Led Photomodulation - Skin Rejuvenation Procedures: Skin Health

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

LED photomodulation

LED photomodulation, which uses light without a laser, can induce subtle improvements in the skin for people with mild to moderate sun damage. Photomodulation, which is painless, doesn't damage the surface or deeper layers of skin. It can complement almost any other procedure on your face and works on all skin types. It can also rapidly treat a large area in one brief session, with no aftereffects. Its effects may be subtle, however. Photomodulation won't provide the dramatic results of laser resurfacing and non-ablative laser treatments, and it won't noticeably improve severe photoaging.

Photomodulation uses the same kind of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that you see on many phones, VCRs and DVD players, and treadmills. This device does not heat or wound the dermis, but it signals cells that remodel the collagen in the dermis. Photomodulation works by delivering short pulses of a narrow band of low-intensity yellow or red light to skin cells, which use the energy in a manner similar to the way plants convert sunlight into food during photosynthesis. Scientists theorize that the light stimulates the skin cells' "engines," the mitochondria, which then energize other cellular activities and make the cells act young again. Youthful skin cells send out more signals to the fibroblasts to produce the collagen and elastin that makes young skin so plump.

A small study published in 2005 in the journal Lasers in Surgery and Medicine looked at the effects of eight treatments of yellow-light LED photomodulation on 90 patients. The device used was GentleWaves, which is so far the only LED photomodulation device approved by the FDA for treating sun-damaged skin. (Other systems, such as Lumiphase, are in widespread use in Canada.) The researchers found some improvement in the skin of 90% of these patients, including smoother skin, fewer wrinkles around the eyes, and less redness. Still, more studies are needed to establish how well the device lives up to these claims.

During this procedure, your face will be exposed to continuous or pulsed yellow or red LED light for 30 seconds to 3 minutes. The process is painless, and you won't feel any heat or unpleasant sensations. Because there aren't any side effects, such as redness or peeling, you can return to normal activities right away. According to the makers of the devices, improvements are usually noticeable after five to seven treatments.

Typically, patients have 8 to 10 treatments, with no more than 2 treatments per week. Results last from months to years. To maintain results, ongoing treatments — typically about four a year — are needed.

Last updated:	July 20, 2007