See the Light: How LED Light Treatments Can Benefit Your Skin

Open up a picture-sharing app and there should be no shortage of people documenting their skin care routines. Long gone are the days when skin care used to be a bit more private, when you’d only be caught going through your skin care routine in the privacy of your own home or at the spa amongst a select few. Nowadays, thanks to social media, you can find a sheet mask selfie on almost anyone’s feed. Of course, that’s not all that makes its way onto social apps. There are videos of people popping their pimples (even though that’s a big skin care no-no), dripping oil all over their visages, and—if they really want to stand out—wearing LED light face masks. You know, the ones that can make someone look like a prop out of a sci-fi film.

It may seem safe to assume these masks are just for show, since they make for such an attention-grabbing selfie, but that’s actually far from the case. While social media may not always encourage the best habits—to reiterate, you shouldn’t be popping your pimples—LED light therapy can offer a handful of complexion benefits. To find out how LED light therapy contributes to skin care and what those aforementioned benefits are, read on. Plus, stick around until the end to learn the best ways to incorporate LED light therapy into your skin care routine.

HOW DOES LED LIGHT THERAPY WORK?

Understanding hi-tech skin care treatments isn’t always foolproof, which is why we turned to board-certified dermatologist, and Skincare.com consultant, Dr. Dendy Engelman for her expertise on this subject. According to Dr. Engelman, LED light treatments work by emitting infrared lights—which cause heat—in different wavelengths, in turn providing the skin with various benefits.

Unlike some skin care treatments, LED light therapy often doesn’t make your skin look worse before it becomes better. There’s no direct skin contact with LED light treatments, and they don’t cause burns or skin damage the way UV light can. Speaking on why LED light therapy has become such a popular skin care trend, Engelman shared that “[treatment] is virtually painless and, for some, the colors are very relaxing.”

4 SKIN CARE BENEFITS OF LED LIGHT THERAPY

With LED light therapy, there isn’t just one benefit. Depending on which color(s) of light you choose to use, there are a myriad of benefits your skin can receive. Interested in giving it a try? These are four positive effects you could see:

Benefit #1: Help Reduce the appearance of acne. Blue-light therapy is a popular way to help address acne. But when using this method to reduce the appearance of acne, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) emphasizes that it’s important to manage expectations. That means recognizing that LED light therapy typically won’t clear acne and another acne treatment may need to be used as well. Additionally, the AAD notes that results vary from person to person, and often require a series of in-office appointments.

Benefit #2: Help minimize the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Studies show that red-light therapy may provide an anti-aging effect, but more definitive research is needed. A study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), found that red-light therapy could have potential for skin rejuvenation by helping to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and rough texture, but more research is needed before the efficacy could be determined.

Benefit #3: Help fade the look of acne scars. In a study on low-level light therapy, the NCBI found that LED light therapy may have beneficial results on reducing the appearance of acne-related scars. 

Benefit #4: Prevent hyperpigmentation. The same NCBI study also reveals that using LED-based therapy prior to UV exposure may help reduce post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

HOW TO INCORPORATE LED LIGHTS INTO YOUR SKIN CARE ROUTINE

Thanks to its increasing popularity, LED light therapy doesn’t necessarily require a trip to a dermatologist. While dermatologists often offer in-office treatments—which are an excellent way to introduce your skin to LED lights—you also have the option of visiting a spa or trying a treatment at home. Some estheticians offer LED light facials as a service, while LED face masks—meant for at-home use—just like the ones you’ve seen on social media, are becoming more widely available.