Can simply sitting under a colored light for a few minutes actually transform your skin? LED light therapy devotees claim that it can do everything from eliminate acne, calm rosacea and eczema, prevent wrinkles, and heal scarring. And unlike lasers, LEDs promise to be completely painless. Given that most cutting edge beauty treatments seem to involve some sort of discomfort, LEDs sounded too good to be true. I headed to the Rescue Spa in Philadelphia to check it out for myself.
LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, work by sending healing light into the deepest layers of your skin. The healing benefits of LEDs were originally discovered by NASA when researchers found that cells exposed to LEDs grow up to 150 to 200% faster than cells not exposed to the light, ultimately speeding up skin’s natural healing process. Each light color offers a distinct benefit: Violet is antibacterial and zaps blackheads; anti-inflammatory green can heal rosacea; orange lightens skin tone; red stimulates collagen and intracellular ATP production to help reduce wrinkles, and blue soothes irritated, acne-plagued skin.
The results aren’t just skin deep: the Rescue Spa promises that LED treatments are an energizing, rejuvenating, stress-relieving experience. Why wouldn’t I sign up? The treatment is done after a traditional facial so that your esthetician—in this case, owner Danuta Mieloch—can determine which light will work best for your skin type. She chooses blue light to calm and clear my skin (it’s been acting up). I am handed a pair of protective glasses and engulfed by three hinged panels of blue light for 15 minutes. It’s not uncomfortable, but if you’re prone to claustrophobia you may not love the feeling of light-filled panels surrounding your face just 6-inches away. Really all you have to do is relax and let the warm lights work their magic for about 15 minutes…
