Kayla Young
If you are reading this then you are likely familiar with acne rosacea. But just in case you are not familiar with the condition or if you are newly diagnosed with it, let’s briefly define it. Acne rosacea is a skin condition that causes tiny bumps that make your skin look red and slightly irritated.
It can affect your eyes, causing granular bumps under the eyelid. Rosacea can also include a visible network of tiny veins that add to the red appearance. In advanced stages, it can include skin lesions, and rhinophyma – the development of a fleshy, bulbous nose.
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Light Therapy for Rosacea
In this article, we’ll look at using light therapy to treat rosacea. Light Therapy is a fascinating procedure where certain wavelengths of light are shined on the skin. Depending on the design and frequency of the light, different effects occur, and different skin issues are treated.
There are many benefits to light therapy, and it can be used to treat wrinkles, acne, hyperpigmentation, pain, and other issues.
In this article, we’ll look at the best at-home light therapy devices are for rosacea treatment, and how to use light therapy to treat rosacea.
Some choose to visit a salon, spa, or dermatologist for laser therapy treatments. But there are now many at-home treatments that are far less expensive than trips to a professional. Many of these light therapy for rosacea devices are easy to use, safe, effective, and not particularly costly.
Causes of Rosacea
The causes of rosacea are not clear, and its severity will vary from person to person. There may be some environmental factors, and some genetic. This can make treatments tricky. For some people, topical treatments, antibiotics, acne medications, and cleansers work well. For others these treatments do not work at all.
Light therapy is a viable alternative treatment. Red or yellow light is most frequently recommended.
Symptoms of Rosacea
Rosacea is a skin condition that can cause redness, flushing, bumps, and pimples on the face.
The common symptoms are:
- Itching
- Redness and enlarged pores around the nose, cheeks, and chin, sometimes including the forehead (phymatous rosacea)
- Small bumps, but without blackheads or whiteheads
- Red, itchy or swollen eyes (ocular rosacea)
Who is at risk for Rosacea?
People with fair skin who blush easily. Women get it more often, but men sometimes have worse cases.
Light Therapy Treatments for Rosacea
There are several ways to deliver light therapy to the skin. Some simple devices resemble a flashlight, while others look like masks that fit over the contours of your face. There are several light therapy panels that can bathe the skin in light of a specific frequency.
The research is new, and not all the data is in concerning long-term effects and whether there are any side effects.
So far, however, the treatment can at least alleviate some of the more distressing symptoms of rosacea, including itching and burning sensations.
These devices are non-invasive and are all FDA-approved for use.
How does light therapy help with Rosacea?
Colored light therapy can help in several ways. Red light or amber light is usually recommended for acne rosacea. Light in the red spectrum stimulates the production of new skin cells and collagen. This helps the skin heal itself.
Light in the amber spectrum helps soothe the redness, although the red coloration is sometimes permanent if the symptoms have been left untreated for too long.
Is There Scientific Evidence Red Light Therapy Helps Treat Rosacea?
There is solid evidence that rosacea can be successfully treated with infrared light therapy. This study, done in Massachusetts, found significant improvements in rosacea symptoms due to green and blue light therapy. But amber and red light therapy are the most common treatments for rosacea.
Who Should Buy a Therapeutic Laser Light for Rosacea?
Anyone who is troubled with Rosacea can benefit from colored light therapy. In fact, many people who simply have regular acne, or typical wrinkles can benefit from the therapeutic effects of light therapy.
While scientific understanding of how and why these colors work as they do is still very much in process, many dermatologists and salons have been offering these treatments for years.
There is a strong indication that using light therapy is beneficial not only to those who suffer from red bumps and Rosacea, but also to people who have ordinary acne vulgaris. Many who apply these treatments find significant success in reducing flare-ups, incidence, and severity.
There is a strong indication that using light therapy is beneficial not only to those who suffer from red bumps and Rosacea, but also to people who have ordinary acne vulgaris. Many who apply these treatments find significant success in reducing flare-ups, incidence, and severity.
Different colors have different effects, but studies have shown that light therapy is effective for skin disorders. Red light therapy, in particular, works well for rosacea.
What To Look For in an LED Light Therapy Device for Rosacea Treatment
In this section, we’ll look at some of the factors that go into purchasing an at-home light therapy for facial redness. Some of these units look like flashlights or wands, while others look more like facemasks. We’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these systems below.
Results will likely vary from person to person. Be sure to consult with your physician or dermatologist about the type of light that might be best for you.
With that said, the way the lights work is that the light shining on your skin promotes the production of collagen and healthy cell growth, which helps to alleviate the symptoms of rosacea.
Light vs. Heat
When purchasing a therapeutic light, whether you select a handheld item or a mask, there is more to think about than just the lights. First, they should not generate a lot of heat. That isn’t the point of these LED lights, and in fact, heat is one of the factors that tends to make rosacea worse.
Their therapeutic value lies in the color of the lights that are being used. There is evidence that both a variety of different frequencies LED light can improve symptoms of rosacea.
The most commonly used frequencies for rosacea treatments are yellow/amber and red. These are typically between 610 nm and 690 nm wave frequencies, and the devices on our list today all are capable of supplying light at these frequencies.
