Estheticians Use LED Therapy to Shed Light on Damaged Skin
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, or Alaska, you may be familiar with a form of LED therapy that treats SAD (seasonal affective disorder). LED light therapy technology has several applications. Even NASA has used LED technology to heal wounds. Estheticians and spa therapists use LED light therapy to improve the skin's function and appearance.
What is LED Light Therapy and How Does It Work?
LED stands for light-emitting diode. Unlike thermal lasers and other light source devices, LED devices do not use heat or cut into the skin. Instead, LEDs use low-level light to cause a photochemical response in the skin and activate cell metabolism. A client is placed in front of an LED device that contains panels of small diodes. The esthetician operating the machine must know the correct array sequence corresponding to the target skin response, and execute that sequence on the machine. The targeted skin response may include stopping cells that produce spots of pigmentation on the skin, healing wounds, reducing inflammation, or increasing collagen production.
What Skin Conditions Benefit from LED Therapy?
Different wavelengths of light are used for different skin conditions and purposes:
- Blue: Acne
- Green: Hyperpigmentation (skin discoloration)
- Yellow: Sensitive skin, inflammation, edema
- Red: Mature skin, sun damage, collagen/elastin stimulation, increased circulation
A study at the Advanced Laser and Dermatologic Surgery Clinics showed that particular near-infrared wavelengths of LED light were effective in treating sun damage. The study concluded that this treatment resulted in "significant improvement" of eye wrinkles for 81 percent of subjects. LED therapy is also being used on skin conditions like eczema and stretch marks.
Although side effects are uncommon and usually mild, the Mayo Clinic reports that LED therapy may cause:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Agitation and irritability
- Sleep problems and fatigue
- Headache and eyestrain
- Mania
- Dry mouth
In addition, light therapy is not advised for people with skin sensitivity to light, eye conditions prone to light damage, or taking medications that react with sunlight. This emphasizes the importance of proper esthetician training and a complete and thorough client interview.
LED Light Therapy Training for Estheticians in Beauty School
In some esthetics courses in cosmetology school, students learn the theory behind LED and how to operate the equipment, if the school has a device available. Master or advanced esthetics training, including CIDESCO, typically includes electrical skin care equipment training as part of the program curriculum. Many estheticians attend one-day LED light therapy workshops at conferences or at continuing education centers so they can expand their treatment repertoires.
A typical course curriculum may include the following:
- Technological developments in light therapy
- Various light therapy techniques
- Practical application of LED light therapy
- Hands-on demonstrations and training
- Integrating light therapy into your treatment protocols
- Using light therapy together with other modalities (laser) and services (peels)
- Contraindications of LED therapy
- Marketing LED therapy in your business
Featured Schools
Earn Your Diploma from Home!
Visit http://www.scitraining.com- Online
- Relaxation Therapist
Ready for a rewarding career? Start with a certificate or degree from Carrington College California.
- Pleasant Hill
- Antioch
- San Leandro
- Sacramento
- San Jose
- AS in Massage Therapy
- Certificate in Massage Therapy
Leave that dead-end job behind with training from Everest College.
- San Bernardino
- LA Puente
- Alhambra
- Hayward
- Los Angeles
- Gardena
- Anaheim
- San Jose
- Ontario
- Santa Ana
- San Francisco
- Reseda
- Diploma - Massage Therapy
San Joaquin Valley College is an accredited private junior college committed to the professional success of its students and graduates.
Founded in 1977, SJVC has campuses located throughout California-including an Online division and offers a variety of accelerated Certificate and Associate of Science degree programs in the business, medical and technical fields.
Students benefit from a balance of classroom instruction and real-world experience, learning the skills they need to go straight to work in todays competitive job market.
- Salida
- Bakersfield
- Therapeutic Massage
American Career College (ACC) offers hands-on training that will prepare students for careers in the healthcare industry at three campuses in Los Angeles, Ontario, and Orange County, California.
- Anaheim
- Los Angeles
- Ontario
- Massage Therapy
Get a professional education designed with your future in mind at Kaplan College.
- Vista
- Diploma: Massage Therapy
Get your career started with Intercoast Colleges.
- Carson
- Riverside
- Elk Grove
- Fairfield
- Massage Therapy
