What Are the Benefits of LED Light Therapy? What's the most effective wavelength?
The benefits of LED light were discovered by NASA and had been applied to promote cell growth for over thirty years to assist with growing plants in space. After seeing the beneficial effects that LED light therapy had on cell health and rejuvenation, it was used in the medical industry and then was later incorporated in the the skincare industry to help stimulate collagen growth. It was also discovered that all the various colors on the visible spectrum had different benefits - while red lights were the ones originally used for stimulating cell growth, it was also discovered that blue lights, for instance, had a germicidal effect and could be used to kill the p.acnes and staphylococcus bacteria that are present with acne. Green lights, similarly, target melanocytes and help to break apart excess pigment on the skin, clearing hyper-pigmented spots.
For healthy and lasting effects, it has been found that administering low level lights over a long period of time is the most effective way to approach LED light therapy. It takes several sessions of LED light therapy for the skin and cells to respond. The range of wavelengths typically used are 600 nm to about 1300 nm. Although these wavelengths emit more than just red light, UV rays are not emitted so there’s not enough concentrated light to cause damage to skin or tissue health. Having the LED therapy emit wavelengths of 600nm-1300nm promotes the healing of wounds on the skin as well as skin rejuvenation.
Even with at-home LED light therapy devices, the most effective way to achieve noticeable and long lasting results is by having the treatment done with professional LED light therapy devices.
From person to person, the number of treatments needed and the time it takes to see results varies. Yet among the differences between age, targeted skin diagnosis, and how quickly the results show, one thing stays in common: the best, healthiest results come from low light treatments over several sessions.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926176/
https://www.healthline.com/health/red-light-therapy
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/preventive-care/article/red-light-therapy-skin
https://www.scotlightdirect.co.uk/blog/2018/12/how-light-emitting-diodes-work-leds/