Durability
Second, you want a quality appliance that will last several years. It needs to be easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to store.
Power Source
Third, be sure you understand whether the light will run off batteries, whether those batteries are rechargeable or whether it will need to be plugged into a wall socket. These are considerations that can affect the ease of use.
How Long Does a Rosacea Light Therapy Treatment Take?
This can depend on the type of system you’re using. A wand-style system will generally require 3 minutes or so per area, per day. The overall length of treatment time will be somewhere in the range of 20 minutes to do an entire face with a wand-style system.
The mask-style systems cover more area, and typically take 15-30 minutes per treatment, typically every 2-3 days. These masks are a little bit more cumbersome to use than a wand. It’s easier to watch TV or read a magazine while using a wand. When you have the mask on, it’s hard to do much other than just relax and meditate.
If you’re looking to treat a specific area, a wand-system is usually a better choice. For an all-over treatment, go for a mask. Masks tend to offer a greater variety of light frequencies and will treat a wider variety of issues. Wands usually only target a few specific issues, and only have 2-3 color frequencies.
How Long Until You Can See Results from these Treatments?
Some users see results in as little as a week, though most need at least a couple of weeks to start to see any impact from treatment. After a couple of weeks, you should see reduced redness, fewer visible blood vessels and broken capillaries, and smoother, calmer skin.
Can Infrared Therapy Target Broken Capillaries?
Red light therapy, in particular, is successful at tackling broken capillaries.
What Light Therapy Devices Work To Treat Rosacea?
Here are three good choices to start you on your way to finding a light therapy device that will reduce your rosacea.
1. Dermashine Pro 7 Color LED Face Mask
No products found.The Dermashine Pro facemask supplies UV free, non-heat producing skin therapy in seven different colors for different skin health conditions. To use the Dermashine to tackle rosacea, you’ll want to start with red light treatments. Red light is usually followed by, or combined with, yellow or amber light. This is the most commonly recommended light therapy for rosacea and visible blood vessels.
But some dermatologists might recommend brief treatment with other colors (some have found blue light to help as well).
Furthermore, with the large number of color options on the Dermashine, you can use it to treat a variety of other skin conditions in addition to rosacea.
No products found.The Dermashine pro 7 is a facial mask. This means that the light is applied directly to the face. A typical application would be for 15 to 30 minutes per day. It has 150 LED lights that emit different colors.
For rosacea, a common application might be to use the red light for increased collagen production and blood flow, then to apply the amber light to smooth skin and reduce redness. The mask also produces blue, green, purple and light blue for various therapies.
The kit comes with a facial mask, an eye protection mask, a neck treatment portion, an elastic strap, and a built-in timer.
The Dermashine is not recommended for people with thyroid problems or adverse eye conditions.
It’s surprisingly affordable, which is always a plus!
No products found.
2. Project E Beauty 7 Color Led Mask
This product is very similar to our pick for Best. It uses a mask, has seven colors from which the user can select. Eye protectors, serum and toners are sold separately but from the same company. It uses a USB controller to select colors. It comes with the mask, the controller, the USB cable and the power cord.
Although it is scaled down a little, the Project E Beauty is quite similar to the Best Pick item, the Dermashine. The Dermashine is more expensive if you include the neck treatment option.
If you don’t need the neck treatment, the Project E Beauty may be a more budget-friendly pick.
- 🔅7 LED COLORS FACIAL THERAPY -...
- 🔅SUITABLE FOR ALL SKIN TYPES - This...
- 🔅FOR OVERALL SKIN IMPROVEMENT - LED...
- 🔅EASY TREATMENT SESSIONS - LED mask...
- 🔅PAINLESS AND NON-INVASIVE - LED...
3. Rejuven Light 2.0 LED Light therapy for Rosacea
No products found.The Rejuven Light 2.0 is a hand-held light therapy device. It has four interchangeable heads, LED red light, and has a stand for the light for hands-free operation.
Each of the four heads on the Rujuven Light 2.0 has a unique color, with specific benefits depending on the color chosen. The disadvantage is that you must change out the filters to gain the effect. It promises to penetrate deeply into the skin to help reduce acne flare-ups, redness, and blotchiness.
The hand-held format is really convenient, but note that this is the most expensive system we reviewed.
No products found.
Final Thoughts
The science is still evolving, but there is good reason to believe that light therapy for rosacea can be an outstanding treatment choice.
Light therapy — particularly with red or amber light frequencies — has been found to relieve the symptoms of acne rosacea. While there is no known cure, and no one is completely certain as to what causes rosacea, it is accepted that if you can keep the symptoms down, you’re less likely to have an extreme outbreak.
While an actual cure would be great, it is good for those who suffer from rosacea to be able to control the symptoms to some degree.
Clear skin raises personal self-confidence, reduces stress, and improves self-image. As a result, it enhances job opportunities and perhaps even personal relationships.
When used with other preventative and symptom-relieving resources such as avoiding triggers, using prescribed cleansers and moisturizers, amber light and red light therapy for rosacea can make a big difference in the lives of those who suffer from this frustrating skin issue.
