Epiphany
When I got started in this business, I was about 30 years old. Not a wrinkle in sight. Still a tad idealistic, I was disillusioned when the cosmetic uses for red light therapy made it to market way before the potentially life saving uses did.
Then I turned 42. I will never forget the first time I looked in the mirror and saw a line going across my forehead. I moved in to inspect it. What was it? Would it rub off? No? I made faces in the mirror to see if it would disappear. I relaxed my face entirely to see if it would disappear. To my shock and horror it did not disappear. There was what looked like a chasm across my forehead. I burst out of the public bathroom I was in, hunted down my friend in the store, tore off my hat and revealed to her what was, in effect, the end of my youth. Only at that moment did I understand why the anti-aging use for red light therapy was such a big deal.
Too Good to be True?
Most red light therapy products on the web today are marketed to sell you your youth back. To eliminate those fine lines and wrinkles. To bring back the spring and the healthy glow to your skin. You read the promises and see the before and after pictures, and it all seems way too good to be true. I’ll be straight with you. It is true. Red light therapy can really do most all that they promise. Here’s how.
Exactly How & Why Red Light Therapy is Going to Make You Look Younger
1. Increases circulation and the formation of new capillaries. (references) This brings an immediate healthy glow to the skin, and paves the way for you to maintain a more youthful and healthier appearance, as new capillaries mean more oxygen and nutrients to each skin cell every day.
2. Increases lymph system activity. This reduces swelling and puffiness. These results would also be noticed after the first and each subsequent treatment. Again, this paves the way for less puffiness in the future as the lymph system is actually made more efficient over time, resulting in healthier skin overall.
3. Stimulates the production of collagen and fibroblasts. Collagen is what is responsible for the elasticity, firmness, and fullness of your skin. The increased production of collagen and fibroblasts is what will smooth out your fine lines and wrinkles, smooth the texture of the skin, and reduce pore size over time. Collagen cells grow slowly, so be patient, and expect to see “before and after” results at about three months of consistent treatment.
4. Causes the release of ATP, or raw cellular energy. This provides energy to the cells to make the most of the additional blood, oxygen, nutrients, detoxification, growth, and repair already initiated by your red light therapy treatments.
The Anti-Aging Results of Red Light Therapy for Skin
Red light therapy:
- creates a healthy glow about your face
- smooths overall skin tone
- reduces wrinkles, including crow’s feet, under eye wrinkles, forehead wrinkles & laugh lines
- speeds the healing of blemishes, like acne and rosacea
- repairs sun damage
- reduces redness, flushing, and broken capillaries
- fades scars and stretch marks
- brings more moisture to your skin
- prevents hair loss & stimulates regrowth
Add all that to the already impressive list of benefits red light has to offer and you have no reason at all not to give it a try.
How to Get This Therapy
Through a Professional
Depending on the area you live, red light therapy might be available to you at your local dermatologist, medical spa, day spa, or salon. Many gyms and spas are putting full body red light therapy beds in right alongside their tanning beds.
Red light therapy administered in a professional setting can be a luxurious experience, and it can be time-saving, as professional devices can usually cover your whole face or body in a single treatment. However, be prepared to pay for the experience, and to keep paying for it, because many consecutive treatments are necessary to achieve results, and regular treatments are necessary to maintain them.
The good news is, you can get the same results at home.
Do It Yourself
Red light therapy has been thoroughly researched and proven to be safe and effective by hundreds of studies all over the world. As a result, red light therapy has been FDA approved for the elimination of fine lines and wrinkles, and the market is full of products for you to choose from.
What a Red Light Therapy Treatment is Like
Red light therapy treatments for collagen production and wrinkle reduction vary depending on the product you choose, but they all have many things in common:
- You will be directed to cleanse your face in order to remove anything that could block or interfere with the light.
- You will shine the light on your skin for a period of time ranging from 90 seconds to 20 minutes depending on the product you choose.
- Treatments are recommended once daily until the desired result is achieved, then reduced to twice weekly to maintain the results.
- The treatments are painless, in fact, it’s most likely that no sensation will be felt at all.
- You can apply makeup or other skin care products immediately after your treatment is done.
- A topical antioxidant is not necessary for good results, but has been shown to help produce better results faster.
Setting Your Expectations
You’ve seen all those before and after pictures – but let’s set your expectations properly. After a red light therapy treatment, certain things happen right away, and certain things take longer. For example, you will have a healthier, more radiant glow about your skin within minutes after each treatment. Use this to your advantage and, instead of doing your treatment before you go to sleep, do it before you go out.
The imperfections that you gained slowly over time will fade in the same way – slowly, over time. Gradually, uneven redness and spider veins will diminish. Collagen and elastin will grow slowly with each treatment, gradually smoothing out those fine lines and wrinkles. This happens so gradually you might not notice it, but others will. It might help to take a picture before you start, and another 8 weeks later, so the progress will be more obvious to you. It will take 8 to 12 weeks of consistent treatment for “before and after” type of results.
I’m sorry to say that red light therapy may lessen but will not reverse deep lines or folds in the skin.
