04 Jul What is LED Therapy?
When you’re health conscious about anything, there always seems to be the new craze. From fad-diets, oxygen bars, and beyond, every few months something else pops-up. However, when you take your health seriously, you want to know of there is actually substance to the sensation. At Skin Deep, we take skin care seriously, because after all, it all starts with healthy skin. That’s why we want to tell you about the science behind LED Light Therapy.
What is LED?
LED stands for “light emitting diodes.” A diode is simply an electrical component that conducts current in one direction, and blocks current in the other. Light emitting diodes found their start in the early 20th Century when British inventor Henry Joseph Round observed that silicone carbide emits a yellowish light when 10 volts of electricity is applied to it.
For decades, there wasn’t much development with LED’s. Through 1950’s to the 1970’s, different shades of LEDs were invented that could emit infrared to a visible blue light. It wasn’t until 1994 that they became available for commercial use. In the beginning, one LED ran up to about $200.
Nowadays, they’re used in everything from remote controls, watches, and flashlights. The technological advantage to LEDs is that they use less energy, have a longer life than incandescent light sources, and are more durable.
LED’s and Skin Care
Remember learning about photosynthesis? It’s how the cells in plants and other organisms use light from the sun and convert it to energy. On the International Space Station, NASA discovered that LEDs provide the optimal wavelengths of light for plant growth. This is because LEDs boost cellular activity.
After they discovered the positive effects on plant cells, NASA went on to research the effects LEDs had on skin cells. In zero gravity environments, it takes longer for damaged wounds to recover, but research has shown that LEDs helped speed up this process. It has also been discovered that different colors of LEDs have different effects.
Red LED lighting for example, stimulates activity in fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are cells that can be found in our skin that produce collagen which is a connective protein. The more collagen we produce, the more flexible our skin becomes. This makes red LED therapy ideal as an anti-aging treatment and for repairing skin damage.
Blue LED lighting helps kill the bacteria in our skin. Bacteria, when it gets caught in clogged pores, causes blemishes such as acne.
One of the biggest perks to LED therapy is that it’s a non-invasive procedure and it can take to as low as 30 minutes to carry out.
As a shopper, and as someone who cares deeply about their skin, you want to get the most out of what you invest. At Skin Deep, we offer a variety of Biosynthesis LED Treatments that also include other supplementary treatments. When these treatments are carried out by professionals with top-notch equipment, you’re going to get optimal results.
Contact us today about setting up a Biotherapeutic LED session and also check out our other specialized treatments.