The use of LED light therapy for several skin conditions including rejuvenation and acne was pioneered by Hungarian research scientist Karu and later commercialized by Omnilux. It’s an extremely efficacious treatment; very gentle so that multiple treatments are possible by way of a pick-me-up session or as part of an ongoing treatment protocol. We are unique in having all three multiple wavelength devices including Red, Blue and Near-Infra-Red. Using topical amino-levulanic acid (ALA) the treatment results can be boosted to give superlative results.
The cost per treatment is £300 and a course of 12 is recommended at £3,000.
LED Light Therapy – The Ultimate Guide
I have always been a huge fan of LED Light Therapy. Ever since I worked with the pioneers in the technology back in 2002. It’s surprising to think that the technology has been around for so long: with the first publication on the beneficial effects of low level laser therapy appearing in the 1960s by Hungarian scientists. There is a mountain of research behind the beneficial effects and the original (British) scientists who came out with the current devices for aesthetic treatments are no more to be seen. And yet, it’s only recently that LED has become fashionable.
There are a number of wonderful beneficial effects of low-level laser light. I will explain the technology; the many advantages; the multiple uses; and then the science which is a bit complicated but if you follow the diagram below carefully enough it will make sense!
Dr Harry Whelan, a NASA research scientist wrote, “Low-energy photon irradiation by light in the far-red to near-IR spectral range with low-energy lasers or LED arrays has been found to modulate various biological processes in cell culture and animal models. This phenomenon of photobiomodulation has been applied clinically in the treatment of soft tissue injuries and the acceleration of wound healing”.
The original researcher in low-level laser light and acknowledged world leader in photobiology is Prof Tiina Karu who heads the Institute on Laser and Informatic Technologies of Russian Academic Science in Moscow.
Light, clearly, comes from different sources: sunlight, the backlight of your computer screen, your table lamp and the all too familiar lasers (for hair removal for example).
Sunlight is a diffuse light source in that all the wavelengths of light are present: remember the rainbow has different wavelengths of light refracted. In contrast, lasers are monochromatic: a single wavelength of light. Lasers are also high powered capable of producing a single wavelength of light at extremely high energy levels.
And LED Lights have the interesting property of producing a single wavelength of light but at low energy. This leads to some interesting applications. Whereas lasers produce light at high energy and produce their advantageous applications on skin via thermal injury, with LED light sources you could apply that single wavelength of light at low level and longer duration also with interesting and positive applications on skin.
So what happens with LED Light? The light triggers enzymes naturally occurring on the surface of the skin that lead to a cascade of positive advantages. The process stimulates cells responsible for skin repair enhancing blood flow, oxygenation of the skin and other biological responses including collagen synthesis and cell vitality.
The below diagram summarises a host of complex processes taking place triggered by LED Light Therapy.
