LED Light Therapy, Explained

Has LED light therapy made its way onto your skincare radar? Today the SolaWave team breaks down light therapy for skin, who it may benefit, and what it has to offer.

LED facials have become something of a beauty buzzword, but what is it, actually? Light therapy for skin is a non-invasive skin treatment using specific light frequencies to assist with common skin problems like acne, sun damage, and wound treatment. 

Older readers may remember a nebulous instruction from their doctor, as an acne-riddled teen, to ‘get some sunlight’. Phototherapy is not a new idea, but we’ve needed the technology to develop to allow us to use effective, non-damaging frequencies and skip the parts of the spectrum linked to issues like sun damage. As technological advances have been made, this has become easier and easier to do, with many medical fields noting the power of red light therapy, blue light therapy, infrared therapy, and other isolated spectrums, to boost healing time and tissue recovery. 

LED light therapy aims to combine the potential regenerative powers of these helpful spectrums into one device that can be conveniently used. LEDs, specifically, were first developed by NASA to help foster plant growth in space. While nothing much ever came of that project, today you can use an LED face light to help you with a range of skin conditions. 

The science-based findings behind LED light therapy suggest that it has great potential for aiding with a host of inflammatory skin conditions. Common targets include rosacea, acne, and the signs of aging and sun damage. Let's take a look at how it could potentially help in further detail.

LED light therapy for acne focuses on killing surface bacteria that irritate the condition, as well as soothing overactive oil glands that contribute to the overproduction of sebum. Anti-inflammatory properties also help calm acne outbreaks, which LED light therapy is linked to.

Rosacea is a difficult skin condition to treat, especially as we are not yet certain what actually triggers it to develop in some people. It’s believed to be linked to autoimmune conditions, which means that soothing chronic underlying inflammation can have an impact on its expression- the thing LED light therapy is noted to help. 

LED light therapy for wrinkles is reported to work on fibroblasts, the structures responsible for collagen production in the skin. If we can stimulate collagen synthesis in the skin, we can help boost skin elasticity and keep skin firmer, longer. 

The theory is all well and good, but at the end of the day, what really matters is whether it works. What benefits of LED light therapy do people claim?

While acute inflammation can be helpful to the body, we’re becoming more and more aware of how detrimental chronic inflammation is. By soothing such inflammation, we can encourage faster healing.

NASA’s research using Navy Seals showed that muscular-skeletal injuries would heal faster with LED exposure than without.

Many existing forms of treatment for skin conditions have to work from the outside in, often leaving visible traces like peeling, inflammation, and redness that can make going about daily life difficult. Because LED therapy can penetrate beneath the top layer of skin, it offers immense potential for non-invasive improvement of skin conditions. 

SolaWave is proud to offer a four-in-one LED light therapy device pairing the advantages of LED light therapy with other promising therapeutic techniques to help you fight acne, inflammation, and the signs of aging. Specially created for ease of use on the face, we hope to offer you a convenient, portable at-home methodology based in the science of LED light therapy. It’s time to experience the ultimate at-home facial!