How LED Light Therapy work?

LED light therapy isn’t covered by insurance, so you will need to ask the full costs up front so you can budget wisely. According to self-reported costs on RealSelf.com, cost of a single session can range from about $25 to $85, depending on your area of the country and whether you’re combining it with another treatment.

Remember, many aestheticians recommend up to 10 sessions, so factor that total cost into your budget as you consider different practitioners and their price per visit.

Home devices cost anywhere from $25 to $250 or more. This may be a cheaper option overall because you get to keep the LED device and use it for future treatments. However, the results aren’t as dramatic.

In either case, LED light therapy is noninvasive so you don’t have to lose any money from taking time off work.

How it works

LED light therapy has an established history of skin uses. It was first used by the U.S. Navy SEALs in the 1990s to help heal wounds quickly and to help regenerate damaged muscle tissues.

Since then, the treatment has been researched for different frequencies in aesthetics. It’s mainly noted for increasing collagen and tissues, all of which can smooth out your skin and reduce the appearance of damage from age spots, acne, and wrinkles.

There are different frequencies, or wavelengths, used with LED light treatment. These include red and blue light frequencies. They are readily absorbed into the skin without containing harmful ultraviolet rays.

Red light

Red, or infrared, light is used for treating the epidermis (outer layer of skin). When the light is applied to your skin, the epidermis absorbs it and then stimulates collagen proteins.

In theory, more collagen means that your skin will look smoother and fuller, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Red LED light is also thought to reduce inflammation while improving circulation, which can give you a healthier glow.

Blue light

Blue LED light therapy, on the other hand, targets the sebaceous glands. Also called oil glands, these are located beneath your hair follicles.

Sebaceous glands are necessary for lubricating your skin and hair so that it doesn’t dry out. However, these glands can become overactive, leading to oily skin and acne.

The theory is that blue LED light therapy can target these oil glands and make them less active. In turn, you may see fewer acne breakouts. Blue light can also kill acne-causing bacteria beneath the skin, which can help treat severe acne pimples, including cysts and nodules.

Oftentimes, blue light is used in conjunction with red LED light to help treat acne, decrease scarring, and promote anti-inflammatory effects. One 2018 animal studyTrusted Source found that blue LED improved healing of third-degree skin burns.