Can Pulsed Light Therapy Add Benefit?

LED light therapy or LLLT treatments are being offered in both medical and aesthetic settings. They are a non-invasive, pain-free treatment with devices being used to treat skin conditions, manage pain and inflammation, anti-aging, even medical treatments and athletic training. More and more applications are continually being discovered. LLLT treatments are commonly being used anywhere from spas and sports therapy offices, even cancer and rehabilitation treatment clinics. They offer a non-invasive approach in treating a range of medical conditions as well as sports performance/therapy applications. Many of you are already using an at-home device.

Is Light Therapy Safe?

While all of the light therapies referenced thus far are considered safe, discuss use with your doctor or dermatologist before trying this treatment if you are currently dealing with a known condition or if you are taking medications that may make you photosensitive. They are not intended for use over the eye or as a brain entrainment or similar therapy. Be cautious if you are dealing with epilepsy or other conditions that are cautioned to avoid pulsing light.

A study in 2009 reported no adverse events or downtime and further, showed that LED therapy reversed collagen downregulation and MMP-1 upregulation. This could explain the improvements in skin appearance observed in LED-treated individuals. These findings suggest that LED at 660 nm is a safe and effective collagen-enhancement strategy. ¹

Ultraviolet (UV) light is not present in LLLT, so there is no risk of damage, even with delicate or frail skin. Quite the contrary, in some cases, LED light therapy may treat small and superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC). According to the American Cancer Society, there are approximately 5.4 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancers diagnosed annually. BCC, is the most common type of cancer, a skin cancer that affects about 3.3 million individual Americans every year.

Pulse vs No Pulse Setting, Which is Best?

Pulsed light technologies, intense pulsed light and other similar techniques have evolved in many ways since surfacing in medical and dermatology offices over 25 years ago. Now you see them being used for cosmetic treatments to boost collagen production, remove unwanted hair and many vascular and pigmented lesions. Innovative manufactures have gone on to develop devices that often give results equal to those of laser treatments with considerably lower potential risks.

Pulsing began with lasers, where early applications found the higher operating temperatures could cause discomfort for some, and in rare cases damage on the skin surface - especially with darker skin tones or during longer treatments. Researchers found that pulsing the light not only reduced the accumulation of heat, but that they could extend treatment times. Pulsing may also present other benefits.

Intense Pulse Light (IPL) therapy emerged in 1994 when Israeli engineer Shimon Ekhause managed to produce a broad-spectrum stimulated light emission, thereby creating IPL. His technique was approved in 1997 by the US Food and Drug Administration for therapeutic use.

1995, IPL was used successfully to treat lower extremity telangiectasias (small, broken, or widened blood vessels found near the surface of the skin. ²

Raulin et al. used them in 1997 to successfully treat 14 patients with telangiectasias of the face or legs or with poikiloderma. “All treated lesions could be abrogated with excellent results by this new device. There were no unpleasant side effects of the treatment, and no anesthesia was required.”

Although science has validated many benefits and some consensus has been defined as far as ideal wavelengths of light and a range of adequate dosages (irradiance and fluence), research has yet to determine whether constant wave or pulsed light is optimal for achieving certain benefits. There are simply too many parameters yet to explore on what additional benefits can be promoted and what protocols would look like.

While research continues, consumer demand is driving innovation - pushing manufacturers to include these features, many already offering pulse options in their existing light therapies. Users are giving positive feedback with demand for at-home therapies ever increasing. The benefits are undeniable and without the need for surgery or other invasive treatments, light therapy is helping many people see improvement in chronic conditions.

No more costly trips to the salon or clinic! Lifepro offers a number of easy to operate light therapy devices taylored for your home use. Not only are they affordable, they come with our Lifetime warranty!

You asked for it and we delivered! You can now enjoy the healing benefits of light therapy and our new optional pulse setting available with our AllevaRed Therapy Belt and BioHeal Red Light Panel. See our light therapy page to check out our full range of self care tools.

Sources:

1. Barolet D, Roberge CJ, Auger FA, Boucher A, Germain L. Regulation of skin collagen metabolism in vitro using a pulsed 660 nm LED light source: clinical correlation with a single-blinded study. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Dec;129(12):2751-9. doi: 10.1038/jid.2009.186. Epub 2009 Jul 9. PMID: 19587693.
2. Goldberg DJ. Current trends in intense pulsed light. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2012;5(6):45-53.
3. Raulin C, Weiss RA, Schönermark MP. Treatment of essential telangiectasias with an intense pulsed light source (PhotoDerm VL). Dermatol Surg. 1997 Oct;23(10):941-5; discussion 945-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.1997.tb00755.x. PMID: 9357506.

Author

Joel Gottehrer

Joel Gottehrer is the Co-Founder of Lifepro Fitness and has dedicated his life to helping people transform theirs. With over 12 years of experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and owner of two personal training studios, Joel has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to helping transform lives. After suffering from physical injuries, Joel and his business partner, Abraham Brach, came together with a common goal to alleviate the pain caused by their injuries.

They continued to find themselves disappointed with the results stemming from various products promising to relieve their pain, and with that – Lifepro Fitness was born. Joel's mission is to have a positive impact on millions of lives with the Lifepro brand. Whether it's finding new and innovative ways to help people recover from injuries or developing products to improve overall wellness, Joel is always looking for ways to push the boundaries. Thanks to his commitment to help people live their lives free of pain, Lifepro has been able to do this for thousands of people since its founding in 2017.