Since I became an esthetician, I'm CONSTANTLY learning and improving my skill set, and occasionally adding some new things to my esthie bag of tricks. One of the therapies that I've fallen more and more in love with lately? LED Therapy. I was always a bit skeptical when we learned about LED therapy in school, because really, what change in the skin could different colored lights actually cause? But the more I use it, the more I kick myself for not putting more emphasis on this course of skin treatment!
If you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of the non-invasive (or very minimally invasive) options for treating skin issues. One of the hardest issues to deal with for anyone is breaking down those pesky pigmentation or age spots, and a lot of people choose to go with laser treatments or different needling therapies. What sold me on LED therapy was the unexpected results I got with one of my acne clients. While focusing on getting rid of her consistent breakouts, we threw in some minimal LED therapy with our amazing products (Dermaki Skincare!) and one day while comparing before and after pictures, we noticed that her chronic mask pigmentation was gone too!
You've probably seen the little blurbs on social media about LED therapy, but if you're skeptical like I was, keep reading!
What is LED Therapy?
LED (light-emitting diode) therapy is a type of treatment that uses different colored lights to treat different skin conditions. Each wavelength reaches a different depth and affects the skin differently. The three that we focus on here at Pure Renewal Massage and Skincare are red, green and blue. While they all offer assistance in wound healing and speeding up tissue repair, and boosting serotonin, each color of LED offers their own benefits for different skin issues.
Red LED
Red LED is definitely the most commonly talked about in the world of LED therapy. This is good for everyone, regardless of skin goals, but it is mostly used for the anti-aging benefits. Red LED stimulates and renews collagen and elastin (structural proteins in skin and other connective tissue that is responsible for the elasticity and integrity of the tissue). This means that red LED can diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and let's face it, nobody wants those! Red LED also increases blood flow in the skin and can decrease age spots inflammation cause by many different skin issues.
Blue LED
Blue LED is #2 on the must have list for LED therapy, especially for people suffering from acne. This LED packs a punch by destroying acne-causing bacteria, leading to less breakouts (yay!), as well as targeting the sebaceous glands causing a reduction in oil production. It's also great for calming inflammatory skin conditions.
Green LED
One of the most difficult issues to resolve is hyperpigmentation caused by scarring, or age spots. Green LED dives deep into the skin and works to break down pigmentation and flushes it out of the skin. It also targets rosacea, broken capillaries, and spider veins to improve the skin around them and reduce the visibility of these issues.
How to make the most of your LED therapy
While there are some facials that include some level of LED therapy during your service, it is most beneficial to do a series of LED treatments. Generally, you will see the best results after a series of 10-15 treatments. This gives your skin cells time to turn over and bring up those beautiful new, glowing skin cells.
Be sure to give your favorite esthetician a call to learn how your skin can benefit from LED therapy.
XOXO,
Your Esthie Bestie