A guide to LED light therapy colors
LED light therapy is a revolutionary treatment that can be used to address skin concerns of all kinds. While the most common colors of LED light therapy are red and blue, there a quite a few more that also have great benefits. In this guide, we will discuss all the colors, what they do, and what they can be used to treat.
Color |
Depth |
Benefits |
Used for |
Blue light |
Affects uppermost layer of your skin |
- Soothes inflammation - Calms sensitive skin |
Acne |
Red light |
Travels further into your skin than blue and yellow |
- Anti-aging - Promotes collagen production - Combats wrinkles |
Aging
Acne |
Green light |
Penetrates further past the epidermis and reaches the papillary dermis |
- Calming effect - Even complexion - Helps to lighten hyperpigmentation spots - Brighter complexion - Anti-inflammatory properties - Soothe the surface of skin |
Balancing skin |
Yellow light (Similar to red light) |
Penetrates deeper than blue light |
- Reduces melanin production - Alleviates redness from inflammation, sunburns, and rosacea - Stimulates lymphatic system |
Redness |
White light |
Penetrates deep |
- Relaxes skin - Accelerates growth of skin cells - Accelerates healing of skin cells - Enhances nutrient absorption - Helps treat wounds, acne, and wrinkles |
Acne |
Cyan light (Combination of blue and green lights) |
Penetrates deep |
- Reduces acne and pigment stains - Reduces swollen capillaries - Helps with healing sun damage and inflammation - Releases stress |
Skin irritation |
Near-infrared light |
Penetrates the deepest into your skin |
- Penetrates deeper into the skin for amplified results |
Boosted results |
Purple light (Combines red and blue lights) |
Penetrates deep |
- Increases cell regeneration and renewal - Eliminates acne-causing bacteria - Reduces facial inflammation - Reduces appearance of acne-related scars |
Cell rejuvenation
Acne
Redness |
The therapeutic wavelengths and their penetration depths
Different lights of color will penetrate the skin to different depths. As you can see from the chart above, near-infrared light penetrates the deepest into the skin and blue light penetrates the skin to the smallest depth. Therefore, the color you need is most dependent on the condition or problem that you are trying to treat. Since acne appears on the surface of the skin, blue light works well to treat this. Red light is also often used to treat acne as that light penetrates deeper into the skins surface allowing it to fight against the acne that appears deeper. Since near-infrared light penetrates the deepest into the skin, it is often used to give an accelerated boost in treatment.
Combining colors
Some treatments will utilize multiple different colors together. This is a beneficial technique and can work to accelerate the healing process. Blue and red is sometimes combined to make purple and is very effective for acne. Blue and green can also be combined to get cyan and this is also helpful for acne and pigment stains.
Most handheld devices for LED light therapy will be pre-made to combine certain colors. You don’t need to buy multiple light devices for each color. Instead, you should find one that offers a few of the colors that you are interested in. You should also see if any of the devices utilize color combinations like blue and red and blue and green.
How can I make sure light therapy is a good option for me?
Before buying a handheld device, you should consult a dermatologist or esthetician. They will be able to tell you what products are the most trustworthy. They also can figure out what colors would work best for what you need treated and give you an accurate diagnosis on your skin issue. Because certain colors work to treat certain conditions, it is important to have an accurate idea of exactly what you need to be treated.
Teresa Paquin offers LED light therapy services in her skincare clinic in Hudson. She also retails handheld LED devices by LightStim and Aesthetic Skin Systems if that’s something you are interested in purchasing. Contact Teresa today to set up a consultation and start your journey towards healthier, glowing skin!