re-charge’ the cells ‘energy’ battery. The skin is then able to use this energy as a fuel and to repair and rejuvenated damaged cells – the healing process is most visible when you cut your finger and the skin heals itself, however skin naturally repairs itself on a daily basis and in essence, LED is used to enhance and boost that repair. Your cells can’t be overcharged by light – once their batteries are at full capacity, they will store the energy and use it as required. A cell that’s been charged by light is able to perform 150-250% more efficiently. 

Are The Different LED Colours Of Any Importance?

Yes! As a general guide:

Red light will stimulate collagen, encourage healing, calm redness and even skin tone, making it an excellent treatment for slowing the ageing process and negative effects of sun or lifestyle factors while improving superficial inflammation.

Blue light targets the surface of the skin to kill bacteria, so it’s great if you suffer from acne (this you would use in conjunction with red and/or near-infrared, for the treating and healing of blemishes). 

Near-Infrared (white light) is the most powerful of the wavelengths and penetrates deep into the body. It benefits the skin as a whole, supporting the ageing process, stimulating healing and regeneration, improving blood and lymph circulation (delivering nutrients and oxygen to the area, while removing toxins), and correcting vulnerable and inflamed skin. 

Do LED Masks Deliver The Same Quality?

At-home devices don’t have the power of a professional machine, but with meticulous engineering, the creators of most masks have done everything possible to optimise the dose and absorption of light into the skin, in order to deliver comparable results at-home. Our mask over a four-week period and three treatments per week delivers the equivalent cumulative dose of light as one salon treatment per week. 

In Your Opinion, Why Has LED Become So Popular?

LED has actually been around for years. Medical professionals have always highly regarded it long before it was adopted by dermatologists and aestheticians. There is so much to gain from it, which makes the safety element even more attractive – a pain-free, reliable, safe skincare option that offers wonderful results when used on its own, or alongside any other aesthetic treatment or product. Essentially, it’s a first-aid kit for your skin, working to treat a range of concerns from boosting collagen, and elastin to calming skin disorders from acne to eczema. You can’t over treat your skin as your body will just stop accepting the light when your cells are fully charged, and the treatment offers so much more than skin-deep benefits. Equally importantly, celebrity approval has given LED such positive exposure, confirming that it’s the go-to treatment, whether preparing for an event or using as a trusted maintenance treatment. And consumers are now beginning to understand how to best use LED, to gain the most benefits.

Other Than Boosting Collagen, Are There Any Other Benefits? 

In addition to supporting cellular renewal in the skin, it can also help combat stress and anxiety. Near-Infrared has a balancing effect on cortisol, which is commonly referred to as the stress hormone, while ‘happy’ hormones like serotonin and dopamine are triggered by the lights. It’ll bolster your immune system and improve the quality of your sleep - you can thank upped antioxidants plus increased blood flow for the immune system bit, and more melatonin and serotonin, aka the hormones that send you into a blissful sleep, for the sleep.

How Long Do You Need To Wait For Results? 

The results are instant and long-term. Because LED light therapy works on a cellular level, you’ll leave looking glowing, and that glow will become more pronounced with each treatment. Think of it in terms of a work out – going once is better than not going at all, but if you make an effort to stick to regular sessions, you’ll get great cumulative benefits.

Finally, Can You Get A Tan From LED, Or Is That A Myth?

That’s a total myth. Red and Near-Infrared wavelengths are the opposite spectrum of light to UV. UV rays can cause the development of new melanin in the skin, and active the melanin that is already in your skin, thereby darkening it – the two are very separate.